Radiator Guard Service Panel for Faster Maintenance Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Servicing and maintenance of internal combustion engine assemblies require dismounting the radiator guard, which often necessitates disassembly of conduits and fluid system draining, leading to lost time and increased inconvenience and expense.
Innovation Solution
A radiator guard with a main body and service panel formed of mesh sheet material, featuring fastening points, a service aperture, and retained fasteners, allowing the service panel to be releasably mounted, providing access to the radiator without fully dismounting the guard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the radiator guard is designed as a solid protective structure, then protection of rotating components is improved, but access to the radiator for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The radiator guard is segmented into a main body and a removable service panel. The service panel is a separate component that can be detached from the main body, allowing maintenance access without removing the entire guard structure. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining the protective function of the main body while providing easy access through the removable panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The service panel transitions from a fixed state (when attached) to a removable state (when detached). This dynamic design allows the radiator guard to adapt between two functional states: full protection when the panel is attached, and maintenance access when the panel is removed. The retained fasteners enable this dynamic transition without requiring complete disassembly.
2Strength
If the radiator guard is designed as a single solid piece, then structural strength is improved, but maintenance time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the radiator guard into a main body and a service panel, the design maintains the structural strength of the main body while enabling quick maintenance access. The service panel can be rapidly removed and reattached without affecting the integrity of the main structural components, significantly reducing maintenance time compared to removing a solid single-piece guard.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring complete disassembly of the entire radiator guard for maintenance, only the partial service panel needs to be removed. This partial action approach provides sufficient access for radiator maintenance while preserving the majority of the guard structure in place, thereby reducing maintenance time and effort.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conduits are positioned across the radiator guard for functional routing, then fluid system functionality is improved, but disassembly requirements for maintenance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The segmentation of the radiator guard into a main body and service panel allows conduits to be routed across the main body for functional fluid system integration, while the service panel provides maintenance access without requiring conduit disconnection. The retained fasteners on the service panel enable panel removal independent of conduit disassembly, reducing overall maintenance complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A radiator guard comprising a main body and a service panel; the main body being formed of mesh sheet material and comprising: a plurality of fastening points for mounting the main body over a rear face of a radiator of an internal combustion engine; a service aperture for providing access, in use, to the rear face of the radiator; and a plurality of retained fasteners arranged around a periphery of the service aperture; wherein the service panel is releasably mountable to the main body, to cover the service aperture, using the retained fasteners.