3D-Printed Valve Maze for Rupture Disc Debris Trapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
High pressure pneumatic valves with bursting discs face issues where debris from the ruptured disc can be carried by gas flow into the valve interior, affecting functionality and potentially causing damage to other parts of the system.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic valve design featuring a valve body with a ribbed internal circumferential wall forming a maze-type pattern, which traps debris from the ruptured disc, combined with an engagement sleeve to control the rupture of the disc, ensuring debris is directed away from critical components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bursting disc is used as a pressure relief part, then pressure relief function is achieved, but debris from the disc can be carried by gas flow into the valve interior causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The internal wall of the valve body is segmented into multiple ribs that form a maze-like structure. This segmentation creates multiple pathways and dead ends that trap debris particles, preventing them from reaching critical valve components while still allowing gas flow to pass through the rupture disc.
Solution Approach 2:
The ribbed internal structure acts as an intermediary barrier between the rupture disc and the valve components. When the disc ruptures, debris is deposited onto the ribs rather than being directly carried into the valve interior, serving as a protective intermediate layer.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a maze pattern with ribs is added to the valve body, then debris trapping capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The maze pattern is merged directly into the valve body structure during manufacturing. The ribs are formed as integral features of the valve body's internal wall, combining the debris trapping function with the existing structural components rather than adding separate discrete parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The rib dimensions, spacing, and pattern configuration can be adjusted as design parameters to optimize debris trapping effectiveness. By changing geometric parameters such as rib height, thickness, and arrangement, the maze structure can be tuned for specific application requirements while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve includes a valve body having a gas inlet and a gas outlet. The valve body has an internal circumferential wall defining a gas passageway between the gas inlet and gas outlet. The inlet of the valve body is connectable to a source of pressurized gas. The valve also includes a rupture disc provided adjacent said gas inlet, wherein the ruptured disc is configured to prevent flow of gas through said inlet when intact and to allow flow of gas through said inlet when ruptured. The valve includes ribs radially extending from the internal circumferential wall, said ribs extending longitudinally in the direction to the gas outlet and from the gas inlet in a maze-type pattern. The ribs may be formed in a printed pattern to form a maze with dead-ends.