Construction Machine Oil Cooler Layout for Cooling and Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction machines with engines face challenges in cooling performance and maintainability due to the placement of heavy components like DPFs and oil coolers, which affect the machine's stability and create dead spaces that hinder the expansion of heat exchanger chambers, restricting the size of oil coolers and maintenance access.
Innovation Solution
A configuration where multiple heat exchangers are arranged to face each other in a construction machine's heat exchanger chamber, allowing for a gap for worker passage and improved cooling air flow, with side outlets for efficient discharge, preventing dead spaces and enhancing maintainability and cooling performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If heavy components like DPF and oil coolers are placed in the machine body, then the machine's stability deteriorates due to high gravity center position, but these components are necessary for engine operation and cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from placing heat exchangers only at the upper front end to arranging them on multiple surfaces including side walls and rear end of the engine housing part. This spatial redistribution lowers the gravity center while maintaining sufficient cooling area, thus improving machine stability without compromising engine cooling reliability
2Productivity
If the heat exchanger chamber is expanded to house larger oil coolers, then cooling performance improves, but dead spaces are created that hinder maintenance access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heat exchanger arrangement into multiple segments located on different surfaces (side walls, rear end, upper front end) of the engine housing part. This segmentation allows cooling components to be distributed throughout the available space, eliminating dead spaces and creating clear passages for maintenance personnel to access each heat exchanger independently
3Productivity
If heat exchangers are arranged to maximize cooling area, then cooling efficiency improves, but the machine body space becomes cluttered reducing maintainability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different heat exchanger arrangements to different local regions of the engine housing part based on their specific characteristics. Side walls accommodate heat exchangers with side outlets, rear end provides mounting space for additional units, and upper front end houses remaining components. This localized optimization maximizes total cooling area while maintaining clear access paths for maintenance in each region
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
This arrangement allows for increased size of heat exchangers, improved cooling performance, and enhanced maintainability by eliminating dead spaces and securing passage and work spaces within the heat exchanger chamber, thereby improving the overall stability and efficiency of the machine.
Implementation Method 1
outside air as cooling air passes through each heat exchanger to be cooled, the outside air being introduced into the heat exchanger chamber from outside by a cooling fan
Implementation Method 2
at least a pair of first heat exchangers that are disposed so as to face each other at a predetermined interval so as to form a gap (G) through which a worker is able to pass in the heat exchanger chamber, each of the first heat exchangers allowing outside air as cooling air to pass therethrough to be cooled
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Two oil coolers (30, 32) are disposed so as to face each other in a front half of the inside of a heat exchanger chamber (26) defined in an upper revolving body (5), one oil cooler (31) is disposed in a rear half, and a space (E) formed between the oil coolers is used as work and passage spaces. Outside air as cooling air is allowed to pass through the respective oil coolers (30 to 32) by cooling fans (35), and cooling air that has passed through each of the two oil coolers (30, 32) disposed so as to face each other is made to mutually collide, and is discharged to the outside through a side outlet (38) of a front wall (26a) and a first upper outlet (39) of a ceiling (26e) of the heat exchanger chamber (26). Cooling air that has passed through the other one oil cooler (31) is made to collide with a left side wall (26c), and is discharged to the outside through a second upper outlet (40) of the ceiling (26e).