Tube Support Stakes With Protrusions For Vibration Mitigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tube support devices for heat exchangers face challenges such as difficulty in forming dimples on harder metallurgies, high pressing forces, expensive and wear-prone die sets, inadequate support for tubes close to the shell inner diameter, and inability to adjust thickness for optimal vibration mitigation.

Innovation Solution

A tube support device with elongated stakes featuring protrusions along its length, which are formed from a single or paired metal strips, providing direct and robust support by displacing tubes orthogonally to reduce vibration, and can be fabricated using conventional pressing with reduced force, allowing for adjustable thickness and robust locking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If dimples are formed on tube support devices for rectangular tube arrangements, then vibration mitigation is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases due to substantial metal deforming required especially for harder metallurgies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevibration mitigationVSAvoiddimple forming difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of forming dimples by pushing inward on the tube support device, the invention forms protrusions by pushing outward on the opposite surface. This inversion of the forming direction eliminates the difficulty of creating deep dimples in hard metallurgies, as the metal is pushed outward rather than inward, requiring substantially less forming force and avoiding cracking issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Manufacturing precision

If high pressing force is used to fabricate tube supports with dimples, then proper forming is achieved, but equipment cost and wear increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedimple formation qualityVSAvoidpressing equipment requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention inverts the forming approach by creating protrusions on the opposite surface rather than dimples on the target surface. This allows conventional pressing equipment to be used with reduced force requirements, eliminating the need for expensive high-capacity presses and reducing die set wear while achieving proper forming quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Reliability

If dimples with thickness of 3/8'' are used in tube support, then vibration support is provided, but interference with shell inner diameter occurs when tubes are located close to shell

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetube support capabilityVSAvoidcompatibility with U-tube bundles

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

By forming protrusions on the opposite surface rather than dimples on the tube-supporting surface, the invention eliminates the need for deep material displacement. This allows the tube support device to maintain adequate support capability while having reduced overall thickness, enabling compatibility with U-tube bundles where tubes are located only 1/8'' from the shell inner diameter.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Productivity

If single pressing operation is used to fabricate tube supports, then production time is reduced, but required pressing force increases to over 200 tons

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefabrication speedVSAvoidpressing force requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The inverted forming approach of creating protrusions instead of dimples substantially reduces the pressing force required. This enables single pressing operations to be performed with conventional equipment forces rather than requiring over 200 tons of pressing force, thereby maintaining high productivity while reducing equipment requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS9488419B2Tube support for vibration mitigation

Publication Date: 2016.11.08 WANNI AMAR SIRI

AI summary

A tube support in the form of a stake having at least one protrusion mounted on its longitudinal surface. The protrusion contacts adjoining tubes of a tube bundle and exerts a force tending to separate the tubes.