Valve Housing Segmented Pipe Assembly for Leakage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve housing manufacturing methods are costly and inefficient, often requiring complex casting processes that result in material waste and potential leakage due to undesired shrinkage cavities, and are limited in design flexibility, especially when trying to create valve seats with non-planar geometries like circular sealing contours.
Innovation Solution
A valve housing composed of two prefabricated pipe sections where the inner pipe section forms the valve seat and the outer pipe section has a connector for the valve actuator, allowing for flexible positioning and formation of the valve seat and connector without the need for additional recesses, using a cut-out in the peripheral wall for fluid-tight sealing and assembly by welding or soldering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If casting method is used to manufacture valve housing, then valve housing can be produced, but manufacturing cost increases and shrinkage cavities cause leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The valve housing is divided into multiple segments (first housing segment, second housing segment, intermediate segment) that are manufactured separately and then assembled. This segmentation allows each part to be produced using simpler, more reliable methods without the need for complex casting, eliminating shrinkage cavity issues while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple housing segments are combined through assembly to form the complete valve housing. This merging approach allows the benefits of simplified manufacturing for each segment while achieving the functional integrity of the complete housing structure, avoiding the reliability issues of monolithic casting.
2Ease of manufacture
If complex casting processes are used, then valve housing can be formed, but material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into multiple parts that can be manufactured using efficient processes like extrusion or forming for each segment, rather than requiring material-intensive complex casting for the entire housing. This reduces overall material consumption while maintaining ease of manufacture.
3Reliability
If valve seat is formed with non-planar geometry, then sealing performance improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve seat geometry is integrated into a specific housing segment (the intermediate segment or one of the end segments) rather than requiring complex machining of the entire housing. This segmentation allows the complex non-planar valve seat geometry to be formed using specialized processes for that segment while keeping the rest of the housing manufacturing simple.
4Ease of manufacture
If housing parts are welded directly on valve seat, then assembly is achieved, but valve seat is damaged causing leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into segments where the valve seat is formed in one segment and the connector for the valve actuator is formed in another segment. This segmentation eliminates the need to weld directly on the valve seat, as the parts can be assembled using alternative joining methods that preserve the integrity of the sealing surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediate segment is introduced between the valve seat-containing segment and the connector-containing segment. This intermediate segment acts as a mediator that allows the two functional elements to be connected without direct welding on the valve seat, using the intermediate segment as a buffer that can be joined by other methods.
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
This approach simplifies the manufacturing process, reduces material consumption, and allows for flexible adaptation to installation conditions, enabling the creation of valve housings with various valve seat geometries without the risk of leakage, while maintaining fluid-tightness and efficient assembly.
Implementation Method 1
The valve housing being fluid-tight in the region of the cut-out
Implementation Method 2
The valve housing being fluid-tight in the region of the cut-out
Data Source
AI summary
A valve housing comprising an outer pipe section which is formed from a prefabricated pipe and has a connector for a valve actuator, and comprising an inner pipe section with a valve seat which represents a fluidic connection between the outer and inner pipe sections, is provided with a cut-out in the peripheral wall of the outer pipe section. At least a portion of the inner pipe section including the valve seat protrudes into the outer pipe section from outside the outer pipe section, the valve housing being fluid-tight in the region of the cut-out.