Enamel composition and cooking appliance including the same

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing enamel compositions for cooking appliances lack sufficient heat resistance, chemical resistance, and cleaning performance, requiring high energy consumption and multiple glass frits with complex mixing ratios to achieve desired properties.

Innovation Solution

A single glass frit composition containing P2O5, SiO2, B2O3, Al2O3, alkali metal oxides, ZrO2, TiO2, CoO, NiO, MnO2, Fe2O3, and F, which is melted and quenched to form a coating layer with enhanced heat resistance, chemical resistance, and cleaning performance, allowing direct application on metal surfaces without a ground coating.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple glass frits with different components are used to achieve desired heat resistance and chemical resistance, then the enamel composition can meet performance requirements, but the process complexity and mixing ratio control become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat resistance and chemical resistanceVSAvoidprocess complexity and mixing ratio control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple glass frit components (silica, boron oxide, phosphorus pentoxide, aluminum oxide, and various metal oxides) into a single integrated glass frit composition. This merging eliminates the need for separate mixing processes of multiple glass frits while maintaining the required heat resistance (withstanding temperatures up to 500°C) and chemical resistance properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite glass frit material containing specific combinations of oxides (SiO2, B2O3, P2O5, Al2O3, ZrO2, TiO2, CoO, NiO, MnO2, Fe2O3, and F) that work synergistically to provide both heat resistance and chemical resistance. This composite approach achieves the desired reliability through material composition rather than process complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Ease of operation

If traditional enamel compositions are used, then the basic coating function is provided, but the cleaning performance and contamination resistance are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning performanceVSAvoidcontamination resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the chemical composition parameters of the glass frit by incorporating specific amounts of metal oxides (CoO: 0.1-1.0 wt%, NiO: 0.1-1.0 wt%, MnO2: 0.1-1.0 wt%, Fe2O3: 0.1-1.0 wt%) and fluorine compounds (1.0-5.0 wt%) to enhance both cleaning performance and contamination resistance. These parameter changes create an enamel coating that is easier to clean while providing better resistance to contamination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Strength

If a ground coating layer is applied before the enamel to improve adhesion, then the bonding strength increases, but the number of process steps and production time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesion strengthVSAvoidproduction efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the ground coating layer from the traditional two-layer enamel system. By reformulating the glass frit composition to include adhesion-enhancing metal oxides and optimizing its chemical properties, the patent achieves sufficient adhesion strength (bonding strength ≥ 500 gf/cm) with a single-layer application, thereby removing the unnecessary process step and improving productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Ease of operation

If high temperature pyrolysis method is used to clean contaminants, then the cleaning effectiveness is high, but the energy consumption and exposure to high temperature increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates fluorine compounds (1.0-5.0 wt%) and specific metal oxides into the glass frit composition, which create a surface property that converts the cleaning process from a high-energy pyrolysis method to a low-energy water-based cleaning method. The fluorine-containing components provide contamination resistance and facilitate easy cleaning with water, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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

The solution provides a coating layer with improved heat resistance, chemical resistance, and cleaning performance, reducing process costs and complexity while ensuring uniform properties and easy cleaning, with a glass deformation temperature of 520°C to 700°C and superior cleaning performance.

Implementation Method 1

melting the glass frit material; and quenching the melted P2O5, SiO2, B2O3, Al2O3, R2O (where R is an alkali metal), a chemical property enhancement component, and an adhesion enhancement component to form the enamel composition

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMelting: Melting

Data Source

PatentEP3539933B1Enamel composition and cooking appliance including the same
Publication Date: 2021.04.21 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3539933B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3539933B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided are an enamel composition, a preparation method thereof, and a cooking appliance. The enamel composition includes a glass frit comprising P2O5, SiO2, and B2O3.