Bellows Accumulator Ridge Layout for Vibration Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The bellows in existing hydraulic accumulators easily vibrate and suffer reduced durability due to external vibrations, causing increased amplitude of vibration at the expansion and contraction direction, which leads to contact with the housing inner wall, thereby shortening the service life.
Innovation Solution
The accumulator design includes a bellows with outer and inner annular ridge portions distributed into sectors, where the diameter of these sectors is strategically adjusted to minimize contact with the housing inner wall during vibration, using an annular damping ring to allow smooth expansion and contraction, and positioning sectors to avoid peak vibration amplitudes, thereby extending the bellows' service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the bellows body has a repetitive structure of outer annular ridge portions and inner annular ridge portions for expansion and contraction, then the bellows can perform pressure accumulation and pulsation damping operations, but the bellows easily vibrates against external vibration and the vibration amplitude increases away from the fixed end, causing the bellows to abut on the housing inner wall and reducing durability
Solution Approach 1:
The outer annular ridge portions are divided into first and second sectors with different outer diameters. The first sector has a smaller outer diameter to position the bellows body away from the housing inner wall in regions of high vibration amplitude, while the second sector has a larger outer diameter to maintain adequate expansion and contraction functionality. This segmentation allows the bellows to perform its pressure accumulation operation while avoiding vibration-induced contact with the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sectors of the outer annular ridge portions are given different local qualities (different outer diameters) according to the vibration amplitude distribution along the bellows. The first sector where vibration amplitude is high has a smaller outer diameter to avoid contact, while the second sector has a larger outer diameter to ensure proper bellows operation. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between operational adaptability and durability.
2Power
If the bellows body expands and contracts to balance gas pressure and liquid pressure, then the accumulator performs its pressure accumulation function, but the bellows abuts on the inner wall of the housing during vibration, reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The outer annular ridge portions are segmented into first and second sectors with different outer diameters. This segmentation creates a bellows structure that can expand and contract for pressure accumulation while maintaining a smaller diameter in the first sector to avoid contact with the housing inner wall during vibration, thereby extending service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The bellows body has different local qualities (different outer diameters) in different sectors to match the vibration amplitude distribution. The first sector with smaller outer diameter is positioned where vibration amplitude is high to prevent contact, while the second sector with larger outer diameter maintains adequate expansion capability, thus preserving both power function and duration of action.
3Ease of operation
If the bellows is designed with uniform outer diameter for adequate expansion and contraction, then the bellows can perform its function, but the increased vibration amplitude in certain sectors causes contact with the housing inner wall
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniform outer diameter, the outer annular ridge portions are given different local qualities (different outer diameters) in different sectors. The first sector has a smaller outer diameter to avoid vibration-induced contact with the housing, while the second sector has a larger outer diameter to ensure adequate expansion and contraction capability, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and resistance to harmful vibration effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The bellows structure is segmented into different sectors with different outer diameters. This segmentation allows the bellows to have adequate expansion and contraction in the second sector while the first sector with smaller diameter avoids contact with the housing during vibration, thus maintaining ease of operation while reducing harmful vibration effects.
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
The adjusted sector distribution and annular damping ring configuration effectively prevent the bellows from contacting the housing inner wall during external vibrations, significantly prolonging the service life of the bellows by reducing resonance-induced stress and maintaining operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the bellows body has a repetitive structure of outer annular ridge portions and inner annular ridge portions by continuously forming ridge-folds and valley-folds in an up and down direction from a metallic film or plate material, the bellows body expands and contracts when the bellows cap moves such that gas pressure in the gas chamber and liquid pressure in the liquid chamber are balanced
Implementation Method 2
an annular damping ring is attached to an outer peripheral portion of the bellows cap such that the bellows body and the bellows cap do not directly contact against an inner wall surface of the shell
Data Source
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AI summary
A subject of the invention is to provide an accumulator in which a service life of a bellows is prolonged. The accumulator 1 comprises a bellows 3 having a plurality of outer annular ridge portions 38, 38, ... and a plurality of inner annular ridge portions 39, 39, ... and configured to be capable of expanding and contracting, and a housing 2 having a fluid supply port 22a and fixed to one end of the bellows 3 serving as a fixed end 31A, an interior of the housing 2 being partitioned in a sealed state into an inside and an outside of the bellows 3. The outer annular ridge portions 38, 38, ... are divided into at least a first sector B1 and a second sector A1 which are distributed in an expansion and contraction direction of the bellows such that the second sector A1 is positioned between the first sector B1 and the fixed end 31A, the outer annular ridge portions 38, 38, ...included in the first sector B1 have an outer diameter OD2 smaller than an outer diameter OD1 of the outer annular ridge portions included in the second sector A1.