Servovalve Filter Assembly With Recessed Nozzle Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional filter assemblies for servo valves face challenges in design and manufacturing due to the need for robust materials to withstand assembly forces, which complicates the formation of perforations and increases costs and complexity, while also requiring tight manufacturing tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A filter assembly design featuring cylindrical nozzles that form a tubular unit with a recessed area for a perforated filter member, allowing for easier assembly and use of thinner materials without deformation, and enabling efficient fluid flow with aligned fluid passages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a robust and thick filter member is used to withstand assembly pressing forces, then the filter member can be securely assembled, but it becomes more difficult to form perforations through the material, increasing manufacturing cost and time
Solution Approach 1:
The filter assembly is divided into separate components: a thin filter member and a support structure with recesses. The support structure is segmented into multiple nozzles with individual recesses that collectively provide mechanical support to the filter member, allowing each component to be optimized independently for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses in the nozzle support structure act as intermediaries that distribute and reduce the assembly pressing forces applied to the filter member. By providing these intermediate support features, the filter member can be thinner without compromising assembly feasibility, as the recesses absorb and distribute the mechanical stress during press-fit assembly.
2Strength
If a thick filter member is used to withstand assembly forces, then the filter member can be securely assembled, but the overall size and weight of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into a thin filter member and a separate nozzle support structure. This segmentation allows the filter member to be optimized for minimal thickness while the support structure provides the necessary mechanical strength, reducing overall system weight compared to a single thick filter member design.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter member can be made as a thin film or shell structure because the recesses in the nozzle support structure provide the mechanical support that would otherwise require the filter member to be thick. This enables the use of thin, lightweight filtering material while maintaining structural integrity during assembly.
3Ease of operation
If the space for filter assembly is increased to limit assembly force, then the filter can be assembled more easily, but the manufacturing tolerances become very tight and accuracy requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The recesses are pre-formed in the nozzle support structure during nozzle manufacturing, before filter assembly. This preliminary creation of support features ensures that the assembly space and force distribution are optimized in advance, reducing the need for tight tolerances during the actual filter assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses serve as intermediate features that mediate between the filter member and the nozzles, providing a buffer zone that reduces sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances. By distributing assembly forces through these intermediate recesses, the system becomes less sensitive to dimensional variations in the individual components.
4Reliability
If a perforated tube filter is press-fit between opposing nozzles, then the filter can be securely held, but the perforations are likely to have a conical shape which adversely affects filtering performance
Solution Approach 1:
The filtering function is separated from the structural support function. The filter member provides filtering with optimally shaped perforations, while the nozzle support structure with recesses provides structural support and securing. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured with optimal geometry for its specific function without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses in the nozzle support structure act as intermediaries that reduce the pressing force transmitted to the filter member during assembly. By distributing and absorbing assembly forces in the recesses, the filter member's perforations maintain their intended cylindrical shape rather than deforming into conical shapes, preserving filtering performance.
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 solution enables effective filtering with reduced material thickness and manufacturing complexity, facilitating quicker and more reliable assembly while maintaining performance, and aligning with the need for precise control in servo valve systems.
Implementation Method 1
a perforated filter member provided in the recess around the tubular fluid nozzle unit and across the first and second fluid inlets
Data Source
AI summary
A filter assembly for a servo valve that includes a first fluid nozzle defining a first fluid passage therethrough between a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet and a second fluid nozzle defining a second fluid passage therethrough between a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet. The first and second fluid nozzles arranged in end to end abutment with each other to form a tubular fluid nozzle unit in which the first and second fluid inlets are adjacent each other, and the first and second fluid passages align to form a common fluid passage through the tubular fluid nozzle unit. The first fluid outlet is at a first end of the tubular fluid nozzle unit and the second fluid passage being at a second, end of the tubular fluid nozzle unit.