Flange Connection Element Geometry for Leak-Tight Thermal Movement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Standard flange connections often face challenges in achieving leakage tightness, particularly when the distance between bolts or screws is high, leading to uneven contact pressure and preventing necessary movement due to thermal expansion, with conventional solutions increasing costs or requiring redesigns.
Innovation Solution
The flange connection element features a contact surface that does not completely surround the bolts or screws, with supporting parts providing clearance and a recess in side surfaces to reduce edge contact pressure, allowing for even pressure distribution and movement under thermal expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the distance between bolts or screws is increased to accommodate larger flange dimensions, then the mounting space is optimized, but the contact pressure becomes uneven with high pressure around screw holes and low pressure in the center
Solution Approach 1:
The contact surface is designed with non-uniform geometry, specifically being reduced or absent in areas surrounding the bolts or screws. This creates locally different pressure distribution characteristics, allowing high contact pressure in the center sealing area while preventing excessive edge pressure, thereby resolving the contradiction between large flange area and even pressure distribution
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing a complete contact surface around all bolts as in conventional designs, the invention inverts the approach by deliberately removing or reducing the contact surface in bolt surrounding areas. This inversion allows the contact pressure to be concentrated where needed (center sealing area) rather than being forced to distribute evenly across the entire flange area
2Reliability
If the contact pressure is increased around the screw holes to improve sealing, then the leakage tightness improves, but the flange is prevented from performing necessary relative movement under thermal expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The contact surface geometry is locally modified to be reduced or absent around bolts or screws, creating zones of different mechanical behavior. This allows the flange to move freely under thermal expansion in bolt areas while maintaining adequate contact pressure in center sealing areas, simultaneously achieving reliability and thermal expansion accommodation
3Reliability
If the number of screws is increased to improve contact pressure distribution, then the leakage tightness improves, but the additional costs and mounting space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By creating non-uniform contact surface geometry with reduced areas around bolts, the invention optimizes pressure distribution in existing bolt configurations. This eliminates the need to increase the number of fastening elements, maintaining simplicity while achieving improved leakage tightness through smarter geometric design rather than adding more components
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional flange connection designs with complete contact surface surrounding bolts are used, then the manufacturing is simple, but sufficient leakage tightness cannot be achieved when bolt distance is high
Solution Approach 1:
The contact surface is designed with locally varying geometry, specifically reduced or absent in bolt surrounding areas. This local modification maintains manufacturing simplicity while dramatically improving leakage tightness by concentrating contact pressure in center sealing areas, achieving both ease of manufacture and high reliability
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 enhances leakage tightness while reducing costs and maintaining structural integrity by distributing contact pressure more evenly and allowing for relative movement under thermal conditions without additional machining or components.
Implementation Method 1
it is important that the pressure is equally distributed over the contact surface of the flange connection
Implementation Method 2
the flange is prevented from performing the necessary relative movement under thermal expansion of the flange
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a component having a flange connection element connectable to a flange connection counterpart of another component by bolts and/or screws, the flange connection element comprising a contact surface to be pressed against a contact surface of the flange connection counterpart, whereby the contact surface of the flange connection element is formed such that it does not completely surround at least one of the bolts and/or screws. Alternatively or in addition, the flange connection element may have a recess in at least one of its side surfaces using the contact pressure in an edge part of the contact surface extending below the recess.