Removable Exhaust Unit Coupling for Ballast Water Filter Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ballast water filtering apparatuses face challenges in easy assembly, disassembly, and maintenance due to heavy and integrated components, with weak coupling mechanisms prone to breakage and corrosion, and difficulty in coupling and disassembly in limited spaces.
Innovation Solution
A filtering apparatus with a housing cover plate and exhaust unit that are removably coupled at the upper position, featuring a base flange with a projecting step for precise coupling, a solid key coupling mechanism for durability, and chamfered/rounded corners for easy extraction, along with sealing means to prevent unfiltered water from entering the suction nozzle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the housing cover plate is integrally coupled with the exhaust unit, then the structural strength is improved, but the weight increases to about 1 ton and assembly/disassembly becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust unit is separated from the housing cover plate through the introduction of a base flange with a projecting step. This segmentation allows the exhaust unit to be removably coupled to the housing cover plate via the core through hole, enabling easy assembly and disassembly while maintaining structural integrity during operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the housing cover plate is integrally coupled with the exhaust unit, then the structural stability is improved, but the precision alignment during assembly becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The base flange with its projecting step acts as an intermediary element between the exhaust unit and the housing cover plate. The projecting step engages with the core through hole to provide precise alignment and positioning, ensuring accurate coupling while maintaining structural stability.
3Device complexity
If a spring pin is used to couple the core with the driving shaft, then the coupling mechanism is simple, but the reliability decreases due to breakage and corrosion from frequent movements
Solution Approach 1:
The spring pin is designed as a sacrificial, replaceable component that can be easily replaced when worn or corroded. This approach maintains simple coupling mechanism design while ensuring reliability through easy replacement rather than complex durable designs.
4Strength
If the outer diameter of the coupling means is equal to the core outer diameter, then the coupling strength is improved, but the ease of assembly and disassembly decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling means has a smaller outer diameter than the core, creating a localized coupling region. This allows the coupling means to be easily inserted and removed through the exhaust unit while maintaining sufficient coupling strength at the coupling interface, solving both strength and ease of operation requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein is a filtering apparatus for treating ballast water. The apparatus is constructed so that a housing cover plate and an exhaust unit are removably coupled to each other at an upper position of a housing. The exhaust unit includes a base flange on a portion thereof coupled to the housing cover plate and the base flange includes a projecting step that projects to be inserted into a core through hole formed in the housing cover plate. A core serving as a discharge passage of foreign substances includes a shaft coupling unit on a portion thereof coupled to the driving shaft, and is coupled at the shaft coupling unit to the driving shaft via a coupling means. The outer diameters of the coupling means and the shaft coupling unit are formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the core.