Vane Pump Sealing via Elastic Sheet Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vane pumps face performance issues due to low airtightness between the first and second casings, leading to fluid leaks and reduced pump performance, which affects the vapor leakage check system's efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A vane pump design incorporating a motor, rotor, first and second casings, and an elastic sheet, where the screw fastens and joins these components to the motor's mounting portion, enhancing the airtightness of the pump chamber by compressing the elastic sheet and generating surface pressure for tight sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the first casing and second casing are joined by a screw without additional sealing measures, then the device complexity is low, but the airtightness of the pump chamber is insufficient leading to fluid leaks
Solution Approach 1:
An elastic sheet is introduced between the first casing and second casing to provide flexible sealing. The elastic sheet deforms under compression from the screw to conform to surface irregularities, creating an effective seal that prevents fluid leakage while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic sheet acts as an intermediary element between the first casing and second casing. It mediates the connection by filling gaps and irregularities at the mating surfaces, enabling reliable sealing without requiring extremely precise manufacturing tolerances or complex sealing mechanisms.
2Manufacturing precision
If the flatness of contact face between first casing and second casing is low, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but a gap is generated in the contact face leading to fluid leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic sheet compensates for poor flatness of the contact faces by deforming under compression to conform to the actual mating surfaces. This allows the use of casings with lower manufacturing precision while maintaining reliable sealing performance, effectively decoupling the sealing quality from the flatness requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic sheet changes its physical parameters (shape, thickness) under compression to adapt to surface irregularities. This parameter change enables the sealing interface to accommodate variations in contact face flatness without compromising the seal integrity.
3Reliability
If the first casing and second casing are tightly joined to improve sealing, then the airtightness is improved, but the stress on the mounting portion of the motor increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic sheet distributes the clamping force from the screw across a larger area of the mounting portion through its deformation. This flexible element acts as a stress-distributing medium that achieves tight sealing while reducing peak stresses on the motor mounting portion compared to direct rigid contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic sheet provides beforehand cushioning by absorbing and distributing the mechanical stress before it reaches the mounting portion. This cushioning effect protects the motor mounting portion from high concentrated loads while maintaining the necessary sealing pressure.
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 improved airtightness increases the pump's performance by enhancing discharge pressure, efficiency, and stability, effectively preventing fluid leaks and ensuring high performance in vapor leakage check systems.
Implementation Method 1
The elastic sheet is disposed between the second casing and the mounting portion of the motor. The screw penetrates a first through hole of the first casing, a second through hole of the second casing and a third through hole of the elastic sheet. The screw is configured to fasten and join the first casing, the second casing and the elastic sheet to the mounting portion of the motor.
Data Source
AI summary
A vane pump includes a motor, a rotor rotated by the motor, a first casing having a pump chamber accommodating the rotor and a first flat part in a periphery of an opening of the pump chamber, a second casing having a second flat part joined to the first flat part to gas-tightly or liquid-tightly close the opening of the pump chamber, an elastic sheet disposed between the second casing and the motor, and a screw penetrating the first casing, the second casing and the elastic sheet. The screw is configured to fasten and join the first casing, the second casing and the elastic sheet to the motor.