Metal Pipe Exhaust Pit Layout to Reduce Discharge Noise

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing forming apparatuses for metal pipes generate loud discharge noise when high-pressure gas is rapidly released, posing a noise hazard to workers.

Innovation Solution

A forming system with an underground pit structure that houses the exhaust port of the discharge unit, acting as a silencer to reduce noise pollution, and includes a configuration where the exhaust pipe is positioned within the pit, ensuring that discharge noise is contained and minimized.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If high-pressure gas is rapidly discharged from the metal pipe to improve productivity, then the forming speed increases, but the discharge noise becomes loud and harmful to workers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveforming speedVSAvoiddischarge noise
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The exhaust port is extracted from the ground level and relocated to an underground pit. The discharge unit includes an exhaust pipe positioned in the underground pit with the exhaust port facing upward, separating the noise-generating discharge process from the worker environment while maintaining rapid gas discharge for productivity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The underground pit acts as an intermediary structure between the discharge unit and the worker environment. The pit with water or other medium serves as a noise-absorbing intermediary that reduces the transmission of discharge noise to workers while allowing the high-pressure gas to be rapidly discharged

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 system effectively mitigates discharge noise issues by using the underground pit as a silencer, reducing noise exposure for workers and optimizing the space usage of the forming apparatus.

Implementation Method 1

an underground pit provided at a lower portion of the floor surface, in which an exhaust port of the discharge unit is positioned in an internal space of a structure having the internal space, and the discharge unit includes an exhaust pipe positioned in the underground pit as the structure and provided with the exhaust port

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAcoustic absorption: Acoustic Absorption

Data Source

PatentEP3944909B1Forming system
Publication Date: 2025.03.26 SUMITOMO HEAVY IND LTD
  • EP3944909B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3944909B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C
  • EP3944909B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is provided a forming system for forming a metal pipe having a hollow shape, the system including: a forming apparatus including a gas supply portion that supplies gas into a heated metal pipe material when forming the metal pipe, and a discharge unit that discharges the gas into the formed metal pipe, in which an exhaust port of the discharge unit is positioned in an internal space of a structure having the internal space.