Fuel Pump Offset Reduces Radial Support Moment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel supply devices for internal-combustion engines face the risk of breakage due to the large inertial forces experienced during vehicle turns, accelerations, and decelerations, which can lead to increased moments at the radial support parts, potentially causing structural failure.
Innovation Solution
The fuel supply device offsets the fuel pump's center of gravity towards the connecting strut from the width center of the unit body, ensuring that the thrust support part acts as a fulcrum, thereby reducing the moment at the radial support part and minimizing the risk of breakage. Additionally, the center line of the fuel pump is aligned along the bottom wall, offset towards the connecting strut, to enhance stability in both transverse and upright directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the fuel pump is positioned at the width center of the unit body, then the fuel pump can be centrally supported, but the moment at the radial support part increases during vehicle turns, accelerations or decelerations due to large inertial forces
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel pump is positioned asymmetrically offset toward the connecting strut from the width center of the unit body in the transverse direction. This asymmetric positioning moves the center of gravity closer to the thrust support part (fulcrum), reducing the moment arm and thereby decreasing the moment applied to the radial support part during vehicle maneuvers.
2Strength
If the fuel pump is offset toward the connecting strut from the width center, then the moment at the radial support part is reduced, but the fuel pump position becomes asymmetric
Solution Approach 1:
The design intentionally adopts asymmetric positioning of the fuel pump relative to the unit body's width center. The offset toward the connecting strut creates an asymmetric configuration that prioritizes structural strength by reducing the moment at the radial support part, accepting the loss of symmetric appearance as a necessary trade-off.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the fuel pump center line is aligned along the bottom wall and offset toward the connecting strut, then stability in both transverse and upright directions is enhanced, but the installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel pump's center line is positioned asymmetrically along the bottom wall, offset toward the connecting strut. This asymmetric alignment enhances stability in both transverse and upright directions by optimizing the center of gravity position, while the connecting strut structure provides the necessary support to accommodate this asymmetric configuration.
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 configuration effectively restricts the increase in moment at the radial support part, enhancing the reliability of the fuel supply device by maintaining structural integrity under varying vehicle conditions, ensuring continuous and efficient fuel delivery.
Implementation Method 1
the fuel pump is comparatively heavy among the components of the pump unit, and receives a big force of inertia when the vehicle turns, accelerates or decelerates
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel supply device includes: a cover attached to an upper wall of a fuel tank; a pump unit disposed on a bottom wall of the fuel tank; and a connecting strut that connects the cover and the pump unit with each other. The pump unit includes: a unit body supported by the connecting strut in a radial direction and a thrust direction, and a fuel pump arranged on the unit body to pump fuel drawn from the fuel tank toward an internal-combustion engine. The fuel pump is located offset toward the connecting strut from a width center of a width from a thrust support part where the unit body is supported by the connecting strut to an end part of the unit body opposite from the connecting strut in a specific transverse direction.