Multi-Channel Coolant Valve Sealing Structure for Compact Flow Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
As internal combustion engines become more complex, existing coolant valves struggle with managing multiple coolant flow paths efficiently, leading to increased structural complexity and potential sealing issues due to the need for more intricate designs.
Innovation Solution
A valve design featuring a housing with a rotating valve body and a seal member with a unique groove structure, including side and end groove walls, stop blocks, and a neck, which allows for sealed communication or isolation of coolant channels, utilizing a hard material seal member to prevent leakage and simplify assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a multi-channel valve is used to manage more coolant flow paths, then the temperature regulation capability is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is designed with multiple cooling channels (first cooling channel, second cooling channel, third cooling channel) that can serve different thermal management needs. The same valve body structure can regulate temperature for different components by controlling flow through different channels, making it a multi-functional device that handles various coolant flow paths without requiring separate valves for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body is segmented into multiple independent cooling channels with separate control mechanisms. Each channel (first cooling channel, second cooling channel, third cooling channel) can be controlled independently through its own valve core and seal member, allowing selective opening and closing of different flow paths. This segmentation enables complex temperature regulation functionality while maintaining a unified valve structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the valve structure is made more complex to handle multiple coolant flow paths, then the flow path management capability is improved, but the sealing reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Each cooling channel is equipped with its own dedicated seal member (first seal member, second seal member, third seal member) positioned at specific locations where sealing is needed. The seal members are made of specific materials and have specific geometries tailored to their local sealing requirements. This localized sealing approach ensures reliable sealing at each critical interface without compromising the overall system reliability, even as the number of channels increases.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal members act as intermediary elements between the valve body and the cooling channels, providing a dedicated sealing interface for each channel. These intermediary seal members isolate the coolant flow paths from each other and from the external environment, ensuring that the increased complexity of multiple channels does not lead to leakage or sealing failures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more coolant flow paths are integrated into a single valve, then the system integration is improved, but the manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cooling channels and their control mechanisms are merged into a single integrated valve body structure. The first cooling channel, second cooling channel, and third cooling channel are all housed within the same valve body, with their respective valve cores and seal members integrated into the unified structure. This merging reduces the number of separate components needed in the system, simplifying installation and system integration while the modular channel design keeps manufacturing manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve includes a housing, a valve body, a seal member mounting groove, and a seal member which is inserted into the seal member mounting groove from an insertion opening. The seal member is configured to come into contact with the valve body and a housing sealing surface when the valve body closes the housing opening so as to enable the valve body to close a housing opening in a sealed manner. The seal member mounting groove further includes a seal member limiting structure. The seal member limiting structure is disposed on a groove wall. The seal member limiting structure is configured to restrict movement of the seal member toward the valve body relative to the housing.