Brewing Vessel Flexible Assembly Ring for Thermal Expansion Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing brewing vessel with a two-piece structure faces challenges in precise assembly, leading to potential leaks due to the thermal expansion and contraction of glass materials, which compromises the sealing and durability.
Innovation Solution
A brewing vessel design incorporating a flexible assembly ring made of elastic material, such as silica gel, that deforms to ensure watertight sealing between the glass vessel body and plastic base, along with a water-stop mechanism to control liquid flow, addressing the assembly precision and thermal expansion issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the brewing vessel is designed as a two-piece structure with glass vessel body and plastic base, then the manufacturing cost can be controlled and design versatility is improved, but the assembly precision deteriorates and leakage occurs due to thermal expansion and contraction of glass
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible sealing ring made of elastic material (such as silica gel) that can deform to accommodate dimensional variations between the glass vessel body and plastic base. This flexible sealing component compensates for assembly precision issues caused by thermal expansion and contraction, while allowing the two-piece structure with different materials to be manufactured cost-effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the elastic properties of the sealing ring material, which can change its physical parameters (shape, volume) in response to temperature variations. This allows the sealing ring to maintain effective sealing pressure despite thermal expansion and contraction of the glass components, resolving the contradiction between cost-effective two-piece design and assembly precision.
2Reliability
If the vessel body and base are assembled tightly to prevent leakage, then the sealing performance is improved, but the glass connection portion is prone to cracking due to thermal expansion when hot drink is poured
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible sealing ring acts as a compliant element that can deform to maintain sealing contact without transmitting excessive mechanical stress to the glass connection portion. This allows the vessel body and base to be tightly sealed while protecting the glass from cracking under thermal stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic sealing ring serves as a cushioning element that absorbs and distributes thermal expansion forces before they can reach the glass connection portion. This beforehand cushioning prevents stress concentration that would otherwise cause cracking, while maintaining reliable sealing performance.
3Reliability
If the sealing gap between vessel body and base is reduced to prevent leakage, then the sealing performance is improved, but the assembly complexity increases due to tighter tolerance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible sealing ring creates an effective seal with a reasonable gap size, eliminating the need for extremely tight tolerances. The elasticity of the sealing ring allows it to deform and fill the gap effectively, maintaining good sealing performance while simplifying the assembly process and reducing assembly complexity.
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 flexible assembly ring effectively seals gaps between the vessel components, preventing leaks and ensuring the brewing vessel's stability and safety, even with glass materials, while allowing for various designs and improved manufacturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible assembly ring made of elastic material, such as silica gel, that deforms to ensure watertight sealing between the glass vessel body and plastic base
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is to provide a brewing vessel having a flexible assembly ring, which includes a vessel body having a brewing space therein and upper and lower openings in communication with the brewing space respectively, a base having a through hole passed therethrough and a ring wall upwardly and protrudingly disposed at a top thereof corresponding to the through hole, a flexible assembly ring capable of being deformed to sleeve onto the ring wall and having a plurality of abutting members disposed along the periphery of the outer surface thereof for watertightly abutting against the inner surface of the lower opening when the bottom of the vessel body is mounted on the top of the base. Thus, the vessel body and the base can be watertightly combined together by the flexible assembly ring, so gaps between the vessel body and the base can be fully filled with precision.