Spray Insert Airfoil Boss for Consistent Aerosol Dispensing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional emanation systems with spray inserts suffer from irregular or undesirable spray characteristics due to pressure drops in compressed gas aerosol canisters, leading to uneven fluid distribution and increased particle sizes, making them inefficient for consistent dispensing.

Innovation Solution

A spray insert design featuring a sidewall with baffles and an endwall boss with airfoil-shaped portions that direct fluid into a swirl chamber, maintaining consistent fluid flow and particle size, ensuring even and wide spray patterns.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional spray inserts are used in compressed gas aerosol canisters, then fluid can be dispensed, but spray characteristics become irregular and undesirable due to pressure drop over the canister's life

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespray characteristics consistencyVSAvoidcanister life
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The spray insert is divided into multiple functional segments: a body portion with a longitudinal bore, a first boss with airfoil-shaped portions, and a second boss with vanes. Each segment performs a specific function in controlling fluid flow and generating spray patterns, allowing the system to maintain consistent performance despite pressure variations over the canister's lifecycle.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The first boss includes airfoil-shaped portions with curved surfaces designed to direct fluid flow in specific patterns. The curved geometry of the airfoil sections creates controlled turbulence and directional flow that maintains spray consistency regardless of pressure drop during canister usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Productivity

If compressed gas aerosol canisters are used, then fluid dispensing is achieved, but pressure drop over time causes increased particle sizes and uneven fluid distribution

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedispensing efficiencyVSAvoidfluid distribution uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The spray insert utilizes pneumatic principles by employing airfoil-shaped portions and vanes that interact with the pressurized fluid flow. These elements create controlled turbulence and directional flow patterns that maintain uniform droplet distribution and size consistency even as canister pressure decreases over time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

Solution Approach 2:

The spray insert design incorporates geometric parameters (airfoil shapes, vane angles, boss configurations) that are optimized to maintain consistent spray characteristics across a range of pressure conditions. The structured turbulence generated by these fixed geometric features compensates for pressure variations, keeping droplet size and distribution uniform throughout the canister's operational life.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If conventional nozzles with spray inserts are used, then spray pattern control is attempted, but irregular spray characteristics result from pressure variations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespray pattern controlVSAvoidspray consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The spray insert pre-conditions the fluid flow by directing it through the bore and over the airfoil-shaped portions before discharge. This preliminary flow conditioning creates a structured turbulence pattern that stabilizes the spray characteristics, ensuring consistent performance regardless of pressure variations that occur during canister usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 spray insert achieves consistent and even spray patterns with uniform droplet sizes, improving dispensing efficiency and reducing the number of strokes required to cover a surface, while maintaining performance across varying canister pressures.

Implementation Method 1

the first boss includes an airfoil-shaped portion to direct the fluid product in the lateral channel into a swirl chamber

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAirfoil-shaped flow direction: Aerofoil

Implementation Method 2

direct the fluid product in the lateral channel into a swirl chamber

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSwirl flow: Vortex Ring

Data Source

PatentEP3177405B1Spray inserts
Publication Date: 2020.05.06 SC JOHNSON & SON INC
  • EP3177405B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3177405B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3177405B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

According to a first aspect, a spray insert includes a sidewall and a first vane extending from the sidewall. The spray insert also includes an endwall including a discharge outlet. The spray insert further includes a first boss including a tip and a side to direct a- fluid product toward a swirl chamber. The boss is disposed on the endwall and extends from the vane. The side has a point of inflection.