Hydraulic Runner Hub Groove Design for Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Runners for hydraulic fluid flow machines, particularly those handling particle-containing fluids, experience significant wear due to high velocity water flow at corners and edges, leading to reduced lifespan despite advanced optimization and hard-coating.
Innovation Solution
The runner device features grooves in the hub that extend radially from the outer to the inner edge, eliminating radial clearance and allowing bases to cover the wear-prone transition areas, with optional wider grooves at the outer edge and hollow keys for enhanced wear resistance, and bolt connections for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the runner components are hard-coated and optimized, then wear resistance is improved, but corners and edges against high velocity water flow remain particularly liable to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The runner is divided into modular components (runner hub, bases, vanes) that can be separately replaced. The bases are designed as replaceable segments that can be detached and renewed without replacing the entire runner, allowing targeted replacement of wear-prone areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The runner design allows dynamic adjustment and replacement of components based on wear patterns. The releasable connections enable the system to adapt to varying wear conditions by replacing only the necessary parts (bases or vanes) rather than the entire runner assembly.
2Reliability
If the grooves extend radially across the runner hub from outer to inner edge, then the transition areas are moved away from high velocity zones, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The groove design creates distinct radial zones (outer edge portion, inner edge portion, intermediate portion) with different functions. The grooves extend fully radially to position transitions in low-wear zones, and their standardized geometry facilitates efficient machining despite the extended radial coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the wear-prone transitions from the tangential dimension (where high velocity water flow causes wear) to the radial dimension (where transitions are positioned at outer/inner edge portions away from the high-velocity zone). This dimensional repositioning protects critical transitions while maintaining manufacturability.
3Reliability
If the bases are extended to cover outer and inner edge portions, then wear resistance is improved, but the number of components and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base integrates multiple functions: it connects the vane to the runner hub, provides wear-resistant coverage at critical transitions, and incorporates attachment features (grooves, screw holes). This merging of functions reduces the need for separate components while extending base coverage to protect both outer and inner edge portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The base design serves multiple purposes simultaneously: structural connection, wear protection at transitions, and platform for vane attachment. This multi-functionality allows extended coverage without proportionally increasing component count, as the base itself performs multiple protective and structural roles.
Data Source
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AI summary
A runner device (1) for a hydraulic fluid flow machine is described, the runner (1) including a runner hub (2) and a number of vanes (4) distributed around the centre axis (S) of the runner (1), the vanes (4) being releasably connected to the runner (1) by means of bases (41) that complementarily fit grooves (21) in the runner hub (2), characterized by the grooves (21) in the runner hub (2) extending, at least at one of the outer edge portion (23) or the inner edge portion (25) of the runner hub, respectively all the way out to or all the way in to the edge portion (23, 25), whereby the bases (41) may extend radially out to or in to at least one of the outer edge portion (23) or the inner edge portion (25), respectively, of the runner hub (2). A method of providing a runner (1) for a hydraulic fluid flow machine is described as well.