Linear Compressor Guide Pipe Groove for Airtight Non-Steel Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Linear compressors face refrigerant leakage issues due to gaps between the cover discharge portion and the cover pipe, especially when the cover discharge portion is not made of steel, leading to mechanical damage and loss of airtightness.
Innovation Solution
A linear compressor design featuring a cover housing with a flange portion, chamber portion, and guide pipe that inserts into a communication groove, providing airtightness and easy engagement/disengagement, even if the cover housing is not made of steel, using an elastic member to secure the guide pipe in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the cover discharge portion is made of non-steel material to reduce cost and weight, then manufacturing cost and weight are reduced, but the coupling portions break during caulking causing gaps and refrigerant leakage
Solution Approach 1:
A guide pipe is introduced as an intermediary component between the cover discharge portion and the discharge pipe. The guide pipe includes coupling portions that connect to both components, transferring and distributing mechanical stress during the caulking process to prevent direct stress concentration on the non-steel cover discharge portion, thereby preventing breakage and maintaining airtightness
Solution Approach 2:
The material parameter of the guide pipe is specifically selected to have high strength and toughness to withstand the caulking process. The guide pipe's material properties are changed to compensate for the lower strength of the non-steel cover discharge portion, enabling the use of lighter, cheaper materials for the cover while maintaining overall joint reliability
2Reliability
If the guide pipe is securely coupled to the cover housing to maintain airtightness, then refrigerant leakage is prevented, but the guide pipe may detach under external impact
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling structure uses a nested design where the guide pipe's coupling portion is inserted into the cover housing's coupling groove, and further secured by additional coupling features. This nested arrangement provides multiple levels of mechanical interlocking that maintain airtightness through normal operation while allowing controlled movement to absorb external impact forces without complete detachment
Data Source
AI summary
A linear compressor includes a shell, a discharge pipe coupled to the shell, a compressor main body located inside of the shell, a cover housing that defines a discharge space that discharges refrigerant to the discharge pipe, and a guide pipe coupled to the cover housing and configured to guide refrigerant from the discharge space to the discharge pipe. The cover housing includes a flange portion configured to couple to the compressor main body, a chamber portion that extends from the flange portion and that defines the discharge space, an accommodation groove configured to accommodate the guide pipe, and a communication groove that penetrates an inner wall of the accommodation groove and that extends to the discharge space. The guide pipe is configured to insert into the communication groove in a state in which the guide pipe is accommodated in the accommodation groove.