Inside-Cooled Disc Valve Assembly With Half-Shell Welded Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for producing internally cooled valves are complex and inefficient, often requiring multiple rotation-symmetrical parts that are difficult to align and weld, leading to material deformation and uneven wall thickness.
Innovation Solution
A method using two half-shell semi-finished products that are formed into a rotation-symmetrical valve body through casting, forging, or deep-drawing, allowing for better alignment and reduced material deformation, with the option to fill a cavity with a low-melting alloy like sodium for cooling, and welding the parts together to form a hollow or internally cooled valve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple rotation-symmetrical parts are welded together to produce internally cooled valves, then the valve can be produced with complex cooling channels, but the alignment difficulty and welding complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is divided into two half-shells instead of multiple rotation-symmetrical parts. Each half-shell is formed by deep-drawing a sheet metal workpiece and welding it to a valve stem segment, creating exactly two components that are easier to align and weld together compared to conventional multi-part assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve head and valve stem are combined into a single integrated component during the forming process. The sheet metal workpiece is formed to include both the valve head portion and the valve stem portion, eliminating the need for separate assembly and welding of these two major components.
2Ease of manufacture
If deep-drawing is used to form valve components, then production can be simplified, but material deformation increases and wall thickness uniformity becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is segmented into two half-shells that are formed separately through deep-drawing. This segmentation allows each half-shell to be formed with controlled material flow and deformation, making it easier to maintain relatively uniform wall thickness compared to forming the entire valve body in one piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The forming process parameters are optimized for deep-drawing sheet metal workpieces into half-shells. By controlling the drawing depth, radius, and material properties, the deformation is managed to achieve acceptable wall thickness uniformity while maintaining production simplicity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the valve stem is drilled out or formed from raw material, then the production process is simplified, but the ability to create complex internal cooling channels is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The valve stem segment is designed with internal cooling channels that are formed as hollow passages within the stem structure. The sheet metal workpiece is formed to create these internal channels, allowing complex cooling pathways to be integrated into the valve stem without requiring post-production drilling or complex assembly operations.
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 process, reduces material deformation, and enables even wall thickness, while allowing for efficient cooling through the use of sodium or low-melting alloys, resulting in a cost-effective and efficient internally cooled valve.
Implementation Method 1
provision of sodium or a low-melting alloy in the cavity
Implementation Method 2
The sodium or alloy with low melting point serves as a cooling agent in order to receive an internally cooled disc valve that permits a 'shaker cooling'
Data Source
AI summary
A method for the production for a semi-finished valve product (4), includes casting, forging, deep-drawing, pressing and/or drop-welding of one or several metal material into a semi-finished valve product (4) that corresponds to a circle segment of a valve cut open in the axial direction. A valve is produced by welding together at least two semi-finished valve products (4) into an internally cooled valve, with the weld running in the axial direction of the valve.