Inflatable sealing ring

Abstract

The invention discloses an inflatable sealing ring, which belongs to the technical field of sealing, and comprises a flexible annular main body and an inflatable cavity, and the cavity is connected with an external air source through an inflation valve. After the flexible annular main body is inflated, the sealing ring expands to be tightly attached to the sealing surface, and the flexible annular main body has elasticity after being inflated, so that efficient sealing is realized; due to the design of the inflation cavity, pressure is evenly distributed after inflation, it is ensured that the sealing ring is tightly attached to the contact face, and the sealing effect is improved; the sealing ring is simple in structure, adjustable in sealing performance, capable of simplifying the mounting and dismounting process through inflation design, capable of restoring after deflation, convenient to use repeatedly, suitable for occasions such as vacuum equipment, pipeline connection and container sealing, and particularly suitable for occasions needing frequent mounting and dismounting. The internal cavity is inflated and expanded to actively fit the surface of the cavity, so that the problem of leakage caused by microscopic unevenness (such as surface roughness and tiny scratches) which is difficult to solve by traditional sealing can be compensated, the leakage rate is remarkably reduced, and efficient sealing is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of sealing technology, and particularly to an inflatable sealing ring structure, which is applicable to occasions requiring high sealing performance such as dynamic sealing or adjustable sealing pressure, such as vacuum equipment, pipeline connection, container sealing, etc. Background Art

[0002] A sealing ring is a sealing element widely used in fields such as pipeline connection, container sealing, industrial equipment, etc. Its main function is to prevent fluid or gas leakage by filling gaps, and to help maintain the pressure balance inside and outside the system in high-pressure or vacuum environments, preventing pressure changes from affecting the performance of the equipment. Traditional sealing rings are usually made of elastic materials such as rubber, silicone, polyurethane, etc. Their sealing effect depends on the elasticity and pre-tightening force of the material itself. However, this sealing ring with a fixed structure has the following problems: The size and shape of traditional sealing rings are fixed and cannot adapt to interfaces of different sizes or shapes, resulting in an unsatisfactory sealing effect; The sealing pressure of traditional sealing rings depends on the pre-tightening force during installation, which may lead to insufficient sealing or damage due to over-compression; Traditional sealing rings usually require a large installation force and are easily damaged during disassembly, especially in occasions that require frequent maintenance and replacement. The installation and disassembly are inconvenient, and the sealing pressure cannot be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs.

[0003] To solve the above problems, inflatable sealing rings have emerged. Through the active pressure regulation and flexible contact mechanism, inflatable sealing rings show great advantages in large vacuum systems and dynamic thermal load scenarios, and are particularly suitable for fields with extremely high requirements for sealing reliability such as particle accelerators, space simulation chambers, semiconductor PVD equipment, etc. Its core technology lies in actively upgrading passive sealing to actively adapt to the system, which is one of the key technical paths for future ultra-large vacuum engineering. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inflatable sealing ring, including a flexible annular body, an internal cavity, and an inflation valve, which can be adapted to the dynamic sealing of a full-size beam source vacuum cavity. By filling gas into the internal cavity through the inflation valve, the flexible annular body expands and tightly fits the contact surface to achieve efficient sealing. This sealing ring has the advantages of adjustable pressure, strong adaptability, simple installation, buffering and shock absorption, etc., and is applicable to a variety of industrial scenarios.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is described as follows:

[0006] An inflatable sealing ring, including a flexible annular body, an inflation cavity, an external air nozzle, and an inflation valve;

[0007] The flexible annular body is made of an elastic material and has an inner surface and an outer surface;

[0008] The inflatable cavity is located inside the flexible annular body and is used to inflate gas to achieve expansion;

[0009] The external air nozzle is arranged on the flexible annular body and is communicated with the inflatable cavity for inflating and deflating gas;

[0010] The inflating valve is installed on the external air nozzle and is used to connect to an external air source to perform inflation and deflation operations.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the flexible annular body is made of an elastic material (such as rubber, silicone or polyurethane). Due to the characteristics of the flexible material, the sealing ring can adapt to uneven or rough surfaces, has good elasticity and wear resistance, and ensures the flexibility and reliability of the sealing effect; in the non-inflated state, the flexible annular body has a small volume, which is convenient for installation in narrow or complex spaces. After inflation, the sealing ring expands and is fixed in the installation position without additional mechanical fixing devices;

[0012] In the above technical solution, the pressure of the sealing ring can be controlled by adjusting the inflation amount of the inflatable cavity to ensure that the sealing effect adapts to different application scenarios. The inflatable cavity has elasticity after inflation and can return to its original state after being extruded by an external force to maintain the sealing effect. The inflatable cavity enables the sealing ring to distribute pressure evenly, avoiding local stress concentration and protecting the contact surface;

[0013] In the above technical solution, the inflating valve can adjust the air pressure inside the sealing ring to ensure that the sealing ring can maintain a good sealing effect under different pressure conditions. A high-quality inflating valve can prevent gas leakage, maintain the stability of the air pressure inside the sealing ring, and ensure the reliability of long-term use. The inflating valve supports multiple inflation and deflation operations, enabling the sealing ring to be reused and reducing the maintenance cost. The inflating valve can automatically adjust the internal air pressure according to external pressure changes to maintain the sealing performance of the sealing ring. If the sealing ring needs to be maintained or replaced, the inflating valve can quickly exhaust air, facilitating disassembly and reinstallation.

[0014] Beneficial effects:

[0015] The inflatable seal ring of the present invention can compensate for millimeter-scale deformations of the full-size beam source vacuum cavity caused by welding stress and temperature cycling in real time through air pressure adjustment, avoiding the failure of traditional seal rings due to compression permanent deformation; it can be compatible with special-shaped structures, and for non-circular cross-section sealing scenarios such as polygons and flange transition zones, its flexible contact characteristics of inflatable sealing are superior to traditional seal rings; in the non-inflated state, the seal ring is small in volume and strong in flexibility, facilitating installation into narrow or complex spaces; after inflation, the seal ring is fixed in place, without the need for additional mechanical fixing devices, and can be easily removed by simply exhausting air during disassembly, greatly improving the installation and maintenance efficiency; the uniform pressure distribution in the inflated cavity of the seal ring after inflation avoids local stress concentration and protects the contact surface from damage; the seal ring supports multiple inflation and deflation operations, facilitating repeated use and reducing the maintenance and replacement costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is the assembly schematic diagram of this structural member;

[0017] Figure 2 is the cross-sectional view of this structural member;

[0018] Figure 3 is the schematic diagram of the application scenario of this structural member.

[0019] In the figure: 1, flexible annular body; 2, external air nozzle; 3, inflation valve; 4, inflation cavity; 5, full-size beam source PG flange; 6, epoxy resin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. However, the following embodiments are only for explaining the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention should include all the contents of the claims. Moreover, through the description of the following embodiments, those skilled in the art can fully implement all the contents of the claims of the present invention.

[0021] Embodiment

[0022] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] As Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the inflatable seal ring structure of the present invention includes a flexible annular body 1; an external air nozzle 2; an inflation valve 3; and an inflation cavity 4. The flexible annular body 1 expands the seal ring after inflation, closely fits the sealing surface, and has elasticity after inflation, which can absorb shocks and vibrations to achieve efficient sealing; the design of the inflation cavity 4 enables the pressure to be evenly distributed after inflation, avoiding local stress concentration, protecting the contact surface, ensuring the close fit between the seal ring and the contact surface, and improving the sealing effect; the design of the inflation valve 3 supports multiple inflation and deflation operations, simplifies the installation and disassembly process of the seal ring, enables the seal ring to be reused, reduces the maintenance cost, and the inflation valve 3 can also automatically adjust the internal air pressure according to external pressure changes to maintain the sealing performance of the seal ring.

[0024] In this embodiment, the material of the flexible annular body 1 is ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), with a specification of Φ1980mm×16.3mm×10mm and a wall thickness of 3mm.

[0025] In this embodiment, the gas passage of the external air nozzle 2 is 2mm, the surface roughness Ra of the inner wall is ≤0.8μm, and the inner wall of the passage is coated with an anti-wear coating, and the coating is titanium nitride (TiN) or diamond-like carbon (DLC) with a thickness of 5-20μm. The threaded connection part of the external air nozzle 2 adopts the M2×2 thread standard.

[0026] In this embodiment, the valve body shell of the inflation valve 3 is made of 316L stainless steel, the main body is cylindrical, and there is a through gas passage inside. One section of its shell is processed with an M2×2 external thread for sealing connection with the threaded hole of the external air nozzle 2, and the other end of the shell is connected to a stainless steel pipe for adapting to the external gas source pipeline to achieve inflation and deflation operations. And a reinforcing layer (such as fiber or wire) is selected to improve the strength of the inflation valve.

[0027] In this embodiment, the inflation cavity 4 is located at the center of the flexible annular body, and the pressure of the seal ring can be controlled by adjusting the inflation amount. A full-size beam source PG flange 5 and epoxy resin 6 are equipped to ensure that the sealing effect adapts to different application scenarios.

[0028] In this embodiment, the volume shrinkage rate of the seal ring in the non-inflated state is 30%-50%, which is suitable for installation in narrow or complex spaces.

[0029] In this embodiment, the seal ring is applied to the dynamic sealing of the full-size beam source vacuum cavity, and the leakage rate after inflation is ≤1×10 -9 Pa·m 3 / s.

[0030] The above description is only a specific implementation manner of the present application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement the present application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application will not be limited to these embodiments shown herein, but rather will be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. An inflatable sealing ring, characterized in that, It includes a flexible annular body (1), an inflatable cavity (4), an external air nozzle (2), and an inflation valve (3); The flexible annular body (1) is made of an elastic material and has an inner surface and an outer surface; The inflatable cavity (4) is located inside the flexible annular body (1) and is used to fill gas to achieve expansion; The external air nozzle (2) is provided on the flexible annular body (1), communicates with the inflatable cavity (4), and is used for filling and discharging gas; The inflation valve (3) is installed on the external air nozzle (2) and is used to connect to an external gas source to perform inflation and deflation operations.

2. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the flexible annular body (1) is selected from rubber, silica gel, polyurethane, or thermoplastic elastomer. Its outer surface is provided with anti-slip texture or coating, and its inner surface is provided with a reinforcing layer to improve the structural strength and pressure resistance performance. The cross-sectional shape is circular, elliptical, or polygonal.

3. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inflatable cavity (4) is an annular structure evenly distributed along the circumference of the flexible annular body (1). After inflation, the pressure is evenly distributed, and the sealing pressure is controlled by adjusting the inflation volume.

4. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the gas passage of the external air nozzle (2) is 2 mm, the surface roughness Ra of the inner wall is ≤0.8 μm, and the inner wall is plated with a wear-resistant coating of titanium nitride (TiN) or diamond-like carbon (DLC). The coating thickness is 5-20 μm, and the threaded connection part adopts the M2×2 thread standard.

5. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 1, wherein The valve body shell of the inflation valve (3) is made of 316L stainless steel, the main body is cylindrical, and there is a through gas passage inside. One end of the shell is processed with M2×2 external threads to connect the external air nozzle (2), and the other end is connected to a stainless steel pipe to adapt to the external gas source pipeline.

6. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specification of the flexible annular body (1) is Φ1980 mm×16.3 mm×10 mm, the wall thickness is 3 mm, and the material is ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM).

7. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 2, wherein, The reinforcing layer is a fiber or metal wire braided layer embedded in the inner surface of the flexible annular body (1).

8. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inflation valve (3) has an automatic air pressure adjustment function and can adjust the internal air pressure according to the change of external pressure to maintain the sealing performance.

9. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 1, wherein, The volume shrinkage rate of the sealing ring in the non-inflated state is 30%-50%, which is suitable for installation in narrow or complex spaces.

10. The inflatable sealing ring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing ring is applied to the dynamic sealing of the full-size beam source vacuum cavity, and the leakage rate after inflation is ≤ 1×10 -9 Pa·m 3 / s.

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