Additive-Manufactured Brake Piping for Fewer Leaks and Fittings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pneumatic braking control systems for vehicles face challenges in efficiency, reliability, and ease of assembly due to complex piping systems that require individual fitting in tight spaces, leading to increased assembly times and a higher risk of leakage.
Innovation Solution
A compact pneumatic braking control system utilizing additive manufacturing to create a unitary component with a single inner volume, comprising a main duct and branching pipes, which reduces the number of fittings and pieces, ensuring tighter connections and reduced assembly time, and can be made from synthetic or metallic materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional piping system with multiple separate pipes and fittings is used, then the system can be assembled with standard components, but the assembly time increases and the risk of leakage increases due to the large number of fittings required in tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate pipes and fittings into a single integrated unitary component manufactured by additive manufacturing. This merging eliminates the need for multiple connection points and fittings, thereby reducing leakage risks while also simplifying the assembly process and reducing assembly time.
Solution Approach 2:
The unitary component is designed with an integrated piping system that segments the fluid transport paths internally while maintaining a single external component. This internal segmentation allows multiple pipe functions to be achieved within one piece, eliminating external fittings and reducing assembly complexity.
2Ease of operation
If a traditional piping system with multiple separate components is used, then the system can be manufactured with conventional processes, but the number of fittings and pieces increases leading to complex assembly in tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate piping components into a single unitary component that integrates all necessary fluid transport pathways. This consolidation dramatically reduces the number of fittings and pieces, making assembly in tight spaces much easier while maintaining all required functional connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The unitary component performs multiple functions simultaneously - it serves as both the structural housing and the complete piping system, integrating fluid transport, structural support, and spatial optimization functions that would traditionally require separate components.
3Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is used to create a unitary component with a single inner volume, then the number of fittings is reduced and assembly is simplified, but new manufacturing technology is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes additive manufacturing technology to change the manufacturing parameters and processes, enabling the creation of complex integrated geometries that are impossible to achieve with conventional manufacturing. This parameter change allows for the integration of multiple piping functions into a single unitary component with precise internal channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The unitary component can be manufactured using various materials suitable for pneumatic applications, and the additive manufacturing process allows for potential composite material usage to optimize both structural integrity and fluid transport properties within the single component.
Data Source
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AI summary
Pneumatic braking control system (1) onboard a vehicle (100), the pneumatic braking control system comprising a pneumatic module (2) provided with several fluid connectors (22), a plurality of pipes (42) having each an internal volume (V42), a first extremity (42A) of each pipe being fitted to respectively one fluid connector. The plurality of pipes belongs to a unitary component (4) produced by additive manufacturing.