Explosion-Proof Brake Housing with Flame Pathways for Lift Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lifts driven by cogged rods, used in explosive environments, face risks of internal sparks and flames spreading due to high temperatures and energy release during braking, which can ignite surrounding flammable gases, dust, or fumes, and existing capture devices are not adequately sealed to prevent external contamination.
Innovation Solution
An 'open enclosed capture device' with an explosion-proof brake housing and flame pathways between machine parts, designed to withstand internal pressure increases and cool hot gases before they exit, preventing ignition of surrounding environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the brake is activated to stop the lift car, then the lift car is brought to a stationary position, but extremely high temperatures and sparks are generated that may ignite explosive environments
Solution Approach 1:
The brake housing is segmented into multiple chambers separated by partitions, with each chamber containing brake elements. This segmentation isolates sparks and high temperatures to specific compartments, preventing their propagation to the external explosive environment while maintaining effective braking force distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
A flame arrestor is introduced as an intermediary component between the internal brake chamber and the external environment. This flame arrestor allows heat dissipation while blocking the transmission of flames and sparks, acting as a protective barrier that resolves the contradiction between effective braking and explosion prevention.
2Reliability
If the capture device is completely sealed to prevent contamination, then dirt and dust cannot penetrate, but internal explosions cannot be safely vented
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple sealed compartments with controlled communication paths. Each compartment can be independently sealed to prevent contamination, while pressure relief paths are provided through flame arrestors that allow controlled venting without compromising the overall sealing integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Flame arrestors serve as intermediary components that maintain sealing while allowing controlled pressure relief. These components permit the venting of internal explosions through a controlled path that prevents uncontrolled pressure buildup while maintaining the sealed environment against external contamination.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional mechanical brake parts are used, then the capture device can be easily manufactured, but the brake housing is not explosion-proof and sparks can escape
Solution Approach 1:
The brake housing is constructed as a segmented enclosure with multiple partitions and isolated chambers. This segmented design maintains relative manufacturing simplicity while creating an explosion-proof structure that contains sparks and flames within specific compartments, preventing their escape to the external environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake housing employs composite construction combining traditional mechanical parts with explosion-proof features. The housing integrates flame arrestors and sealed compartments into the overall structure, maintaining ease of manufacture with conventional materials while achieving explosion-proof capability through the composite design approach.
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 capture device effectively manages internal explosions by cooling exhaust gases to safe temperatures, preventing ignition and ensuring the safety of lifts in explosive environments while maintaining mechanical integrity and preventing external contamination.
Implementation Method 1
the channels of the capture device according to the invention are designed as flame pathways, in the form of, for example, gaps that are formed between adjacent machine parts in the brake housing. Each flame pathway is designed with a length and a width that are so adapted that hot gases that are formed in an explosion are cooled during their passage
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention concerns an arrangement for a capture device (1a) for a lift. A capture device has a brake housing (1c) that surrounds a centrifugal regulator with an axle (2) that rotates with the lift car, a brake with a fixed brake part (6) and a displaceable brake part (8), a spring (16), on activation the axle (2) is coupled to the rotatable brake part (8) in order to compel it to rotate, and to a tension arrangement (22) for the spring (16) arranged to press the displaceable brake part against the fixed brake part. In order to achieve utility in surroundings in which there is a risk of explosion, the brake housing (1c) is designed as an explosion-proof detonation chamber, outwardly limited by a cylinder, the inner surface of which forms the fixed brake part (6), an end plate (1d) and an end plate (28), whereby the brake housing (1c) has a flame pathway (50:1-50:n) designed as a channel that has been given an area for heat exchange that has been so selected that exhaust gases from an explosion in the brake housing deposit sufficient heat during passage through the flame pathway that the exhaust gases that emanate from the brake housing through the flame pathway are sufficiently cooled that they do not risk igniting the surroundings.