Sheet-Metal Flat Gasket Layer With Stretched Low-Waste Contours
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Solution Overview
Problem
High material costs and significant punching waste are associated with producing metallic flat gaskets for applications like exhaust and intake manifolds in internal combustion engines, particularly due to the use of expensive spring steels and high-temperature resistant steels, which are often processed to incorporate spring-elastic properties.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a sheet metal flat gasket layer with areas of varying strength, where non-sealing regions are weakened to allow for local stretching, reducing material requirements and minimizing waste by converting a smaller blank into a gasket with a predetermined final outer contour, potentially using less expensive metals for non-sealing areas and connecting them to more expensive sealing layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If expensive spring steels and high-temperature resistant steels are used for the entire flat gasket, then sealing reliability is improved, but material costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material qualities to different regions of the flat gasket. Sealing areas use expensive spring steels or high-temperature resistant steels to ensure sealing reliability, while non-sealing areas use more cost-effective metals. This local differentiation of material quality resolves the contradiction by maintaining high reliability where needed while reducing overall material costs.
2Manufacturing precision
If the entire sheet metal layer is punched out with final contour, then manufacturing precision is improved, but punching waste increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a two-stage manufacturing process. First, a blank with preliminary outer contour smaller than the final contour is punched from the metal sheet, minimizing initial waste. Second, the blank is stretched in the elastic area to achieve the final predetermined outer contour. This preliminary action approach reduces punching waste while maintaining manufacturing precision through the subsequent stretching process.
3Quantity of substance
If the sheet metal layer is stretched to expand non-sealing areas, then material usage is reduced, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in the material's mechanical properties by stretching the blank in the elastic area. This allows the non-sealing areas to expand to their final dimensions while using less initial material. The process complexity is managed by controlling the stretching within elastic limits and using straightforward joining methods for multi-layer configurations.
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 approach reduces material usage and waste generation, allowing for the production of flat gaskets with specific contours while maintaining sealing effectiveness and adaptability to temperature changes, thus lowering production costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
When stretching the blank, the weakened layer area will generally be plastically deformed at least at one or more points
Implementation Method 2
deforming the weakened layer area(s) by tensile stress and stretching them in the layer plane
Implementation Method 3
the sheet of the blank for the flat gasket layer according to the invention is only stretched in the elastic area of the sheet
Implementation Method 4
the resulting gasket layer is then fixed by joining (for example by spot welding) with another flat gasket layer
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a flat seal, comprising at least one one-piece sheet-metal seal layer (10), which has at least one first layer region (18) provided with at least one media passage opening (12, 14) and at least one second layer region (20) outside the first layer region and, for a flat seal ready for installation, a specified outer contour (30), wherein the flat seal has a media-sealing device for the media passage opening. In order to reduce the material requirements for producing the seal layer, the seal layer is designed in such a manner that at least one sub-region of the second layer region of the seal layer lying outside the media-sealing device is formed by a region of the sheet layer that is stretched in the layer plane in order to achieve the specified outer contour.