Modular Air Handling Unit Fastening for Airtight Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air handling units face challenges in achieving accurate positioning and air tightness between modules due to uneven surfaces, leading to air tightness defects, despite the use of fastening and aligning means.
Innovation Solution
The air handling unit employs fastening systems with identical mechanical parts featuring conical protrusions and recesses, allowing for progressive centering and improved air tightness by ensuring precise alignment of modules, which are fixed using screws and bolt-nut assemblies, and covered to maintain airtightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fastening systems are used to connect modules, then the modules can be assembled together, but air tightness defects occur due to positioning inaccuracies on uneven surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs conical protrusions and conical recesses in the fastening systems. The conical geometry allows the modules to be progressively centered during assembly, with the cone shape guiding the alignment and compensating for surface irregularities. This curved geometric form enables accurate positioning and ensures air tightness between adjacent modules.
2Ease of manufacture
If modules are manufactured independently for easy transportation, then assembly becomes simpler, but achieving accurate alignment and air tightness becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The conical fastening components provide self-aligning capability during module assembly. The cone geometry guides the modules into precise alignment as they are brought together, automatically compensating for minor variations in manufacturing or installation surfaces. This allows independently manufactured modules to be accurately aligned without requiring extremely precise pre-manufacturing tolerances.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns an air handling unit (1) comprising a structural frame (3, 5, 19b, 19c) supporting a housing made of flat insulating panels (7, 7b, 7c) and being divided in at least two modules (2b, 2c) enclosing air handling components, the modules (2b, 2c) being attached together by fastening systems (15) comprising a first portion (151) integral with a first module (2b), attached to a second portion (153) integral to a second module (2c). The first and second portion (151, 153) are formed by identical mechanical parts each comprising a conical protrusion (1511, 1531) and a conical recess (1513, 1533), and the first and second portions (151, 153) are respectively mounted on the first and second modules (2b, 2c) so that the conical protrusion (1511) of the first portion (151) is received in the conical recess (1533) of the second portion (153), and that the conical recess (1513) of the first portion (151) receives the conical protrusion (1531) of the second portion (153).