Valve for use in a vehicle cooling circuit and method for producing such a valve

Abstract

Valve (10) for use in a vehicle, in particular in a cooling circuit, with a valve element (14) rotating in sliding contact with at least one disc (16), wherein the disc (16) has a carrier (18) and a sliding layer (34), wherein the disc (16) has at least one radial web (28) so that a plurality of openings (26) are formed which are distributed over the circumference, wherein the carrier (18) and the sliding layer (34) are separate, interconnected components, wherein the carrier (18) has, on the one hand, at least one radially extending projection (32) or at least one radially extending recess (30) on at least one web (28), the sliding layer (34) on the other hand has at least one radially extending recess (30) or at least one radially extending projection (32), and the projection (32) engages in the recess (30).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe invention relates to a valve for use in a vehicle, in particular in a cooling circuit, and to a method for producing such a valve.PRIOR ARTSaid valves, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 9,638,340 B2 or U.S. Pat. No. 11 428 338 B2, usually have a rotating valve element, which is also referred to as a puck, which rotates substantially about the central axis of the valve element in sliding contact with at least one disk. In order to keep the abrasion, in particular on the disk, within limits and to keep the (creep) deformation within limits over the service life, the disks are usually made of ceramic. However, they are comparatively expensive to produce as a result, and the sintering process which is usually used has a high energy consumption. Furthermore, the friction values are in need of improvement, so that valves currently used require comparatively powerful actuators.US 2022 / 0 390 027 A1 likewise relates to such a valve in which the disc has a carrier and a sliding layer which are separate components connected to one another. Further, similar valves are evident from JP 2001-214 982 A, JP H08-159 304 A, JP H02-248 774 A and DE 195 80 519 B3.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAgainst this background, the invention is based on the object of improving such a valve from an economic point of view and at the same time meeting the requirements placed.This object is achieved on the one hand by the valve described in patent claim 1.Accordingly, it comprises a disc which is in sliding contact with a rotating valve element and comprises a carrier and a sliding layer. In other words, the pane is divided into at least two components which, in particular terms, meet the requirements placed on it. The support ensures the required service life and for this purpose has good resistance to creep deformation. The sliding layer can be optimized simultaneously with regard to the friction and / or abrasion properties, so that overall an improved valve can be provided which can be produced economically at the same time.The embodiment according to the invention consists in providing the carrier and the sliding layer as separate components connected to one another. As a result, the two components can be designed to be substantially insulated from one another and adapted to the requirements placed thereon in each case, as described above.In order to create a secure connection between the carrier and the sliding layer, the carrier and / or the sliding layer has at least one projection or a recess, which engages in a recess or a projection in the respective other component, the sliding layer or the carrier. Such a structure ensures a secure connection between the two components in an advantageous manner close to the expected force introduction into the disk as a result of friction. The interlocking of projections and recesses moreover creates a type of labyrinth seal, so that the tightness between the two components can be ensured. If the projections and recesses furthermore extend radially, as is preferred, problems can additionally be avoided which otherwise can occur as a result of the different thermal expansion of the two components.Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the further claims.In the case of separate components, a thickness of 2.5-4 mm has proven advantageous for the carrier in the case of first simulations. For the sliding layer, in the case of a sliding layer in the form of a separately manageable component, a thickness of 0.8-2 mm is preferred. However, if the sliding layer is configured, for example, as an adhesive sliding film, good properties are expected for a thickness of 0.2-0.5 mm.Substantially alternatively to two separate components, the sliding layer cannot also be formed according to the invention as a coating on the carrier. This simplifies production, since only the carrier can be provided as a component and coated in a simple manner. Subsequently, within the scope of production, only the handling of a single component is advantageously necessary. The coating may further prevent corrosion.In this case, a thickness of 30-100 μm is preferred for the sliding layer, and a thickness of 0.5-4 mm for the support. When the support is coated, a thickness of 0.5-1 mm is currently preferred, and when the slip layer is already incorporated into the support during manufacture, as described in more detail below, good properties are expected with a thickness of the support of 2-4 mm.For secure anchoring in a valve housing, it is at present further preferred for the carrier to have at least one projection and / or at least one recess for anchoring in the housing, so that a rotation of the disk as a whole with respect to the housing to be avoided is counteracted.Preferred materials for the carrier are specified in claim 4 and satisfy well the requirements placed thereon, such as, for example, adequate resistance to creep deformation and overall good dimensional accuracy. In particular in the case of a carrier made of steel or anodized aluminum, an additional, abrasion-resistant layer can be formed towards the sliding layer, for example as a carbonitriding layer.For the materials for the sliding layer specified in claim 5, good sliding and wear properties are expected.According to the basic idea of the invention, the method according to the invention for producing a disk for a valve for use in a vehicle, in particular a cooling circuit, is characterized in that the disk is composed of a carrier and a sliding layer.After the carrier is assembled as a separate component with the sliding layer, the carrier can be stamped and / or deep drawn in advance.Otherwise, the method procedure for producing the various embodiments of the valve corresponds to that described above with respect to the valve, and in general any features which are described above and below merely with respect to the valve are also applicable to the production method and vice versa.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSPreferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. The following are shown: FIG. 1 is a sectional view of essential parts of the valve according to the invention; and FIGS. 2 to 7 show different embodiments of the disc of the valve according to the invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTIONAs can be seen in FIG. 1, a valve 10 according to the invention essentially has a rotary actuator 12 and a rotating valve element 14 in the form of a so-called puck with suitable chambers and passages. The valve element 14 is in sliding contact in the case shown with a disc 16, which is shown in more detail in the further figures. The valve element 14 has suitable chambers and deflections in order to provide the desired fluid flows depending on the rotational position.As mentioned, it interacts with the disk 16 shown in FIG. 2 by way of example, which is composed of the carrier 18 shown in FIG. 3 and the sliding layer 34 shown in FIG. 4 in the form of a separate component. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the carrier 18 has projections 20 distributed over the circumference in the case shown and a single recess 22 in the case shown, which recesses serve for anchoring in the housing shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, in the case shown, with the exception of the projections 20 described and a widening of the outer periphery on both sides in the vicinity of the recess 22, the carrier 18 is substantially circular disc-shaped with, in the case shown, a central aperture 24 corresponding to approximately one third of the diameter and four sector-shaped apertures 26 distributed uniformly over the periphery. Webs 28 are formed in each case between the apertures 26, which webs serve, in the example shown, for anchoring the sliding layer 34 shown in FIG. 4.This is designed to match with respect to the apertures 24, 26, so that, as shown in FIG. 2, the apertures in each case substantially coincide and no unnecessary flow losses arise. For anchoring the sliding layer 34 shown in FIG. 4, the latter has projections 32 which extend radially in accordance with the recesses 30 in the webs 28 of the carrier 18 and can be accommodated in the recesses 30. This prevents the two components from rotating relative to each other and at the same time any frictional force which arises between the valve element 14 and the sliding layer 34 can be introduced in an advantageous manner close to the point of origin into the carrier 18 and can be discharged via the housing. In addition, the recesses 30 and the projections 32 advantageously form a type of labyrinth seal which contributes to the tightness of the disk 16 as a whole. The webs 28 are approximately as wide as the circular web between the central 24 and the sector-shaped apertures 26.It is understood with regard to the illustrated apertures 24 and 26 that these can also be configured differently with regard to number and shape. For example, the central aperture 24 can be omitted and / or the sector-shaped apertures 26 can extend further or less far in the circumferential direction and or in the radial direction. Furthermore, one or more sector-shaped apertures 26 can be closed or largely closed, which furthermore enables the recesses 30 to be formed in the carrier 18. It should also be noted that, in the case shown, the sliding layer 34 coincides with respect to the outer periphery, except for the protrusions 20 formed on the carrier 18 and the broadenings in the vicinity of the outer recess 22.FIG. 5 shows an embodiment which is initially different in that it does not have the radial recesses 30, and is likewise not provided with an aperture 24 in its center. Further, the right upper aperture 26 is configured differently in that it has a radially inner region having a first width along the circumferential direction and a radially outer, radially narrower region having a second, greater width in the circumferential direction. The radially inner region of the described aperture can, however, also be omitted and / or the sector-shaped apertures can extend further or less far in the radial direction.In addition, the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 differs in that it is made from a significantly thinner sheet metal and has different tabs 36 bent out of the sheet metal plane for fixing the position. In contrast, the carrier 18 of FIGS. 2 and 3 is formed from a significantly thicker material. In any case, such a carrier 18, as shown in FIG. 2, can be combined with a sliding layer 34 as a separate component. It should also be mentioned that, according to an alternative embodiment, the sliding layer 34 designed in a similar manner in FIG. 4 is also arranged in a suitable tool and is injection-molded or back-molded with the carrier material. In this case, the sliding layer 34 can in particular already have substantially the final shape shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.However, it is equally conceivable outside the invention that the sliding layer 34 is inserted into a suitable tool, for example and as shown in FIG. 7, as a foil and optionally only with regard to any apertures having the final shape and with regard to the outer circumference, only roughly shaped, and is subsequently combined with the carrier 18. For example, the sliding layer may have the shape shown in FIG. 7 before being combined with the carrier. In this case, the final shape and / or any apertures 24, 26 are subsequently formed, for example by punching out, so that the desired shape is obtained, as shown by way of example in FIG. 3.In particular, the carrier 18 shown in FIG. 3 can have a thickness of 2.5-4 mm and the sliding layer 34 shown in FIG. 4 can have a thickness of 0.8-2 mm, while the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a thickness of the carrier of 0.5-1.5 mm, for example. For a carrier 18 provided with a film outside the invention, as described in more detail above, the thickness described for the embodiment of FIG. 3 applies by way of example to a film thickness of, for example, 0.2-0.5 mm.

Claims

Valve (10) for use in a vehicle, in particular in a cooling circuit, having a valve element (14) which rotates in sliding contact with at least one disc (16), wherein the disc (16) has a carrier (18) and a sliding layer (34), wherein the disc (16) has at least one radial web (28), such that a plurality of apertures (26) are formed which are distributed over the circumference, wherein the carrier (18) and the sliding layer (34) are separate components which are connected to one another, wherein the carrier (18) has, on the one hand, at least one radially running projection (32) or at least one radially running recess (30) on at least one web (28), the sliding layer (34) has, on the other hand, at least one radially running recess (30) or at least one radially running projection (32), and the projection (32) engages in the recess (30).Valve (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that the carrier (18) has a thickness of 2.5-4 mm and / or the sliding layer (34) has a thickness of 0.8-2 mm in the case of a separate sliding layer (34).Valve (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least the carrier (18) has at least one projection (20) and / or at least one recess (22) for anchoring in a housing.Valve (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrier (18) has at least one of the following materials: steel, in particular chromium steel or cold strip, aluminum, plastic, phenolic resin with filler, fiber-reinforced plastic, preferably with at least 20% filler, such as e.g. glass fiber, carbon fiber, mineral fiber, in particular particularly preferably PPS-GF 40 and / or PPA with more than 10% glass fiber.Valve (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sliding layer (34) comprises at least one of the following materials: thermoplastic, such as POM, PP, PE, PEEK, fluorinated plastic, such as PVDF, FEP, PFA, PTFE, ePTFE, ECTFE, jet-crosslinked plastic, in particular polyethylene, ceramic.Method for producing a disc (16) for a valve (10) according to one of the preceding claims and for use in a vehicle, in particular in a cooling circuit, having a valve element (14) which is rotatable in sliding contact with respect to the disc (16), in which the disc (16) is composed of a carrier (18) and a sliding layer (34).Method according to claim 6, characterised in that the carrier (18) is stamped and / or deep-drawn.

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