Fuel Tank Array Shielding With Detachable Strap-Mounted Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel storage assemblies for motor vehicles expose fuel tanks to external risks of collision and corrosion, leading to potential damage and fuel leaks.
Innovation Solution
A fuel storage assembly comprising four fuel tanks arranged in a square cross-section, with a spacer arrangement including side and central brackets, tensioning straps, and a protecting element that covers the peripheral sides of the tank array, providing protection from external damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If fuel tanks are exposed to the outside for easy access and reduced assembly complexity, then the assembly structure is simpler and easier to maintain, but the fuel tanks are vulnerable to external collisions and corrosive materials
Solution Approach 1:
The protecting element is divided into multiple detachable sections that can be separately assembled and removed, allowing the fuel tanks to be protected when needed while maintaining ease of assembly and disassembly
Solution Approach 2:
The protecting element is designed to be detachably fixed to the tensioning strap, transforming from a static protective structure to a dynamic one that can be assembled and disassembled as needed, balancing protection with maintenance accessibility
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a protecting element is added to cover the fuel tanks, then protection from external damage is improved, but the assembly complexity and number of parts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protecting element is integrated with the existing tensioning strap system through detachable fixing mechanisms, merging the protective function with the existing structural component rather than adding completely separate support structures
Solution Approach 2:
The protecting element serves multiple functions: it shields fuel tanks from external damage, provides a mounting interface for identification markers, and maintains compatibility with the existing tensioning strap system, reducing the need for additional specialized components
3Reliability
If the protecting element is permanently fixed to the tensioning strap, then protection is more reliable, but the time for mounting and dismounting the fuel storage assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detachable fixing mechanisms are pre-configured on both the protecting element and tensioning strap, allowing for quick connection and disconnection without requiring complex alignment or multiple fastening steps during assembly and disassembly operations
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel storage assembly for a motor vehicle has four fuel tanks arranged to form each a corner of a substantially square cross-section of a tank array, a spacer arrangement keeps said fuel tanks apart, said spacer arrangement comprising at least one side bracket disposed along one of the vertical peripheral sides of the tank array, the at least one side bracket being arranged to be fixed to a vehicle chassis, and at least one central bracket disposed between the fuel tanks in the center of the tank array, at least one tensioning strap disposed around the fuel tanks to be secured at one first end to a top part of the at least one side bracket and at one second end to a bottom part of the at least one side bracket, the at least one tensioning strap pressing the fuel tanks together in the tank array, a protecting element to cover one or more of the horizontal and vertical peripheral sides of the tank array. The protecting element is detachably fixed to the at least one tensioning strap.