Hybrid Component Reinforcement for Load-Optimized Wall Thickness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing components of technical devices, such as those in process engineering and pressure vessels, require excessive material and time due to uniform wall thicknesses based on maximum loads, leading to inefficiencies and high costs.
Innovation Solution
A method combining non-additive and additive manufacturing processes to create a basic structure with minimal wall thickness and targeted reinforcement at high-stress areas using an optimization algorithm to determine precise support structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform wall thickness is used throughout the component based on maximum load positions, then the component can withstand high loads at all positions, but material consumption and production costs increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the wall thickness of the pressure vessel according to the local stress distribution. The wall thickness is increased only at high-stress positions (such as areas with openings or geometric discontinuities) and maintained at minimum thickness in low-stress areas. This is achieved through a design process that calculates the stress distribution and determines the required wall thickness at each location, thereby reducing overall material consumption while maintaining structural integrity where needed.
2Loss of substance
If wall thickness is reduced to minimum required thickness in low-load areas, then material consumption decreases, but the component may fail to withstand high loads at specific positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing stress analysis and determining the required wall thickness distribution before manufacturing the pressure vessel. The design process calculates the stress distribution under various loading conditions and pre-determines the optimal wall thickness at each location. This allows the component to be manufactured with the exact thickness needed at each position, ensuring adequate load-bearing capacity where required while minimizing material usage in less critical areas.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the entire component is manufactured using additive manufacturing process, then complex geometries and optimized wall thickness distributions can be achieved, but production time and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the pressure vessel manufacturing into distinct stages: first manufacturing the basic structure (body, ends, and intermediate sections) using conventional forming processes, then selectively adding material to high-stress positions using additive manufacturing. This segmented approach allows the majority of the component to be produced efficiently through conventional methods, while additive manufacturing is applied only where geometric complexity and material optimization are most beneficial, thereby balancing geometric flexibility with production efficiency.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for producing a component manufactured in part non-additively for a technical device, wherein a basic structure of the component with a predefined wall thickness is produced (221) by means of a non-additive manufacturing method, wherein at least one region of the component is determined (213) with the aid of an optimisation method (213), wherein in the at least one region, a supporting structure is applied (222) to the basic structure by means of an additive manufacturing method.