Self-Supporting Filter Element With Undulations For Exhaust Gas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filters for exhaust-gas recirculation systems in internal combustion engines face challenges with thermal loading, material costs, and the inability to effectively remove soot particles and ceramic particles, which can cause damage and varnishing due to their design and material limitations.
Innovation Solution
A self-supporting filter element is designed without a cover or shadow-forming retaining structures, featuring undulations or beads that enhance thermomechanical durability, allowing it to be fixed directly to the pipe and withstand high temperatures and mechanical loads, with a plastically deformable material and a permeable supporting structure to compensate for thermal expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a filter element is permanently and functionally fixed in the pipe using conventional methods (covers with hole patterns and welded connections), then the filter provides reliable particle filtration, but the manufacturing complexity and installation difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the complex cover structure with hole patterns and welded connections from the filter design. Instead, it uses a simple circumferential fixing method where the filter element is secured directly to the pipe wall through its circumference, eliminating unnecessary structural components while maintaining filtration reliability
Solution Approach 2:
Conventional filters fix the outer covers to the pipe; this invention inverts the approach by fixing the filter element itself directly to the pipe circumference without external covers, reversing the traditional fixation hierarchy and simplifying the overall structure
2Stability of the object's composition
If a filter element is permanently fixed in the pipe using conventional welded connections, then the filter provides structural stability, but the thermal expansion compensation capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from rigid welded connections to a dynamic fixing method where the filter element can accommodate thermal expansion through its circumferential fixation to the pipe wall. This allows the filter to adapt dynamically to temperature changes while maintaining structural stability during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fixation parameter from rigid welding to a more flexible circumferential securing method that allows for dimensional changes. This enables the filter element to expand and contract with temperature variations while remaining securely positioned in the pipe
3Ease of manufacture
If a filter element is designed without a cover or shadow-forming retaining structures, then the material costs and installation complexity are reduced, but the thermomechanical durability under high thermal loading may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses the filter element itself as a self-supporting structure with sufficient thermomechanical strength to withstand high thermal loading. By eliminating heavy cover structures and using the filter element's own circumferential fixation, it achieves both manufacturing simplicity and adequate thermomechanical durability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes unnecessary cover structures and retaining frameworks that add material costs and manufacturing complexity. The simplified design relies on the filter element's inherent strength and circumferential fixation to provide adequate thermomechanical durability under high thermal loading conditions
4Productivity
If narrow webs are used between holes in cover patterns to maintain fluid flow, then the fluid passage efficiency is improved, but the susceptibility to hot cracking increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the cover structure with hole patterns and narrow webs entirely. Instead, it uses a circumferential fixation method that allows the filter element to maintain full fluid passage efficiency without any shadow-forming structures, while completely avoiding the hot cracking susceptibility of narrow welded webs
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 filter element maintains stability and effectiveness in high-temperature environments, allowing for efficient removal of soot particles and ceramic particles, reducing the risk of damage and varnishing, while simplifying installation and reducing material costs.
Implementation Method 1
a plastically deformable material and a permeable supporting structure to compensate for thermal expansion
Implementation Method 2
efficient removal of soot particles and ceramic particles
Data Source
AI summary
A filter for a fluid-conducting pipe, in particular for a gas-conducting pipe of an internal combustion engine. The filter includes a self-supporting areal filter element and is fixable along a circumference 2 directly or indirectly in the pipe and, in so doing, covers a free cross section of the pipe. Here, the circumference 2 of the filter element 1 circumscribes a central filter plane 4. Furthermore, the filter element 1 or at least one layer thereof is comprised of a plastically deformable material and is provided with at least one undulation 5 or bead 13, which does not intersect the circumference 2, in such a way that the filter element 1 intersects the filter plane 4, or a plane 4a parallel thereto, at least four times within the circumference 2.