Torque Converter Stator with Interchangeable Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing torque converter stators are either cost-prohibitive to customize due to the need for expensive CNC machines and are not reconfigurable, lacking the strength to handle high-pressure applications and requiring complete replacement for engine retuning or swaps.
Innovation Solution
A modular torque converter stator with interchangeable blades and a detachable ducting ring, utilizing 3-axis machining for cost-effectiveness and made from lightweight materials like aluminum or titanium, with a strong steel or titanium hub to prevent shearing, allowing for easy reconfiguration without modifying the existing torque converter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom stators are created using CNC machining, then customization capability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to expensive 4 and 5 axis milling machines
Solution Approach 1:
The stator is divided into separate components: a hub and multiple blades that can be manufactured independently using simple 3-axis CNC machines, then assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be produced on inexpensive equipment rather than requiring complex multi-axis machining of the entire stator.
Solution Approach 2:
The stator design allows dynamic reconfiguration by enabling easy replacement of blades on the hub. Users can swap blades to change stator characteristics for different applications, providing customization without requiring complex manufacturing processes.
2Weight of moving object
If aluminum stators are used, then rotating mass is reduced, but structural strength is insufficient for high-pressure applications
Solution Approach 1:
The stator combines different materials strategically: the hub is made from strong steel or titanium to withstand high pressures, while the blades are made from lightweight aluminum or titanium to minimize rotating mass. This composite approach optimizes both strength and weight characteristics.
3Strength
If steel stators are used, then structural strength is improved for high-pressure applications, but rotating mass increases and manufacturing becomes more labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the stator into hub and blade components, the design allows selective material assignment: steel for the strength-critical hub and aluminum for the weight-critical blades. This resolves the contradiction between overall strength and rotating mass.
4Adaptability or versatility
If traditional stators are modified through welding, then customization capability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stator is designed as segmented components (hub and blades) that are mechanically assembled rather than welded together. This simplifies manufacturing and customization, as blades can be attached and removed without complex welding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design enables dynamic reconfiguration where blades can be easily swapped on the hub for different applications, providing customization capability without complex manufacturing or modification processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A torque converter stator has interchangeable blades and has a body member with a central hub and an annular wall. Dovetail openings are located on an outer surface of the annular wall. Each blade has a dovetail pin that is removably received within a respective one of the dovetail openings. A cover plate is removably attached to the body member in order to secure the blades in place within their respective dovetail openings. A heated duct ring is positioned over the outer ends of the blades and allowed to heat shrink into contact with these ends as the duct ring cools and shrinks, thereby securing the duct ring to the remainder of the stator.