Disk Stack Foamer for Homogeneous Cementitious Foam Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods of producing cementitious foam result in inefficient use of compressed air, leading to non-uniform foam quality and reduced pail life due to the presence of free compressed air, which causes unnecessary coalescing and variance in working energy.
Innovation Solution
A disk stack system with multi-ported globes and grooved disks is used to segment and meter compressed air and bubble fluid, regulating air flow and reducing migration, allowing for high-quality foam production with improved pail life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional glass bead chambers are used to produce cementitious foam, then the foam production process is simple, but the foam quality becomes non-uniform and pail life is reduced due to free compressed air coalescing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the foam production process into multiple stages using a series of disk stacks (typically 3-5 disks) with progressively finer grooves. Each disk segment handles a specific aspect of air-bubble fluid mixing, transforming the single-stage traditional process into a multi-stage controlled process that eliminates free compressed air while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the disk stack system perform different functions: upstream disks with coarser grooves handle initial mixing and agglomerate breakup, while downstream disks with finer grooves produce the final uniform foam structure. This local differentiation of groove sizes and disk positions creates zone-specific quality control throughout the production process
2Ease of operation
If free compressed air is used in traditional foam production, then the process is straightforward, but working energy variance increases and pail life is not maximized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates free compressed air from the foam production process by forcing all air through the disk stack grooves where it becomes encapsulated in bubbles. The system takes out the harmful free air component while retaining the necessary compressed air for foam generation, thereby improving energy efficiency and pail life
Solution Approach 2:
The disk stacks perform preliminary mixing and air encapsulation before the foam enters the application system. By pre-segmenting the air and bubble fluid in controlled stages, the system eliminates the need for subsequent free air mixing, optimizing energy use throughout the entire foam lifecycle from production to application
3Device complexity
If traditional bead chambers are used, then the device structure is simple, but compressed air migrates in disordered mass streams causing energy waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the single-chamber bead structure with multiple disk stacks, each disk segmented into radial grooves that guide compressed air in ordered streams. This segmentation transforms the disordered mass stream into controlled, directional flow paths, reducing energy loss while accepting increased structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The disk grooves act as intermediary channels between the compressed air source and the final foam product. These grooved intermediaries organize and direct the air flow, preventing chaotic migration and energy waste, while the disks themselves serve as mediating structures that facilitate controlled air-bubble fluid interaction
4Manufacturing precision
If disk stacks with varied groove sizes are used to break up agglomerates, then foam quality improves, but device complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric groove configurations across different disks in the stack, with each disk having specific groove sizes, depths, and patterns optimized for its position in the sequence. This asymmetric design enables progressive breakdown of agglomerates and uniform foam production, accepting the complexity of varied disk configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a dynamic progression of groove characteristics through the disk stack sequence, transitioning from coarser grooves for initial agglomerate breakup to finer grooves for final foam uniformity. This dynamic variation in groove geometry along the flow path optimizes foam quality while managing structural complexity through functional gradation
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
The disk stack system produces more stable cementitious foam with less slumping and cracking, efficiently breaking up agglomerates, and allows for easy maintenance, resulting in a superior homogeneous foam product.
Implementation Method 1
the compressed air velocity is substantially greater than that of the bubble fluid and its generated surface tension held or exchanged air forms. On entering a set of radially spaced grooved rays from any paired disks of a first disk stack into its outside diameter, regardless of the initial grooved ray alignment positions, the bubble fluid and compressed air are forced to mutually enter or are in immediate succession to each other
Implementation Method 2
Through multiple paired disks, each with radially symmetrical grooved rays angled opposite to each other to a central axis, the disk stacks of a disk stack foamer provide a common flow maze for bubble fluid and compressed air
Implementation Method 3
The presently disclosed invention utilizes multi-ported, or holed, globes to segment compressed air and bubble fluid. A first multi-orificed inlet bulb is placed centrally to the inside diameter of the first disk stack with little chamber gap between them
Implementation Method 4
the compressed air velocity is substantially greater than that of the bubble fluid and its generated surface tension held or exchanged air forms
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to a disk stack foamer system for controlling compressed air while making foam. From a bubble fluid and compressed air orifice, a first multi-orifice bulb discharges bubble fluid and compressed air while restricting air from expanding or amassing before entering a first disk stack. There are four chambers each containing two partitioned filter disk stacks. Disk stacks function progressively to each other in series. Downstream, discharged foam and compressed air run through a commercially available wye bubble reformer. In a cement and foam mixing wye, compressed air from the resistance of disk stacks is used by a second multi-hole bulb to temporarily separate foam in a comb-like fashion. A cement orifice slurry is able to wet against a majority of exposed foam, and thus make superior, homogeneous cementitious foam as discharged out of an application hose.