Swimming Pool Brush Hydrofoil Plate and Aperture Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing swimming pool brushes face challenges in maintaining pressure against the sidewall during cleaning due to the venturi effect created by water flowing over hydrofoil plates, and they are typically discarded when worn, rather than being reusable.
Innovation Solution
A swimming pool brush design featuring a brush head with apertures to minimize the venturi effect and a hydrofoil plate that can be hingedly attached to either side, allowing for rotational adjustment and reversible mounting, ensuring consistent cleaning pressure and extending the brush's lifespan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If a fixed hydrofoil plate is attached to the brush head to increase cleaning pressure, then the pressure of the brush against the sidewall is improved, but a vacuum is created on the trailing side that lifts the plate away and reduces pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrofoil plate is made movable relative to the brush head, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and angle in response to water flow conditions. This enables the plate to maintain optimal pressure application while adapting to varying stroke directions and water velocities, resolving the contradiction between maintaining high pressure and ensuring reliable consistent contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The angle and position of the hydrofoil plate are made variable rather than fixed. By allowing the plate to change its orientation parameters in response to hydrodynamic forces, the system can optimize pressure application during different phases of the brushing stroke while minimizing vacuum effects that would otherwise lift the plate away.
2Productivity
If a hydrofoil plate is used to increase cleaning pressure during downstroke, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the venturi effect creates low pressure area that reduces brush pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrofoil plate is designed to function differently during different phases of the brushing cycle. During the downstroke, it generates hydrodynamic lift to increase cleaning pressure, while during the upstroke, the movable connection allows it to retract or rotate to minimize venturi effects. This periodic adaptation maintains high cleaning effectiveness while reducing pressure-reducing vacuum effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The venturi effect, which normally creates harmful low pressure areas, is partially converted into a beneficial function. The same water flow that creates the venturi effect also drives the movable hydrofoil plate to optimal positions, and in some configurations, the venturi suction can help reset the plate for the next stroke cycle, transforming the harmful pressure reduction into a useful resetting mechanism.
3Ease of manufacture
If the brush head is worn down it must be discarded, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but resource utilization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The brush head is divided into separable components, with the hydrofoil plate and bristle assembly able to be detached from the handle or base structure. This segmentation allows the wear-prone bristle and plate components to be replaced independently while retaining the durable handle and connection mechanisms, thereby extending overall service life without significantly complicating the manufacturing of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The design enables recovery and reuse of valuable components. When bristles wear out, only the bristle bundle and possibly the hydrofoil plate need to be replaced, while the handle, connection mechanisms, and structural components are recovered and reused. This partial replacement strategy extends service life while keeping manufacturing complexity manageable through standardized replaceable parts.
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 design enhances cleaning pressure during the downward stroke while reducing pressure loss during the upward stroke and allows the brush to be used on both sides as one side wears out, improving efficiency and extending the brush's usable life.
Implementation Method 1
A hydrofoil plate having a first longitudinally-extending edge is adapted to be hingedly engaged by the first plurality of clips... When the plate is in its first position, it is pushed by water in the swimming pool towards the swimming pool sidewall, thereby increasing pressure of the bristles against the sidewall.
Implementation Method 2
The at least one aperture formed in the brush head is operative to reduce a venturi effect created by water flowing over the hydrofoil plate when the hydrofoil plate is in the first position.
Data Source
AI summary
A swimming pool brush includes a brush head having a pair of apertures formed in the brush head and a plurality of bristles secured in depending relation to the brush head in surrounding relation to each aperture. A first plurality of clips is formed in a top wall of the brush head on a first side of the apertures. A hydrofoil plate has a first edge adapted to be hingedly engaged by the first plurality of clips, an extended position when the brush head is immersed and pushed downwardly against a swimming pool sidewall and a retracted position when the brush head is pulled upwardly against the sidewall. A venturi effect is created by the plate when in its extended position but the apertures minimize the venturi effect. The plate may be mounted to a second plurality of clips so that the brush head can be reversed and re-used.