Vehicle Pressure Vessel Embossed Groove Forming
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for producing pressure vessels, particularly for vehicles, are costly and time-consuming due to finish-machining processes that involve cutting, leading to material weakening and potential leaktightness issues, necessitating additional reinforcement which increases weight and production costs.
Innovation Solution
A method that embosses grooves into the vessel main part without cutting, allowing for precise fitting of the cover and base without material removal, thereby maintaining the wall thickness and eliminating the need for additional reinforcement, using embossed grooves and forming techniques to adapt the vessel main part to the cover and base attachment rims.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If finish-machining processes involving cutting are used to introduce grooves and adapt the vessel main part, then accurate fitting reception of cover and base is achieved, but material is removed which weakens the wall and increases production cost and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cutting process with a forming process that uses plastic deformation to create grooves and adapt the vessel main part. This substitution eliminates material removal while achieving the same dimensional accuracy and fitting precision, thereby preserving wall strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the material during processing by using forming instead of cutting. The material is plastically deformed to create the required geometric features, which maintains material continuity and structural integrity while achieving precise dimensional tolerances.
2Manufacturing precision
If finish-machining processes involving cutting are used to introduce grooves and adapt the vessel main part, then accurate fitting reception of cover and base is achieved, but production cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the multi-step cutting and machining operations with a single forming process that simultaneously creates grooves and adapts the vessel geometry. This consolidation of operations significantly reduces production time and cycle time while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple separate operations (groove creation, dimensional adaptation, and surface preparation) into a single integrated forming process. This merging of operations eliminates intermediate steps, reduces setup time, and improves overall production efficiency while achieving accurate fitting reception.
3Strength
If the vessel main part is produced with greater wall thickness to compensate for weakening, then wall strength is maintained, but weight and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for compensatory reinforcement by replacing cutting with forming. The forming process creates the required geometric features without removing material, thereby maintaining the original wall thickness and avoiding any reduction in wall strength, which eliminates the need for additional material or reinforcement.
4Strength
If subsequent reinforcement of the wall is performed by deposition welding, then wall strength is restored, but production time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the wall adaptation and groove creation in advance during the forming process, before assembly. This preliminary action eliminates the need for subsequent reinforcement operations, as the wall is properly prepared and strengthened through the forming process itself, thereby reducing total production time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the need for deposition welding or other reinforcement operations by using forming to create the required geometric features while maintaining wall integrity. This substitution eliminates entire secondary processing steps, significantly improving productivity.
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
This approach reduces material usage, production costs, and processing time, enabling the production of pressure vessels with improved accuracy and reduced weight, while maintaining structural integrity and leaktightness.
Implementation Method 1
embossing, without cutting, a first and a second groove into the at least one cross-web
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle pressure vessel and manufacturing method which uses a vessel main part, an arched base, an arched cover, and one or more cross-webs connecting opposite walls of the vessel main part. The vessel main part is open at its top and bottom over which the cover and base respectively fit to close the vessel main part in a pressure-tight manner. A groove is embossed in the cross-webs where they connect to the opposite walls of the vessel main part. The cover and base each have an attachment rim that fits into the grooves when the cover and base are connected to the vessel main part.