All-metal sealing connection structure and vacuum cavity assembly

Abstract

The utility model provides an all-metal sealing connection structure and a vacuum cavity assembly, and relates to the field of vacuum sealing connection. The structure comprises a cavity flange, a first sealing ring, an adapter flange, a second sealing ring and an external flange which are sequentially arranged in the axial direction and are all metal pieces, the hardness of the cavity flange is smaller than that of the adapter flange and that of the external flange, the hardness of the first sealing ring is smaller than that of the cavity flange, and the hardness of the second sealing ring is smaller than that of the external flange. The hardness of the second sealing ring is smaller than that of the adapter flange and the external flange; a first knife edge is arranged on the sealing end face of the cavity flange; a hardened layer is arranged on the surface of the first knife edge; a second knife edge and a third knife edge are respectively arranged on sealing end faces on two sides of the adapter flange, and a fourth knife edge is arranged on a sealing end face of the external flange; the first knife edge and the second knife edge are respectively cut into two sides of the first sealing ring, and the third knife edge and the fourth knife edge are respectively cut into two sides of the second sealing ring. In the actual use process, if no special situation exists, only the adapter flange and the external flange can be disassembled and assembled without disassembling the adapter flange and the cavity flange.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of vacuum sealing connection, and more specifically, to an all-metal sealing connection structure and a vacuum cavity assembly. Background Technology

[0002] Stainless steel, titanium alloys, and aluminum alloys are commonly used materials for manufacturing vacuum chambers. Compared to stainless steel and titanium alloys, aluminum alloys have advantages such as low cost, easy processing, low magnetic permeability, low radioactivity, high thermal conductivity, and low density, making them more suitable for applications such as accelerators, satellite component testing, and ion thruster experiments. However, aluminum alloys have relatively low hardness, which means that aluminum alloy chambers typically use O-rings as sealing elements. Furthermore, because O-rings have relatively high leakage, permeability, and gas release rates, the ultimate vacuum level of aluminum alloy chambers can mostly only reach 10⁻⁶. -6 Pa level.

[0003] For aluminum alloy vacuum chambers, achieving higher vacuum levels requires all-metal sealing connections with extremely low leakage rates, such as CF (Conflat Flange) flanges (knife-edge flanges). Considering the characteristic of aluminum alloys that their surface hardness can be increased several times through surface treatments like hard anodizing, ion implantation, surface nitriding, and surface carburizing, it's possible to fabricate CF flanges from aluminum alloy and then harden the sealing surfaces, including the knife-edge, to achieve an all-metal sealing connection when used with oxygen-free copper sealing rings. However, the surface hardening layer is typically only a few micrometers to tens of micrometers thick. Therefore, even if the knife edge of the aluminum alloy CF flange can cut well into the oxygen-free copper sealing ring, reliable reuse is difficult to guarantee.

[0004] In other words, the cavity flange of a vacuum cavity with low hardness, similar to that of an aluminum alloy vacuum cavity, has relatively low reliability for repeated use, even if the sealing surface is hardened, and it is difficult to meet the requirements of repeated disassembly and assembly. Utility Model Content

[0005] The first objective of this invention is to provide an all-metal sealed connection structure to solve the technical problem that even if the sealing surface of a vacuum cavity flange with low hardness is hardened, its reliability for repeated use is relatively low, making it difficult to meet the requirements of multiple disassembly and assembly.

[0006] The all-metal sealing connection structure provided by this utility model includes a cavity flange, a first sealing ring, a transition flange, a second sealing ring, and an outer flange arranged sequentially along the axial direction. All five components are metal parts. The hardness of the cavity flange is less than that of the transition flange and the outer flange. The hardness of the first sealing ring is less than that of the cavity flange. The hardness of the second sealing ring is less than that of the transition flange and the outer flange. The sealing end face of the cavity flange is provided with a first cutting edge, and the surface of the first cutting edge is provided with a hardened layer. The sealing end faces on both sides of the transition flange are respectively provided with a second cutting edge and a third cutting edge. The sealing end face of the outer flange is provided with a fourth cutting edge. The first cutting edge and the second cutting edge are respectively cut into both sides of the first sealing ring. The third cutting edge and the fourth cutting edge are respectively cut into both sides of the second sealing ring.

[0007] Furthermore, the cavity flange is an aluminum alloy flange, and / or the transition flange is a stainless steel or titanium alloy flange, and / or the external flange is a stainless steel or titanium alloy flange.

[0008] Furthermore, the first sealing ring is an oxygen-free copper sealing ring, and / or the second sealing ring is an oxygen-free copper sealing ring.

[0009] Furthermore, the first cutting edge is positioned opposite to the second cutting edge, and the third cutting edge is positioned opposite to the fourth cutting edge.

[0010] Furthermore, the adapter flange has multiple threaded through holes along its axial direction, and the multiple threaded through holes surround the second cutting edge and the third cutting edge; the cavity flange has multiple first through holes along its axial direction, and the multiple first through holes surround the first cutting edge, and are arranged one-to-one with a portion of the multiple threaded through holes; the external flange has multiple second through holes along its axial direction, and the multiple second through holes surround the fourth cutting edge, and are arranged one-to-one with another portion of the multiple threaded through holes; the all-metal sealing connection structure also includes multiple first bolts and multiple second bolts, the first bolts passing through the first through holes and screwed into the corresponding threaded through holes, and the second bolts passing through the second through holes and screwed into the corresponding threaded through holes.

[0011] Furthermore, the first cutting edge is coaxial with the center hole of the cavity flange, and a plurality of first through holes are evenly distributed around the axis of the first cutting edge; the second cutting edge and the third cutting edge are both coaxial with the center hole of the adapter flange, and a plurality of threaded through holes are evenly distributed around the axis of the second cutting edge; the fourth cutting edge is coaxial with the center hole of the external flange, and a plurality of second through holes are evenly distributed around the axis of the fourth cutting edge.

[0012] Furthermore, the hardened layer is also provided on the sealing end face of the cavity flange.

[0013] Furthermore, the cavity flange includes a body and a connecting pipe integrally connected to the body, the connecting pipe being used to connect to a vacuum cavity.

[0014] The all-metal sealed connection structure provided by this utility model can produce the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The all-metal sealing connection structure provided by this utility model provides a hardening layer on the knife edge surface of the cavity flange with lower hardness to increase the hardness of the knife edge and enable it to cut into the sealing ring; an adapter flange is added between the cavity flange with lower hardness and the external flange with higher hardness, wherein the hardness of the adapter flange is also higher than that of the cavity flange, and a sealing ring is used between two adjacent flanges, so that the knife edge of the two adjacent flanges can cut into the sealing ring between them, thereby realizing an all-metal sealing connection from the cavity flange to the external flange.

[0016] In actual use, unless there are special circumstances, the transition flange and cavity flange do not need to be disassembled during disassembly and maintenance. Instead, only the transition flange and the external flange need to be disassembled and assembled. This can effectively avoid the situation where the hardened layer of the cavity flange cracks or peels due to repeated disassembly and assembly, thereby ensuring the sealing effectiveness of the connection between the cavity flange and the transition flange, improving the overall reliability of the connection structure for repeated use, and meeting the needs of repeated disassembly and assembly.

[0017] The second objective of this invention is to provide a vacuum chamber assembly to address the technical problem that even with hardened sealing surfaces, the cavity flanges of vacuum chambers with low hardness have low reliability for repeated use, making it difficult to meet the requirements for multiple disassembly and assembly.

[0018] The vacuum chamber assembly provided by this utility model includes a vacuum chamber and the above-mentioned all-metal sealed connection structure, wherein the connecting pipe of the chamber flange is an integral structure with the vacuum chamber or the connecting pipe is welded to the outlet of the vacuum chamber.

[0019] Furthermore, the vacuum chamber is an aluminum alloy chamber.

[0020] The vacuum cavity assembly provided by this utility model can produce the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The vacuum chamber assembly provided by this utility model allows for disassembly and maintenance operations during actual use without disassembling the adapter flange and the chamber flange, except under special circumstances. Only the adapter flange and the external flange need to be disassembled and assembled. This effectively avoids cracks or peeling of the hardened layer of the chamber flange caused by repeated disassembly and assembly, thereby ensuring the sealing effectiveness of the connection between the chamber flange and the adapter flange, ensuring the maintainability of the vacuum chamber, improving the overall reliability of the connection structure for repeated use, and meeting the needs of repeated disassembly and assembly. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the all-metal sealed connection structure provided in the embodiment of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 2 An exploded structural diagram of the all-metal sealed connection structure provided in this embodiment of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 A side view of the all-metal sealed connection structure provided in this embodiment of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Sectional view along line AA in the middle;

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Enlarged diagram of point B in the middle.

[0028] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0029] 100 - Cavity flange; 110 - Body; 111 - First knife edge; 112 - First through hole; 120 - Connecting pipe;

[0030] 200 - First sealing ring;

[0031] 300 - Adapter flange; 310 - Second knife edge; 320 - Third knife edge; 330 - Threaded through hole;

[0032] 400 - Second sealing ring;

[0033] 500 - External flange; 510 - Fourth knife edge; 520 - Second through hole;

[0034] 600 - First bolt;

[0035] 700 - Second bolt. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this utility model and are not intended to limit it.

[0037] This embodiment provides an all-metal sealed connection structure and a vacuum cavity assembly, wherein, as Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the all-metal sealed connection structure includes a cavity flange 100, a first sealing ring 200, a transition flange 300, a second sealing ring 400, and an outer flange 500 arranged sequentially along the axial direction. All five are metal parts. The hardness of the cavity flange 100 is less than that of the transition flange 300 and the outer flange 500. The hardness of the first sealing ring 200 is less than that of the cavity flange 100. The hardness of the second sealing ring 400 is less than that of the transition flange 300 and the outer flange 500. The sealing end face of the cavity flange 100 is provided with a first cutting edge 111, and the surface of the first cutting edge 111 is provided with a hardened layer; the sealing end faces on both sides of the transition flange 300 are respectively provided with a second cutting edge 310 and a third cutting edge 320, and the sealing end face of the external flange 500 is provided with a fourth cutting edge 510; the first cutting edge 111 and the second cutting edge 310 are respectively cut into both sides of the first sealing ring 200, and the third cutting edge 320 and the fourth cutting edge 510 are respectively cut into both sides of the second sealing ring 400.

[0038] The vacuum chamber assembly includes a vacuum chamber and the aforementioned all-metal sealed connection structure. The connecting pipe 120 of the chamber flange 100 is an integral structure with the vacuum chamber or the connecting pipe 120 is welded to the outlet of the vacuum chamber.

[0039] The all-metal sealing connection structure provided in this embodiment has a hardened layer on the knife edge surface of the cavity flange 100 with lower hardness to increase the hardness of the knife edge and enable it to cut into the sealing ring. An adapter flange 300 is added between the cavity flange 100 with lower hardness and the external flange 500 with higher hardness. The hardness of the adapter flange 300 is also higher than that of the cavity flange 100. A sealing ring is used between two adjacent flanges so that the knife edge of the two adjacent flanges can cut into the sealing ring between them, thus realizing an all-metal sealing connection from the cavity flange 100 to the external flange 500.

[0040] In actual use, unless there are special circumstances, the transition flange 300 and the cavity flange 100 do not need to be disassembled during disassembly and maintenance. Instead, only the transition flange 300 and the external flange 500 need to be disassembled and assembled. This can effectively avoid the hardening layer of the cavity flange 100 from cracking or peeling due to repeated disassembly and assembly, thereby ensuring the sealing effectiveness of the connection between the cavity flange 100 and the transition flange 300, ensuring the maintainability of the vacuum cavity, improving the overall reliability of the connection structure for repeated use, and meeting the needs of repeated disassembly and assembly.

[0041] Specifically, in this embodiment, the vacuum chamber is an aluminum alloy chamber, the chamber flange 100 is an aluminum alloy flange, the transition flange 300 is a stainless steel or titanium alloy flange, and the external flange 500 is a stainless steel or titanium alloy flange. The use of aluminum alloy for the vacuum chamber and chamber flange 100 offers advantages such as low cost, easy processing, low magnetic permeability, low radioactivity, high thermal conductivity, and low density, making it more suitable for applications such as accelerator and satellite component testing, and ion thruster experiments. The use of stainless steel or titanium alloy for the transition flange 300 and external flange 500 is relatively common and readily available.

[0042] It should be noted that in other embodiments of this application, the vacuum chamber and the chamber flange 100 are not limited to aluminum alloy materials, but can also be made of other materials, such as materials with low hardness but superior other properties similar to aluminum alloy materials. Of course, materials with high hardness, such as stainless steel, can also be used, which can also save the chamber flange 100 and the adapter flange 300 from repeated disassembly and assembly, thereby extending the service life of the vacuum chamber.

[0043] In this embodiment, both the adapter flange 300 and the external flange 500 can be made of stainless steel. Of course, in other embodiments of this application, both can be made of titanium alloy, or they can be made of different materials, one of which is made of stainless steel and the other of which is made of titanium alloy.

[0044] In this embodiment, the first sealing ring 200 and the second sealing ring 400 are both made of oxygen-free copper. Oxygen-free copper has low hardness, allowing it to be cut into, and oxygen-free copper sealing rings are relatively easy to obtain. Of course, in other embodiments of this application, the first sealing ring 200 and the second sealing ring 400 can also be made of other metal materials with low hardness, as long as they can be cut into to meet the sealing performance requirements.

[0045] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the first cutting edge 111 and the second cutting edge 310 are arranged opposite to each other, and the third cutting edge 320 and the fourth cutting edge 510 are arranged opposite to each other.

[0046] Combination Figures 1 to 5As shown, in this embodiment, the adapter flange 300 has multiple threaded through holes 330 along its axial direction, and the multiple threaded through holes 330 surround the second cutting edge 310 and the third cutting edge 320; the cavity flange 100 has multiple first through holes 112 along its axial direction, and the multiple first through holes 112 surround the first cutting edge 111, and are respectively corresponding to a portion of the multiple threaded through holes 330; the external flange 500 has multiple second through holes 520 along its axial direction, and the multiple second through holes 520 surround the fourth cutting edge 510, and are respectively corresponding to another portion of the multiple threaded through holes 330; the all-metal sealing connection structure also includes multiple first bolts 600 and multiple second bolts 700, the first bolts 600 pass through the first through holes 112 and are screwed into the corresponding threaded through holes 330, and the second bolts 700 pass through the second through holes 520 and are screwed into the corresponding threaded through holes 330. With this configuration, when disassembly and maintenance are required, only the second bolt 700 needs to be removed, thereby allowing the external flange 500 to be removed from the adapter flange 300.

[0047] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first cutting edge 111 is coaxial with the central hole of the cavity flange 100, and multiple first through holes 112 are evenly distributed around the axis of the first cutting edge 111; the second cutting edge 310 and the third cutting edge 320 are both coaxial with the central hole of the transition flange 300, and multiple threaded through holes 330 are evenly distributed around the axis of the second cutting edge 310; the fourth cutting edge 510 is coaxial with the central hole of the outer flange 500, and multiple second through holes 520 are evenly distributed around the axis of the fourth cutting edge 510. With this configuration, the tightening force applied by the multiple first bolts 600 to the cavity flange 100 and the transition flange 300 in the circumferential direction is relatively uniform, and the tightening force applied by the multiple second bolts 700 to the transition flange 300 and the outer flange 500 in the circumferential direction is also relatively uniform. Therefore, the compressive force applied by each cutting edge to the corresponding sealing ring in the circumferential direction is relatively uniform, which helps to ensure good sealing performance throughout the entire connection structure in the circumferential direction.

[0048] Specifically, in this embodiment, a hardened layer is also provided on the sealing end face of the cavity flange 100. With this configuration, after the first cutting edge 111 is machined on the sealing side of the cavity flange 100, the entire sealing surface, including the sealing end face and the cutting edge surface, can be hardened through surface treatment processes such as hard anodizing, ion implantation, surface nitriding, and surface carburizing. The hardness of the entire sealing surface is increased, which is beneficial for improving its sealing performance with the first sealing ring 200. Moreover, compared to hardening only the cutting edge surface, uniformly treating the entire sealing surface is easier to operate.

[0049] Specifically, in this embodiment, as Figure 2As shown, the cavity flange 100 includes a body 110 and a connecting pipe 120 integrally connected to the body 110, the connecting pipe 120 being used for connection to a vacuum cavity. More specifically, the cavity flange 100 can be integrally manufactured with the vacuum cavity, or it can be connected to it by welding or other methods.

[0050] In summary, this embodiment provides an all-metal sealed connection structure and a vacuum chamber assembly. The all-metal sealed connection structure may include an aluminum alloy chamber flange 100 with a surface-hardened blade surface, a stainless steel or titanium alloy transition flange 300, and a stainless steel or titanium alloy external flange 500. An oxygen-free copper sealing ring is provided between adjacent flanges. These five components work together to form an ultra-high vacuum all-metal sealed connection structure, which can be used for the all-metal sealing of aluminum alloy vacuum chambers, extending the application of aluminum alloy vacuum chambers to 10... -7 The vacuum range is below Pa. Moreover, when the vacuum chamber assembly needs to be disassembled and maintained, only the connection between the adapter flange 300 and the external flange 500 needs to be disassembled and reassembled, without disassembling and reassembling the connection between the adapter flange 300 and the chamber flange 100. This effectively avoids cracking or peeling of the hardened layer of the aluminum alloy chamber flange 100, thereby effectively ensuring the sealing effectiveness of the connection between the chamber flange 100 and the adapter flange 300.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0052] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An all-metal sealed connection structure, characterized in that, The system includes a cavity flange (100), a first sealing ring (200), a transition flange (300), a second sealing ring (400), and an outer flange (500) arranged sequentially along the axial direction. All five components are metal parts. The hardness of the cavity flange (100) is less than that of the transition flange (300) and the outer flange (500). The hardness of the first sealing ring (200) is less than that of the cavity flange (100). The hardness of the second sealing ring (400) is less than that of the transition flange (300) and the outer flange (500). The sealing end face of the cavity flange (100) is provided with a first knife edge (111), and the surface of the first knife edge (111) is provided with a hardened layer; the sealing end faces on both sides of the transition flange (300) are respectively provided with a second knife edge (310) and a third knife edge (320), and the sealing end face of the external flange (500) is provided with a fourth knife edge (510); The first cutting edge (111) and the second cutting edge (310) cut into both sides of the first sealing ring (200), and the third cutting edge (320) and the fourth cutting edge (510) cut into both sides of the second sealing ring (400).

2. The all-metal sealed connection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cavity flange (100) is an aluminum alloy flange, and / or the transition flange (300) is a stainless steel or titanium alloy flange, and / or the external flange (500) is a stainless steel or titanium alloy flange.

3. The all-metal sealed connection structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first sealing ring (200) is an oxygen-free copper sealing ring, and / or the second sealing ring (400) is an oxygen-free copper sealing ring.

4. The all-metal sealed connection structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first cutting edge (111) is positioned opposite to the second cutting edge (310), and the third cutting edge (320) is positioned opposite to the fourth cutting edge (510).

5. The all-metal sealed connection structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adapter flange (300) has a plurality of threaded through holes (330) along its axial direction, and the plurality of threaded through holes (330) surround the second cutting edge (310) and the third cutting edge (320); The cavity flange (100) has a plurality of first through holes (112) along its axial direction. The plurality of first through holes (112) surround the first cutting edge (111) and are respectively arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with a portion of the plurality of threaded through holes (330). The external flange (500) has a plurality of second through holes (520) along its axial direction. The plurality of second through holes (520) surround the fourth cutting edge (510) and are respectively arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with another portion of the plurality of threaded through holes (330). The all-metal sealed connection structure also includes a plurality of first bolts (600) and a plurality of second bolts (700), wherein the first bolts (600) pass through the first through hole (112) and are screwed into the corresponding threaded through hole (330), and the second bolts (700) pass through the second through hole (520) and are screwed into the corresponding threaded through hole (330).

6. The all-metal sealed connection structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first cutting edge (111) is coaxial with the central hole of the cavity flange (100), and a plurality of first through holes (112) are evenly distributed around the axis of the first cutting edge (111); The second cutting edge (310) and the third cutting edge (320) are both coaxial with the center hole of the transition flange (300), and the plurality of threaded through holes (330) are evenly distributed around the axis of the second cutting edge (310); The fourth cutting edge (510) is coaxial with the center hole of the external flange (500), and a plurality of second through holes (520) are evenly distributed around the axis of the fourth cutting edge (510).

7. The all-metal sealed connection structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The hardened layer is also provided on the sealing end face of the cavity flange (100).

8. The all-metal sealed connection structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The cavity flange (100) includes a body (110) and a connecting pipe (120) integrally connected to the body (110), the connecting pipe (120) being used to connect to a vacuum cavity.

9. A vacuum cavity assembly, characterized in that, Includes a vacuum chamber and the all-metal sealed connection structure as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the connecting pipe (120) of the chamber flange (100) is integral with the vacuum chamber or the connecting pipe (120) is welded to the outlet of the vacuum chamber.

10. The vacuum chamber assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that, The vacuum chamber is an aluminum alloy chamber.

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