Friction Stir Welded Fluid Vessel Assembly for Leak-Tight Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid vessel assemblies for cooling applications, such as on-board vehicle battery chargers, face challenges with heat management, assembly errors, and the need for enhanced sealing under high fluid pressures and vibrations, which are often costly and time-consuming to assemble.
Innovation Solution
A fluid vessel assembly is designed without threaded fasteners or additional gaskets, using friction stir welding to bond the mating surfaces of two vessel bodies, creating a sealed fluid cavity that can withstand high internal pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gasketed vessel assemblies are used with threaded fasteners, then sealing can be achieved, but assembly complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the gasket and threaded fastener components from the traditional sealing assembly, replacing them with a direct welding connection between mating surfaces. This extraction of unnecessary components simplifies the assembly structure while maintaining sealing reliability through the welded joint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the sealing function and structural connection function into a single welding operation. Instead of using separate gasket and fastener components, the welding process merges these functions into one integrated solution, reducing assembly complexity and part count.
2Reliability
If multiple components (gasket, fasteners, mating surfaces) are used, then sealing can be achieved, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares the mating surfaces in advance with precise geometric features (nonparallel regions at specific angles) that enable direct welding. This preliminary surface preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming gasket installation and fastener assembly during the final joining process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical sealing system (gasket compressed by fasteners) with a thermal welding process. This substitution eliminates multiple assembly steps involving manual gasket placement and fastener tightening, reducing assembly time while maintaining sealing integrity.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional gasketed connections are used, then assembly can be performed with standard components, but assembly errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies specific geometric features (nonparallel regions at angles of 5-65 degrees) to localized areas of the mating surfaces. These localized geometric modifications guide the welding process and ensure proper alignment, reducing assembly errors while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized welding procedures.
4Reliability
If vessel bodies are designed with gasket retention features and fastener assemblies, then sealing can be achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the gasket retention features and fastener assembly components from the vessel body design. By removing these unnecessary structural elements and using direct welding between simplified mating surfaces, the overall structural complexity is reduced while sealing reliability is maintained through the welded joint.
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 provides a reliable, leak-proof, and cost-effective fluid vessel assembly that can withstand pressures up to ten atmospheric bars, reducing assembly time and minimizing the risk of assembly errors.
Implementation Method 1
The first mating surface and the second mating surface are welded together by friction welding
Implementation Method 2
The first mating surface and the second mating surface are welded together by friction stir welding
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid vessel assembly is provided with a first vessel body with a first mating surface with a first plurality of generally planar nonparallel regions. The first vessel body forms a first portion of a fluid cavity. A second vessel body is provided with a second mating surface with a second plurality of generally planar nonparallel regions sized to engage the first mating surface. The second vessel body forms a second portion of the fluid cavity. The first mating surface and the second mating surface are friction stir welded together.