C/C Composite Tray Pore Control for Oil Quenching

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Solution Overview

Problem

C/C composite trays impregnated with silicon for oil quenching heat treatment furnaces risk reacting with workpieces, increasing weight, heat capacity, and complicating manufacturing due to high oil wettability, leading to adverse effects on workpiece quality and tray design.

Innovation Solution

A C/C composite tray with a cumulative pore volume of pores greater than or equal to 1 µm reduced to less than or equal to 40 mm³, impregnated with thermosetting resin and burned, to inhibit oil infiltration and maintain lightweight design.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If C/C composite tray is used for high-temperature heat treatment, then strength at high temperature and lightweight design are improved, but oil infiltration into pores causes adverse effects on workpiece quality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestrength at high temperatureVSAvoidoil infiltration and workpiece quality degradation
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes the inherent porous structure of C/C composite material while controlling pore characteristics. The tray maintains porosity for lightweight design and high-temperature strength while the pore size distribution (with cumulative pore volume of pores ≥1μm ≤40mm³) prevents oil infiltration that would degrade workpiece quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the critical parameter of pore size distribution rather than eliminating porosity entirely. By controlling the cumulative pore volume of pores with radius ≥1μm to be ≤40mm³, the material maintains its lightweight and high-temperature properties while preventing harmful oil infiltration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If silicon is impregnated in C/C composite to prevent oil infiltration, then oil infiltration is reduced, but tray weight increases and heat capacity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoil infiltration preventionVSAvoidtray weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of adding silicon impregnation, the patent changes the pore size distribution parameters of the C/C composite itself. By controlling cumulative pore volume of pores ≥1μm to ≤40mm³, oil infiltration is prevented without adding weight or increasing heat capacity through foreign material impregnation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If silicon is impregnated in C/C composite to prevent oil infiltration, then oil infiltration is reduced, but manufacturing process becomes more complicated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoil infiltration preventionVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent achieves oil infiltration prevention by controlling pore size distribution parameters during material fabrication rather than adding a separate silicon impregnation process. This parameter control approach simplifies the manufacturing process compared to multi-step impregnation and heat treatment required for silicon treatment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Object-affected harmful factors

If dense structure is formed to prevent oil infiltration, then oil infiltration is reduced, but manufacturing process becomes more complicated and other problems are aggravated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoil infiltration preventionVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent maintains the porous nature of C/C composite material while controlling pore size distribution. Rather than forming a dense structure that would complicate manufacturing and aggravate other problems, the patent uses controlled porosity with cumulative pore volume of pores ≥1μm ≤40mm³ to prevent oil infiltration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

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 oil infiltration, preventing adverse effects on workpiece quality while allowing for lightweight, high-strength, and low-power consumption trays with improved thermal shock resistance.

Implementation Method 1

a C/C composite impregnated with thermosetting resin and burned

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPyrolysis: Pyrolysis

Data Source

PatentEP2963001B1Oil quenching heat treatment furnace tray
Publication Date: 2024.11.06 TOYO TANSO KK
  • EP2963001B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2963001B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A purpose is to provide a tray for oil quenching heat treatment furnaces that can inhibit oil infiltration to reduce adverse effects on the quality of the workpiece and also can make lightweight design of the tray possible. Provided is a tray including a carbon material and being capable of placing a workpiece thereon for oil quenching of the workpiece, characterized in that the cumulative pore volume of pores with a pore radius of greater than or equal to 1 µm is less than or equal to 40 mm3/g in the carbon material. The carbon material is desirably such that a C/C composite is impregnated with a thermosetting resin and burned.