Rectangular Pressure Vessel Joint for Lower Corner Fastening Load

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional pressure vessels face high manufacturing costs due to excessive fastening loads on corners of the shell part, requiring thicker shell flanges, which increases production expenses.

Innovation Solution

A pressure vessel design where a connecting member is used between the pressure vessel body and the body flange, allowing the pressure vessel body to avoid direct mounting to the body flange, thereby reducing the fastening load and enabling a thinner body flange, which can be manufactured using standard flanges, thus lowering costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the shell part and shell flange are directly connected with different cross-sectional shapes, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the corners of the shell part receive excessive fastening load

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidfastening load on corners
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

A connecting member is introduced as an intermediary component between the shell part and shell flange. This connecting member has a first end connected to the shell part and a second end connected to the shell flange, effectively mediating the connection and distributing the fastening load away from the corners of the shell part while maintaining structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Strength

If the thickness of the shell flange is increased to reduce fastening load application, then the structural strength is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflange strengthVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The connecting member serves as a mediator that allows the use of a thinner shell flange by transferring and distributing the fastening loads through its structure, thereby reducing the material requirements and manufacturing cost while maintaining the necessary structural strength.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Device complexity

If the shell part is directly mounted to the body flange, then the device complexity is reduced, but the fastening load is excessively applied to the pressure vessel body

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection structure complexityVSAvoidfastening load on pressure vessel body
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The connecting member acts as an intermediary component between the pressure vessel body and body flange, providing a dedicated load path for fastening forces. This separation allows the pressure vessel body to be mounted without directly bearing the full fastening load, reducing stress on the body while adding only one intermediate component to the system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3546877B1Pressure container
Publication Date: 2022.01.05 IHI CORP
  • EP3546877B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3546877B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3546877B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A pressure vessel (10) includes a pressure vessel body (12) provided with a flow channel through which a fluid is caused to flow, having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and formed to extend in a direction of flow of the fluid, a body flange (14) provided at at least one end side of the pressure vessel body (12) in a longitudinal direction and having a circular cross-sectional shape, and a connecting member (22) connecting the pressure vessel body (12) and the body flange (14) to each other, and the connecting member (22) has a body-flange connected portion (24) connected to the body flange (14), having a circular cross-sectional shape, and formed in a cylindrical shape, a pressure-vessel-body connected portion (26) connected to the pressure vessel body (12), being larger in outer shape than the body-flange connected portion (24), and formed in a cylindrical shape, and a connecting portion (28) connecting the body-flange connected portion (24) and the pressure-vessel-body connected portion (26) to each other and formed in a cylindrical shape with a shape changing to be gradually smaller from the pressure-vessel-body connected portion (26) toward the body-flange connected portion (24).