Gaskets and sealing structures

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of sealing gasket and sealing structure.Sealing gasket is provided with through hole for fluid circulation and the perforation for fastener to pass through.In the ring surface of sealing gasket, the spacing between any point on the hole perimeter of perforation and through hole and any point of inner periphery and outer periphery is within predetermined range.Outside periphery and / or inner periphery is irregular shape.The above-mentioned sealing gasket has good sealing performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a sealing structure that can seal the mating surfaces of docking components, such as those in fluid machinery, and in particular, to a sealing gasket. Background Technology

[0002] In some fluid machinery, sealing structures are often required to prevent fluid leakage. For example, in turboexpanders, it is often necessary to prevent lubricating oil leakage. Oil seepage into other unused parts can even cause various damages and malfunctions.

[0003] In the shaft sealing structure of a turboexpander, a gasket is often sandwiched between the mating surfaces of the mating structure. This mating structure not only requires fasteners for securing it but also necessitates channels for the gas used for sealing. Therefore, the design of this gasket is particularly complex. In actual use, insufficient sealing often occurs, especially during downtime.

[0004] Therefore, special designs are required for such gaskets and sealing structures to achieve the desired sealing performance. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a sealing gasket and sealing structure that have good sealing performance when used in, for example, the aforementioned turbo expander.

[0006] This invention provides a sealing gasket having an inner periphery and an outer periphery. The sealing gasket is provided with a through hole for fluid flow and a perforation for fasteners to pass through. On the annular surface of the sealing gasket, the distance between any point on the periphery of the perforation and the through hole and any point on the inner and outer peripheries is within a predetermined range. The outer periphery and / or the inner periphery are irregularly shaped.

[0007] In one embodiment, the predetermined range is set such that the ratio of the spacing to the thickness of the sealing gasket is between 5 and 10.

[0008] In one embodiment, the sealing gasket is a continuous monolithic structure on the annular surface. The inner periphery has a regular shape, while the outer periphery has an irregular shape.

[0009] In one embodiment, the gasket includes an inner ring portion. The inner ring portion is an annular ring with both an inner and outer ring edges being circular. The inner ring edge is the inner periphery of the gasket. The gasket also includes a plurality of protrusions extending radially outward from the outer ring edge of the inner ring portion. The plurality of protrusions are circumferentially separated, such that the outer edges of the plurality of protrusions located radially outward and the plurality of segments of the outer ring edge together constitute the outer periphery.

[0010] In one embodiment, the sealing gasket has through holes and perforations in multiple protrusions, with each perforation fully disposed in a protrusion and each through hole at least partially disposed in a protrusion. Each protrusion has one or two through holes and perforations. The outer edge of each protrusion includes an arcuate segment at least partially surrounding the through hole or perforation, and also includes straight segments protruding from the inner ring and parallel to each other.

[0011] In one implementation, the sealing gasket is integral.

[0012] This invention provides a sealing structure for sealing the mating surfaces of a mating assembly. The mating assembly includes a pair of components that are mated together by means of mating surfaces and fastened together by fasteners. The pair of components have fluid channels communicating through the mating surfaces. The sealing structure includes the aforementioned sealing gasket, which is disposed between the mating surfaces of the pair of components. The fasteners that fasten the pair of components together pass through a perforation in the sealing gasket, and the fluid channels of the pair of components communicate through the perforation in the sealing gasket.

[0013] In one embodiment, the mating surface of the first component of the aforementioned pair of components fully abuts the sealing gasket in the radial direction, while the mating surface of the second component of the pair of components partially abuts the sealing gasket in the radial direction, thus the sealing gasket has an annular overhang portion extending beyond the mating surface of the second component. The sealing structure further includes a support ring for supporting the annular overhang portion. The support ring has a support surface that supplements the mating surface of the second component in abutting the annular overhang portion.

[0014] In one embodiment, the second component has a receiving space, and the receiving space has a protruding structure that protrudes toward the sealing gasket. The support ring has a slot on its back side opposite to the support surface, whereby the support ring is installed in the receiving space by engaging the protruding structure through the slot.

[0015] In one embodiment, the annular suspended portion is the part where the sealing gasket is located radially inward, and the receiving space of the second component is a receiving hole with a peripheral wall. The outer annular wall of the support ring abuts against the peripheral wall of the receiving hole. The sealing structure also includes at least one sealing ring disposed between the outer annular wall of the support ring and the peripheral wall of the receiving hole for sealing. The outer annular wall of the support ring is provided with an annular groove to receive the sealing ring.

[0016] The aforementioned gasket incorporates channels for both fluid and fastener passage, making it suitable for use in cryogenic turboexpanders. In this gasket and sealing structure, the spacing is set within a predetermined range to ensure that the spacing is not too small, which would result in insufficient sealing performance in areas with insufficient spacing, while also avoiding excessive spacing that would minimize the contact area between the gasket and the mating surface, thereby enhancing the tightening effect. This allows the outer and / or inner peripheries of the gasket to be shaped irregularly. Therefore, by deviating from conventional design principles, both tightening and sealing effects can be enhanced. Consequently, the aforementioned gasket and sealing structure can achieve excellent sealing performance. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The advantages and spirit of this utility model can be further understood through the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a plan view showing an exemplary sealing gasket according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view showing an exemplary sealing structure according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 2 A partially enlarged view of the support ring of the central sealing structure. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The specific embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that this utility model is not limited to the embodiments described below, and the technical concept of this utility model can be implemented in combination with other known technologies or functions, or with other technologies that are the same as those known technologies.

[0022] For example, if the first feature described subsequently in the specification is formed above or on the second feature, this can include embodiments where the first and second features are formed by direct connection, or embodiments where an additional feature is formed between the first and second features, so that the first and second features are not directly connected. Furthermore, when the first element is described in a manner connected or combined with the second element, the description includes embodiments where the first and second elements are directly connected or combined with each other, as well as embodiments where one or more other intervening elements are incorporated to indirectly connect or combine the first and second elements with each other.

[0023] It is understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and do not refer to a limitation on time sequence, quantity, or importance. They should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated, but are merely used to distinguish one technical feature from another in this technical solution. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "multiple" means two or more (i.e., more than two), unless otherwise explicitly specified. Similarly, qualifiers such as "a" appearing in the text do not refer to a limitation on quantity, but rather describe technical features not previously mentioned. Likewise, unless a noun is modified by a specific quantifier, the text should be considered to include both singular and plural forms; the technical solution may include either a singular or plural number of that technical feature.

[0024] Figure 1 The construction of the sealing gasket 1 is illustrated exemplarily, with the gray area representing the planar construction of the sealing gasket 1. The sealing gasket 1 has an inner periphery 13 and an outer periphery 14. The sealing gasket 1 is provided with a through hole 21 for fluid flow and a through hole 22 for fasteners to pass through. It is understood that the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily drawn to scale, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model. In essence, both the through hole 21 and the through hole 22 are channels that completely penetrate along the thickness direction T1 of the sealing gasket 1, but are used as different names for the sake of distinction in description.

[0025] Figure 1 In the diagram, the sealing gasket 1 has a near-annular structure, showing eight through holes 21 and eight perforations 22. The through holes 21 have a slightly larger diameter than the perforations 22 and are located inside the perforations 22 in the radial direction R1. Furthermore, the centers of the eight through holes 21 are all located on a small circle and are evenly distributed circumferentially along C1, while the centers of the eight perforations 22 are all located on a large circle concentric with the aforementioned small circle and are evenly distributed circumferentially along C1. Moreover, the through holes 21 and perforations 22 are staggered in the circumferential direction C1, meaning that no through holes 21 and perforations 22 lie on the same radial line extending radially along R1. The terms "radial direction R1" and "circumferential direction C1" mentioned in the text are relative to the sealing gasket 1. When the sealing gasket 1 is not a near-annular structure, "radial" can essentially refer to a radiating direction from the center outwards.

[0026] On the annular surface M1 of the sealing gasket 1 (that is, Figure 1On the paper, the distance d1 between any point, such as P2 or P1, around the perforation 22 and through hole 21 and any point, such as P3 or P4, on the inner periphery 13 and outer periphery 14 is within a predetermined range r1. The outer periphery 14 and / or the inner periphery 13 are irregularly shaped. For example, the distance d1 is 5 to 10 mm.

[0027] It is understood that "irregular shape" refers to any shape other than regular shapes such as circles, ellipses, rectangles (including squares), and regular polygons. It is also understood that the term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. Unless otherwise stated, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood in the art to which this invention pertains. It should also be understood that terms, such as those defined in common dictionaries, should be understood to have the same meaning as they have in the context of this specification and the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly stated herein. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail.

[0028] In the aforementioned sealing gasket 1, the spacing d1 is kept within a predetermined range r1, that is, the spacing d1 is ensured to be between the upper limit value sr and the lower limit value xr of the predetermined range r1. This ensures that the spacing d1 is not too small, resulting in insufficient sealing performance, and is not too large, thus not increasing the sealing area of ​​the sealing gasket 1 (i.e., the area of ​​the sealing gasket 1 on the annular surface M1). This arrangement allows the outer perimeter 14 and / or the inner perimeter 13 to not have to be in a regular shape as in conventional designs. By cutting off the unnecessary parts while ensuring that the spacing d1 is sufficient, this deviates from conventional design and can actually enhance the fastening and sealing effect by reducing the contact area.

[0029] The aforementioned predetermined range r1 is set such that the aforementioned spacing d1 and the thickness dt of the sealing gasket 1 (in Figure 2 The ratio rd of the dimensions (in the thickness direction T1 shown) is between 5 and 10. It is understood that unless otherwise stated, descriptions such as "above," "below," "within," "at least," and "at most" include the corresponding numerical value, and when describing a range, endpoint values ​​may be included. Descriptions such as "higher than," "lower than," "more than," and "less than" do not include the corresponding numerical value. Similarly, modifiers such as "approximately" or "about" preceding numerals in the text usually include the number itself, and their specific meaning should be understood in conjunction with the context. For example, a spacing d1 within a predetermined range r1 means that the spacing d1 can be equal to the upper limit sr within the predetermined range r1 that makes the ratio rd 10 or the lower limit xr that makes the ratio rd 5.

[0030] like Figure 1As shown, the sealing gasket 1 can be a continuous whole on the annular surface M1. That is, the sealing gasket 1 is a continuous planar shape on the annular surface M1, rather than being composed of multiple broken planar shapes spliced ​​together or even separately combined. The inner perimeter 13 can be a regular shape. Figure 1 The center is circular. The outer perimeter 14 can be an irregular shape. Figure 1 In the middle, a closed shape of multiple irregular curves is connected by discrete circular arc segments 141.

[0031] Figure 1 In this design, the sealing gasket 1 may include an inner ring portion 11. The inner ring portion 11 is an annular ring in which both the inner ring edge 111 and the outer ring edge 112 are circular. The inner ring edge 111 is the inner periphery 13 of the sealing gasket 1. The sealing gasket 1 also includes a plurality of protrusions 12 extending outward from the outer ring edge 112 of the inner ring portion 11 along the radial direction R1. As mentioned earlier, the sealing gasket 1 is a continuous whole on the annular surface M1. Therefore, the inner ring portion 11 and the protrusions 12 do not have solid edges. Instead, for ease of description, the sealing gasket 1 is divided into these two parts. Thus, the outer ring edge 112 can be considered as being composed of... Figure 1 The outer perimeter 14 is shown as a circular line formed by a plurality of discrete arc segments 141. In other words, in addition to including a plurality of discrete arc segments 141, the outer ring edge 112 also includes connecting arc segments that should exist between every two adjacent arc segments 141 to form an overall circular line, such as the dashed arc segments 142 shown by example, although such connecting arc segments are only imaginary lines and not physical boundary lines.

[0032] Figure 1 In this process, the aforementioned plurality of protruding portions 12 can be separated along the circumferential direction C1. Therefore, the outer edge 16 of the aforementioned plurality of protruding portions 12 located on the radially outer side and the plurality of arc segments 141 of the outer ring edge 112 of the inner ring portion 11 together constitute the outer periphery.

[0033] The sealing gasket 1 has through holes 21 and perforations 22, both of which are provided on the plurality of protrusions 12. Each perforation 22 is completely provided on the protrusion 12, that is, the periphery of each perforation 22 is completely located on the protrusion 12. Each through hole 21 is at least partially provided on the protrusion 12, for example... Figure 1 Most of the periphery of the through hole 21 is located within the protrusion 12, however, a small portion of the periphery is located within the inner ring 11. Each protrusion 12 is provided with one or both of the through hole 21 and the perforation 22. For example... Figure 1 As shown, protrusion 12a, as an example of protrusion 12, is provided with a through hole 22; protrusion 12b, as another example, is provided with a through hole 21; and protrusion 12c, as yet another example, is provided with both a through hole 22 and a through hole 21.

[0034] Taking the protruding portion 12c as an example, the outer edge 16 of the protruding portion 12 includes arc-shaped segments 161 and 162 that at least partially surround the through hole 21 or the perforation 22, and also includes two straight segments 163 that protrude from the inner ring portion 11 and are parallel to each other. Overall, the protruding portion 12c is a type of gourd shape.

[0035] Figure 1 In this design, the sealing gasket 1 is a single piece. Compared to the prior art where the sealing gasket is made of multiple layers of sealing sheets stacked in the thickness direction T1, the sealing gasket 1 is integrally formed (or, monolithic), which can significantly enhance the sealing effect.

[0036] Figure 2 The sealing structure 10 is shown. Compared to Figure 1 , Figure 2 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view taken along the meridional plane of the sealing gasket 1 (i.e., the plane passing through the central axis). The front-to-back direction is the thickness direction T1 of the sealing gasket 1 mentioned earlier, while the upward direction is the radial direction R1 of the sealing gasket 1. The sealing structure 10 is used to seal the mating surface 30 of the mating assembly 3. The mating assembly 3 includes a pair of parts 4 that are mated together via the mating surfaces 30 and fastened together by fasteners 8. The aforementioned pair of parts 4 have fluid channels 44 that communicate through the mating.

[0037] Figure 2 In this configuration, the sealing structure 10 includes the aforementioned sealing gasket 1. The sealing gasket 1 is disposed between the mating surfaces 30 of the aforementioned pair of components 4.

[0038] The fastener 8, which secures the pair of components 4 together, passes through the perforation 22 of the sealing gasket 1. The fluid passage 44 of the pair of components 4 passes through the through-hole 21 (not shown) of the sealing gasket 1. Figure 2 In, can be combined Figure 1 Connect. Fastener 8 is, for example, a screw.

[0039] Figure 2 In the aforementioned pair of components 4, the mating surface 30 of the first component 4a completely abuts against the sealing gasket 1 in the radial direction R1. That is, the mating surface 30 of the first component 4a substantially covers the sealing gasket 1. Figure 1 The irregularly shaped torus M1 is shown.

[0040] The mating surface 30 of the second component 4b in the aforementioned pair of components 4 partially abuts against the sealing gasket 1 in the radial direction R1, so that the sealing gasket 1 has an annular suspended portion 15 that extends beyond the mating surface 30 of the second component 4b.

[0041] like Figure 2As shown, the sealing structure 10 also includes a support ring 5 for supporting the annular suspended portion 15. The support ring 5 has a support surface 55 that abuts against the annular suspended portion 15 relative to the mating surface 30 of the second component 4b. Figure 3 (Also shown in the text). Figure 3 An example of a partially enlarged structure of the support ring 5 is shown.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the second component 4b has a receiving space S4, and the receiving space S4 has a protruding structure 6 protruding toward the sealing gasket 1. Figure 2 In the middle, the protruding structure 6 is the screw head that protrudes into the accommodating space S4.

[0043] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 The support ring 5 has a slot 58 on its back side 56 opposite to the support surface 55, thereby the support ring 5 is installed in the accommodating space S4 by engaging the protruding structure 6 through the slot 58.

[0044] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 The annular suspended portion 15 is the part of the sealing gasket 1 located on the radial inner side.

[0045] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 The accommodating space S4 of the second component 4b has a hole peripheral wall 45 ( Figure 3 The receiving hole (shown in the figure). The outer ring wall 54 of the support ring 5 abuts against the peripheral wall 45 of the receiving hole (as receiving space S4).

[0046] Continue to combine Figure 2 and Figure 3 The sealing structure 10 may further include at least one sealing ring 7, which is disposed between the outer annular wall 54 of the support ring 5 and the peripheral wall 45 of the aforementioned receiving hole for sealing. Further, the outer annular wall 54 of the support ring 5 is provided with an annular groove 57 to accommodate the sealing ring 7.

[0047] Sealant can be applied to other joints between the support ring 5 and the sealing gasket 1, or even to the entire support surface 55, for further sealing, such as using a sealant with a wide temperature tolerance range. The sealing gasket 1 itself can be made of modified PTFE material, such as modified polytetrafluoroethylene, to have stable chemical and physical properties.

[0048] As an example, the sealing structure 10 described above is particularly suitable for the shaft seal structure of a cryogenic turbine expander. The through hole 21 is through which purge gas flows, and by setting the sealing structure 10 described above, lubricating oil can be prevented from entering the through hole 21 or leaking to other parts of the expander.

[0049] Unless otherwise clearly indicated, each aspect or embodiment defined herein may be combined with any other aspect or embodiment. In particular, any feature indicated as preferred or advantageous may be combined with any other feature indicated as preferred or advantageous.

[0050] The embodiments described in this specification are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. All technical solutions that can be obtained by those skilled in the art based on the concept of the present invention through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experimentation should be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sealing gasket having an inner periphery and an outer periphery, said sealing gasket being provided with a through hole for fluid flow and a through hole for fasteners to pass through, characterized in that, On the annular surface of the sealing gasket, the distance between any point on the periphery of the perforation and the through hole and any point on the inner periphery and the outer periphery is within a predetermined range, wherein the outer periphery and / or the inner periphery is irregular in shape.

2. The sealing gasket as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The predetermined range is set such that the ratio of the spacing to the thickness of the sealing gasket is between 5 and 10.

3. The sealing gasket as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sealing gasket is a continuous integral on the annular surface; The inner periphery has a regular shape, while the outer periphery has an irregular shape.

4. The sealing gasket as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The sealing gasket includes an inner ring portion, which is a circular ring with both the inner and outer ring edges being circular, and the inner ring edge is the inner periphery of the sealing gasket; The sealing gasket also includes a plurality of protrusions extending radially outward from the outer ring edge of the inner ring portion. The plurality of protrusions are circumferentially separated, and thus, the outer edges of the plurality of protrusions located radially outward and the plurality of segments of the outer ring edge together constitute the outer periphery.

5. The sealing gasket as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The through hole and the perforation of the sealing gasket are both provided on the plurality of protrusions, each perforation is completely provided on the protrusion, and each through hole is at least partially provided on the protrusion, wherein each protrusion is provided with one or two of the through hole and the perforation; The outer edges of the protrusions each include at least a portion of an arcuate segment surrounding the through hole or the perforation, and also include straight segments protruding from the inner ring and parallel to each other.

6. The sealing gasket as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing gasket is a single piece.

7. A sealing structure for sealing the mating surfaces of a mating assembly, the mating assembly comprising a pair of components mating together and fastened together by fasteners, the pair of components having a fluid channel communicating through the mating surface, characterized in that, The sealing structure includes a sealing gasket as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, the sealing gasket being disposed between the mating surfaces of the pair of components; The fasteners that fasten the pair of components together pass through the perforations of the gasket, and the fluid passages of the pair of components are connected through the through-holes of the gasket.

8. The sealing structure as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The mating surface of the first component of the pair of components is in complete radial contact with the sealing gasket, while the mating surface of the second component of the pair of components is in partial radial contact with the sealing gasket, thus the sealing gasket has an annular overhang portion extending beyond the mating surface of the second component. The sealing structure further includes a support ring for supporting the annular suspended portion, wherein the support ring has a mating surface relative to the second component that supplements the support surface of the annular suspended portion.

9. The sealing structure as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The second component has a receiving space, and the receiving space has a protruding structure that protrudes toward the sealing gasket; The support ring has a slot on its back side opposite to the support surface, thereby allowing the support ring to engage with the protruding structure and be installed in the receiving space.

10. The sealing structure as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The annular suspended portion is the part of the sealing gasket located on the radially inner side, and the accommodating space of the second component is an accommodating hole with a peripheral wall; The outer ring wall of the support ring abuts against the peripheral wall of the receiving hole; The sealing structure further includes at least one sealing ring, which is disposed between the outer ring wall of the support ring and the peripheral wall of the receiving hole for sealing purposes; The outer ring wall of the support ring is provided with an annular groove to accommodate the sealing ring.

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