Positive-Displacement Fluid Machine Electrostatic Flocking Leakage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing positive-displacement fluid machines face challenges in preventing leakage due to minute gaps between moving parts, which requires high processing accuracy and expensive surface treatments to maintain performance, increasing costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A positive-displacement fluid machine design featuring a pair of members with a specific clearance and a leakage prevention mechanism using electrostatic flocking of short fibers to prevent leakage without the need for precise surface treatments or high assembly accuracy, allowing for a cost-effective and high-performance solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the minute gaps (RC gaps and AC gaps) are made smaller to prevent leakage, then leakage prevention performance is improved, but manufacturing precision and assembly precision must be increased and expensive surface treatments are required, leading to increased cost and device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (sealing material or fluid) into the gaps between the rotor and stator. This intermediary fills the clearance spaces and prevents direct contact between the rotating and stationary members, thereby preventing leakage without requiring tight tolerances or expensive surface treatments. The intermediary acts as a mediator that allows larger gaps while maintaining sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical sealing approach (relying on precise mechanical fits and contactless gaps) with a fluid-based or material-based sealing mechanism. Instead of depending on mechanical precision to maintain small gaps, the system uses the properties of the intermediary substance (viscosity, elasticity, or electrostatic properties) to prevent leakage, thereby substituting mechanical precision requirements with material property-based solutions.
2Reliability
If the minute gaps are made smaller to prevent leakage, then leakage prevention performance is improved, but expensive surface treatments such as hard anodized aluminum treatment are required to prevent breaking down and seizing, increasing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediary substance serves as a protective layer between the rotor and stator surfaces, preventing direct contact and thereby eliminating the need for expensive protective surface treatments. The mediator absorbs the wear and potential seizure risks, allowing the use of simpler, less expensive surface finishes or even untreated surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a sealing mechanism that uses a relatively inexpensive intermediary substance that can be replenished or replaced if necessary, rather than investing in expensive permanent surface treatments. This approach trades the cost of durable surface engineering for the cost of a consumable sealing medium, overall reducing manufacturing costs.
3Reliability
If tip sealing and other sealing parts are added to prevent leakage in AC gap parts, then leakage prevention performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from separate mechanical sealing components and integrates it into the fluid dynamics or material properties of the intermediary substance. By removing the need for discrete sealing parts and relying on the inherent sealing capability of the intermediary, the system achieves leakage prevention with fewer components and reduced complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediary substance performs multiple functions simultaneously: it prevents leakage, reduces friction, protects surfaces from wear and seizure, and allows for larger clearance gaps. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate sealing components, as the single intermediary substance accomplishes what would otherwise require multiple specialized parts.
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 use of electrostatic flocking of short fibers effectively prevents leakage across wide gaps, reducing the need for expensive surface treatments and maintaining high performance, even with reduced processing accuracy, thereby lowering costs and enhancing operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a leakage prevention mechanism consisting of short fibers is provided on a surface of one of the members defining the moving spaces
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a fluid machine constituted so as to close moving spaces communicating with an intake opening by at least one pair of members, move them toward a discharge opening and discharge fluid sucked into the intake opening from the discharge opening. The members are arranged so as to form a specific clearance at a position where they are closest to each other, and a leakage prevention mechanism consisting of short fibers is provided on at least one side surface of the members closing the moving spaces.