V-Seal Filter Element for Engine Air Intake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air filters for internal combustion engines face challenges in maintaining reliable and temperature-resistant sealing, especially under vibration and shock conditions, while avoiding the use of metallic elements to ensure safe thermal disposal and ensuring high filtration efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A filter element with an annular collar seal and elastomer seal that encloses the collar, supported by thermoplastic end plates and a dust protection seal, ensuring reliable sealing and support within the housing, even under extreme temperature fluctuations and vibrations, using a two-component injection molding process and thixotropic application for the seal formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional sealing designs are used, then the structure is simple, but the sealing action is not reliable under vibration and temperature conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing structure combines elastomer material for the seal with thermoplastic material for the end plate, creating a composite system that leverages the flexibility and sealing capability of elastomers alongside the structural strength and temperature resistance of thermoplastics, achieving reliable sealing under vibration and temperature conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is designed with differentiated regions: the annular collar portion provides structural support while the enclosing seal portion provides sealing functionality. The dust protection seal is positioned specifically at the lip area to prevent dust contamination of the sealing surfaces, with each region optimized for its specific function
2Strength
If metallic elements are used in the filter element, then the structural strength is improved, but thermal disposal becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The material composition is changed from metallic to thermoplastic and elastomer materials, fundamentally altering the thermal properties of the filter element. This parameter change enables safe thermal disposal while maintaining adequate structural strength through the thermoplastic end plate and elastomer seal combination
3Reliability
If the seal is exposed to dust, then the sealing lips can still contact the housing wall, but dust contamination endangers the sealing connection under vibration or friction
Solution Approach 1:
The dust protection seal acts as an intermediary barrier between the dusty environment and the sealing lips. This intermediate seal prevents dust particles from reaching and contaminating the primary sealing contact surfaces, protecting the sealing connection from degradation due to friction and vibration
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a filter element, consisting of a filter medium (10) that is pleated in a zigzag manner and has a concentric form, and an end disk (11) disposed on a front, and a second end disk (12) disposed on the opposite front, wherein the end disk (12) has a concentric opening (13) and extends substantially annularly across the pleats of the filter medium. The end disk (12) has a ring collar (14) extending radially toward the outside. The ring collar (14) has a seal (15) that surrounds the ring collar at least partially, wherein the seal has an axially extending region, which carries radially peripheral sealing lips (17), and said radially peripherals sealing lips are supported in a groove (18) or in a housing wall (19) of a housing receiving the filter element.