Embossed Base Pan Mounting for Compressor Vibration Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air conditioning unit base pans with reduced thickness areas experience excessive vibrations during shipment, leading to potential failures in the piping system and other components due to high stresses, and the current method of tying down the compressor is time-consuming and may not fully prevent these failures.
Innovation Solution
A base pan with embossed holes and a mounting plate with complementary embossed openings is used, along with a support structure and vibration isolation pads, to create a gap between the embossments, reducing stress on the base pan and enhancing the rigidity of the compressor's mounting, thereby minimizing vibrations and stress on the base pan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of stationary object
If the base pan has reduced thickness areas, then the weight and material usage are reduced, but the stress resistance and structural strength deteriorate during shipment vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The base pan is designed with non-uniform thickness, having reduced thickness in certain areas and increased thickness in other areas. This local quality variation allows the pan to be lighter overall while maintaining structural strength in critical load-bearing regions through the embossment reinforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
Embossments are pre-formed in the base pan at locations where the compressor will be mounted. These embossments create localized reinforcement structures that prepare the base pan to withstand vibration stresses before the compressor is actually installed and subjected to shipment vibrations.
2Reliability
If the compressor is tied down tightly against the base pan, then the compressor is secured during shipment, but the vibration stresses still cause failures and additional time is required for tightening and loosening
Solution Approach 1:
A mounting plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the compressor and the base pan. This mounting plate simplifies the attachment mechanism, reducing the time required to secure and remove the compressor while maintaining reliable vibration resistance during shipment.
3Strength
If the embossments are positioned to create a gap, then the stress on the base pan is reduced, but the mounting complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into distinct components: the base pan with embossments, the mounting plate with corresponding features, and the compressor. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the embossments providing stress distribution and the mounting plate providing a simplified attachment interface.
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning unit is provided including a base pan having at least one hole surrounded by a first embossment including a first inclined sidewall and a first top wall. A mounting plate is positioned adjacent a portion of the base pan. The mounting plate has at least one opening surrounded by a second embossment including a second inclined sidewall and a second top wall. The at least one opening is generally aligned with the at least one hole. The second embossment overlays the first embossment such that a gap exists between the second inclined sidewall and the first inclined sidewall.