Plastic Valve Needle and Seat for Reliable Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Metal needle and seat valve devices used in metering applications suffer from unreliable closure after deformation and require extensive preparation, and are prone to failure due to foreign bodies causing notches or recesses, making reliable operation time-consuming and unpredictable.
Innovation Solution
The valve device employs a yielding needle and seat, preferably made of plastic like PEK or PEEK, which can be elastically or part-elastically deformable, allowing for immediate reliable closure and compensation of irregularities, with optional force storage members and contact-less position monitoring by sensors to assess closure states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal needle and seat are used, then wear resistance is improved, but closure reliability deteriorates after deformation and extensive preparation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to plastic for the needle and seat, transforming the physical and chemical state of the materials. This allows the components to be elastically deformable, enabling them to return to their original shape after closure processes, thereby maintaining closure reliability without extensive preparation while still providing wear resistance through the resilient nature of plastic materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction where plastic components (needle and seat) are used instead of traditional metal materials. This material substitution provides both wear resistance and elastic deformability, resolving the contradiction between durability and closure reliability by allowing the materials to adapt elastically while maintaining structural integrity over time.
2Reliability
If needle and seat are pressed against each other repeatedly, then closure effect is improved, but time consumption increases due to preparation procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic needle and seat are pre-designed with elastic deformability, so they are prepared in advance to automatically adapt to each other during the first closure operation. This preliminary design feature eliminates the need for repeated manual preparation procedures, as the elastic materials self-adjust during normal operation, reducing preparation time while ensuring reliable closure effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic plastic materials perform self-adjustment during closure operations, where the needle and seat automatically adapt to each other's contours through their inherent elastic deformability. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external intervention or extensive preparation procedures, achieving reliable closure effect without time-consuming manual adjustment.
3Reliability
If foreign bodies are present between needle and seat, then closure reliability deteriorates due to notches or recesses, but detection capability is insufficient with metal components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sensor that detects the position of the needle and provides feedback about the closure state. This feedback mechanism allows for the detection of foreign bodies or irregularities in the closure process, enabling real-time monitoring and assessment of closure reliability, thereby overcoming the insufficient detection capability associated with traditional metal components.
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
Ensures immediate and reliable closure with compensation for deformation and foreign body-induced irregularities, allowing for precise measurement and operation without extensive preparation, ensuring consistent performance and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
the plastic is elastically or at least part-elastically deformable. Part-elastic deformability is used to mean that only a small region is also plastically deformable.
Implementation Method 2
the plastic does not have to be elastically deformable over the entire extent. Above all, therefore, end regions or partial regions can be at least partially plastically deformable.
Implementation Method 3
The needle mounting and/or the seat mounting has/have a force storage member or an elastically or part-elastically deformable portion.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve mechanism for at least one liquid plastic component or liquid plastic, includes a closure device that includes a needle to be pressed against a seat in order to close a valve opening in the valve mechanism. The needle and/or seat is designed or mounted in such a way as to be resilient.