Rebuildable Micro-Fluidic Valve Axial Compression Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current high-pressure liquid chromatography shear valve systems face challenges in maintaining fluid-tight seals and proper compression during rebuilds, especially with metal-on-metal sealing surfaces, where slight variations can lead to reduced performance or premature failure, and require precise recalibration to achieve factory-like specifications.
Innovation Solution
A multi-position valve assembly with a pressure adjustment assembly that can be moved between a release and stop position to remove and reproduce the axial compression pressure, using a retainer member and pressure adjuster device to ensure a calibrated operating pressure, allowing for easy and precise reassembly without field calibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pressure adjuster nut is adjusted during rebuild, then the compression load can be modified, but the factory-set calibration is altered and precise performance cannot be reproduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-setting the compression spring load during factory calibration and locking it in place. The locking mechanism preserves the pre-established compression force, eliminating the need for adjustment during rebuild while maintaining precise calibration. This allows easy rebuild operation without compromising measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by reproducing the factory-set compression force through a locked mechanism that replicates the original calibration settings. The locking mechanism copies the precise compression load configuration, enabling the rebuilt valve to match factory performance without requiring recalibration by the user.
2Reliability
If the stator element is tightened against the rotor element during rebuild, then the sealing contact is established, but the stator element may not seat flat and fluid-tight sealing is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the compression function from the stator mounting screws and places it in a dedicated compression spring mechanism. This separation allows the stator to be mounted without compression force, ensuring flat seating, while the spring independently provides the necessary sealing pressure. The extraction of compression function resolves the conflict between mounting flatness and sealing pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The compression spring is pre-loaded during factory calibration to establish the correct sealing force. This preliminary action ensures that when the valve is rebuilt, the pre-set spring compression automatically provides the correct sealing pressure without requiring the user to adjust or calculate the proper tightness, thereby ensuring both flat seating and reliable sealing.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If metal-on-metal sealing surfaces are used to improve durability, then the valve lifecycle is extended, but the compression force and perpendicularity requirements become more critical and difficult to maintain during rebuild
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing a locking mechanism that automatically maintains the correct compression force on the metal-on-metal sealing surfaces. The locked compression spring continuously applies the precise force needed for metal sealing without requiring the user to understand or adjust complex parameters during rebuild, making durable metal sealing accessible to ordinary users.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism copies the factory-set compression force configuration, reproducing the exact conditions needed for optimal metal-on-metal sealing. This copying approach ensures that the critical perpendicularity and compression requirements for metal sealing are maintained during rebuild without increasing device complexity or user burden.
4Ease of repair
If the stator screws are retightened during rebuild, then the stator element is secured, but the compression force from the spring assembly cannot be properly released and recalibration is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the compression force management from the stator mounting process. The compression spring and locking mechanism are separated from the stator screw function, allowing stator replacement without affecting compression settings. This extraction eliminates the need for recalibration time while maintaining ease of repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The compression spring load is preliminarily set and locked during factory calibration. This preliminary action ensures that the compression force remains constant during rebuild operations, eliminating the need for time-consuming recalibration after stator replacement while keeping the repair process simple and straightforward.
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
Enables the valve assembly to perform similarly to new, factory-built valves after servicing, maintaining fluid-tight seals and extending the lifecycle of high-pressure micro-fluidic systems by accurately reproducing factory settings with minimal recalibration.
Implementation Method 1
a spring assembly 26 and a pressure adjuster nut 27 directly rotatably mounted to the valve housing 25. As the spring washers 28 of the spring assembly 26 are compressed, the generated compression force biases the rotor element into compressive contact with the stator element.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-position valve assembly including a valve housing, a stator element and a rotor element rotatably mounted about a rotational axis. The valve assembly further includes a pressure adjustment assembly movable between a release position and a stop position, hard stopped relative to the valve housing. The pressure adjustment assembly includes a pressure adjuster device configured to movably cooperate between the rotor element and the valve housing to adjustably generate an axial compression pressure at the rotor-stator interface at a calibrated operating pressure, PC. When the pressure adjustment assembly is oriented in the release position, the axial compression pressure is substantially removed from the rotor-stator interface. In contrast, when the pressure adjustment assembly is oriented in the stop position, the axial compression pressure is substantially reproduced at the calibrated operating pressure, PC.