Aircraft Pressure Relief Valve Seat for Adjustable Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacture of conventional aircraft pressure relief valves is costly and time-consuming due to an iterative process involving coining and shim selection to ensure proper functionality, leading to potential leakage and manufacturing inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The pressure relief valve design includes a conical valve seat and a threaded end stop element, allowing for improved sealing and adjustable biasing force without iterative processes, featuring a conical valve seat for precise sealing and a threaded end stop element for adjustable biasing force adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional ball and spring assembly with iterative coining and shim selection process is used, then proper seating and functionality can be achieved, but manufacturing time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The conical valve seat is pre-formed during housing manufacturing rather than requiring post-manufacturing coining operations. The precise conical geometry is established in advance, eliminating the need for iterative seating adjustments and shim selection during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the valve seat from a flat or slightly radiused surface to a precise conical surface with specific angle tolerances. This parameter change enables self-aligning seating that eliminates the need for iterative adjustment processes.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional flat valve seats are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but sealing reliability decreases due to improper ball seating
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a conical surface geometry for the valve seat instead of a flat surface. The conical shape provides a self-aligning seating surface that ensures proper ball engagement and sealing, while the precision is achieved through standard machining operations rather than complex iterative processes.
3Device complexity
If fixed spring preload is used in conventional designs, then assembly is simpler, but adjustment of biasing force becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transforms the static spring preload system into an adjustable one by incorporating a threaded end stop element. This allows the biasing force to be dynamically adjusted by rotating the end stop, changing the spring compression length, and thereby modifying the force applied to the ball carrier assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable end stop element enables field adjustment of the valve's operating parameters without requiring specialized tools or expertise. The threaded mechanism provides intuitive, self-explanatory adjustment capability that allows end users to optimize valve performance as needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces manufacturing time and complexity by eliminating the need for iterative processes, enhances sealing reliability, and allows for precise adjustment of the biasing force, improving overall valve performance and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a conical valve seat for precise sealing
Implementation Method 2
a threaded end stop element for adjustable biasing force adjustment
Implementation Method 3
a biasing element arranged within the inner cavity and configured to bias the ball carrier toward the inlet end wall
Data Source
AI summary
Pressure relief valves include a valve housing having an inlet end wall and an inner cavity defined within the valve housing. An inlet opening defining a valve seat is formed within the inlet end wall. A valve ball is configured to sealingly engage with the valve seat to seal the inlet opening. A ball carrier is arranged to retain the valve ball between the ball carrier and the inlet end wall. A biasing element is configured to bias the ball carrier toward the inlet end wall. An end stop element is configured to threadedly engage with an interior surface of the valve housing and the biasing element is biased against a stop surface of the end stop element. A locking nut is configured to threadedly engage with an end of the end stop element and secure the end stop element to the valve housing.