Ceramic Hydrofoil Plate Fixing via Undercut Grooves
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for fixing ceramic plates to supporting bars in hydrofoils for papermaking installations are inadequate due to thermal expansion differences between ceramic materials and plastic compounds, leading to positional changes and reduced rigidity, which results in uneven wire contact and increased wear.
Innovation Solution
The use of undercut grooves and complementary retaining strips on the supporting bar and ceramic plates, with adjustable and lockable mechanisms such as screws or pressure hoses, to ensure direct and rigid fixation without plastic compounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plastic compounds are used to anchor connecting elements in recesses, then the ceramic plates can be fixed to the supporting bars, but the thermal expansion difference causes positional changes and reduced rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the plastic compound anchoring method entirely and replaces it with a direct mechanical interlocking system. The supporting bar features protruding elements that engage directly with recesses in the ceramic plates, eliminating the intermediate plastic layer that causes thermal expansion issues and positional instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fixing system combining the supporting bar material (metal or engineered plastic) directly with the ceramic plate material through mechanical interlocking. This composite approach allows each material to maintain its own thermal properties while achieving stable fixation without relying on plastic compounds with mismatched expansion coefficients.
2Area of stationary object
If ceramic plates are arranged close beside one another to cover the wire width, then the hydrofoil can be constructed for large wire widths, but the fixing method causes uneven alignment and increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the hydrofoil into multiple ceramic plate segments arranged side by side to cover the full wire width. Each segment is independently fixed using the mechanical interlocking system, allowing the large overall structure to be assembled from manageable pieces while maintaining precise alignment through the standardized fixing mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a standardized fixing mechanism as an intermediary between the supporting bar and ceramic plates. This mechanism, consisting of protruding elements and corresponding recesses, serves as a mediator that ensures precise alignment and rigid connection for each plate segment, preventing the accumulation of alignment errors across multiple plates.
Data Source
AI summary
A hydrofoil for a papermaking installation has a supporting bar and plates of a ceramic material. Either the supporting bar or each ceramic plate fixed to the latter is formed on the mutually facing sides with at least one undercut groove extending in the direction of the supporting bar over the length of the plate, and the respective other part is formed with at least one retaining strip formed approximately oppositely to the undercut groove and extending in the direction of the supporting bar. The at least one retaining strip can be clamped in the at least one groove.