Polyolefin Pipe Structure With Segmented Valve Case Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for installing a gate valve on a polyolefin-based straight pipe require excessive welding, increasing mold costs and the number of welding portions.
Innovation Solution
A piping structure featuring polyolefin-based ridges and metal-made separate cases with engagement portions, where only the ridges need to be welded, and a process involving the formation of bottomed grooves to accommodate a knife gate that cuts through the pipe without entering shavings into the pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire sealing case is formed from PE to match the straight pipe material, then welding compatibility is improved, but the mold cost increases and the number of welding portions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing case is divided into multiple separate cases (first separate case and second separate case) that are positioned at different circumferential locations. This segmentation allows each case to be independently attached to the straight pipe, reducing the overall complexity of welding while maintaining material compatibility. The separate cases can be attached at optimal locations rather than requiring the entire sealing case to be welded as one piece.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the piping structure use different materials strategically. The straight pipe and engagement portions are made of PE for compatibility, while the separate cases can be made from other suitable materials. This local differentiation optimizes the balance between welding compatibility and manufacturing cost, avoiding the need to make the entire sealing case from PE.
2Stability of the object's composition
If engagement portions are designed to prevent opening expansion, then structural stability is improved, but the complexity of the engagement mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement function is extracted from the main body of the separate cases and concentrated into specific engagement portions. These engagement portions are designed with simple geometric features (such as ridges or protrusions) that fit into corresponding grooves on the straight pipe. This extraction simplifies the overall design by isolating the engagement function to specific, simple components rather than requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of designing complex active mechanisms to prevent opening expansion, the invention uses passive geometric interlocking features. The engagement portions with ridges or protrusions fit into grooves on the straight pipe, creating a mechanical interlock that passively resists opening expansion. This inverted approach uses simple geometry rather than complex active mechanisms to achieve the same stabilizing effect.
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
Reduces the number of welding portions, lowers costs, and allows for easier installation and operation of the gate valve without disrupting fluid flow, while preventing the opening from expanding.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of ridges 15 made of a polyolefin-based material, extending in a circumferential direction R along an outer surface 13 of the straight pipe 1, and spaced apart from each other in an axial direction S of the straight pipe 1; a piping material 2 including a plurality of metal-made separate cases 21 and 22, which are separated from each other in the circumferential direction R of the straight pipe 1 and enclose a portion of the straight pipe 1; and a pair of engagement portions 23 formed on at least one of the separate cases 21 and 22 and engaging respectively with the pair of ridges 15
Data Source
AI summary
A structure including: a straight pipe made of a polyolefin-based material; a pair of ridges made of a polyolefin-based material, extending in a circumferential direction along an outer surface of the straight pipe, and spaced apart from each other in an axial direction of the straight pipe; a piping material including a plurality of metal-made separate cases, which are separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the straight pipe and enclose a portion of the straight pipe; and a pair of engagement portions formed on at least one of the separate cases and engaging respectively with the pair of ridges.