Additive-Manufactured Mud Motor Stator for Helical Lobe Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mud motor stators and pumps, typically constructed with hard materials, are difficult to machine and adjust, limiting their efficiency and performance due to their helical structure with lobes extending towards an axis, which complicates manufacturing and functional enhancements.
Innovation Solution
A mud motor stator or pump design featuring a tubular outer portion with radially inwardly extending lobes, incorporating a skeletal structure for improved rigidity and weight distribution, utilizing additive manufacturing to create complex shapes and adjust material properties such as resilience and compliance, and employing varying energy sources and materials to optimize sealing, load-bearing, and vibration reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional hard materials and machining methods are used for mud motor stators, then structural strength is maintained, but manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase due to the helical lobe structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing approach from traditional machining to additive manufacturing, fundamentally altering the production parameters. This enables complex helical lobe structures to be manufactured more easily by building material layer-by-layer according to digital models, eliminating the need for complex tool paths and multiple machining operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new manufacturing dimension by transitioning from subtractive (machining) to additive (3D printing) manufacturing. This dimensional shift in the manufacturing process allows the complex three-dimensional helical structures to be created directly from digital designs without the constraints of traditional machining methods
2Weight of moving object
If traditional solid material construction is used, then structural strength is maintained, but weight and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the material distribution within the stator structure. The additive manufacturing process enables different regions to have different material densities and properties - solid material where strength is needed and reduced material where weight reduction is prioritized, optimizing the strength-to-weight ratio throughout the component
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes porous material structures within the stator, creating controlled voids and honeycomb-like internal architectures. These porous regions reduce overall weight and material costs while maintaining structural integrity through the strategic placement of material only where mechanically necessary
3Adaptability or versatility
If uniform material properties are used throughout the stator, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but performance optimization is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by assigning different material properties to different regions of the stator. The additive manufacturing process allows specification of varying material compositions, densities, and mechanical properties at different locations to optimize performance for specific functional requirements such as sealing, load-bearing, or vibration resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining different material types within the same stator structure. This may include mixing metals with polymers, creating metal-matrix composites, or using multi-material printing to integrate components with different functional properties in a single manufactured part
Data Source
AI summary
A mud motor stator or a pump comprising of a tubular outer portion; a number of lobes extending radially inwardly from the tubular outer portion, at least one of which comprises a skeletal structure and method for producing a mud motor stator or a pump comprising of placing material and bonding the material together in a pattern dictated by the design shape of the stator or pump.