Vehicle Air Duct Flange Assembly for Airtight Parallel Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air-conditioning ducts in vehicles face challenges in achieving better blowing efficiency and airtightness when connecting parallel ventilation flues, leading to air leakage and reduced thermal efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The air-conditioning ducts are designed with flanges formed around the periphery of each unit duct, where the boundary side flanges of one duct are fixed over the other, using a seal material to prevent leakage, and the cross-section area of one duct is larger than the other to minimize pressure loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flanges are formed around the periphery of each unit duct and boundary side flanges are fixed over the other, then airtightness at connection parts is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flange of one unit duct is inserted into and nested within the flange of the adjacent unit duct, creating an overlapping connection structure. This nesting arrangement ensures that the seal material is compressed between the flange surfaces, providing reliable airtightness while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If ducts are connected by sequentially splicing subdivided unit ducts, then ease of manufacture is improved, but blowing efficiency deteriorates due to multiple connection parts
Solution Approach 1:
Flanges are pre-formed around the periphery of each unit duct during the manufacturing process, rather than being added during assembly. This preliminary action enables easy sequential splicing of multiple unit ducts while minimizing the number of connection parts needed, thereby maintaining blowing efficiency despite the modular construction approach.
3Loss of energy
If the cross-section area of one duct is made larger than the other, then pressure loss is reduced, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The duct system employs varying cross-sectional areas at different locations and for different unit ducts based on local requirements. Specifically, the cross-section area of one duct is made larger than the other in areas where pressure loss would be significant, while maintaining cost-effectiveness by applying this design only where necessary rather than uniformly throughout the entire duct system.
Data Source
AI summary
An air-conditioning duct for vehicles with one duct mutually connected and fixed to the other duct is provided. One duct is formed by incorporating a first unit duct with a flange formed around an opening periphery thereof and a second unit duct with a flange formed around an opening periphery thereof in parallel. The other duct is formed by incorporating a third unit duct with a flange formed around an opening periphery thereof and a fourth unit duct with a flange formed around an opening periphery thereof in parallel. The flange formed on the boundary side of the second unit duct are fixed with one over another, and the flange formed on the boundary side of the third unit duct and the flange formed on the boundary side of the fourth unit duct are fixed with one over another.