Fuel Tank Strut Engagement Structure for Anti-Tilting Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Struts in fuel tanks can tilt during transportation and become misaligned, leading to reduced junction strength and joint failures due to gaps between the carrier part and struts, affecting molding accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A fuel tank design with a rigid carrier part and struts that include engaging parts with biasing forces to prevent tilting, allowing for temporary engagement and sliding to maintain alignment during post-molding contraction, using a temporary engagement structure and leaf springs for easy positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If struts are disposed at the carrier part with gaps, then the built-in component structure is simple, but the struts may tilt during transportation and molding accuracy degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing part is pre-configured on the carrier part to automatically generate biasing forces that prevent strut tilting during transportation and molding, eliminating the need for complex preliminary positioning structures while maintaining molding accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing part automatically generates biasing forces to maintain strut positioning without requiring external intervention or complex mechanical constraints, allowing the structure to self-correct and maintain precision throughout the molding process
2Strength
If struts are rigidly fixed to the carrier part, then junction strength is high, but post-molding contraction causes misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The engaging part is designed with movable elements that allow the strut to maintain strong engagement while accommodating dimensional changes during post-molding contraction, transforming a static rigid connection into a dynamic adaptive connection that preserves both strength and alignment
Solution Approach 2:
The engaging part changes its engagement parameters during the molding process, allowing for initial precise positioning that adapts to the dimensional changes occurring during post-molding contraction, thereby maintaining alignment accuracy throughout the process
3Manufacturing precision
If biasing forces are applied to prevent tilting, then molding accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing part utilizes flexible elastic deformation of thin-walled structures to generate the necessary biasing forces, avoiding complex mechanical spring systems or actuation mechanisms while achieving the desired positioning effect and maintaining molding accuracy
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
Improves molding accuracy by preventing strut tilting and allowing for controlled sliding to correct misalignments, enhancing the structural integrity and reliability of the fuel tank.
Implementation Method 1
the engaging parts of the carrier part each includes a biasing part that, when the strut is engaged with the engaging part, enters a space between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface and generates biasing forces in directions to move the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface away from each other
Implementation Method 2
a temporary engagement structure which includes a temporary lock rib provided to the biasing part and a temporary engaging part provided to the engageable part, and which brings the temporary lock rib into temporary engagement with the temporary engaging part, and when the strut and the carrier part cause a relative displacement, allows the relative displacement by releasing the temporary engagement
Data Source
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AI summary
A fuel tank having an integrated component, wherein: the integrated component is equipped with a carrier part (11A) which is a rigid body having a plurality of engaging parts (15A), and also equipped with a plurality of struts (12A) which have engageable parts (30A) to be engaged by the plurality of engaging parts (15A); the engageable parts (30A) of the struts (12A) have an upper contact surface and a lower contact surface which are formed so as to be separated from one another in the height direction; and the engaging parts (15A) of the carrier part (11A) have a biasing part (114) which enters the space between the upper and lower contact surfaces when engaging the struts (12A), and produces a biasing force in the direction in which the upper and lower contact surfaces are separated from one another.