Frangible Slit Valve Structure for Controlled Opening and Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flexible slit valves often prematurely open or leak during shipping, handling, or storage due to pressure changes, leading to contamination or unwanted loss of substances, and require higher opening forces, which complicates manufacturing and increases variability.
Innovation Solution
A valve design featuring self-sealing slits with frangible portions that constrain the openable portions until a predetermined force or pressure is applied, allowing for controlled opening and minimizing leakage, using a single or multi-layer material structure with strategically placed frangible regions to manage opening forces and sealing properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional flexible slit valves are used, then the valve structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the valve prematurely opens or leaks during shipping, handling, or storage due to pressure changes
Solution Approach 1:
The valve incorporates frangible portions that segment the continuous material into distinct functional zones: sealed portions that maintain closure and frangible portions that are designed to break under specific conditions. This segmentation allows the valve to maintain reliability by keeping the slits closed during shipping while still allowing controlled opening when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible portions are pre-configured in a broken state during manufacturing, creating an initial constraint that prevents premature opening. This preliminary action of pre-breaking the frangible portions ensures the valve remains sealed during shipping, handling, and storage, then opens only when the predetermined force or pressure is applied.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional valves without frangible portions are used, then the opening force is lower, but the manufacturing precision and variability increase
Solution Approach 1:
The valve employs local quality by creating frangible portions with specific thickness variations in targeted areas. These frangible portions have reduced thickness compared to the surrounding material, concentrating the structural weakness at specific locations. This allows precise control over where and how the valve opens, improving manufacturing precision and reducing variability in opening force requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of material thickness at specific locations to create frangible portions. By reducing the thickness of material in these portions, the valve is designed to break at a predetermined force or pressure. This parameter change allows consistent control over opening force while maintaining manufacturing precision through controlled thickness variations.
3Reliability
If the valve material thickness is increased to prevent premature opening, then the sealing integrity improves, but the opening force required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing material thickness throughout the valve, the invention segments the thickness distribution by creating frangible portions with reduced thickness at specific locations. This segmentation allows the valve to maintain high resistance to premature opening in the sealed portions while requiring minimal force to break the intentionally thinner frangible portions, thus opening the valve.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve applies local quality by varying material thickness at specific locations rather than uniformly throughout. The frangible portions have locally reduced thickness that makes them susceptible to breaking under predetermined force, while the surrounding sealed portions maintain sufficient thickness for reliable sealing. This local variation in thickness resolves the contradiction between preventing premature opening and minimizing opening force.
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 valve effectively reduces premature opening and leakage events, maintains sealing integrity under varying pressures, and requires a minimally increased opening force compared to conventional valves, enhancing manufacturing efficiency and product consistency.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one frangible portion breaks in response to a predetermined force or pressure differential applied across the valve material
Implementation Method 2
The valve is flexible, resilient, pressure-openable, and self-closing
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A valve (100, 200, 300) includes a material with a first side surface (114, 214), a second side surface (116, 216), defining between them a thickness of the material. The material includes at least two self-sealing silts (126, 130, 226, 230) extending 'through the thickness and includes at least one frangible portion (150, 250) extending laterally between the at least two slits (126, 130, 226, 230) for at least part of said thickness of the material. The material includes confronting, openable portions along the at least two slits (126, 130. 226, 230) to define a. normally closed orifice to minimize commutation through the valve (100, 200, 300). The openable portions are constrained by the at least one frangible portion (150, 250) from moving away from each other into an open condition.