Anti-instability sealing assembly and sealing device
By setting a support ring inside the cavity of the sealing ring, the problem of instability of the C-type sealing ring under load fluctuations is solved, thereby achieving the stability and service life extension of the sealing assembly, which is suitable for high-cost applications such as nuclear power plant reactors.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520426886.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-10
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-03-12
AI Technical Summary
Traditional C-type sealing rings are prone to instability and creep under bolt load fluctuations, resulting in a decrease in sealing pressure and a shortened service life.
A support ring is installed inside the hollow cavity of the sealing ring to limit the axial compression of the sealing ring and provide axial support to avoid instability. The support ring can be made of metal, plastic or rubber to adapt to different working conditions.
It extends the overall sealing performance and service life of the sealing assembly, reduces the number of times the sealing assembly needs to be replaced, and is of great significance, especially in nuclear power plant reactors.
Smart Images
Figure CN223894990U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of sealing technology, specifically to an anti-instability sealing component and a sealing device having the sealing component. Background Technology
[0002] C-ring seals are widely used in the sealing connections of pressure vessels. Traditional C-ring seals typically contain a helical spring within their hollow cavity to provide support. During use, the helical spring compresses to provide the necessary sealing load. Under fluctuating bolt loads, the helical spring provides sufficient rebound compensation and sustained load, ensuring that the axial ends of the C-ring seal properly engage with the surfaces to be sealed. However, during installation compression, especially exceeding design compression, the force on the helical spring changes, making it prone to instability and creep. This leads to a sharp drop in the sealing pressure, causing seal failure and reducing the service life of the seal. Utility Model Content
[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide an anti-instability sealing component.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: an anti-instability sealing assembly, the sealing assembly including a sealing ring and a support ring, the sealing ring having a hollow cavity, and the support ring being coaxially disposed in the hollow cavity to limit the axial compression of the sealing ring.
[0005] In some embodiments, the sealing ring includes a C-ring and a spring disposed in the C-ring, the spring being annular, and the support ring being coaxially disposed in the spring.
[0006] In some embodiments, the sealing ring is an O-ring.
[0007] In some embodiments, the outer contour of the cross-section of the support ring is circular, and the diameter of the support ring is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow cavity.
[0008] In some embodiments, the support ring is a solid ring, or the support ring is a hollow ring.
[0009] In some embodiments, the support ring is a solid ring made of metal, plastic or rubber; and / or, the diameter of the support ring remains unchanged during the axial compression of the sealing assembly.
[0010] In some embodiments, the sealing assembly has a first state and a second state. In the first state, the sealing assembly is not compressed axially, and at least one axial end of the support ring has a gap with the hollow cavity of the sealing ring. In the second state, the sealing assembly is compressed axially, and the two axial ends of the support ring abut against the cavity wall of the hollow cavity, respectively.
[0011] Another objective of this invention is to provide a sealing device comprising a first component and a second component. The first component has a first sealing surface, and the second component has a second sealing surface. An annular groove is formed between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface. The sealing device further comprises an anti-instability sealing component as described above. The sealing component is disposed in the annular groove, and the axial height of the sealing component when not compressed is greater than the height of the annular groove.
[0012] In some embodiments, the support ring is a solid circular ring, the sealing assembly abuts axially between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface, and the diameter of the support ring remains constant.
[0013] In some embodiments, the annular groove is disposed on the first component, and the bottom wall of the annular groove constitutes the first sealing surface; the end face of the second component facing the first component constitutes the second sealing surface, the sealing assembly is axially pressed between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface, and the two axial ends of the sealing ring abut against the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface, respectively.
[0014] Due to the application of the above technical solution, this utility model has the following advantages compared with the prior art: The anti-instability sealing assembly provided in this utility model embodiment, by setting a support ring in the hollow cavity of the sealing ring, can provide axial support to the sealing ring when it is subjected to excessive axial load, thereby limiting the axial deformation of the sealing ring, preventing the sealing ring from being crushed and deformed, and thus preventing the sealing assembly from becoming unstable. In the sealing device equipped with this sealing assembly, the overall sealing performance and service life of the sealing assembly are extended, and the number of times the sealing assembly needs to be replaced is reduced. Attached Figure Description
[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sealing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the sealing component is an anti-instability sealing component;
[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An enlarged schematic diagram of the sealing assembly at point A, which has not yet been compressed along the axial direction;
[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A magnified schematic diagram of the sealing assembly at point A after it has been compressed axially according to the designed compression amount.
[0019] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A magnified structural diagram of the sealing assembly at point A after it has been compressed axially according to the over-design compression amount.
[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a sealing device that uses a sealing assembly without a support ring.
[0021] Figure 6 for Figure 5 An enlarged schematic diagram of the sealing assembly at point B, which has not yet been compressed along the axial direction;
[0022] Figure 7 for Figure 5 A magnified structural diagram of the sealing assembly at point B after it has been compressed axially according to the designed compression amount.
[0023] Figure 8 for Figure 5 A magnified structural diagram of the sealing assembly at point B after it has been compressed axially according to the over-design compression amount.
[0024] Wherein: 10, first component; 101, annular groove; 102, first end face; 103, first sealing surface; 20, second component; 201, second sealing surface; 30, sealing assembly; 40, axial locking element;
[0025] 1. C-ring; 11. C-ring body; 12. Sealing ring layer; 2. Spring; 3. Support ring. Detailed Implementation
[0026] The technical solution of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, so that the advantages and features of this utility model can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art. Obviously, the embodiments described in this application are only a part of the embodiments, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0027] See Figure 1The sealing device includes a first component 10 and a second component 20. The first component 10 has a first sealing surface 103, and the second component 20 has a second sealing surface 201. An annular groove 101 is formed between the first sealing surface 103 and the second sealing surface 201 for placing a sealing assembly 30, such that the sealing assembly 30 abuts against the first sealing surface 103 and the second sealing surface 201 in the axial direction to form a sealing connection between them.
[0028] In the sealing device provided in this embodiment, the annular groove 101 is integrally disposed on the first component 10, and the bottom wall of the annular groove 101 forms the first sealing surface 103; the end face of the second component 20 facing the first component 10 forms the second sealing surface 201. In this sealing device, the first component 10 and the second component 20 are locked together by an axial locking member 40, so that the sealing assembly 30 is axially compressed to form a sealing connection between the first sealing surface 103 and the second sealing surface 201. The axial locking member 40 is specifically a plurality of locking bolts.
[0029] The anti-instability sealing component 30 used in the sealing device provided by this utility model includes a sealing ring and a support ring 3. The sealing ring has a hollow cavity, and the support ring 3 is coaxially disposed in the hollow cavity to limit the compression of the sealing ring along the axial direction.
[0030] See Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the sealing assembly 30 provided in this embodiment includes a C-shaped ring 1 and a spring 2 disposed in the C-shaped ring 1. The spring 2 is annular and coaxially disposed in the C-shaped ring 1 to provide the necessary sealing load. The support ring 3 is coaxially disposed in the spring 2 to provide support for the spring 2 and to prevent the C-shaped ring 1 and the spring 2 from being crushed when the sealing assembly 30 is subjected to excessive load.
[0031] Specifically, the support ring 3 is a solid circular ring, which is not easily deformed when compressed and can provide stable and reliable support along the axial direction. In some other embodiments, the support ring 3 can also be a hollow circular ring. This structure has a slightly lower load-bearing capacity than the solid structure and requires more calculations during design.
[0032] In this embodiment, the outer contour of the cross section of the support ring 3 is circular, and the diameter of the support ring 3 is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow cavity of the sealing ring, which is smaller than the inner diameter of the spring 2. When the sealing assembly 30 is not compressed axially, there is a gap between at least one shaft end of the support ring 3 and the spring 2, ensuring that the spring 2 can be compressed and deformed in the axial direction to provide a sealing load.
[0033] The material of the support ring 3 can be determined according to the operating conditions of the sealing assembly 30. Specifically, it can be a solid ring made of metal, plastic, or rubber. For example, a metal support ring 3 is used in high-temperature conditions, while a plastic or rubber support ring is used in normal or low-temperature conditions. During assembly of the sealing assembly 30, the support ring 3 is inserted into the spring 2 before the spring 2 is welded. Then, the spring 2 with the support ring 3 after welding is placed into the C-ring 1 to complete the assembly of the sealing assembly 30.
[0034] Spring 2 is preferably made of a high-temperature nickel-based alloy; C-ring 1 includes a C-ring body 11 and a sealing ring layer 12 covering the outer periphery of the C-ring body 11, wherein the C-ring body 11 is made of a temperature-resistant and corrosion-resistant material, and the sealing ring layer 12 is a flexible metal such as silver or nickel. During the axial compression of the sealing assembly 30, spring 2 undergoes compressive deformation to provide the necessary sealing load, and spring 2 provides sufficient rebound compensation and continuous load under load fluctuation; C-ring body 11 paves the discontinuous load between springs 2 into a continuous sealing load; sealing ring layer 12 undergoes plastic deformation during compression, and engages with the sealing surface to create a sealing effect.
[0035] The sealing assembly 30 is used in a sealing device. When the height of the annular groove 101 matches the design compression amount of the sealing assembly 30, the compression amount of the sealing assembly 30 is guaranteed by the depth of the annular groove 101. Specifically, when the sealing assembly 30 is initially installed into the annular groove 101, as... Figure 2 As shown, the sealing assembly 30 is in the first state before being compressed along the axial direction, and the height of the sealing assembly 30 is the initial height, which is greater than the height h1 of the annular groove 101. At this time, there is a gap between the first end face 102 and the second sealing surface 201. When the first component 10 and the second component 20 are locked and fixed along the axial direction by the axial locking member 40, when the axial compressive force reaches the maximum, the first end face 102 and the second sealing surface 201 abut against each other along the axial direction, and the two cannot move relative to each other further along the axial direction. At this time, the sealing assembly 30 is compressed between the first sealing surface 103 and the second sealing surface 201 and the axial deformation reaches the maximum. At this time, the sealing assembly 30 is in the second state. The two axial ends of the C-ring 1 form a seal with the first sealing surface 103 and the second sealing surface 201 respectively. The spring 2 deforms along the axial direction, and its cross section is converted into an ellipse. At this time, although the two axial ends of the support ring 3 abut against the spring 2 respectively, the support ring 3 does not need to play a role.
[0036] However, if the depth of the annular groove 101 in the sealing device becomes too shallow due to material deformation or wear after a period of use, or if the depth of the annular groove 101 was initially designed to be too shallow, then in this situation, such as Figure 3As shown, the height h2 of the annular groove 101 is less than the height h1 mentioned above. When the first component 10 and the second component 20 are axially locked and fixed by the axial locking member 40, under the action of the applied axial compressive force, when the deformation of the sealing assembly 30 reaches the preset design amount, under the support of the support ring 3, the diameter of the support ring 3 remains constant during the above process. The spring 2 and the C-ring 1 cannot continue to be compressed and deformed axially, so that the sealing assembly 30 cannot continue to be compressed and deformed. At this time, although there is a gap between the first end face 102 and the second sealing surface 201, the two axial ends of the sealing assembly 30 form a sealing contact with the first sealing surface 103 and the second sealing surface 201, respectively. The sealing assembly 30 can remain constant for a long time without being crushed. At the same time, it also increases the contact area between the sealing ring layer 12 of the C-ring 1 and the first sealing surface 103 and the second sealing surface 201, ensuring the reliability of the seal. After the medium pressure in the sealing device is removed, the C-ring 1 can recover to its original size to the maximum extent and maintain good resilience performance.
[0037] And see Figures 5 to 8 As shown, if the support ring 3 is not provided in the sealing assembly 30, and the height of the annular groove 101 matches the design compression of the sealing assembly 30, the sealing assembly 30 can normally form a seal between the first sealing surface 103 and the second sealing surface 201; however, once the height of the annular groove 101 is reduced to h2, the sealing assembly 30 is easily crushed under the action of axial compressive force, such as... Figure 8 As shown, this causes seal failure.
[0038] In other embodiments, the sealing ring in the sealing assembly 30 can also be an O-ring, that is, the support ring 3 is pre-filled in the hollow cavity of the O-ring, which can also limit the amount of compression of the O-ring along the axial direction and prevent the O-ring from being crushed.
[0039] In summary, the anti-instability sealing assembly provided by this utility model embodiment, by setting a support ring 3 inside the hollow cavity of the sealing ring, can provide axial support to the sealing ring when it is subjected to excessive axial load, thereby limiting the axial deformation of the sealing ring and preventing it from being crushed and deformed, thus preventing instability of the sealing assembly 30. When the sealing ring adopts the combination of a C-shaped ring 1 and a spring 2, the addition of a support ring 3 inside the spring 2 can also suppress the creep relaxation expansion of the spring 2 when alternating compression displacement occurs, thereby maintaining the sealing specific pressure and extending the overall sealing performance and service life of the sealing assembly. This is of greater significance for applications such as nuclear power plant reactors where the cost of replacing seals is very high.
[0040] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of this utility model, and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this utility model and implement it accordingly. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and essence of this utility model should be included within the scope of protection of this utility model.
Claims
1. An anti-instability sealing assembly, characterized in that, The sealing assembly includes a sealing ring and a support ring. The sealing ring has a hollow cavity, and the support ring is coaxially disposed in the hollow cavity to limit the axial compression of the sealing ring.
2. The anti-instability sealing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing ring includes a C-shaped ring and a spring disposed in the C-shaped ring. The spring is annular, and the support ring is coaxially disposed in the spring.
3. The anti-instability sealing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing ring is an O-ring.
4. The anti-instability sealing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer contour of the cross-section of the support ring is circular, and the diameter of the support ring is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow cavity.
5. The anti-instability sealing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support ring is a solid circular ring, or the support ring is a hollow circular ring.
6. The anti-instability sealing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support ring is a solid circular ring made of metal, plastic or rubber; and / or, the diameter of the support ring remains unchanged during the axial compression of the sealing assembly.
7. The anti-instability sealing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing assembly has a first state and a second state. In the first state, the sealing assembly is not compressed along the axial direction, and at least one axial end of the support ring has a gap with the hollow cavity of the sealing ring. In the second state, the sealing assembly is compressed along the axial direction, and the two axial ends of the support ring abut against the cavity wall of the hollow cavity, respectively.
8. A sealing device, comprising a first component and a second component, characterized in that: The first component has a first sealing surface, the second component has a second sealing surface, and an annular groove is formed between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface. The sealing device further includes an anti-instability sealing component as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, the sealing component being disposed in the annular groove, and the axial height of the sealing component when not compressed being greater than the height of the annular groove.
9. The sealing device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The support ring is a solid circular ring, and the sealing assembly abuts against the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface along the axial direction. The diameter of the support ring remains constant.
10. The sealing device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The annular groove is provided on the first component, and the bottom wall of the annular groove forms the first sealing surface; the end face of the second component facing the first component forms the second sealing surface, the sealing assembly is axially pressed between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface, and the two axial ends of the sealing ring abut against the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface, respectively.