Fuel Cell Gas Flap Bearing Structure for Leak-Tight Pivot Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell systems require control flap assemblies that can effectively prevent gas leaks while allowing for precise regulation of gas flows, posing a challenge due to the need for a structurally simple and gas-tight design.
Innovation Solution
A control flap assembly featuring a disk-like valve body on a pivot shaft with a bearing projection and recess arrangement that acts like a ball joint, allowing for relative movement and maintaining a tight seal, combined with a bearing ring and bush for axial and radial support, ensuring a gas-tight seal across the pivot shaft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a control flap assembly is designed to be structurally simple, then ease of manufacture and device complexity are improved, but gas-tight sealing capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot shaft is designed with a spherical bearing projection that interacts with a corresponding spherical bearing recess, creating a ball joint mechanism. This curved geometry allows the pivot shaft to accommodate relative movements and tilting while maintaining continuous contact for gas-tight sealing, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing projection and bearing recess act as intermediary elements between the pivot shaft and control valve housing. These spherical interfaces mediate the relative movements between components while maintaining the gas-tight seal, allowing the system to remain structurally simple without compromising sealing capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pivot shaft is made rotatable in bearing regions to allow relative movement, then adaptability and ease of operation are improved, but gas leakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical bearing projection and recess create a ball joint that permits controlled relative movement and tilting of the pivot shaft while maintaining continuous gas-tight contact. The curved surfaces ensure that movement is accommodated without creating gaps that would allow gas leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing regions are designed with specific geometric parameters (spherical shape, contact surface area) that change to accommodate relative movement while maintaining sealing. The spherical geometry allows the contact parameters to adapt during rotation while preventing gas leakage paths.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control valve assembly, in particular for a gas flow in a fuel cell system, especially in a vehicle, comprising a control valve housing (14) providing a gas flow channel, a control valve adjustable in the control valve housing (14) between a closed position which substantially prevents a gas flow through the gas flow channel and at least one open position which releases the gas flow channel for flow, with a disk-shaped control valve body supported on a pivot shaft (18) rotatable about a pivot shaft axis (A), wherein the pivot shaft (18) has a first pivot shaft end section (48) mounted on the control valve housing (14) and rotatable about the pivot shaft axis (A) in a first bearing area (28), and a second pivot shaft end section rotatably mounted on the control valve housing (14) about the pivot shaft axis (A) in a second bearing area.wherein at least one bearing area of first bearing area (28) and second bearing area comprises a bearing arrangement (72) rotatably supporting the pivot shaft (18) with a bearing projection (74) arranged on the pivot shaft (18) surrounding the pivot shaft axis (A) and projecting towards a counter-bearing area (76) on the actuating flap housing (14), and on the counter-bearing area (76) a bearing recess (78) arranged surrounding the pivot shaft axis (A) and at least partially receiving the bearing projection (74).