Radiator Cooler Plug-in Connection Thermal Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cooling devices for internal combustion engines are costly to manufacture and assemble due to complex metalworking processes and require significant installation space, with challenges in accommodating different thermal expansions and tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device design where the radiator and cooler are positioned in parallel planes with plug-in connections that allow for limited motion in specific directions, enabling tool-free connection and compensation for thermal expansions and production tolerances, allowing for modular assembly and easy integration with a support structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional mounting flanges or mounting rails with specially formed nuts and screws are used to fasten the radiator and cooler, then the connection is secure and reliable, but the manufacturing cost increases due to complex metalworking processes and the assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is divided into separate modular components (radiator and cooler) that can be manufactured independently using standard processes, then connected through simple plug-in connections. This segmentation allows each component to be produced with常规 manufacturing methods without requiring complex integrated metalworking, reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining connection reliability through the dedicated plug-in fastening mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simple, inexpensive plug-in connections with basic fastening elements rather than expensive specially formed nuts and screws. The connection design prioritizes ease of manufacture and assembly over long-term durability, accepting that the connection may need replacement but achieving significant cost reduction through simplified components and processes
2Reliability
If traditional mounting flanges or mounting rails with specially formed nuts and screws are used to fasten the radiator and cooler, then the connection is secure and reliable, but the assembly time increases due to complex screwing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The plug-in connections are pre-configured with integrated fastening elements positioned to automatically engage with corresponding receptacles on the cooler. This preliminary arrangement eliminates the need for manual alignment and sequential screwing operations, allowing the radiator and cooler to be connected rapidly through a single insertion motion while maintaining secure fastening
Solution Approach 2:
The complex multi-step screwing operation is extracted and replaced by a simplified plug-in mechanism. The fastening function is separated from the connection action, allowing the radiator to be inserted into the cooler through a simple plug-in motion while the pre-positioned fastening elements automatically secure the connection, dramatically reducing assembly time
3Stability of the object's composition
If the radiator and cooler are rigidly connected without motion capability, then the structural stability is high, but the device cannot accommodate different thermal expansions and production tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The plug-in connection incorporates controlled mobility that allows the radiator and cooler to move relative to each other in specific directions. This dynamic capability enables the connection to accommodate thermal expansion differences and production tolerances while maintaining structural stability through the constrained motion paths and engagement geometry of the plug-in mechanism
4Strength
If complex metalworking processes are used to create mounting flanges and specially formed fasteners, then the connection strength is high, but the manufacturing cost and installation space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs simple, inexpensive plug-in connections with basic fastening elements rather than expensive specially formed nuts and screws requiring complex metalworking. The connection design prioritizes ease of manufacture and assembly over long-term durability, accepting that the connection may need replacement but achieving significant cost reduction through simplified components and processes
Solution Approach 2:
The plug-in connection design uses standard, universally manufacturable components rather than custom-specified fasteners. The connection mechanism serves multiple functions (alignment, fastening, and accommodation of tolerances) through a single integrated design, eliminating the need for specially formed nuts and screws and reducing manufacturing complexity and cost
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 design facilitates rapid, secure assembly with reduced manufacturing and installation costs, accommodating different thermal expansions and tolerances, and allows for easy replacement or maintenance of components, while ensuring stress-free operation.
Implementation Method 1
compensation of different thermal expansions of the radiator and of the cooler by means of the limited mobility
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device for an internal combustion engine is provided. During assembly, the radiator and the cooler are connected by first connecting the radiator and the cooler via a lower plug-in connection as a result of a vertical joining motion and then bringing the radiator and the cooler into a slightly tilted position. The position is achieved via limited swiveling mobility of the lower plug-in connection, whereby the required degree of freedom is created so that the required distance of the radiator and of the cooler for attaching the upper first plug-in connection can be set. The upper-first plug-in connection is then attached in a final assembly step via an attachment device that is substantially orthogonal to the plane of the cooler. The limited mobility ensures that thermal or production-related tolerances due to the different operating temperatures of the radiator and the cooler are compensated during operation.