Wastegate Valve Spring Element for Adaptive Sealing and Vibration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbocharger exhaust gas bypass path valve elements face challenges in reliably closing due to temperature fluctuations and manufacturing tolerances, leading to potential vibration and rattling noises, while existing spring elements either provide excessive force or inadequate adaptation to the valve seat, and require minimizing play between the valve element and carrier.
Innovation Solution
A spring element with varying transition area rigidity, featuring two longitudinal sections of different widths and inclinations, allowing for adaptive sealing with reduced effort and vibration dampening, while maintaining minimal force expenditure, and being non-rotatably secured on the valve element shaft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional spring element with uniform transition area is used, then the valve element can be pressed against the valve seat with sealing pressure, but excessive force is required and vibration occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The transition area of the spring element is designed with locally varying rigidity through different section widths. The first longitudinal section has a greater width providing higher rigidity where structural support is needed, while the second longitudinal section has a smaller width providing lower rigidity where flexibility is needed for adaptation, eliminating the need for excessive spring force throughout the entire element.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition area is divided into multiple longitudinal sections with different geometric properties. This segmentation allows each section to perform its specific function - some sections provide structural support while others provide flexibility for sealing adaptation, resolving the contradiction between needing force for sealing and avoiding excessive force that causes vibration.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the spring element applies high force to eliminate play between valve element and carrier, then play is reduced, but vibration and rattling noises increase
Solution Approach 1:
Different longitudinal sections of the spring element have different widths to provide localized rigidity. This allows the spring to firmly eliminate play in critical areas while maintaining flexibility in other areas, preventing the excessive force transmission that causes vibration and rattling noises.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the transition area has high rigidity to maintain spring element shape, then structural stability is improved, but adaptation to valve seat variations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transition area incorporates longitudinal sections with different widths to create zones of varying rigidity. Areas requiring structural stability have greater width for higher rigidity, while areas requiring adaptation to valve seat variations have smaller width for increased flexibility, allowing both requirements to be satisfied simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the transition area into multiple longitudinal sections with different geometric properties, the spring element can maintain overall structural stability while allowing localized adaptation where needed for sealing contact.
4Ease of manufacture
If the spring element uses uniform width throughout the transition area, then manufacturing is simplified, but sealing performance and vibration control are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element features longitudinal sections with different widths in the transition area, creating locally optimized zones for sealing and vibration control. While this increases manufacturing complexity compared to a uniform design, the localized variations are achieved through standard forming processes and provide significant improvements in sealing performance and vibration reduction.
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 spring element effectively adapts the valve element to the valve seat with reduced force, minimizes vibration, and maintains minimal play between the valve element and carrier, addressing the issues of reliability and noise in turbocharger operation.
Implementation Method 1
the transition area has two first longitudinal sections of greatest mean width opposite each other with respect to the spring element opening and between these two first longitudinal sections two second longitudinal sections of smallest mean width also opposite each other with respect to the spring element opening, and that the bead flank in the first longitudinal sections of the transition area is inclined more strongly with respect to the axis of the spring element opening than in the second longitudinal sections
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a valve device for an exhaust-gas bypass path of a turbocharger, which valve device has: a plate-like valve element, which can be moved between a closed position and an open position and which has a shaft, which is connected to a valve element carrier for limited movement in the shaft direction; a rotatably held spindle, to which the valve element carrier is fixedly connected; a valve seat for the valve element, which valve seat surrounds an exhaust-gas passage opening; and an annular sheet-metal spring element, which has an opening through which the valve element shaft extends, an outer ring region, an inner ring region, which is axially offset to the outer ring region and adjoins the spring element opening, and an annular transition region therebetween; the width of the spring element transition region is variable around the spring element opening such that the valve element can be adapted to the valve seat as easily as possible.