Rotary Valve Housing Geometry for Foreign Matter Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
In typical valve devices with rotating valve bodies, foreign matter in coolant water can become trapped between the outer circumferential wall and the housing inner wall, leading to malfunction, increased load torque, and pressure drop resistance due to a constant distance between these surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The valve device features a housing inner wall with varying distances between the housing inner wall and the axis in the circumferential direction, allowing foreign substances to move to larger gaps during rotation, facilitating their discharge and preventing operational failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a constant distance is maintained between the housing inner wall and the valve outer circumferential wall, then the valve structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but foreign matter becomes trapped leading to malfunction and increased load torque
Solution Approach 1:
The housing inner wall is designed with an asymmetric cross-sectional shape where the distance from the rotation axis to the inner wall varies in the circumferential direction. This creates a non-uniform gap between the housing inner wall and the valve outer circumferential wall, with some regions having larger distances than others. This asymmetric geometry prevents foreign matter from becoming trapped in a uniform manner, allowing it to be discharged more easily during valve rotation, thereby improving reliability without requiring complex additional components
2Loss of energy
If a constant distance is maintained between the housing inner wall and the valve outer circumferential wall, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but pressure drop resistance increases due to foreign matter accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The housing inner wall is designed with locally varied properties where the distance from the rotation axis to the inner wall changes in specific circumferential regions. This creates localized areas with different gap sizes between the housing and valve, optimizing fluid flow characteristics in different zones. The larger gap regions facilitate foreign matter discharge and reduce pressure drop resistance, while the overall structure remains manufacturable using conventional processes
3Force
If foreign matter is allowed to accumulate in the gap between housing inner wall and valve outer circumferential wall, then the device structure remains simple, but load torque increases due to friction and obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric design of the housing inner wall creates a non-uniform gap distribution around the valve circumference. This asymmetric geometry ensures that foreign matter cannot accumulate uniformly in the gap, as the varying distances create preferential flow paths and discharge zones. During valve rotation, foreign matter is naturally directed toward regions with larger gaps where it can be more easily expelled, thereby reducing friction and load torque without adding complex mechanical components
Data Source
AI summary
A housing has a housing main body and an outlet port. The housing main body includes a cylindrical housing inner wall that defines an internal space therein. The outlet port fluidly connects the internal space and an outside of the housing main body to each other. The valve has a valve body rotatable about an rotation axis along a rotation axis of the cylindrical housing inner wall. The valve is configured to selectively open and close the outlet port depending on a rotation position of the valve. The housing inner wall is formed such that a distance between the housing inner wall and the axis of the housing inner wall varies in a circumferential direction.