Expansion Valve Body Groove Layout for Lower Material Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expansion valves in refrigeration systems require significant material for construction and involve complex machining processes, which increase costs and can lead to issues with moisture retention and corrosion.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates bolt fitting grooves at the boundary between the upper and lower portions of the valve body, allowing for reduced material usage and simplified extrusion processing, while also ensuring stable assembly and improved corrosion resistance by minimizing moisture retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If traditional valve body construction is used, then structural strength is maintained, but material usage increases and processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is divided into upper and lower portions that are joined together through bolt fitting grooves. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently, reducing overall material usage while maintaining structural integrity through the connection interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The bolt fitting grooves are designed with specific dimensional characteristics (width of 0.5-1.5mm, depth of 0.5-2.0mm) that create a optimized connection interface. This dimensional optimization reduces material requirements at the joint while ensuring sufficient strength.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional valve body construction is used, then structural integrity is maintained, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the valve body into modular upper and lower portions with standardized bolt fitting grooves simplifies the manufacturing process. Each portion can be manufactured separately and then assembled, reducing overall processing complexity compared to manufacturing a single complex piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The bolt fitting grooves serve multiple functions: they provide structural connection, enable disassembly and assembly, and facilitate manufacturing. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional complex features in the valve body design.
3Reliability
If bolt holes are formed in the valve body, then assembly is enabled, but moisture retention and corrosion risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming holes through the valve body (which create moisture traps), the invention uses grooves that are open to the outer surface. This inverted approach eliminates the closed cavity that would retain moisture while still providing the necessary assembly function for bolts.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful feature (closed hole structure that retains moisture) is extracted and replaced with an open groove structure. The essential function (bolt fitting) is retained while the harmful moisture retention characteristic is removed.
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 reduces material requirements, simplifies processing, and enhances corrosion resistance by preventing moisture accumulation in the bolt fitting grooves, leading to a more efficient and cost-effective expansion valve.
Implementation Method 1
controlling the flow rate of a refrigerant by moving the valve member close to or away from a valve seat via transmission of the displacement of a diaphragm constituting a valve member driver provided in a valve body via a valve member drive rod to the valve member
Implementation Method 2
the valve member 32b is biased via a biasing means 32c such as a compression coil spring toward the valve seat
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
An expansion valve for reducing the quantity of material required for the valve body by contriving the arrangement of bolt fitting grooves. In the expansion valve (20), displacement of a valve member driver (36) provided in the valve body (21) is transmitted to a valve member by a valve member drive rod (36f) and the valve opening is altered to control the flow rate of the refrigerant. The valve body (21) consists of a body upper portion (40) and a body lower portion (41) narrower than the body upper portion (40), and bolt fitting grooves (43, 43) opening in the flank of the valve body (21), preferably opening obliquely downward, are formed at the boundary (42) of the body upper portion (40) and the body lower portion (41). With such a layout, the material required at the boundary (42) can be reduced furthermore and the quantity of material required for the valve body (21) can be reduced furthermore, as a result. Since the opening width (minimum spatial dimension) w is smaller than the diameter of bolt, a seating surface is assured sufficiently around the bolt fitting groove (43) and the bolt does not drop off from the bolt fitting groove (43).