Vacuum Adiabatic Body with Optimized Bar Support to Reduce Resin Usage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum adiabatic technologies for refrigerators face challenges in maintaining a stable vacuum state, preventing heat transfer at temperature differences, and minimizing resin usage, leading to increased costs and complex fabrication methods.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum adiabatic body configuration with a supporting unit featuring bars with a specific pitch and material properties to minimize resin usage, combined with conductive and radiation resistance sheets to enhance adiabatic efficiency and maintain a stable vacuum state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a vacuum adiabatic body is applied to increase internal volume, then the internal volume of the refrigerator is increased, but it is difficult to maintain a stable vacuum state and prevent heat transfer at contact portions
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum adiabatic body is divided into multiple vacuum adiabatic panels that are separately manufactured and then assembled together to form the complete refrigerator walls. Each panel maintains its own vacuum state independently, making it easier to maintain vacuum stability while covering large surface areas required for increased internal volume.
Solution Approach 2:
A supporting unit with bars is introduced as an intermediary structure between the inner and outer cases. This supporting unit provides mechanical support to prevent deformation of the vacuum adiabatic panels while minimizing thermal conduction paths, thus maintaining both vacuum stability and thermal insulation performance.
2Reliability
If a foam urethane adiabatic wall is provided to prevent heat transfer, then adiabatic performance is improved, but the internal volume of the refrigerator is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The adiabatic function is extracted from the solid foam urethane material and replaced by a vacuum environment within the vacuum adiabatic panels. This extraction eliminates the need for thick foam layers, allowing the same or better adiabatic performance with significantly reduced wall thickness and increased internal volume.
3Reliability
If a vacuum adiabatic body with sufficient vacuum is provided to obtain practical adiabatic effect, then adiabatic efficiency is improved, but it is difficult to prevent deformation of case due to negative pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting unit with bars acts as a counterbalancing structure that provides mechanical strength to resist the external atmospheric pressure acting on the vacuum adiabatic panels. The bars are strategically positioned to provide support against the negative pressure without creating significant thermal conduction paths, thus maintaining both vacuum integrity and structural strength.
4Reliability
If expensive resin materials are used in the support unit to maintain vacuum state, then vacuum state stability is improved, but manufacturing cost is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The design parameters of the supporting unit bars are optimized to achieve the minimum necessary structural strength and thermal insulation performance. By carefully selecting bar dimensions, spacing, and material properties, the system achieves reliable vacuum maintenance using cost-effective materials rather than expensive specialized resins.
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 solution reduces resin consumption, improves adiabatic efficiency, and allows for a more economical and feasible refrigerator design with enhanced heat transfer resistance, while maintaining a stable vacuum state.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum space part (50) which is in a vacuum state and reduces heat transfer between the first plate member (10) and the second plate member (20)
Implementation Method 2
a supporting unit (30) configured to maintain the vacuum space part (50)
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a vacuum adiabatic body. The vacuum adiabatic body includes a supporting unit configured to maintain a vacuum space part. The supporting unit includes a plurality of bars extending in a vertical direction between the first plate member and the second plate member. When a pitch of the bar is a, an elastic modulus of a material forming the bar is E, and a radius of a long axis is n and a radius of a short axis is m when a cross-section of the bar has an elliptical shape is n, the following equation:1.0354<Em3na2<188.2097is satisfied.