Self-Aligning Pump Housing for Fluid Sprayer Side Load Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
High pressure fluid sprayers using piston or plunger pumps with wobble plates experience dramatic heating and potential damage due to side loads caused by misalignment between pistons and pump housings, necessitating tight tolerances to minimize misalignment.
Innovation Solution
A fluid sprayer design featuring a pump housing with lateral alignment pins that slideably fit within bores of an outer housing, allowing the pump housing to self-align with the piston, reducing side loads without the need for tight alignment tolerances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If tight tolerances are used for pump and housing parts, then misalignment is minimized, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump housing is designed to self-align with the piston through the sliding alignment pins in lateral bores, automatically compensating for misalignment without requiring precise manufacturing tolerances. The system serves its own alignment needs through the mechanical sliding mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment mechanism changes the positional parameter of the pump housing relative to the outer housing, allowing lateral movement within the bore dimensions. This parameter change enables the housing to adjust its position to achieve proper alignment with the piston.
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid structures with tight tolerances are used, then alignment is maintained, but side loads increase causing heating and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment pins are designed to slide within lateral bores, providing dynamic adjustment capability. This allows the pump housing to move laterally and adapt to misalignment conditions, converting a static rigid connection into a dynamic self-adjusting mechanism that eliminates harmful side loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment pins act as intermediary elements between the pump housing and outer housing, mediating the alignment relationship. These pins provide a mechanical interface that allows controlled movement and self-alignment while maintaining the connection between components.
3Measurement precision
If alignment pins are fixed rigidly, then positioning is precise, but self-alignment capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment pins transition from a fixed rigid connection to a dynamic sliding connection within lateral bores. This dynamic mechanism maintains positioning function while adding adaptability, allowing the pins to move laterally to accommodate misalignment and enable self-alignment of the pump housing.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid sprayer includes a pump motor, a piston, a pump housing, and an outer housing. The piston is reciprocatable by the pump motor. The pump housing comprises a pump chamber housing disposed to receive the piston, and a plurality of alignment pins extending laterally away from the pump chamber housing. The outer housing surround and anchors the pump motor, and has a plurality of internal lateral bores disposed to slideably receive and retain the alignment pins, such that the pump housing is free to self-align with the piston.