Smart-Core Casting for Integrated Leak-Resistant Flow Passages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for forming castings with flow passages are complex and prone to leakage, which can lead to water permeation and potential vehicle malfunctions or fires, especially in power converting components of electric vehicles, due to mechanical coupling and potential defects in the casting process.
Innovation Solution
A method of forming a casting with a flow passage using a smart core, where a tubular pipe is filled with a filler to at least 80% of its volume, compacted, and then removed during the casting process, allowing for a single-piece casting with enhanced robustness and reduced production costs, using materials like aluminum and specific filler materials to prevent deformation and filler remnants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If two parts with flow passages are formed through casting processes and coupled with each other by bolts, then a casting with flow passage can be produced, but the production process becomes complex and leakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two separate castings with flow passages into a single integrated casting. The flow passage is formed as an internal channel within one casting component, eliminating the need for separate parts and mechanical coupling. This integration directly reduces production complexity while eliminating leakage risks at junctions, as the flow passage becomes an inherent feature of the casting rather than an assembly of multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the flow passage from being a separate structural feature requiring assembly into an internal cavity formed during the casting process itself. By creating the flow passage as a void space within the solid casting material, the design eliminates the need for separate flow passage components and their associated assembly operations, thereby simplifying the overall production process.
2Reliability
If a gasket is interposed between two parts to ensure airtightness, then leakage is prevented, but the structure becomes more complex and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the gasket component entirely by forming the flow passage as an internal cavity within the casting. The airtightness requirement is satisfied by the solid casting material surrounding the internal flow passage, eliminating the need for separate sealing components like gaskets and their associated installation and maintenance complexities.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function previously provided by a separate gasket component is merged into the casting structure itself. The solid metal or material of the casting provides the seal between the flow passage and the external environment, integrating the sealing function into the primary structural component rather than requiring an additional specialized component.
3Manufacturing precision
If filler is removed from the tubular pipe after casting, then the flow passage is formed, but filler remnants may cause defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the flow passage as a cavity during the initial casting process rather than requiring subsequent removal operations. The flow passage is created as an integral feature of the casting mold, eliminating the need for separate filler removal steps and associated quality control issues with remnants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the filler removal operation from the manufacturing process by designing the flow passage to be formed in-situ during casting. This eliminates the need for post-casting filler removal operations that could leave harmful remnants, as the flow passage is created directly as a clean cavity within the casting material.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of forming a casting with a flow passage may include filling a tubular pipe with a filler to form a smart core; inserting the smart core into a mold having a cavity corresponding to a shape of the casting to be formed; injecting a molten metal into the cavity through a casting process; and removing the filler from the smart core, wherein a hardness of the tubular pipe is 70 Hv or more.