Eccentric Pivot Coolant Pump Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mechanical coolant pumps for internal combustion engines face challenges in maintaining low actuation forces and long-term tightness of the closed outlet valve, especially at high rotational speeds and high fluid pressures.
Innovation Solution
The mechanical coolant pump features an outlet valve arrangement with a valve flap that pivots around an axis laterally eccentric to the valve seat plane, minimizing contact and abrasion during closure, and is supported by base disks for reduced actuation forces, with a rubber coating for enhanced sealing, and a secondary outlet channel ensuring minimum coolant flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the valve flap pivot axis is located in the symmetry plane of the valve seat, then the valve flap can be actuated with lower forces, but the valve seat and flap seat experience significant contact abrasion during closure, reducing long-term tightness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by deliberately offsetting the valve flap pivot axis from the symmetry plane of the valve seat. This asymmetric positioning creates a lateral eccentricity that causes the valve flap to approach the valve seat at an angle, ensuring that contact occurs only at the extreme edge of the flap seat during closure. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining low actuation forces while minimizing abrasion through the asymmetric geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a new dimensional parameter - lateral eccentricity - by positioning the pivot axis outside the traditional symmetry plane. This dimensional shift transforms the closure mechanism from a face-to-face contact (in the symmetry plane) to an edge-contact mechanism, thereby reducing wear while maintaining actuation efficiency.
2Reliability
If the valve flap pivot axis is positioned with large lateral eccentricity from the symmetry plane, then contact abrasion between valve seat and flap seat is minimized, but the actuation forces required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the lateral eccentricity parameter within a specific range (1/20 to 1/1 of the pivot axis distance to the valve seat plane). By carefully controlling this parameter, the invention achieves the optimal balance between minimizing contact abrasion and maintaining acceptable actuation forces, rather than using extreme eccentricity values that would excessively increase actuation requirements.
3Reliability
If the valve flap is designed to contact the valve seat during closing movement, then sealing is achieved, but significant abrasion occurs between the contacting surfaces, degrading tightness over time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful contact friction element from the valve closure process by positioning the pivot axis such that the valve flap contacts the valve seat only at the extreme edge during closure. This minimizes the contact area and duration, thereby extracting the wear mechanism from the system while maintaining the necessary sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful face-to-face contact into a beneficial edge-contact mechanism. The lateral eccentricity positioning transforms what would be extensive surface wear into minimal edge contact, actually improving long-term reliability by reducing abrasion while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
4Loss of time
If the outlet valve is closed to minimize coolant circulation when the engine is cold, then warming-up phase is shortened, but the valve must maintain tightness under high fluid pressure at high rotational speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric pivot axis positioning creates a valve flap geometry where the contact occurs at the extreme edge. This asymmetric design provides a mechanical advantage that enhances sealing pressure distribution, allowing the valve to maintain reliable tightness under high fluid pressure conditions while still enabling quick closure to reduce warming-up time.
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 achieves low actuation forces and reliable long-term tightness of the closed valve, reducing flow resistance and ensuring consistent coolant flow even at high rotational speeds, while maintaining a minimum coolant flow rate for efficient engine cooling.
Implementation Method 1
The valve flap is pivotable or rotatable around the pivot axis which is parallel to the symmetry plane but the pivot axis is not located in the symmetry plane. The pivot axis is located with a lateral eccentricity from the symmetry plane, whereby the lateral eccentricity is between 1/20 and 1/1 of the pivot axis' distance to the valve seat plane.
Implementation Method 2
The valve flap is provided with a valve flap body and the flap seat is coated with a rubber coating.
Implementation Method 3
an impeller pump wheel pumping the liquid coolant incoming in axial direction radially outwardly into an outlet volute
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention refers to a mechanical coolant pump ( 10) for an internal combustion engine. The pump 10 comprises an impeller pump wheel ( 14) pumping the liquid coolant incoming in axial direction radially into an outlet volute ( 16), a pump housing (12) including a outlet volute housing (13) defining the outlet volute (16) including a first outlet channel (18), and an outlet valve arrangement in the route of the first outlet channel ( 18). The outlet valve arrangement comprises valve flap (30) being pivotable between an open position and a closed position to leave open or close a valve opening ( 19) of the outlet channel (18). The valve opening ( 19) is defined and surrounded by a valve seat (64) defining a valve seat plane (60) and a symmetry plane (62) in the middle of and rectangular to the valve seat plane (60). A valve flap (30) is provided with a flap seat (66) corresponding to the valve seat (64). The valve flap (30) is rotatable around a pivot axis (31) which is in parallel to the symmetry plane (62) and is located with a lateral eccentricity (E) from the symmetry plane (62), whereby the lateral eccentricity (E) is between 1/20 and 1/1 of the pivot axis' distance (D) to the valve seat plane (60).