Movable Support Unit Structure for Precise Heat-Treatment Rack Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support units for ceramic carrier plates in heat treatment racks are prone to misalignment, breakage due to shear stresses, and powder accumulation, which leads to component bonding during high-temperature operations, especially when automated handling is involved.
Innovation Solution
The support units are designed with a movable plug element and support element configuration, allowing relative movement during unloaded states to prevent shear stress and facilitate easy removal of powder, while maintaining load-bearing capability during loaded states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the plug element and support element are immovably connected to the carrier plate, then the tiered unit can be gripped and moved as a whole by a handling robot, but the support units are subjected to shear stresses that cause breakage and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The support unit employs a dynamic connection mechanism where the support element can move relative to the plug element during loading and unloading operations. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to positional deviations and reduce shear stresses while maintaining stability during automated handling by the robot.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection parameters between the support element and plug element are made variable rather than fixed. The support element can change its positional parameters relative to the plug element, enabling it to accommodate thermal expansion and misalignment while maintaining structural integrity during robot handling.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the plug element and support element are screwed together to be positionally fixed, then the support unit is stable, but the screw connection absorbs load and leads to breakage under tensile, shear or compression stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is extracted from the screw connection and transferred to the support element's direct contact with the carrier plate. The screw connection is retained only for positional fixation, eliminating the stress concentration and breakage risks associated with load transmission through threaded joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The support unit is segmented into distinct functional components: the plug element for insertion, the support element for load-bearing, and the screw connection purely for positional fixation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its optimized function without compromising the others.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the support units are positionally fixed to the carrier plate, then the carrier plate forms a stable tiered unit, but small gaps remain where powder accumulates and causes local melting phases during heat treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The support element's ability to move relative to the plug element during thermal cycles helps prevent powder accumulation by maintaining better contact and reducing gap formation. This dynamic adjustment compensates for thermal expansion and contraction, minimizing the spaces where powder could accumulate and cause melting issues.
4Stability of the object's composition
If multiple tiered units are assembled with fixed support units, then the rack structure is stable, but offsets in the radial direction prevent precise stacking due to structural tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic connection between the support element and plug element allows for automatic compensation of radial offsets during the stacking process. As tiered units are stacked, the support elements can adjust their positions to accommodate tolerance variations, ensuring precise alignment without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveying device for conveying material, in particular material having a temperature of 1500° C. to 3200° C., in particular for conveying thermally or thermo-chemically treated material, has a housing which has a material inlet and a material outlet The material can be conveyed from the material inlet to the material outlet along a conveying path by means of a conveying device Along the conveying path such surfaces that come into contact with the material to be conveyed are provided, at least in certain areas, by a material that is a graphite material or a material with graphite-like properties.