Support-Frame Hydraulic Unit With Plastic Tank Load Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydraulic drive units are complex and costly, requiring heavy hydraulic tanks to support controls, which limits flexibility and increases manufacturing costs, and complicates integration and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic drive unit design where the hydraulic tank is mounted under a support frame, relieving the tank of load-bearing responsibilities, allowing for a compact, cost-effective, and flexible design with a plastic tank and 3D-printed hydraulic block, enabling optimized flow and degassing, and easy access for maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the hydraulic tank is designed to support the hydraulic control unit, then the tank can bear the load of the control unit, but the mechanical requirements for the tank increase and design flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate functional components: the hydraulic tank and the support frame. The support frame assumes the load-bearing function for the control unit, while the hydraulic tank is freed from mechanical support requirements and can be optimized purely for its hydraulic function. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing the tank to be lightweight and flexible while the frame provides the necessary structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The load-bearing function is extracted from the hydraulic tank and transferred to the support frame. By removing this mechanical support requirement from the tank, the design gains flexibility in material selection and geometry optimization for the tank, while the frame independently handles the structural demands of supporting the control unit.
2Strength
If the hydraulic tank is made of heavy materials like die-cast aluminum or welded sheet metal, then the tank can support the control unit, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the support function (frame) from the hydraulic containment function (tank), the tank no longer requires heavy materials for structural support. This allows the use of lighter, more cost-effective materials for the tank while the frame independently provides the necessary mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural support requirement is extracted from the tank's design criteria. This removal of the load-bearing constraint enables the selection of cheaper, easier-to-manufacture materials for the tank, such as thinner gauge metals or even alternative materials, while the support frame handles all mechanical loading requirements.
3Productivity
If the hydraulic tank and control unit are arranged in a compact configuration, then integration into devices is easier, but access for maintenance becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame structure creates distinct spatial zones that allow compact overall integration while maintaining separate access paths to different components. The frame's open structure enables maintenance personnel to reach the control unit and tank independently without requiring complete disassembly, resolving the contradiction between compactness and serviceability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Revealbart is a hydraulic drive unit consisting of a plastic container and a support frame. The plastic container is mounted beneath the support frame. A hydraulic control unit can be mounted on the support frame. The support frame can bear the load of the superstructure. Alternatively or additionally, the support frame can have a protected compartment for the plastic container. Furthermore, alternatively or additionally, the support frame can relieve the plastic container of forces that may be introduced by the control unit's connecting cables.