Ribbed Throttle Valve Plate Design for Backfire Resistance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Throttle assembly valves require structural robustness to withstand backfire tests while being lightweight and cost-effective, posing a challenge in balancing weight, cost, and durability.
Innovation Solution
A valve plate design featuring a flat plate with overmolded plastic and ribbed features, allowing for a thinner, lighter, and more cost-effective construction that maintains structural integrity, including a two-piece design with overlapping flanges and ribs for enhanced strength and rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the valve plate thickness is increased to withstand backfire tests, then structural robustness and rigidity are improved, but weight and inertia loading increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding ribs only in specific areas where structural support is needed, rather than uniformly thickening the entire valve plate. The ribs are strategically positioned to provide localized reinforcement that withstands backfire pressures while keeping the overall plate thin and lightweight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction by combining a thin base plate material with rib structures that may be made of different materials or have different properties. This composite approach allows the valve plate to achieve the strength of thicker materials while maintaining the weight benefits of a thin plate design.
2Strength
If the valve plate thickness is increased to pass backfire tests, then structural rigidity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of manufacturing an entirely thick and expensive valve plate, the patent uses local quality by adding rib structures only where needed for rigidity. This allows the majority of the plate to remain thin and inexpensive to manufacture, while specific areas gain the necessary structural properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the valve plate into a base plate and separate rib structures. This segmentation allows for more efficient manufacturing processes, such as stamping or injection molding the ribs separately or as integrated features, rather than requiring expensive machining or forging of a uniformly thick plate.
3Weight of moving object
If the valve plate is made thinner to reduce weight, then inertia loading is reduced, but structural robustness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by maintaining a thin overall plate thickness for weight reduction while adding localized rib structures in areas requiring structural robustness. The ribs provide the necessary strength to withstand backfire tests without requiring the entire plate to be thick.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing thickness in the vertical dimension, the patent adds structural support by extending ribs in horizontal dimensions across the plate surface. This dimensional approach provides structural reinforcement while maintaining the thin profile and low weight of the base plate.
4Reliability
If traditional thick valve plates are used to ensure durability, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies the overall device by using a thin plate with localized rib features, rather than a uniformly thick complex structure. The ribs are strategically placed only where structural support is needed, reducing unnecessary material and simplifying manufacturing while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential structural support functions from a traditional thick plate design by removing unnecessary material and retaining only the critical rib structures needed for durability. This extraction simplifies the overall device while preserving the reliability needed to pass backfire tests.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve, such as a throttle valve plate, which is suitable for use with a throttle assembly, and is able to withstand a backpressure test. The throttle valve plate includes a flat plate, and a plastic material overmolded onto a portion of the valve plate. The plate includes at least one rib, and may include a plurality of ribs, allowing for a thinner and lighter weight plate which is manufactured at a lower cost. The valve may also be a two-piece valve plate having an overlap portion. The two pieces of the valve plate overlap at the portion of the valve plate which interfaces with the shaft of the throttle assembly. The remaining portion of the plate surface includes at least one ribbed feature, and may include a plurality of ribbed features which reduce material usage and therefore reduce weight and cost, but also provide the required strength and rigidity.