Explosion-Protected Motor Housing with Segmented Pot Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional explosion-proof electric motors have design flaws that compromise stability, ease of installation, and effectiveness in containing explosions, leading to potential safety hazards and inefficiencies in housing design.

Innovation Solution

The explosion-proof electric motor features a pot-shaped housing with a base and cover, incorporating a shaft bushing with an ignition-proof gap, a bearing outside the base for easy installation, a loose bearing for secure shaft mounting, and a flameproof gap between the cover and the housing, along with a pressure-resistant connection box and pinch seal to create separate, sealed spatial areas, allowing for secure cable routing and attachment of additional components like fan wheels and speed measuring devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If a conventional motor housing with two end shields is used, then the housing structure is traditional and familiar, but the housing stability is reduced and more gaps are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehousing stabilityVSAvoidnumber of gaps
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the two separate end shields into a single integrated pot-shaped housing structure. The housing consists of a base and a cover that form a unified pot-like structure, eliminating the need for separate end shields and reducing the number of gaps required for explosion protection while maintaining structural stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The pot-shaped housing is segmented into a base and a cover, with the shaft bushing integrated into the base. This segmentation allows for optimized gap placement and reduced overall gap requirements compared to conventional two-end-shield designs, while maintaining housing integrity and explosion containment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of manufacture

If the bearing is arranged inside the base, then the housing structure is compact, but the bearing installation becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebearing installation easeVSAvoidhousing compactness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The bearing is extracted from the interior of the base and positioned on the exterior surface of the base. The shaft passes through the bearing which is mounted on the outside of the housing base, making bearing installation and replacement significantly easier while the housing maintains a compact overall volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If the housing has fewer gaps, then the explosion containment is improved, but the cable installation becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveexplosion containmentVSAvoidcable installation ease
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The shaft bushing serves multiple functions: it provides a sealed passage for the shaft maintaining explosion containment, and simultaneously serves as the opening for cable installation. The terminal box attachment is integrated into the cover, allowing cables to be routed through the bushing and into the terminal box without requiring additional gaps in the housing structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Volume of stationary object

If the terminal box attachment is integrated into the housing, then the overall structure is more compact, but the separation of spatial areas is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehousing compactnessVSAvoidspatial area separation
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal box attachment is nested into the cover of the pot-shaped housing, forming an integrated structure. The terminal box creates a separate spatial area within the housing, with cables routed through the shaft bushing from the external environment, through the terminal box, and into the motor interior. This nesting maintains compactness while preserving spatial separation for explosion containment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentEP2409385B1Explosion-protected electric motor
Publication Date: 2016.03.02 SEW EURODRIVE GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2409385B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2409385B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2409385B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An explosion-protected, pressure-resistant housing has two spatial areas. Each of the two spatial areas has a gap which is designed in an ignition transmission-resistant manner and located toward the outside of the housing. A pressure-resistant compression seal is arranged between the two spatial areas.