Coolant Pump Control Slide with Sealed Pressure Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coolant pumps for internal combustion engines face challenges in minimizing leakage flow between the control slide's front and rear sides, requiring precise and low-friction adjustment with minimal actuating forces, while ensuring reliable sealing and reduced frictional forces.
Innovation Solution
The control slide features inner and outer hollow-cylindrical peripheral walls with radial grooves and PTFE sealing rings, connected via a base to create separate pressure chambers, allowing displacement based on pressure differences and guiding the slide with reduced friction, eliminating the need for return springs and enhancing tightness with oblique slots and machined surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a control slide is used to regulate coolant flow, then coolant flow regulation is improved, but leakage flow between front and rear sides increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control slide is divided into functionally distinct regions: an inlet side region with a first sealing ring and an outlet side region with a second sealing ring. This segmentation allows each sealing ring to independently address leakage at different locations, effectively preventing coolant from bypassing the control slide while maintaining flow regulation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Sealing rings are introduced as intermediary elements between the control slide and the housing bore. These sealing rings act as mediators that prevent direct leakage paths while allowing the control slide to move freely for flow regulation. The sealing rings transfer the sealing function from the control slide surface to dedicated sealing components.
2Measurement precision
If hydraulic pressure is used to adjust the control slide, then adjustment precision is improved, but frictional forces increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical friction-based adjustment system is replaced with a hydraulic actuation system. Instead of relying on mechanical forces that overcome friction, hydraulic pressure acts on the control slide through fluid pressure, enabling precise adjustment without being limited by frictional forces between the slide and housing.
Solution Approach 2:
Hydraulic pressure is applied to the control slide to enable precise adjustment. The hydraulic system uses fluid pressure to move the control slide to desired positions, providing fine control capability while avoiding the high frictional forces that would occur with purely mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
3Reliability
If sealing rings are added to prevent leakage, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control slide is designed with multi-functionality: it serves both as the flow regulation element and as a mounting structure for the sealing rings. The inlet side region and outlet side region of the control slide each provide mounting locations for sealing rings, allowing a single component to fulfill multiple functions without adding separate sealing assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is merged with the control slide structure by integrating sealing ring mounting features directly into the control slide. Instead of adding separate sealing mechanisms, the control slide itself incorporates grooves or surfaces for mounting sealing rings, combining the regulation and sealing functions in one component.
4Speed
If the control slide is displaced hydraulically, then adjustment speed is improved, but actuating force requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Hydraulic pressure is used to displace the control slide, leveraging the high force density of hydraulic systems. The hydraulic actuation provides both rapid response speed and sufficient actuating force simultaneously, as the incompressibility of hydraulic fluid enables fast movement while the pressure generation capability provides the necessary force to overcome any resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic system allows dynamic adjustment of pressure parameters to match the actuation requirements. By varying the hydraulic pressure, the system can achieve both high-speed adjustment (with higher pressure) and controlled movement (with lower pressure), providing flexibility in balancing speed and force requirements.
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 design minimizes leakage flow, ensures precise and low-friction adjustment with small actuating forces, and extends the service life of sealing rings, achieving reliable sealing and efficient coolant flow regulation.
Implementation Method 1
a first sealing ring is arranged in a radial groove on the radial inside of the inner hollow-cylindrical peripheral wall and a second sealing ring is arranged in a radial groove on the radial outside of the outer hollow-cylindrical peripheral wall
Implementation Method 2
the two peripheral walls are connected to one another via a base, which separates a first pressure chamber from a second pressure chamber, by which the control slide can be displaced as a function of a pressure difference between the two pressure chambers
Implementation Method 3
ensures precise and low-friction adjustment with small actuating forces
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
Coolant pumps for internal combustion engines are known, comprising a drive shaft (18), a coolant pump impeller (20) which is rigidly arranged on the drive shaft (18) at least in a rotationally fixed manner and by means of which coolant can be pumped, and an adjustable control slide (58), by means of which a flow cross-section of an annular gap (62) between an outlet (64) of the coolant pump impeller (20) and the surrounding pump channel (12) can be regulated. In order to achieve a secure seal of the two opposing pressure chambers (92, 94) in particular during a purely hydraulic adjustment, the control slide (58) has an inner hollow cylindrical circumferential wall (84), on the radial inner face of which a radial groove (86) is formed, a seal ring (88) being arranged in said radial groove, and the control slide also has an outer hollow cylindrical circumferential wall (60), on the radial outer face of which a radial groove is formed (74), a seal ring (76) being arranged in said radial groove. The two circumferential walls (60, 84) are connected together via a base (80).