Regenerable Air Filter With Semi-Rigid Plastic Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Regenerable flat air filters for industrial use face high manufacturing costs, handling difficulties, corrosion issues, and complex recycling processes due to metal frames, which are heavy and prone to corrosion.
Innovation Solution
A regenerable flat air filter with a semi-rigid plastic frame and filtration material composed of perforated and corrugated plastic plates, allowing for easy handling and installation, and made entirely of plastic for reduced weight and corrosion resistance, featuring hooks or magnetic strips for attachment, and self-gripping materials for secure fixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a metal frame is used to support the filtration material, then the filter has sufficient strength and rigidity, but the manufacturing cost increases, the weight increases, and corrosion resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to plastic, specifically using polypropylene or similar thermoplastic materials. This material substitution maintains sufficient structural strength for industrial filter applications while significantly reducing manufacturing cost, weight, and corrosion susceptibility. The plastic frame is molded as a single piece or in sections, eliminating metal fabrication processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter employs a composite structure where plastic frames enclose a core of flexible plastic filtration material. This composite approach allows the frame to provide structural support while the flexible material provides filtration functionality. The combination achieves the required mechanical strength without needing expensive metal components.
2Strength
If a metal frame is used to support the filtration material, then the filter has sufficient strength and rigidity, but the weight of the filter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to plastic, specifically using polypropylene or similar thermoplastic materials. This material substitution maintains sufficient structural strength for industrial filter applications while significantly reducing manufacturing cost, weight, and corrosion susceptibility. The plastic frame is molded as a single piece or in sections, eliminating metal fabrication processes.
3Strength
If a metal frame is used to support the filtration material, then the filter has sufficient strength and rigidity, but the filter becomes susceptible to corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to plastic, specifically using polypropylene or similar thermoplastic materials. This material substitution maintains sufficient structural strength for industrial filter applications while significantly reducing manufacturing cost, weight, and corrosion susceptibility. The plastic frame is molded as a single piece or in sections, eliminating metal fabrication processes.
4Strength
If a metal frame is used to support the filtration material, then the filter has sufficient strength and rigidity, but the recycling process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to plastic, specifically using polypropylene or similar thermoplastic materials. This material substitution maintains sufficient structural strength for industrial filter applications while significantly reducing manufacturing cost, weight, and corrosion susceptibility. The plastic frame is molded as a single piece or in sections, eliminating metal fabrication processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses homogeneous plastic material (polypropylene) for both the frame and the filtration medium, creating a single-material construction. This homogeneity simplifies recycling significantly, as the entire filter can be melted and reprocessed without the need to separate different materials. The consistent material composition allows for efficient thermal recycling processes.
5Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid frame is used to hold the filtration material, then the filter maintains its shape, but handling and installation become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the rigidity parameter of the frame by using plastic materials with appropriate elastic modulus. The frame is designed with sufficient rigidity to maintain filter shape during operation but with enough flexibility to be easily handled and installed. The plastic material provides damping that prevents excessive stress concentration during handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is designed as a modular assembly that can be segmented into manageable portions for easy handling during installation, then assembled into the complete filter structure. This segmentation allows the filter to be handled in manageable sections while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
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 solution significantly reduces manufacturing costs, simplifies handling and installation, prevents corrosion, and facilitates recycling by using a lightweight plastic frame and materials, ensuring effective filtration and compliance with fire and smoke resistance standards for industrial applications.
Implementation Method 1
a frame (12) holding said filtration material (11), said frame (12) being made of plastic material
Implementation Method 2
the filtration material of such regenerable filters can be constituted by a stack of plates of rigid or semi-rigid plastic material, corrugated and pierced with small holes
Implementation Method 3
The plates then trap the particles carried by the air, which can, if the filter is placed in a vertical position, slide by gravity between the plates to the bottom of the filter
Implementation Method 4
The stack is made in such a way that the corrugations of the different plates do not correspond with each other, which creates a multitude of spaces of small sizes between the different plates. During filtration, the air circulates through the holes drilled in each plate, following a complex trajectory imposed by the conformation of the spaces appearing between the plates
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The filter (1) has a filter material (11) including multiple plastic plates drilled and stacked one on the other, where the filter material is held by a peripheral frame (12) that is made of plastic material so as to be semi-rigid. The peripheral frame is formed by an assembly of U-shaped plastic sections overlapping the periphery of the filter material. Plastic hooks (121) are provided for attaching the filter on a suitable support, where the hooks are assembled to the peripheral frame by fitting with elastic deformation.