Water Heater Burner Guide Bracket for Precise Chamber Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Securing and maintaining the gas burner in a predetermined location within the combustion chamber of gas fueled water heater appliances is challenging due to the small size of the chamber, leading to potential damage during shipment or installation and inconsistencies in performance and durability.
Innovation Solution
The gas fueled water heater appliance incorporates a guide bracket with lateral arms that extend from a mounting point to guide and secure the support post of the gas burner, ensuring proper alignment and mounting within the combustion chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the combustion chamber is made small to improve appliance compactness, then the appliance size is reduced, but the burner becomes difficult to secure and align properly
Solution Approach 1:
A guide bracket is introduced as an intermediary component between the combustion chamber and the burner. The guide bracket includes guide arms that extend into the combustion chamber to physically guide and position the burner during installation, making the mounting process easier despite the small chamber size.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bracket is pre-installed in the combustion chamber before burner installation. The guide arms are positioned in advance to create alignment paths and mounting references, allowing the burner to be easily secured at the correct location without requiring complex alignment procedures during assembly.
2Device complexity
If traditional mounting methods are used without guidance features, then the appliance structure remains simple, but the burner may become damaged during shipment or installation
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bracket serves as a protective structure that is installed beforehand in the combustion chamber. During shipment and handling, the guide bracket prevents the burner from shifting or becoming misaligned, thereby protecting it from damage before the actual installation takes place.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bracket acts as a protective intermediary between the burner and the external environment during shipment and handling. It provides a stable mounting reference that prevents direct contact and potential damage to the burner during movement and installation operations.
3Productivity
If the burner is not precisely positioned, then assembly is faster and easier, but performance and durability become inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bracket with its guide arms serves as a mediating structure that automatically positions the burner correctly during assembly. The physical presence of the guide arms ensures proper alignment and positioning without requiring complex adjustment procedures, thereby maintaining both assembly speed and positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bracket enables the burner to self-align and self-position during installation. The guide arms create natural alignment paths that guide the burner into the correct position automatically, eliminating the need for manual measurement or adjustment while ensuring consistent positioning accuracy.
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 solution simplifies the assembly process by guiding the burner to the correct position and securing it, reducing the risk of damage and enhancing the appliance's performance and durability by ensuring consistent mounting.
Implementation Method 1
Natural gas and propane are preferred by some customers due to, for example, the relatively quick heating rate. These fuels are supplied as a gas that is burned in a combustion chamber to provide heat energy to raise the water temperature
Data Source
AI summary
A gas fueled water heater appliance may include a tank for storage of water, a chamber wall, a gas burner, a gas conduit, a support post, and a guide bracket. The chamber wall may define a combustion chamber and a conduit hole. The gas burner may be positioned adjacent to the tank and within the combustion chamber. The gas conduit may extend from the gas burner and through the conduit hole. The support post may be fixed to the gas burner within the combustion chamber. The guide bracket may be mounted within the combustion chamber and define a mounting point. The guide bracket may be in selective engagement with the support post at the mounting point. The guide bracket may include a pair of lateral arms extending outward from the mounting point toward the chamber wall to guide the support post to the mounting point.