Hydraulic Manifold Plug Contoured Shape Reduces Turbulence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulic manifolds experience fluid flow turbulence and pressure loss due to sharp corners at bends, which disrupts fluid flow and efficiency in hydraulic systems.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic manifold plug with a contoured shape and positioning key system that aligns the plug within the manifold to reduce turbulence, featuring a concave inner surface and complementary receiving holes for precise alignment, improving fluid flow and pressure drop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a sharp corner elbow is used at the channel bend, then the manufacturing is simple, but fluid flow turbulence and pressure loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing the sharp corner elbow with a contoured elbow featuring a curved inner surface. This curved geometry guides fluid flow smoothly around the bend, reducing turbulence and pressure loss while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard contoured machining processes.
2Loss of energy
If a contoured plug with concave inner surface is used, then fluid flow turbulence is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contoured plug incorporates a concave inner surface specifically at the elbow region where fluid flow occurs, while the rest of the plug body maintains a simple cylindrical form. This localized contoured geometry reduces turbulence only where needed, minimizing overall device complexity while achieving the desired fluid flow improvement.
3Manufacturing precision
If a positioning key system is added to align the plug, then the alignment precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning key system utilizes the existing manifold port structure and plug receiving hole to achieve self-alignment. The positioning key fits into a corresponding feature on the manifold, automatically orienting the contoured plug correctly during installation without requiring external alignment tools or complex adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A hydraulic manifold plug includes a plug body defining a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis. The manifold includes at least one receiving hole configured to releasably receive at least one positioning key associated with a manifold press. The plug body includes an opening defined by the plug body. The opening is at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis. The plug body also includes an inner surface defined by the opening and having a concave shape. The plug body is configured to be positioned in a manifold port extending along the longitudinal axis by way of the at least one receiving hole receiving the at least one positioning key. The one positioning key aligns the plug body such that the transverse axis is substantially parallel to a lateral axis defined by a channel of the manifold that forms an angle with the manifold port.