Fuel Pump Damper Cup Shoulder for Low-Stress Pulsation Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel pumps with pulsation dampers suffer from increased cost, complexity, and durability issues due to the use of additional supporting members and minimal contact area between the damper and damper cup, leading to potential misalignment and high contact stress.
Innovation Solution
A fuel pump design featuring a damper cup with an annular sidewall and transverse support shoulder that supports the pulsation damper, ensuring proper installation and increased surface area contact, while fluidly segregating the damping volume from the fuel volume, thereby enhancing durability and reducing acoustic noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a multi-piece supporting member is used to suspend the pulsation damper, then the pulsation damper can be supported within the fuel volume, but the number of parts increases, leading to increased cost, manufacturing time, and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting member is integrated into the damper cup as a unified structure, eliminating the need for separate supporting components. The damper cup's sidewall includes an integrated support feature that directly supports the pulsation damper, merging the support function into the existing structure and reducing part count.
2Reliability
If circumferentially spaced support features are provided on the damper cup, then the pulsation damper can be suspended within the fuel volume, but the contact area is minimal, leading to increased contact stress and decreased durability
Solution Approach 1:
The support feature is designed with a localized enlarged surface area specifically at the contact region with the pulsation damper. This creates a zone of increased contact area where the support shoulder provides distributed support, reducing contact stress while maintaining the suspension function.
3Ease of manufacture
If the pulsation damper is suspended with minimal support contact, then installation is simpler, but the contact stress is high, leading to potential misalignment and decreased durability
Solution Approach 1:
The support feature is pre-formed as an integral part of the damper cup structure, providing a ready-made support surface before assembly. This preliminary preparation ensures proper alignment and distribution of contact stress during installation, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures while enhancing durability.
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 design facilitates easy and proper positioning of the pulsation damper, increases durability by minimizing contact stress, and reduces acoustic noise through increased rigidity and surface area contact, improving overall system performance.
Implementation Method 1
a pulsation damper located within the fuel volume and defining a damping volume which is fluidly segregated from the fuel volume, the pulsation damper having at least one damper wall which is flexible in response to pressure pulsations within the fuel volume
Implementation Method 2
the sidewall includes a support shoulder which is transverse to the damper cup axis and which is a segment of an annulus extending uninterrupted about the damper cup axis... an outer periphery of the pulsation damper is supported by the support shoulder
Data Source
AI summary
A damper cup houses a pulsation damper of a fuel pump such that the damper cup defines a fuel volume together with a fuel pump housing of the fuel pump. The damper cup includes a sidewall which is annular in shape and which extends along a damper cup axis from a sidewall first end to a sidewall second end. The damper cup also includes an end wall which closes the sidewall second end, wherein the sidewall includes a support shoulder which is transverse to the damper cup axis and which is a segment of an annulus extending uninterrupted about the damper cup axis from a shoulder first end to a shoulder second end such that the shoulder first end and the shoulder second end are separated from each other by a gap which is uninterrupted.