Spring Seat Damping Chamber for Pressure Regulator Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In fluid control applications, particularly in high-pressure and high-flow rate scenarios, actuating components within pressure regulators experience violent and undamped movements, leading to high amplitude oscillations and vibrations, which cause instability and damage to components, and can result in coil spring buckling, affecting the regulator's performance and stability.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a damping chamber between spring seats within the pressure regulator, utilizing cylindrically-shaped protrusions and a compressible fluid with adjustable bleed ports to provide a controlled damping effect, preventing buckling and stabilizing the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If actuating components are used in high-pressure and high-flow rate scenarios, then the pressure regulator can handle high flow rates, but violent and undamped movements occur leading to high amplitude oscillations and vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
A damping chamber is introduced as an intermediary component between the actuating components and the outlet. This damping chamber contains a compressible fluid that mediates the violent movements by absorbing and dissipating vibration energy, thereby reducing high amplitude oscillations while allowing the system to maintain high flow rate capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a compressible fluid (pneumatic element) within the damping chamber to provide damping action. The compressible nature of the gas allows it to absorb kinetic energy from violent actuating component movements and convert it to thermal energy through compression and expansion cycles, effectively reducing vibrations without compromising flow rate
2Reliability
If spring seats are used to provide biasing force, then the desired outlet pressure can be maintained, but coil spring buckling occurs due to violent movements
Solution Approach 1:
The damping chamber is positioned beforehand between the spring seats to cushion the coil spring from violent compressive forces. By providing this protective damping environment in advance, the system prevents spring buckling before it can occur, ensuring both pressure control reliability and spring structural integrity
3Stability of the object's composition
If the damping chamber uses a compressible fluid, then vibration damping is provided, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damping chamber is designed to perform multiple functions: it dampens vibrations, maintains pressure stability, and protects the coil spring from buckling. By consolidating these functions into a single chamber containing a compressible fluid, the design achieves effective vibration damping without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The damping characteristics are adjusted by changing parameters of the compressible fluid (such as pressure, temperature, or gas composition) rather than redesigning the chamber structure. This allows optimization of vibration damping performance while maintaining a relatively simple device architecture
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 effectively reduces vibrations and oscillations, maintains stable output pressure, and prevents coil spring buckling, enhancing the performance and longevity of pressure regulators by providing adjustable damping to manage movement and forces effectively.
Implementation Method 1
a damping chamber (222) having a fluid (e.g., air, oil, etc.) configured to provide a damping effect as the spring seats (204, 206) move relative to each other
Implementation Method 2
a coil spring (132) between the spring seats (204, 206) to provide a biasing force to the actuating components
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C
AI summary
Spring seat vibration damper apparatus for use with fluid pressure regulators are disclosed. A disclosed apparatus includes a first spring seat of a fluid pressure regulator defining a first protrusion and a second spring seat of the fluid pressure regulator defining a second protrusion. The second protrusion is configured to receive at least a portion of the first protrusion. The first spring seat moves relative to the second spring seat to provide a damping effect between the protrusions.