Hybrid Heatable Fluid Line for Freeze and Pressure Resilience
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Heatable fluid lines in the motor vehicle industry face challenges with freezing resistance, high temperature suitability, and pressure pulsation compensation due to limitations in existing materials and connection methods, leading to increased complexity and cost in production and assembly.
Innovation Solution
A heatable fluid line is designed with two distinct longitudinal sections made of different polymers, where one section is a technical grade plastic and the other is a high performance plastic, allowing for enhanced temperature resistance, pressure resilience, and ice pressure compensation, with adaptive heat conductor placement for simplified assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standard plastic materials are used in adaptive or integrated bonding configurations, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but freezing resistance and high temperature suitability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid line is divided into multiple longitudinal sections, each made from different materials suited to specific operational requirements. This segmentation allows standard plastics to be used in less demanding sections while high-performance materials are applied only where needed, balancing cost and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different longitudinal sections of the fluid line are assigned different material qualities based on local requirements. Sections exposed to extreme temperatures or freezing conditions use high-performance materials, while other sections use standard plastics, optimizing both cost and performance.
2Reliability
If integrated bonding is used to improve thermal resilience, then thermal performance is improved, but material consumption and connection effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid line is segmented into multiple sections with different materials, allowing thermal resilience to be achieved only in critical sections rather than throughout the entire line, thereby reducing overall material consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
High-performance materials with superior thermal resilience properties are applied locally in sections where thermal management is critical, while standard materials are used in other sections, optimizing the balance between thermal performance and material usage.
3Ease of operation
If adaptive connection methods are used to simplify assembly, then ease of assembly is improved, but pressure pulsation compensation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid line is divided into sections where certain segments are designed with integration features that provide pressure pulsation compensation, while other segments use simpler adaptive connections for ease of assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Specific longitudinal sections are designed with integrated bonding and material properties that provide pressure pulsation compensation, while other sections use adaptive connections optimized for ease of assembly, balancing both requirements locally.
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 hybrid approach simplifies production and assembly while improving the fluid line's resistance to high temperatures, pressure pulsations, and ice pressure, reducing material consumption and connection effort while maintaining consistent performance across varying temperatures and pressures.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid can freeze at low ambient temperatures. Fluid feeding elements, such as pumps or hoses, are therefore heated in order to prevent freezing or in order to thaw an already frozen fluid.
Data Source
AI summary
A heatable fluid line having a pipeline and an electrical heat conductor extending at least over a section of the pipeline. The pipeline has at least two longitudinal sections that are configured differently in respect of the material properties and/or design thereof. At least one first longitudinal section is formed of a first material and a second longitudinal section is formed of a second material. The material of the second longitudinal section is more flexible and/or has a higher resilience than the material of the first longitudinal section. A described method for producing the fluid line relates to an adaptive attachment of the heat conductor on the outside of the pipeline that permits the heat conductor to be wound around fluid coupling and/or connector parts, in particular the housings by means of which the line is assembled, without strand separation.