Modular Filter Distribution Assembly With Interlocking Support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filter systems face challenges in forming strong, pressure-resistant connections for distribution assemblies, particularly in small assemblies where welding is difficult and threaded attachments often fail under significant pressure.
Innovation Solution
A modular distribution assembly with a top plate and bottom plate featuring recesses and support members with protrusions, allowing for slidable coupling without welding or threaded fasteners, enabling easy installation and removal and withstanding high differential pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding is used to attach support members to top and bottom plates, then connection strength is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to difficulty in forming welded connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces welding (a thermal joining process) with a mechanical interlocking system consisting of recesses in the plates and protrusions on the support members. This mechanical substitution allows for strong connections without the complexity of welding operations, directly resolving the contradiction between connection strength and ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system is segmented into distinct components: recesses formed in the top and bottom plates, and corresponding protrusions on the support members. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently and assembled through simple insertion, eliminating the need for complex welding while maintaining connection strength
2Ease of manufacture
If threaded attachments are used to connect support members to plates, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to weak connections under pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The support members feature curved or angled protrusions that fit into corresponding recesses, creating a wedge-like mechanical interlock. This geometric design provides friction-resistant connection that maintains reliability under pressure while remaining easy to manufacture through simple forming operations
Solution Approach 2:
The connection is segmented into interlocking geometric features (recesses and protrusions) that distribute mechanical loads across multiple contact points, eliminating the stress concentration issues inherent in threaded connections and improving overall reliability
3Ease of operation
If modular design with slidable coupling is used, then ease of operation is improved for installation and removal, but device complexity increases due to multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the support member and connection features into a single integrated component, with protrusions directly formed on the support members themselves. This eliminates the need for separate fasteners or connectors, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the ease of operation benefits of modular assembly
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attaching support members to plates through conventional fastening methods, the design inverts the approach by having the plates feature recesses that receive and retain the support member protrusions. This inversion simplifies the assembly process while reducing the number of discrete components
Data Source
AI summary
A modular distribution assembly comprises a top plate and a bottom plate, each of the top plate and the bottom plate comprises a plurality of recesses. A plurality of support members are slidably coupled to each of the top plate and the bottom plate, each support member of the plurality of support members comprising a protrusion on each of opposing sides thereof, each protrusion slidably coupled to a corresponding recess of the top plate and a corresponding recess of the bottom plate. Related assemblies comprising the modular distribution assembly and related methods of forming the modular distribution assembly and the assembly are disclosed.