Plastic Flange Connection with Integrated Heating Coil
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flange connections for plastic components face challenges such as material incompatibility, lengthy preparation and welding times, and decreased surface pressure over time, leading to potential leaks and reduced load-bearing capacity, especially when connecting different materials like polyolefins and steel.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid flange connection combining mechanical screwing with electrical welding using a heating coil embedded in the plastic components' end faces, allowing for direct welding without additional components and ensuring precise alignment, thus creating a cohesive and media-tight connection that can handle various loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If welding methods are used to connect plastic pipe components, then a permanently tight and tension-resistant connection is achieved, but considerable preparation effort is required and welding times are lengthy
Solution Approach 1:
The heating coil is pre-integrated into the flange component during manufacturing, eliminating the need for separate preparation steps. The coil is positioned in advance to ensure optimal heating location and geometry, allowing immediate welding operation without time-consuming setup or alignment procedures on-site.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating coil acts as an intermediary element that facilitates welding between plastic components. By embedding the coil into the flange, it serves as a built-in mediator that directly contacts the mating surface, enabling controlled thermal energy transfer and eliminating the need for external heating equipment or complex preparation procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional flange connections are used to connect different materials, then material compatibility is achieved, but the surface pressure force decreases over time due to creeping processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical flange connection system with a hybrid system that incorporates electrical heating. The heating coil enables thermal welding of the flange surfaces, creating a permanent material bond that substitutes for the mechanical clamping action. This eliminates reliance on sustained surface pressure and prevents leakage development over time, while still allowing connection of different materials through the welding process.
3Reliability
If heating element butt welding is used to connect plastic pipes, then a non-detachable and tight connection is achieved, but the welding process requires heavy equipment and long cooling times
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying heat over the entire welding surface as in conventional butt welding, the heating coil is positioned to provide localized heating at the specific contact point between flanges. This concentrated thermal energy application enables rapid welding of the critical sealing area without requiring heavy equipment or prolonged cooling times for the entire pipe component.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding process is segmented to focus thermal energy only at the flange contact interface rather than heating the entire pipe end. The heating coil is positioned to target specifically the sealing surface area, enabling rapid localized welding that reduces overall process time and equipment requirements compared to conventional methods.
4Reliability
If electrofusion welding is used to connect plastic pipes, then a non-detachable connection is achieved, but diameter tolerances and ovality must be compensated and rounding equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The flange component is designed to be self-aligning through its geometry and the integrated heating coil position. The coil is embedded at a specific location that ensures proper positioning during assembly, eliminating the need for external rounding equipment or complex tolerance compensation procedures. The design itself provides the alignment function that would otherwise require additional equipment.
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 hybrid connection provides a permanently secure, media-tight, and tension-resistant joint that is not sensitive to lateral forces, facilitating easy installation and enabling the connection of previously incompatible materials, with the ability to distribute loads effectively across the screw connection and weld seam, reducing the risk of leaks and maintaining tightness over time.
Implementation Method 1
at least one heating coil (17) is arranged as a means for electrical welding in at least a partial area of one of the end faces (12a, 15a) of at least one of the two components (10, 13)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
The invention relates to a flange connection for components composed of plastic, in particular for tubular components composed of plastic, comprising at least one first component (10), which has a first tube segment (11) and a first flange (12), and at least one second component (13), which has a second tube segment (14) and a second flange (15). The first flange (12) and the second flange (15) can be clamped against each other in the axial direction by means of at least one mechanical connection (16). According to the invention, in addition to the mechanical connection (16), means (17) for connecting the components (10, 13) by electrical welding are provided in the region of end faces of the two components (10, 13) lying in contact with each other. By means of a combination of mechanical connection, in particular screwing (as in the case of the flange), and welding by means of a heating coil in the region of the sealing surface, a permanently media-tight, tension-resistant, and transverse-force-resistant connection that is easy to install can be created.