Plastic Valve Housing with Snap-In Locking for Compressed Air Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Valves for commercial vehicle compressed air systems, particularly lifting axle valves, face challenges in manufacturing simplicity, material costs, and weight reduction, with existing metal housings requiring complex machining and high material usage, and plastic housings struggling with mechanical strength and thermal stability.
Innovation Solution
The use of plastic injection molding to create valve housings with snap-in connections between the cover and main housing, incorporating fiber-reinforced plastics to enhance mechanical properties and thermal stability, and designing the valve with a frustoconical inner surface to simplify manufacturing and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal housings are used for valve construction, then mechanical strength and thermal stability are ensured, but manufacturing complexity and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining plastic housing with metal inserts. The main housing is made of plastic injection-molded material, while metal inserts are integrated into specific areas to provide the necessary mechanical strength and thermal stability. This composite approach allows the valve to meet performance requirements while simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs compared to fully metal construction.
2Strength
If metal housings are used for valve construction, then mechanical strength is ensured, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials with plastic as the base material and metal inserts strategically placed only where structural strength is critical. This hybrid construction significantly reduces the overall weight compared to fully metal housings while maintaining the necessary mechanical strength for high pneumatic pressure applications.
3Ease of manufacture
If plastic housings are used to reduce weight and cost, then manufacturing simplicity and weight are improved, but mechanical strength and thermal stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials by integrating metal inserts into the plastic housing structure. The metal inserts are positioned in areas requiring high mechanical strength and thermal stability, such as mounting flanges and connection points, while the plastic housing provides the main structural body. This combination maintains manufacturing simplicity of plastic injection molding while compensating for plastic's limitations in strength and thermal resistance.
4Manufacturing precision
If complex machining is used for metal housings, then manufacturing precision is achieved, but production time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical machining processes with plastic injection molding technology. The housing is formed directly through injection molding, which inherently provides high manufacturing precision for complex geometries without requiring multiple machining steps. This substitution dramatically increases production speed and reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining or improving dimensional accuracy.
5Strength
If fiber-reinforced plastics are used, then mechanical properties and thermal stability are improved, but material complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses fiber-reinforced plastics as the housing material, where fibers (such as glass or carbon) are embedded in the plastic matrix to enhance mechanical strength and thermal stability. While this creates a composite material system, the manufacturing process remains a standard injection molding operation, and the structural design does not require additional components. The complexity is confined to the material composition itself, while the overall device structure remains simple.
Data Source
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AI summary
The valve (130) has a plastic housing formed with a cover (58) made of plastic e.g. fiberglass reinforced plastic, and a main housing (49) made of plastic. The cover and the main housing are connected with each other by a locking connection. A safety element (126) blocks a degree of freedom of a locking element (124) and/or a spring element i.e. spring arm (123), supported in the locking element, in a locking position of a locking connection. The cover comprises a receiver for a solenoid valve, and forms a valve seat.