Seal, and method for production thereof

Abstract

A seal comprising a spiralized profile bead (1) which has a holding part (2) and has at least one sealing lip (3), which are arranged situated opposite one another in a radial direction (4), wherein the profile bead (1) comprises turns (6) arranged adjacent to one another in an axial direction (5) and transitioning into one another and has open end faces (7, 8) at its two ends.

Description

1 5 Seal, and method for production thereof Technical field 10 The present disclosure relates to a seal, and to a method for the production thereof. Background 15 Seals and methods for the production thereof are generally known, for example from DE 10 2010 051 403 A1. The already known seal is a closed sealing ring. 20 The sealing ring comprises multiple seal profiles which are arranged adjacent to one another in an axial direction and which each have at least one sealing lip and have at least one hook-shaped connecting claw which is assigned adjacent to the sealing lip as viewed in the cross section of the respective seal profile. 25 An objective of the previously known sealing ring is that the sealing ring is simple and inexpensive to produce. Moreover, the intention is for the sealing ring to be able to be modularly extended by further seal profiles. CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 2 Multiple seal profiles can be joined together to form the sealing ring according to the respective application. The seal profiles may for example be manufactured from multiple components and are thus able to be adapted well to the respective application. 5 Each seal profile consists of an elastically compliant material, for example of a polyurethane. A strip-shaped seal profile is produced in a first method step, and is cut to length in a second method step. The cut-to-length seal profile is subsequently 10 annularly deformed in a third method step, wherein the two free ends of the annularly deformed seal profile are connected to one another in a fourth method step. The seal profiles may be produced for example by an extrusion process. 15 DE 27 05 067 A1 has disclosed a multi-lip seal which comprises individual and closed sealing rings, said sealing rings being of corresponding form and fixed to one another in an axial direction by way of in each case one snap-action connection. 20 It is often the case that, for the first mounting, the closed sealing rings are mounted in the closed state. For an change of a seal, it is not expedient for structurally exacting seal 25 arrangements, in particular those with large dimensions, to be dismounted in a time-consuming and costly manner just to replace an old seal with a new one. If it is necessary for a seal to be changed, it is therefore the case that firstly the sealing ring separated previously by cutting is removed from its installation 30 space in the seal arrangement and a new, likewise separated sealing ring is CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 3 mounted into its installation space for example around a shaft of the seal arrangement. Subsequent to being mounted, this separated, new sealing ring has to be joined in a congruent manner in a joining process in order for leakage to be avoided during its use. This joining process may be realized by pinning, adhesive bonding, welding or vulcanization according to the material of the 5 sealing ring that is used. In this case, use may be made, as auxiliary aids, of forming tools and / or pins in the cross section of the sealing ring. Both dismounting of an old sealing ring and mounting of a new sealing ring are thus undesirably time-consuming and costly. 10 Summary The present disclosure is directed to a seal and a method for the production thereof in such a way that the seal is simple and inexpensive to produce. 15 Moreover, in at least some embodiments, it is intended that the seal is able to be changed in a simple manner in the event of repair work. In particular, in at least some embodiments, it is intended that a dismounting of the old seal from its installation space and a mounting of a corresponding new seal into the installation space is possible in a simple manner without the old seal having to 20 be destroyed during the dismounting and without the need, subsequent to the new seal being mounted, for a joining process at the seal. According to the present disclosure, in at least some embodiments, provision is made of a seal comprising a spiralized profile bead composed of at least one 25 thermoplastic elastomer material which has a holding part and has at least one sealing lip, wherein the holding part and the sealing lip are arranged situated opposite one another in a radial direction, wherein the profile bead comprises turns arranged adjacent to one another in an axial direction and transitioning into one another and has open end faces at its two ends. 30 CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 4 In at least some embodiments, preferably, the thermoplastic elastomer material may be a TPU. In this case, it may be an advantage that the seal is not designed in the form of a closed sealing ring. Rather, a seal may be designed in the form of a conveyor 5 spiral in order to continuously convey back into a space to be sealed off medium to be sealed off during the use of the seal as intended. Medium to be sealed off is for example a lubricating medium, such as lubricating grease of oil. In this case, it should be noted that a seal according to the present disclosure 10 may function in a manner dependent on direction of rotation, for example dependent on the direction of rotation of a shaft to be sealed off that rotates relative to the seal. The fact that a seal according to the present disclosure, in at least some 15 embodiments, is not a closed sealing ring means that it is particularly suitable for sealing off large bearings, for example in wind-power drives. The sealing-off diameters are normally greater than 500 mm in such cases. The turns adjacent to one another in an axial direction may be of substantially 20 corresponding form. In this case, the turns may have the holding part at one side in a radial direction and have the sealing lip at the other side in the radial direction, wherein the holding part and the sealing lip each have a substantially constant diameter 25 along the axial direction between the open end faces. The seal may be used in an installation space of a seal arrangement, in which installation space the holding part is, for example, fixed in a housing bore so as to be relatively rotationally fixed in a statically sealing manner. The housing bore 30 CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 5 may be passed through by a shaft to be sealed. The shaft to be sealed off may be sealed off by the sealing lip. At their sides facing axially toward one another, the turns may be fixed to one another in a form-fitting manner in a radial direction and axial direction by way 5 of a snap-action connection. In this case, it may be an advantage that the individual turns of the spiralized profile bead cannot be displaced relative to one another; they are arranged so as to be relatively positionally fixed with respect to one another. This may result in good usage properties during a long usage duration, in particular a good sealing result. After the spiralized profile bead has 10 been mounted in an installation space of a sealing arrangement, the snap-action connection may hold the turns together at the required diameter in a form-fitting manner. In at least some embodiments, during the first mounting and also during a later change, the spiralized profile bead may be mounted through placement of the spiralized profile bead into the installation space of a 15 seal arrangement by way of an initial elastic deformation and a later snapping-in of the snap-action connection. In at least some embodiments, the spiralized profile bead may be preferably arranged in its installation space under axial elastic preloading. 20 The turns may form a coil package which has a substantially rectangular cross section, in the case of which the open end faces are in each case arranged with the in each case axially adjacent turn in an imaginary radial plane. Such a configuration may yield the advantage that the seal has compact dimensions in 25 an axial direction and substantially completely fills its installation space. The axial deformation of the spiralized profile bead to form the substantially rectangular coil package may take place at that position of the spiralized profile bead at which the open ends of the spiral are situated opposite one another. 30 CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 6 The axial offset of the deformation amounts to a profile width of a turn. According to a first configuration, it may be provided that the profile bead consists of at least one thermoplastic material, and that the holding part and the sealing lip are formed in a manner transitioning integrally into one another and 5 are formed from the same material. In this case, it may be an advantage that the seal is simple and inexpensive to produce. Moreover, it may be an advantage that, following its use as intended, pure-grade recycling is possible for the seal. 10 According to another configuration, it may be provided that the profile bead consists of two materials for holding part and sealing lip that differ from one another. In this case, it may be an advantage that the holding part and the sealing lip each have individualized functions by way of the materials which are in each case particularly suitable for the respective application. Consequently, 15 the profile bead is held particularly reliably within the installation space by means of the holding part, and the sealing lip particularly reliably seals off a machine element to be sealed off. At least one of the materials may be a polyurethane. Such a material may have 20 the advantage that it has good thermoplastic processability. In at least some embodiments, preferably, the profile bead may be produced by extrusion. Such a process is able to be carried out efficiently and inexpensively. Moreover, polyurethane has good wear resistance and excellent abrasion resistance, and high strength and high elongation at fracture. The material may be mineral-oil-25 resistant within a wide temperature range and has excellent ozone resistance and oxidation resistance. It has good damping behavior, very good low-temperature flexibility and high resistance against cracking; the material has high tear propagation resistance. 30 CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 7 A method for producing a seal may comprise, in a first method step, a spiralized profile bead is produced, wherein, in a second method step, the spiralized profile bead is cut to length according to an installation length of an installation space in a seal arrangement in which the seal is to be used. In at least some embodiments, the profile bead may be preferably extruded from a granulated 5 thermoplastic polyurethane material and shaped in a continuous deformation process to form a sealing profile. The sealing profile may have the above-described snap-action connection. The production process may be particularly simple. Separate tools, as in the 10 case of vulcanization or tube casting of polyurethane, are not necessarily required. In at least some embodiments, the only requirement is a tool for a specific geometry of the profile bead that can then used for all the different diameters 15 that are required. A method may be realized in such a manner that a granulated material is plasticized via an extruder and continuously deformed by way of a heated tool. 20 In a third method step, the spiralized profile bead may be compressed in an axial direction to form the substantially rectangular coil package, wherein, in the third method step, snapping-in of the snap-action connection between the mutually adjacent turns is in this case realized at the same time as the axial compression to form the coil package. In this way, the ready-to-use seal is 25 produced. Brief description of the drawing An exemplary embodiment of the seal according to the present disclosure will 30 be discussed in more detail below on the basis of figures 1 and 2. CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 8 In said figures, in each case in a schematic illustration: figure 1 shows the seal as a single part, wherein the spiralized profile bead forms the coil package, 5 figure 2 shows the seal from figure 1 installed into the installation space of a seal arrangement. Detailed Description 10 Figure 1 shows a non-limiting example embodiment of a seal according to the present disclosure. The seal is designed in the form of a conveyor spiral and comprises the spiralized profile bead 1 with the holding part 2 and with the sealing lip 3. The holding part 2 and the sealing lip 3 are arranged situated 15 opposite one another in a radial direction 4. The profile bead 1 comprises turns 6 arranged adjacent to one another in an axial direction 5 and transitioning into one another and has the open end faces 7, 8 at its two ends. The turns 6 form the coil package 10 with a substantially rectangular cross 20 section. The open end faces 7, 8 are in each case arranged with the in each case axially adjacent turn 6 in an imaginary radial plane 11. In order for the turns 6 of the spiralized profile bead 1 to be fixed to one another in a form-fitting manner in a radial direction 4 and axial direction 5, the snap-25 action connection 9 is provided, as shown in figure 2. Figure 2 shows a seal arrangement in which the seal from figure 1 is arranged in an installation space 12 of a housing 13. The seal is arranged in a rotationally fixed manner under axial preloading in the installation space 12 of the housing 30 13 by way of the holding part 2 of the spiralized profile bead 1 and sealingly CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 9 surrounds under radial preloading the machine element 14 to be sealed off, here in the form of an outer bearing shell of a rolling bearing, by way of the sealing lip 3. CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07

Claims

10 Patent claims 1. A seal comprising a spiralized profile bead composed of at least one thermoplastic elastomer material which has a holding part and has at least one sealing lip, which are arranged situated opposite one another in a radial direction, wherein the profile bead comprises turns arranged adjacent to one another in an axial direction and transitioning into one another and has open end faces at its two ends, wherein the turns form a coil package which has a substantially rectangular cross section, in the case of which the open end faces are in each case arranged with the in each case axially adjacent turn in an imaginary radial plane.

2. The seal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the turns are of substantially corresponding form.

3. The seal as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, wherein the turns have the holding part at one side in a radial direction and have the sealing lip at the other side in the radial direction, and in that the holding part and the sealing lip each have a substantially constant diameter along the axial direction between the end faces.

4. The seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, at their sides facing axially toward one another, the turns are fixed to one another in a form-fitting manner in a radial direction and axial direction by way of a snap-action connection.

5. The seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the profile bead consists of a thermoplastic material, and in that the holding part and the sealing lip are formed in a manner transitioning integrally into one another and are formed from the same material. CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07 11 6. The seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the profile bead consists of two materials for holding part and sealing lip that differ from one another.

7. The seal as claimed in either of claims 5 and 6, wherein at least one of the materials is a polyurethane.

8. A method for producing a seal as claimed in one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, in a first method step, a spiralized profile bead is produced, wherein, in a second method step, the spiralized profile bead is cut to length according to an installation length of an installation space in a seal arrangement in which the seal is to be used.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, in a third method step, the spiralized profile bead is compressed in an axial direction to form the substantially rectangular coil package.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 for producing a seal according to claim 4, wherein, in the third method step, snapping-in of the snap-action connection between the turns is realized at the same time as the axial compression to form the coil package. CA 3192094 Date reçue / Received date 2024-10-07