Method for manufacturing a seal ring with an optimized topology inside the ring body

Abstract

The application discloses a manufacturing method of a sealing ring with internal topology optimization, and the sealing ring is a sealing ring of a mechanical sealing structure, and the sealing ring has a material removal area with an irregular topology configuration in the sealing ring, and the manufacturing method comprises the following steps: establishing a simulation model of the mechanical sealing structure; setting boundary conditions and load conditions; using a solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) topology optimization algorithm to optimize and iterate a distribution cloud diagram of the material removal area; outputting the optimized distribution cloud diagram; converting the distribution cloud diagram into an identifiable execution file for additive manufacturing processing, and forming the sealing ring through additive manufacturing. The manufacturing method of the sealing ring with internal topology optimization according to the embodiment of the application can facilitate the topology optimization of the internal structure of the sealing ring, and the sealing ring can realize end face displacement self-adaptation without external additional structures, and has the advantages of high forming efficiency, good consistency and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mechanical seal technology, and more specifically, to a method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology. Background Technology

[0002] Mechanical seals are the core shaft end sealing structures of rotating machinery such as centrifugal pumps, compressors, and turbo pumps. The end face accuracy of the dynamic ring and stationary ring directly determines the sealing performance, while the stability of the axial displacement of the end face is the core condition for ensuring the fitting accuracy.

[0003] In related technologies, the control of axial displacement and contact state of the dynamic and static ring end faces of mechanical seals is achieved by adding an external control structure. The dynamic and static rings only perform the basic function of friction sealing; end face displacement, clamping force, and contact gap are intervened and corrected by the external control structure. However, this leads to increased system complexity, greater difficulty in assembly and maintenance, a higher risk of component movement interference, poor operational stability, limited cavity space, increased local wear and energy loss, and a higher risk of seal failure, especially under harsh operating conditions where reliability drops significantly. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this invention proposes a method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology. This method facilitates the optimization of the internal structure of the sealing ring, enabling the sealing ring to achieve adaptive end-face displacement without the need for external additional structures, and has advantages such as high molding efficiency and good consistency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology, wherein the sealing ring is a mechanical seal structure and has a material removal region with an irregular topological configuration. The manufacturing method includes the following steps: Establish a simulation model of the mechanical seal structure; Set boundary conditions and load conditions; The distribution cloud map of the material removal region is optimized iteratively using a topology optimization algorithm based on a penalty model for solid isotropic materials. Output the optimized distribution cloud map; The distribution cloud map is converted into an executable file that can be recognized by additive manufacturing, and the sealing ring is formed by additive manufacturing.

[0006] The manufacturing method of the sealing ring with internal topology optimization according to the embodiment of the present invention can facilitate the optimization of the internal structure of the sealing ring, enabling the sealing ring to achieve end face displacement self-adaptation without the need for external additional structures, and has the advantages of high molding efficiency and good consistency.

[0007] Furthermore, the method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to the above embodiments of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features: According to one embodiment of the present invention, the simulation model is a fluid-structure interaction simulation model.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the boundary conditions include the inherent property parameters of the base material of the sealing ring, the degree of freedom constraints of the mating surface between the sealing ring and the rotating shaft, and the degree of freedom constraints of the sealing ring and the cavity fixing surface.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the load conditions include at least the medium fluid pressure, friction force, and centrifugal force.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the optimization and iteration of the distribution cloud map of the material removal area includes: Minimizing the axial displacement fluctuation of the sealing end face of the sealing ring is the sole optimization objective function.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the optimization and iteration of the distribution cloud map of the material removal area includes: The maximum overall stress of the sealing ring is less than or equal to the allowable stress of the material.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the sealing ring is the same size as a standard sealing ring.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, forming the sealing ring by additive manufacturing includes: If the sealing ring is made of metal, it is manufactured using selective laser melting forming (SLM) additive manufacturing process. If the sealing ring is made of ceramic material, it is manufactured using a photopolymerization process for additive manufacturing.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, after forming the sealing ring by additive manufacturing, the method further includes: The sealing ring is subjected to surface finishing.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the sealing ring includes a dynamic ring and a stationary ring.

[0016] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1This is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a sealing ring manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology of the ring body.

[0019] Reference numerals: 1. Sealing ring; 2. Material removal area. Detailed Implementation

[0020] This application is based on the findings and understanding of the following facts and issues: In related technologies, the control of axial displacement and contact state of the dynamic and static ring end faces of mechanical seals is achieved by adding an external control structure. The dynamic and static rings only perform the basic function of friction sealing; end face displacement, clamping force, and contact gap are intervened and corrected by the external control structure. However, this leads to increased system complexity, greater difficulty in assembly and maintenance, a higher risk of component movement interference, poor operational stability, limited cavity space, increased local wear and energy loss, and a higher risk of seal failure, especially under harsh operating conditions where reliability drops significantly.

[0021] Specifically, the sealing ring in this technology is a standard solid ring structure with a solid internal material. It can only be adjusted and corrected through an external control structure, affecting end face displacement, clamping force, and fitting gap.

[0022] Taking the elastic compensation component scheme as an example, this scheme uses elastic elements such as helical springs, disc springs, and bellows as the core compensation structure. The elastic elements are arranged on the back of the sealing ring or inside the sealing cavity. Relying on the elastic force generated by the spring compression, an axial clamping force is continuously applied to the sealing ring, thereby compensating for the axial displacement caused by end face wear, shaft movement, and pressure fluctuations during equipment operation, and maintaining the sealing end face fit.

[0023] However, the elastic compensation component relies on a large number of external supporting parts, significantly increasing the number of components in the mechanical seal system. This leads to cumbersome assembly procedures, stringent requirements for installation accuracy, increased difficulty in inspection and replacement, and higher maintenance costs. Furthermore, during high-speed operation, the elastic element is prone to radial displacement and vibration, easily interfering with the movement of surrounding parts and directly disrupting the fit of the sealing ring end face. Moreover, the limited internal space of the sealing cavity and the crowded arrangement of components increase rotational resistance and fluid turbulence, resulting in high energy loss and low overall equipment operating efficiency. Especially under harsh operating conditions, the elastic element is prone to stress relaxation, corrosion, jamming, and deformation failure, losing its displacement compensation capability and amplifying leakage and wear problems.

[0024] Elastic compensation components can only indirectly regulate the sealing ring, and cannot completely solve the problems of uneven axial displacement and uncontrollable dynamic displacement of the sealing ring end face. This can easily lead to poor end face fit, continuous increase in media leakage, or excessively high local contact stress, accelerating the wear rate of the sealing end face and shortening its service life. Especially under low-speed conditions, the compensation force of the elastic element is insufficient, resulting in an extremely high risk of seal failure during equipment startup.

[0025] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0026] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0027] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0028] The following describes a method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the sealing ring 1 is a mechanical seal structure, and the sealing ring 1 has a material removal region 2 with an irregular topological configuration. The manufacturing method includes the following steps: Establish a simulation model of the mechanical seal structure; Set boundary conditions and load conditions; The distribution cloud map of the material removal region is optimized iteratively using a topology optimization algorithm based on a penalty model for solid isotropic materials. Output the optimized distribution cloud map; The distribution cloud map is converted into an executable file that can be recognized by additive manufacturing, and the sealing ring is formed by additive manufacturing.

[0030] Specifically, the material removal region 2 can exhibit a gradient distribution. For example, as... Figure 2 As shown, the density of the material removal region 2 can gradually increase or decrease along the radial direction.

[0031] The manufacturing method of the sealing ring with internal topology optimization according to an embodiment of the present invention involves setting a material removal region 2 inside the sealing ring 1 and optimizing and iterating the distribution cloud map of the material removal region using a topology optimization algorithm based on a solid isotropic material penalty model. This allows for the design of irregular internal material removal regions through topology optimization calculations. Compared to solid sealing rings in related technologies, this method enables the sealing ring to achieve adaptive control of the end face axial displacement based on the flexibility of the ring's own structure. Precise control of the axial displacement of the sealing end face is achieved without adding external control components. Compared to mechanical seal structures in related technologies, the configuration of the internal material removal region of the sealing ring can be precisely designed. The end face axial displacement is adaptively and precisely controlled stably based on the flexibility of the sealing ring's own structure. This fundamentally balances the end face stress and deformation, thoroughly improving the problems of uneven displacement and loss of control. This reduces media leakage, delays end face wear, achieves adaptive force adjustment, ensures uniform end face contact stress distribution, reduces local friction and fluid turbulence, lowers the local wear rate of components and waste energy loss, extends service life, and reduces maintenance costs.

[0032] Furthermore, by integrating the end-face displacement control function into the body of the sealing ring, all additional external control structures such as elastic compensation components and displacement adjustment mechanisms can be eliminated. This eliminates the risk of motion interference between external parts and the original components of the sealing system, making the layout of components within the sealing cavity simpler, avoiding abnormal operating conditions such as jamming, collision, and displacement, and significantly improving the long-term operational stability of the mechanical seal structure. At the same time, the sealing ring only performs topology optimization on the internal material distribution, without occupying the space of the sealing cavity, releasing the effective space inside the sealing cavity, optimizing the medium flow environment, and eliminating easily failed additional parts such as springs and external adjustment components. This reduces the impact of harsh operating conditions such as high temperature, high pressure, particulate media, and vibration on the sealing effect, simplifies the number of parts, reduces maintenance costs, and optimizes the end-face stress state under low-speed operating conditions, ensuring normal opening of the sealing end face, and comprehensively improving the sealing reliability and service life.

[0033] Furthermore, the additive manufacturing process for forming the sealing ring facilitates its molding and manufacturing, enabling accurate arrangement of the material removal area 2 and topological optimization of its arrangement. This overcomes the limitations of milling and grinding processes in processing complex internal hollow structures, avoids interface abrupt changes, and prevents interface stress concentration and cracking. It also facilitates high-precision one-time molding of complex material removal areas, resulting in high molding efficiency and good product consistency. Additionally, it allows for flexible adjustment of the volume and configuration of the material removal area according to different working conditions, enabling rapid design iteration and quick response to customized requirements for different models and working conditions of mechanical seals.

[0034] Therefore, the manufacturing method of the sealing ring with internal topology optimization according to the embodiment of the present invention can facilitate the optimization of the internal structure topology of the sealing ring, enabling the sealing ring to achieve end face displacement self-adaptation without the need for external additional structures, and has the advantages of high molding efficiency and good consistency.

[0035] The following describes a method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to a specific embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Specifically, the simulation model is a fluid-structure interaction simulation model. This facilitates the simulation of the coupling effect of the mechanical seal structure under fluid mechanics and solid mechanics, making it easier to obtain a mechanical seal structure that is closer to reality, and improving the accuracy and reliability of optimizing the functional graded material model of the sealing ring.

[0037] More specifically, the boundary conditions include the inherent property parameters of the sealing ring's base material, the degree of freedom constraints of the mating surface between the sealing ring and the rotating shaft, and the degree of freedom constraints of the sealing ring and the fixed surface of the cavity. Specifically, the boundary conditions include the inherent property parameters of the sealing ring's base material, the degree of freedom constraints of the mating surface between the moving ring and the rotating shaft, and the degree of freedom constraints of the stationary ring and the fixed surface of the cavity. This facilitates the application of constraints to the optimization process, improving the reliability of the optimization results.

[0038] Furthermore, the load conditions include at least the medium fluid pressure, friction, and centrifugal force. This allows for a more comprehensive consideration of the load conditions on all aspects of the sealing ring, improving the reliability of the optimization results.

[0039] Advantageously, the iterative optimization of the distribution cloud map of the material removal area includes: Minimizing the axial displacement fluctuation of the sealing end face of the sealing ring is the sole optimization objective function.

[0040] This makes it easier to control the axial displacement of the sealing ring end face and to achieve adaptive adjustment of the end face axial displacement.

[0041] More advantageously, the optimization and iteration of the distribution cloud map of the material removal area includes: The maximum overall stress of the sealing ring is less than or equal to the allowable stress of the material.

[0042] This prevents the design stress of the sealing ring from exceeding the allowable stress of the material, ensuring the overall reliability of the structure.

[0043] Furthermore, the dimensions of the sealing ring are the same as those of the standard sealing ring. This ensures that the external dimensions of the optimized sealing ring are consistent with the standard part, allowing it to directly replace the original sealing ring for installation and use without modifying other components of the sealing system. This simplifies the assembly process and reduces installation and maintenance costs and technical barriers.

[0044] Optionally, the process of forming the sealing ring by additive manufacturing includes: If the sealing ring is made of metal, it is manufactured using selective laser melting forming (SLM) additive manufacturing process. If the sealing ring is made of ceramic material, it is manufactured using a photopolymerization process for additive manufacturing.

[0045] This allows for the targeted selection of additive manufacturing processes based on the material requirements of the sealing ring, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency and quality.

[0046] Furthermore, after forming the sealing ring by additive manufacturing, the process further includes: The sealing ring is subjected to surface finishing.

[0047] This allows the sealing ring of the additively constructed blank to be ground, making it easier to form a smooth sealing interface.

[0048] Furthermore, the sealing ring comprises a rotating ring and a stationary ring. In other words, the sealing ring can be either a rotating ring or a stationary ring. The manufacturing method of the superstructure sealing ring can be used to manufacture either the rotating ring or the stationary ring. The rotating ring and the stationary ring can employ the same or different functional gradient material distributions to meet the different requirements of various mechanical seal mechanisms.

[0049] Other configurations and operations of the method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to embodiments of the present invention are known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0050] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0051] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology, characterized in that, The sealing ring is a mechanical seal structure, and the sealing ring has a material removal region with an irregular topological configuration. The manufacturing method includes the following steps: Establish a simulation model of the mechanical seal structure; Set boundary conditions and load conditions; The distribution cloud map of the material removal region is optimized iteratively using a topology optimization algorithm based on a penalty model for solid isotropic materials. Output the optimized distribution cloud map; The distribution cloud map is converted into an executable file that can be recognized by additive manufacturing, and the sealing ring is formed by additive manufacturing.

2. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The simulation model is a fluid-structure interaction simulation model.

3. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The boundary conditions include the inherent property parameters of the base material of the sealing ring, the degree of freedom constraints of the mating surface between the sealing ring and the rotating shaft, and the degree of freedom constraints of the sealing ring and the fixed surface of the cavity.

4. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The load conditions include at least the medium fluid pressure, friction force, and centrifugal force.

5. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optimization and iteration of the distribution cloud map of the material removal area includes: Minimizing the axial displacement fluctuation of the sealing end face of the sealing ring is the sole optimization objective function.

6. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optimization and iteration of the distribution cloud map of the material removal area includes: The maximum overall stress of the sealing ring is less than or equal to the allowable stress of the material.

7. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dimensions of the sealing ring are the same as those of the standard sealing ring.

8. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of forming the sealing ring by additive manufacturing includes: If the sealing ring is made of metal, it is manufactured using selective laser melting forming (SLM) additive manufacturing process. If the sealing ring is made of ceramic material, it is manufactured using a photopolymerization process for additive manufacturing.

9. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, After forming the sealing ring by additive manufacturing, the method further includes: The sealing ring is subjected to surface finishing.

10. The method for manufacturing a sealing ring with optimized internal topology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing ring includes a moving ring and a stationary ring.

Images