Hydraulic Actuator Manifold Mounting Interface
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydraulic actuator mounts are limited to fixed positions, requiring special banjo bolts for installation and lacking flexibility in orientation and location, which restricts manufacturing flexibility and customization.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic actuator mounting interface that allows customizable orientation and location of a hydraulic manifold to a cylinder housing, featuring a manifold mounting portion with fluid passageways and apertures for flexible positioning and fluid communication, using fasteners other than banjo bolts, and a method of manufacturing that includes machining apertures based on customer specifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed position mounts with banjo bolts are used, then the mounting structure is simple and reliable, but the manufacturing flexibility and customization capability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold mounting portion is designed with multiple fluid passageways extending along its length, allowing a single mounting interface to accommodate manifolds at various positions and orientations. This universal design eliminates the need for multiple specialized mounting configurations, thereby improving manufacturing flexibility without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting interface is segmented into discrete functional elements: the manifold mounting portion with multiple fluid passageways, the aperture for fastener reception, and the fluid communication pathways. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each element and enables flexible configuration to meet different customization requirements while maintaining structural clarity
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple manifold positions and orientations are supported, then customization capability is improved, but the device complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single manifold mounting portion incorporates multiple fluid passageways at different locations and orientations, enabling one universal mounting interface to support multiple manifold configurations. This approach achieves high customization capability without requiring multiple different mounting interface designs, thereby controlling device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting interface provides dynamic configurability through the selection of different aperture positions along the manifold mounting portion. The fluid passageways are arranged to accommodate various manifold orientations, allowing the system to adapt to different customization requirements while maintaining a consistent base structure
3Productivity
If fixed position mounts are used, then the device structure is simple, but the ability to fulfill different customer specifications efficiently is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold mounting portion with multiple fluid passageways serves as a universal mounting interface that can accommodate various customer specifications for manifold position and orientation. This single versatile component enables efficient order fulfillment across different configurations without requiring separate tooling or assembly procedures for each specification
4Adaptability or versatility
If banjo bolts are used for mounting, then the fastening method is established and reliable, but the manufacturing flexibility and customization options are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting interface separates the fastening function (aperture for fastener reception) from the fluid communication function (fluid passageways). This segmentation allows the use of standard fasteners instead of specialized banjo bolts, improving mounting flexibility while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through the use of common components
Data Source
AI summary
A hydraulic cylinder has a main body portion with a piston bore extending in a longitudinal direction of the main body portion from a first end to a second end of the main body portion. A first cylinder mounting bracket extends in the longitudinal direction and has at least one aperture disposed along the length of the bracket for locating and securing the hydraulic cylinder to a structure. A manifold mounting portion extends in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion and has a first fluid passageway extending in the longitudinal direction from the first end to the second end. Thus, a manifold can be mounted to the manifold mounting portion at one of a plurality of different positions and/or orientations along the length of the hydraulic cylinder while allowing fluid communication between a fluid port of the manifold and the fluid passageway of the manifold mounting portion.