Check Valve Insert with Annular Open Seat for Lower Seal Disc Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing check valves in engines, particularly those integrated with Venturi devices, experience stress on the translatable seal disc due to the shape, spacing, and material of radially spaced fingers, as well as pressure differentials, which can lead to increased air flow resistance and manufacturing complexities.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a check valve insert with an inner annular ring that defines a continuous surface for the open position of the seal disc, allowing for reduced stress on the seal disc and improved manufacturing ease, where the insert can be made of a less abrasive material than the Venturi device components, and can be configured to tailor performance characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If radially spaced fingers are used to define the valve seat, then the check valve can be manufactured as an integral molded component, but stress on the seal disc increases due to the shape, spacing, and material of the fingers
Solution Approach 1:
The valve seat is divided into multiple radially spaced fingers that are integrally molded together, creating a segmented structure that provides structural support while reducing stress concentration on the seal disc compared to a solid continuous seat
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve housing is made from a durable material that may differ from the seal disc material, allowing optimization of each component for its specific function - the housing material provides structural strength while the seal disc material provides sealing capability
2Device complexity
If the first and second valve seats are integrally molded as part of the housing, then manufacturing is simplified, but the stress on the seal disc from the molded fingers cannot be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The valve seat is segmented into radially spaced fingers with specific spacing and shaping, creating a structure that distributes stress more evenly across the seal disc while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through integral molding
Solution Approach 2:
The fingers are designed with specific local characteristics including radial spacing, axial length, and cross-sectional shape that are optimized to distribute stress evenly across the seal disc surface while maintaining ease of manufacture
3Reliability
If the seal disc must overcome pressure differentials to open, then the check valve functions properly, but the stress on the seal disc increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure differential that drives the seal disc open also creates stress on it; the radially spaced finger structure acts to distribute and counterbalance this stress, preventing concentration at any single point while maintaining the necessary force for proper valve function
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 reduces stress on the seal disc, decreases air flow resistance, and simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing for different material selection and configuration options for the check valve insert, enhancing the durability and performance of the Venturi device.
Implementation Method 1
a seal disc translatable within the chamber is present that translates in response to a pressure difference across the seal disc itself
Implementation Method 2
the aspirators are used to generate a vacuum that is lower than engine manifold vacuum by inducing some of the engine air to travel through a Venturi gap
Data Source
AI summary
Check valve inserts define a valve seat for an open position of a check valve and have an outer support seatable in an internal chamber of the check valve and have an inner annular ring spaced radially inward from the outer support by a rib that angles axially toward a central longitudinal axis to position an upper surface of the inner annular ring a distance axially beyond an upper surface of the outer support. Check valves have a housing defining an inlet port, an outlet port, and a chamber in fluid communication with the inlet and outlet ports, have the check valve insert seated with the chamber, and have a seal disc moveable within the chamber between the open position defined by the inner annular ring of the check valve insert and a closed position. The seal disc is translatable in response to a pressure difference across the seal disc.