Multi-Piece Diaphragm Valve Fitting for Lightweight Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fitting assemblies for containment vessels, such as fluid tanks, are heavy, cumbersome, and expensive due to their machined or cast construction, making them difficult to install and susceptible to causing damage when suspended.
Innovation Solution
A multi-piece construction fitting assembly with a hollow pedestal and fitting body joined via welding or additive processes like 3D printing, which reduces weight and cost while providing a more robust and easier-to-install solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional machined or cast construction is used for fitting assemblies, then structural strength and reliability are improved, but weight and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters and material properties by using additive manufacturing (3D printing) instead of conventional machining or casting. This allows creation of optimized lattice structures and hollow pedestals that maintain structural strength while dramatically reducing weight. The additive process enables complex geometries that would be impossible with traditional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs composite construction by joining different materials and components - specifically, a hollow pedestal made via additive manufacturing is joined to a fitting body. This composite approach allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while achieving overall weight reduction and maintaining structural integrity through the joining process.
2Strength
If conventional machined or cast construction is used for fitting assemblies, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method from expensive machined or cast processes to additive manufacturing. This parameter change reduces material waste, eliminates complex tooling requirements, and enables direct digital fabrication, all of which significantly reduce manufacturing cost while maintaining or improving structural integrity through optimized design.
Solution Approach 2:
The fitting assembly is segmented into separate components (hollow pedestal and fitting body) that can be manufactured independently using additive manufacturing and then joined. This segmentation allows for optimized manufacturing of each part, reduced tooling costs, and easier assembly, collectively reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining structural integrity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional heavy fitting assemblies are used, then structural stability is improved, but ease of installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the weight parameter through additive manufacturing and hollow structure design, making the assembly light enough for easy installation while maintaining structural stability through optimized geometry and material distribution. The additive process enables thin-walled hollow structures that provide high strength-to-weight ratio.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the assembly into joinable components (hollow pedestal and fitting body), the invention enables modular installation where parts can be separately manufactured and assembled on-site, greatly improving ease of installation while the joining process ensures structural stability is maintained.
Data Source
AI summary
A fitting assembly includes a fitting body and a valve assembly. The valve assembly includes a hollow pedestal, an actuator shaft, and a sealing member. The hollow pedestal includes upper and lower ends. The hollow pedestal is disposed in a valve opening defined by the fitting body such that the upper end is disposed in a passageway defined by the fitting body and the lower end is external to the passageway. The actuator shaft is disposed in the hollow pedestal and is movably coupled with the hollow pedestal. The sealing member is coupled with the actuator shaft adjacent the upper end and at least partially movable together with the actuator shaft. The sealing member is configured to selectively interface with an upper valve body to provide a seal therebetween. The fitting body and the hollow pedestal are formed of a multi-piece construction and are joined together at the valve opening.