Rotatable Valve Housing for Over-Seat or Under-Seat Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve units require significant structural changes or additional components to alter the flow direction relative to the valve seat, making them costly and inefficient for applications needing different flow configurations.
Innovation Solution
A valve unit design featuring a fluid housing with a connecting plate that allows rotation by 180 degrees, enabling flow over or under the valve seat without changing the fluid flow direction through the connecting plate, utilizing a compact attachment flange with keyhole-shaped openings and mounting hooks for secure and easy assembly, and cooperating mechanical positioning means for precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If two different valve components are used to achieve flow over the seat or flow under the seat, then the flow direction relative to the valve seat can be changed, but the structural effort increases and manufacturing cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid housing is made rotatable relative to the connecting plate through 180 degrees about an imaginary axis of rotation, allowing the valve unit to switch between flow over the seat and flow under the seat configurations dynamically without changing components. This rotational degree of freedom enables adaptability while maintaining a single valve component structure.
Solution Approach 2:
A single valve component design serves multiple functions by allowing the fluid housing to be mounted in two different positions. The same valve body can accommodate both flow over the seat and flow under the seat configurations, eliminating the need for separate valve components and reducing manufacturing complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the fluid housing is made rotatable to change flow direction, then adaptability is improved, but the assembly and disassembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment flange is pre-formed as an integrated part of the fluid housing during manufacturing, with mounting features already in place. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for additional assembly steps or separate fastening components, making the rotatable mounting process simple and straightforward.
3Volume of moving object
If a compact attachment flange is used to reduce device size, then the valve unit becomes more compact, but the fastening complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment flange is merged with the fluid housing as a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate flange parts and reducing the overall number of components. This consolidation achieves compactness while simplifying the fastening mechanism through integration rather than multiplication of parts.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve unit has a fluid housing through which a fluid duct extends from a first opening across a valve seat to a second opening, a valve drive connected to the fluid housing and configured to drive a valve closing body cooperating with the valve seat, the valve closing body coming into contact with the fluid in operation on the face side facing the valve seat and on a side facing away from the valve seat, and a connecting plate having a connecting surface to which the fluid housing can be mounted and in which a fluid supply duct and a fluid outlet duct are formed. The fluid housing is adapted to be mounted to the connecting plate in a first position and in a second position rotated in relation to the first position through 180 degrees relative to an imaginary axis of rotation extending perpendicularly to the connecting surface, wherein during operation of the valve unit, with a direction of flow of the fluid through the connecting plate remaining unchanged, a flow over the seat takes place in the first position and a flow under the seat takes place in the second position.