Pump Impeller Notch Geometry for Stress Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flow-conducting components, such as impellers in pumps, face mechanical stress issues at transition points due to limitations in casting and joining technologies, making it difficult to access and configure notches effectively, which restricts the geometric configuration and reduces service life.
Innovation Solution
A method to determine the load spectrum of notches through calculations, allowing for a geometric configuration that accounts for mechanical loads, particularly at inaccessible areas, using a 45° and 22.5° angle intersection method, enabling a new design freedom and production via generative processes like laser or electron beam melting, allowing for complex internal geometries and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional casting or joining technology is used to produce flow-conducting components, then production is possible with established methods, but the notches are accessible only with difficulty or not at all, restricting geometric configuration and requiring complex post-processing
Solution Approach 1:
The notch geometry is pre-calculated using the load spectrum analysis method before production. The 45° and 22.5° angle intersection method determines the optimal notch configuration in advance, allowing the generative process to directly produce the final geometry without requiring subsequent tool access or post-processing adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical post-processing tools with a generative manufacturing process (laser or electron beam melting) that can directly create complex internal geometries. The mechanical stress analysis is substituted by calculating the load spectrum and using geometric construction methods to determine optimal notch configurations
2Strength
If tools are used to process transition sections to reduce stresses, then mechanical stability is improved, but access to notches is required which is difficult or impossible in conventional production
Solution Approach 1:
The generative manufacturing process produces the component with optimized notch geometries directly, without requiring external tool access. The load spectrum calculation and geometric construction methods enable the design to self-optimize for mechanical stability, eliminating the need for subsequent tool-based processing of inaccessible notches
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves from 2D surface processing to 3D volumetric manufacturing. The generative process can access and process material from all directions simultaneously, including internal notches that are inaccessible to conventional tools. This dimensional freedom allows direct production of complex geometries with optimized stress distributions
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional design principles are followed for flow-conducting components, then production is straightforward, but mechanical loading at transition points cannot be optimized due to accessibility constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the design parameters by calculating the load spectrum and using geometric construction methods (45° and 22.5° angles) to determine optimal notch configurations. This allows complete freedom in configuring transition section geometries based on mechanical loading conditions rather than conventional design constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The notch geometry is specifically optimized at each transition section based on the local load spectrum. The geometric construction method creates different notch configurations tailored to the specific mechanical loading conditions at each location, rather than applying uniform design rules throughout the component
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 approach simplifies the production of mechanically stable and cost-effective flow-conducting components with enhanced mechanical and hydraulic properties, enabling precise geometry that minimizes material usage and improves resilience at high-load areas.
Implementation Method 1
metal powders are joined to form a component by a beam melting process such as for example laser or electron beam melting
Implementation Method 2
metal powders are joined to form a component by a beam melting process such as for example laser or electron beam melting
Data Source
AI summary
A flow-conducting component such as a pump impeller is provided. Passages between vanes of the flow-conducting component include notches in the form of transitions between the vane and a common surface, such as a cover disk. The notches include a transition surface having a geometric configuration determined in accordance with a calculated load spectrum along at least a portion of the length of the notch and in accordance with a particular geometric pattern.