Liquid Surface Detector Terminal V-Groove Sealing Film Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid surface detectors face challenges in maintaining high liquid tightness due to thinning of sealing films caused by surface tension, particularly when ridge portions are present, leading to difficulties in securing film thickness across continuous sealing films.
Innovation Solution
A liquid surface detector design featuring terminals with V-shaped grooves that cut off ridge portions and second slant faces, which are continuous with the groove boundaries, ensuring the sealing material is held by the groove and slant faces, thereby maintaining a secure film thickness and high liquid tightness between the terminal and covering portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a ridge portion is formed at the terminal to prevent shrinkage, then the structural integrity is improved, but the sealing film thickness is reduced due to surface tension pulling the material to the wall faces
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal surface is segmented into multiple regions: wall faces, ridge portions, and groove portions. The groove portions are specifically designed to trap sealing material, creating localized reservoirs that maintain film thickness despite the presence of ridge portions that would otherwise deplete the material.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove portions are pre-formed on the terminal surface before the sealing film is applied. This preliminary structuring of the surface ensures that when sealing material is applied, it is automatically directed and held in the groove portions, preemptively preventing the thinning that would occur without such pre-positioned material reservoirs.
2Reliability
If a continuous sealing film is formed across ridge portions, then liquid tightness is improved, but the film thickness becomes insufficient at the groove bottom and boundary portions
Solution Approach 1:
The surface tension of the sealing material, which initially causes harmful thinning by pulling material to wall faces, is converted into a beneficial force that actively draws and holds material within the groove portions. The same physical phenomenon that creates the problem is harnessed to solve it, ensuring adequate material retention at critical locations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the terminal surface are assigned different functions: wall faces provide structural support, ridge portions maintain overall integrity, and groove portions specifically serve as material retention zones. This local differentiation ensures that each region contributes optimally to both structural integrity and sealing performance.
3Strength
If the sealing material is held by surface tension at wall faces, then adhesion is improved, but the material is depleted from groove bottoms and boundary portions causing thinning
Solution Approach 1:
The groove portions act as intermediary structures between the wall faces and the sealing material. They serve as intermediate reservoirs that capture and hold the sealing material, mediating the interaction between surface tension forces and the material distribution, thereby preventing direct depletion of material from critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal surface is divided into functional segments where groove portions are specifically designated as material holding zones. This segmentation creates distinct regions with different material retention characteristics, allowing the sealing material to be distributed non-uniformly with higher concentration at groove bottoms and boundary portions where it is most needed.
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
The design effectively secures film thickness at both the groove bottom and boundary portions, ensuring a continuous sealing film with high liquid tightness, even with ridge portions present, thereby enhancing the detector's sealing performance.
Implementation Method 1
the sealing material forming the sealing film is pulled to two wall faces located across the ridge portion by a surface tension thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid surface detector includes a terminal, a covering portion, and a sealing film. The terminal includes a ridge portion between a first wall face and a second wall face. The terminal sends an electric signal relating to detection of height of a liquid surface. The covering portion covers the terminal. The sealing film is formed between the terminal and the covering portion and is put into close contact with the terminal and the covering portion. The terminal further includes a groove and two second slant faces. The groove has a V-shape in cross-section and includes two first slant faces. The groove cuts off in the V-shape the ridge portion of an area of the first wall face covered with the sealing film. The two second slant faces respectively connect together an area of the second wall face covered with the sealing film and the two first slant faces. A boundary portion formed by contact between the two second slant faces which are opposed to each other is continuous with a top portion of the groove.