Piston Pump Housing Segmentation for Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-pressure fuel pumps for internal combustion engines are heavy and costly due to their solid design, requiring significant material and machining processes, which does not efficiently utilize material in non-critical areas and can lead to issues like vapor formation and piston seizure.
Innovation Solution
A piston pump design that reduces weight and material usage by employing a solid inner housing core in high-pressure areas and thin-walled elements in low-pressure areas, integrating the fastening flange and cover into an outer casing, and using plastic deformation for manufacturing, allowing for improved hydraulic connection and reduced machining effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If solid design with machining and forging processes is used, then strength and reliability are improved, but weight and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different wall thicknesses to different areas of the pump housing: thick-walled in high-pressure areas for strength, and thin-walled in low-pressure areas for weight reduction. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing strength only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump housing is divided into multiple elements (inner housing core, outer housing jacket, mounting section) that can be manufactured separately with optimized material usage and then assembled, reducing overall weight while maintaining structural integrity.
2Manufacturing precision
If solid design with machining processes is used, then manufacturing precision is improved, but production costs and machining effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into multiple elements that can be manufactured using different processes (machining, deep-drawing, plastic deformation) optimized for each specific component, reducing overall machining effort and production costs while maintaining precision where required.
Solution Approach 2:
Thin-walled elements are used in low-pressure areas, which can be manufactured more efficiently through processes like deep-drawing and plastic deformation rather than traditional machining, reducing production costs while maintaining sufficient structural integrity.
3Weight of moving object
If thin-walled elements are used, then weight and material usage are reduced, but structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements thick-walled construction in high-pressure areas and thin-walled construction in low-pressure areas, ensuring structural strength is maintained where needed while reducing weight in non-critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is divided into multiple elements that can be optimized independently: thick-walled inner housing core for strength, thin-walled outer housing jacket for weight reduction, allowing each element to be designed for its specific functional requirements.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate elements are used, then functional requirements are met, but device complexity and number of parts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting section integrates the fastening flange and cover into a single element, reducing the number of parts and assembly steps while maintaining all necessary functions for mounting and housing closure.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer housing jacket serves multiple functions: it provides structural housing, integrates mounting features, and contributes to hydraulic connection, reducing the need for separate components and simplifying the overall device structure.
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 design reduces material and production costs, minimizes suction losses, reduces vapor formation and piston seizure risk, and enables better damping of hydraulic pulsations, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective fuel pump operation.
Implementation Method 1
a rotary motion is converted into a stroke motion by a piston seated radially on a camshaft or balancer shaft
Implementation Method 2
the piston pump or the outer casing of the housing encloses a comparatively large volume of fuel, as a result of which hydraulic pulsations in the low-pressure area of the piston pump can be better dampened
Implementation Method 3
The outer housing jacket can be produced at least in regions by means of plastic deformation, in particular by means of deep-drawing
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a piston pump (24), in particular high-pressure pump for a fuel system (10) for an internal combustion engine, with an inner housing core (46) to which a cylinder liner (32) is fastened, and with an outer housing casing (50) which at least partially encases the inner housing core (46) radially from the outside. According to the invention, at least one radially protruding edge section (52) of the outer housing casing (50) forms at least part of a fastening flange (74) with which the piston pump (24) can be fastened to an add-on structure.