Bullet-Shaped Strainer With Fused Layers For Particulate Arrestment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fluid strainers in aircraft systems are inadequate in effectively arresting particulate material, particularly smaller particles, which can still pass through and cause issues in fine features of downstream structures, necessitating an improvement in strainer design and assembly.
Innovation Solution
A strainer body with a conical or bullet-like shape, featuring fused layers angled relative to the straining axis, defining non-circular flow passages that extend through the body to impound particulate matter, and a housing with a trim orifice to further filter fluid, allowing for additive manufacturing techniques that reduce weight and parts count while enhancing filtration efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional strainers with perforated structures or drilled holes are used, then the strainer can arrest larger particulate material, but smaller particles can still pass through and cause issues in downstream structures
Solution Approach 1:
The strainer body is divided into multiple layers with progressively smaller flow passages. The first layer has larger flow passages to arrest larger particles, while subsequent layers have smaller flow passages to arrest progressively smaller particles. This segmented approach ensures comprehensive particulate removal across different size ranges, preventing both large and small particles from reaching downstream structures.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate strainer components are assembled with fasteners or mechanical fixing, then the strainer can be manufactured and assembled, but the assembly process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple strainer layers are merged into a single integrated strainer body through additive manufacturing. The layers are built concurrently during the 3D printing process, eliminating the need for separate manufacturing and assembly of individual layers. This integration removes fasteners, mechanical fixing components, and assembly steps, significantly simplifying both manufacture and maintenance while reducing parts count.
3Reliability
If conventional strainers with multiple separate layers and fasteners are used, then the strainer can be assembled, but the weight of the strainer assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple strainer layers and the housing are merged into a single integrated component manufactured via additive manufacturing. This eliminates fasteners, seals, and other auxiliary components required in conventional assembled strainers. The integrated design maintains full strainer functionality while significantly reducing the overall weight of the strainer assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The strainer body utilizes a porous lattice structure created through additive manufacturing. This porous architecture provides effective particulate filtration while using minimal material, significantly reducing weight compared to solid conventional strainer designs. The porous structure maintains sufficient flow passages for fluid passage while arresting particles effectively.
4Ease of repair
If conventional strainers require disassembly and reassembly for maintenance, then the strainer can be serviced, but operating intervals between cleaning cycles are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The strainer body is integrated with the housing as a single removable unit, allowing the entire strainer assembly to be extracted and cleaned as one piece. This integrated design eliminates the complexity of disassembling multiple fasteners and layers for maintenance. The simplified maintenance process enables quicker servicing, allowing longer operating intervals between cleaning cycles while maintaining ease of repair.
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 solution effectively reduces weight, simplifies manufacturing, and prolongs the operating intervals between cleaning cycles by efficiently impounding particulate matter, including smaller particles, within fluid systems, such as those in gas turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of layers define flow passages that extend through the strainer body to impound particulate entrained in fluid traversing the strainer body through the flow passages of the strainer body
Data Source
AI summary
A strainer body strainer body has a conical or bullet-like shape and includes a tip portion, a midsection, and a base portion. The midsection connects the tip portion to the base portion such that the tip portion, midsection, and base portion are aligned with one another along a straining axis defined by the strainer body. The strainer body includes a plurality of layers fused to one another and angled relative to the straining axis. The plurality of layers define flow passages that extend through the strainer body to impound particulate entrained in fluid traversing the strainer body through the flow passages of the strainer body.