Riser Pipe Smooth Transition for Molten Metal Dosing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing riser pipes in dosing furnaces suffer from flow disruptions and turbulence due to their shape, leading to inaccurate and fluctuating metal portion dispensing, which can result in damage to die-casting machines and defective products. Additionally, cleaning these pipes can alter their geometry, further compromising accuracy.

Innovation Solution

A riser pipe design with a smooth transition between the throttle, diffuser, and pipe sections, featuring large rounding radii to eliminate edges and ensure a continuous inner diameter change, preventing vortex formation and turbulence, thus achieving a laminar flow and consistent geometry.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-generated harmful factors

If a spherical or conical shape is used at the inlet-side throttle, then the risk of dead space formation is reduced, but flow disruptions and turbulence occur behind the throttle, reducing throughput

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedead space formationVSAvoidthroughput
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature by replacing sharp edges with rounded transitions. The inlet-side throttle features a rounded inlet edge with a rounding radius R1, and the diffuser section has a rounded outlet edge with a rounding radius R2. This curvature eliminates dead spaces while maintaining smooth flow, preventing turbulence and maximizing throughput.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Ease of manufacture

If edges are formed between individual sections of the riser pipe, then the structure is easier to manufacture, but cleaning the pipe alters the geometry, changing delivery accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesection assemblyVSAvoiddelivery quantity accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces sharp edges with rounded transitions that have large rounding radii (R1 and R2). These rounded features are less sensitive to cleaning variations and maintain consistent geometry even after cleaning operations, ensuring stable delivery accuracy while remaining manufacturable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the geometric parameters by introducing large rounding radii (R1 and R2) at critical transitions. This parameter change makes the geometry more robust to cleaning variations, as the rounded features maintain their functional form even when material is removed during cleaning operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If a constant overpressure is built up in the dosing furnace, then the riser throttle acts as a measuring orifice for constant flow, but transient processes cause fluctuations and overshoots in material flow

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconstant flow measurementVSAvoiddosage accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The rounded transitions with large radii (R1 at the inlet edge and R2 at the diffuser outlet edge) smooth the flow profile during transient processes. This curvature prevents flow separation and reduces oscillations, allowing the system to reach steady-state constant flow more quickly and accurately, minimizing overshoots and improving dosage precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

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 new design results in a stable, aperiodic transient response with increased throughput, reducing the risk of overshoots and enabling precise metal portion dispensing, while also simplifying the cleaning process by avoiding edge-related damage.

Implementation Method 1

The inner surface of the riser pipe merges smoothly between a throttle section, a diffuser section and a pipe section without the formation of edges, with a constant change in the increase in the inner diameter in the area of the diffuser section

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaminar flow: Laminar Flow

Implementation Method 2

With spherical riser pipes, there are flow disruptions behind the throttle and thus turbulence in dead spaces, which reduces the throughput (flow rate) of melt

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTurbulence: Turbulence

Data Source

PatentEP2193001B1Rising pipe for delivering molten metal and dosing furnace with such a rising pipe
Publication Date: 2012.06.27 STRIKOWESTOFEN
  • EP2193001B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2193001B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2193001B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed is a dosing furnace comprising a rising pipe (3) for delivering metered portions of a molten metal, particularly liquid aluminum alloy. The rising pipe encompasses a throttle section (31) that is located at the inlet end and has an inlet diameter (Di), a diffuser section (32), and a pipe section (33) having an outlet diameter (Do). The transition between the internal surfaces (30) of the throttle section (31), the diffuser section (32), and the pipe section (33) is smooth, without edges being formed.