Stepped Check Valve Disk for Venturi Pressure Stress Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Check valves in Venturi devices for engines face degradation and internal failure due to high stress from pressure differences, leading to reduced lifespan, especially under varying operating conditions.
Innovation Solution
A check valve design with a stepped disk sealing member and a restrictor profile in the discharge passageway, along with a bypass check valve configuration that ensures quicker closure and improved fluid flow, reduces stress on the sealing member and enhances operational longevity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a check valve is used in a Venturi device with high pressure differences, then vacuum generation capability is improved, but the sealing member experiences high stress leading to degradation and reduced lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member is divided into multiple sealing surfaces arranged in a stepped configuration along the flow direction. This segmentation allows different portions of the sealing member to contact different valve seat surfaces, distributing the stress from high pressure differences across multiple contact points rather than concentrating it on a single sealing surface, thereby reducing degradation and extending lifespan
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing member transitions from a traditional single-plane sealing surface to a multi-level stepped structure that extends in the axial dimension. This dimensional change enables the sealing member to engage with multiple valve seat surfaces at different positions along the flow path, effectively distributing the load and reducing stress concentration while maintaining sealing effectiveness under high vacuum conditions
2Reliability
If the sealing member contacts valve seat features under high pressure differential, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but surface degradation and internal failure occur over time
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member incorporates multiple sealing surfaces that contact different valve seat features sequentially or simultaneously depending on operating conditions. This segmentation distributes the mechanical stress and wear across multiple contact zones, preventing localized surface degradation and internal failure while maintaining effective sealing under varying pressure differentials
Solution Approach 2:
The stepped configuration changes the geometric parameters of the sealing member, creating multiple contact surfaces at different positions. This geometric modification alters the stress distribution parameters, reducing peak stresses and wear rates on any single sealing surface, thereby extending service life while preserving sealing effectiveness
3Reliability
If a stepped disk sealing member is used to reduce stress, then lifespan is extended, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stepped sealing surfaces are integrated directly into a single disk-shaped sealing member body, combining multiple sealing functions into one unified component. This merging approach extends lifespan through stress distribution while avoiding the complexity of multiple separate sealing components, assemblies, or adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The stepped disk sealing member is designed to automatically distribute stress across its multiple surfaces based on the operating pressure differential, without requiring external control systems, adjustments, or complex mechanisms. The structure self-regulates stress distribution, extending lifespan while maintaining simplicity
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 design significantly reduces disk stress and deflection, extending the lifespan of the check valve while maintaining good flow performance under high loading conditions, and ensures effective sealing across varying pressures.
Implementation Method 1
the aspirators are used to generate a vacuum that is lower than engine manifold vacuum by inducing some of the engine air to travel through a Venturi gap
Implementation Method 2
Depending on the combination of operating temperatures, material for the check valve, and the pressure differential acting on the check valve
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Check valves, Venturi devices and engines that include the check valves are disclosed. The check valves define an internal cavity having a first port and a second port, a first seat and a second seat, and a translatable seal disk. The first seat is proximate the first port and has a first annular seal bead, and a second annular seal bead radially inward from the first annular seal bead. The seal disk has a first sealing portion seatable against the first annular seal bead and a second sealing portion seatable against the second annular seal bead (both of a first thickness), an intermediate portion between the first and second sealing portions of a second thickness, and a lip portion defining the outer periphery of the seal disk of a third thickness. The second thickness is greater than the first thickness, and the third thickness is less than the first thickness.