Sealing member, sealing structure

Abstract

To provide a sealing member that can suppress corrosion of the contact surface between the member and the concave sealing groove. [Solution] An elastomer sealing member 40 is disposed between a first member 20 having a concave sealing groove 22 and a second member 30 facing the first member 20, the sealing member 40 having a top portion 41 that contacts the second member 30, a pair of legs 43 that contact the groove bottom 24 of the sealing groove 22 and are spaced apart in the cross-sectional width direction, and a projection 44 that is located between the pair of legs 43 and forms an opening groove 45 between the pair of legs 43.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing member and a sealing structure.

Background Art

[0002] As an example of a sealing member that seals between two constituent members fixed with bolts or the like in a structure, a gasket as described in Patent Document 1 is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The constituent member to which the sealing member is applied may be formed of a material that is easily corroded by salt water, such as an aluminum-based metal material. In this case, when the contact surface of the constituent member with the sealing member corrodes, the sealing performance of the structure deteriorates. As a method for suppressing the corrosion of the constituent member, surface treatment of the constituent member, such as anodizing treatment for an aluminum member, is known. However, the surface treatment of the constituent member has a great influence on the man-hours and cost in the manufacture of the structure. In particular, when the outer shape of the constituent member has a complex shape due to a concave sealing groove or the like, the man-hours and cost of the surface treatment of the structural member increase as compared with the case where the outer shape has a simple shape (for example, a uniform flat plate). Therefore, the sealing member is required to have a function capable of suppressing the corrosion of the contact surface of the constituent member with the sealing member in the state where it is assembled to the structure.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a sealing member capable of suppressing the corrosion of the contact surface with a concave sealing groove.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A first aspect of this disclosure is an elastomer sealing member disposed between a first member having a concave sealing groove and a second member facing the first member. The sealing member is The top portion that contacts the second member, A pair of legs that contact the bottom of the seal groove and are spaced apart in the cross-sectional width direction, A projection located between the pair of legs and forming an opening groove between itself and the pair of legs, It has.

[0007] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a first member having a seal groove having a pair of groove walls and a groove bottom provided between the pair of groove walls, A second member facing the seal groove and capable of being assembled to the first member, The sealing structure has an elastomer sealing member disposed between the seal groove and the second member. The sealing member is The top portion that contacts the second member, A bottom portion that contacts the groove bottom, which seals the space between the pair of groove walls and the groove bottom when the first member and the second member are assembled, and forms a plurality of spaces arranged in the cross-sectional width direction between itself and the groove bottom, It has. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a sealing member capable of suppressing corrosion of the contact surface with a concave sealing groove can be provided.

[0009] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, corrosion of the contact surface between the sealing member and the sealing groove in the sealing structure can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of the sealing member according to the embodiment in an unassembled state. [Figure 2]This is a cross-sectional view of the sealing member according to the embodiment in its assembled state. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing a seal groove according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments relating to this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The scale of the drawings is not necessarily accurate, and some features may be exaggerated or omitted.

[0012] In the following explanation, the direction of a sealing member placed in a seal groove that aligns with the groove depth direction is referred to as the cross-sectional height direction or X direction. The seal groove opens in a single direction in the Cartesian coordinate system. The direction from the center position of the sealing member in the cross-sectional height direction toward the groove bottom is called the -X direction. The direction from the center position of the sealing member in the cross-sectional height direction toward the opposite side of the groove bottom is called the +X direction. For example, when the seal groove opens vertically upward, the +X direction is the vertically upward direction. In addition, in the cross-section of a sealing member placed in a seal groove, the direction that aligns with the groove width direction is called the cross-sectional width direction. In the cross-sectional width direction, the direction toward the center line in the width direction of the cross section is called the inward direction in the cross-sectional width direction. In the cross-sectional width direction, the direction away from the center line in the width direction of the sealing member is called the outward direction in the cross-sectional width direction.

[0013] The sealing member 40 according to the embodiment of this disclosure is applied to a structure (not shown) that is placed in an electric vehicle or the like. The structure is, for example, an electrical device such as an inverter.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the structure 10 according to this embodiment includes a first member 20, a second member 30, and a sealing member 40. The first member 20, the second member 30, and the sealing member 40 constitute a sealing structure 12.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the first member 20 is disposed vertically below the second member 30. That is, the first member 20 is disposed on the -X side with respect to the second member 30. The first member 20 has a first mounting surface 20a and a seal groove 22. The first mounting surface 20a is a planar surface facing the +X side.

[0016] The seal groove 22 is concave with respect to the first mounting surface 20a. As shown in FIG. 3, when the first mounting surface 20a is viewed in plan, the seal groove 22 is substantially rectangular frame-shaped. The corners of the seal groove 22 are rounded. The seal groove 22 has a pair of groove walls 23 and a groove bottom 24. The groove bottom 24 is a frame-shaped planar surface facing the +X side. The groove bottom 24 is concave with respect to the first mounting surface 20a. The distance from the first mounting surface 20a to the groove bottom 24 is referred to as the groove depth HG. The groove walls 23 extend in the groove depth direction so as to connect the groove bottom 24 and the first mounting surface 20a. The pair of groove walls 23 face each other in the groove width direction. The distance between the pair of groove walls 23 is referred to as the groove width WG.

[0017] The first member 20 is formed of an aluminum-based metal material. The aluminum-based metal material includes a pure aluminum-based material and an aluminum-based alloy. The first member 20 is not subjected to a surface treatment such as anodic oxidation treatment, that is, the first member 20 is not subjected to a corrosion resistance treatment.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the second member 30 is a flat plate disposed on the +X side with respect to the first member 20. The second member 30 has a second mounting surface 30a. The second mounting surface 30a is a planar surface facing the -X side.

[0019] The second member 30 is formed of an aluminum-based metal material. The aluminum-based metal material includes a pure aluminum-based material and an aluminum-based alloy. The second member 30 is subjected to a surface treatment such as anodic oxidation treatment, that is, the second member 30 has corrosion resistance. The second member 30 according to the present disclosure is not limited to being formed of an aluminum-based metal material as long as it has corrosion resistance. The second member 30 according to the present disclosure may be formed of other metal materials. The second member 30 according to the present disclosure may be formed of a resin material.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the first member 20 and the second member 30 can be assembled as the structure 10 by being fixed to contact each other using fixing means (not shown). The fixing means includes, for example, bolts and / or nuts. At this time, the structure 10 is in an assembled state. In the assembled state, the first mounting surface 20a of the first member 20 and the second mounting surface 30a of the second member 30 contact each other. At this time, a closed space surrounded by the seal groove 22 of the first member 20 and the second mounting surface 30a of the second member 30 is referred to as a groove space CS. FIG. 1 shows the first member 20 and the second member 30 not fixed by the fixing means. At this time, the structure 10 is in a non-assembled state. Note that the structure 10 according to the present disclosure may have a structure in which the first mounting surface 20a and the second mounting surface 30a are in an assembled state while being separated from each other.

[0021] The structure 10 is used in an environment with a lot of moisture (salt water) containing chlorides such as sodium chloride and / or calcium chloride. Therefore, in the assembled structure 10, salt water may enter between the first mounting surface 20a of the first member 20 and the second mounting surface 30a of the second member 30.

[0022] <Sealing member 40> The sealing member 40 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the seal groove 22 of the first member 20 and the second member 30. The sealing member 40 has a substantially rectangular frame shape corresponding to the seal groove 22. The sealing member 40 extends along the seal groove 22. In the unassembled state shown in Figure 1, the sealing member 40 positioned between the first member 20 and the second member 30 is in an undeformed state. When the structure 10 transitions from the unassembled state to the assembled state, the sealing member 40 elastically deforms from its undeformed state as shown in Figure 2 and is housed within the groove space CS. The sealing member 40 shown in Figure 2 is in a deformed state. In the assembled state, the sealing member 40 seals the space between the first member 20 and the second member.

[0023] The sealing member 40 is formed from an elastomer. The elastomer is preferably excellent in water resistance and / or salt resistance. The elastomer is preferably, for example, EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber), acrylic rubber (ACM), nitrile rubber (NBR), or fluororubber (FKM). The sealing member 40 is more preferably formed from EPDM or fluororubber, which has excellent water resistance and / or salt resistance.

[0024] The cross-section of the sealing member 40 is symmetrical with respect to the center line CL, as shown in Figure 1. The center line CL is a hypothetical straight line extending in the direction of the cross-sectional height. In the unassembled state, the length of the sealing member 40 in the width direction of its cross-section is the width of the main body WB. In the unassembled state, the length of the sealing member 40 in the height direction of its cross-section is the height of the main body HB. In the unassembled state, the body width WB is shorter than the groove width WG of the seal groove 22. In the unassembled state, the body height HB is greater than the groove depth HG of the seal groove 22. In the unassembled state, the body height HB is greater than the body width WB. In the unassembled state, the main body height HB is preferably longer than the main body width WB. In the unassembled state, the main body height HB is preferably 3.0 times or less the main body width WB. The sealing member 40 has a top portion 41 and a bottom portion 42.

[0025] The top portion 41 of the sealing member 40 is on the side of the second member 30 (+X side) than the bottom portion 42, which will be described later. The top portion 41 is in contact with the second assembly surface 30a. In the unassembled state, the top portion 41 has a roughly isosceles triangular cross-sectional shape that widens toward the groove bottom 24 side with the second assembly surface 30a side as the tip. The top portion 41 has a single tip portion 41a relative to the second assembly surface 30a. In the unassembled state, the tip portion 41a is preferably arc-shaped in cross-sectional view. As shown in Figure 2, the top portion 41 seals the space between itself and the second assembly surface 30a in the assembled state. The top portion 41 further has a connecting portion 46.

[0026] The connecting portion 46 connects the outer surface of the top portion 41 and the outer surface of the bottom portion 42. In the unassembled state shown in Figure 1, the connecting portion 46 is inclined with respect to the cross-sectional height direction. In a cross-sectional view in the unassembled state, the connecting portion 46 is substantially parabolic, with the tip portion 41a as its apex and extending toward the outer surface of the bottom portion 42. In other words, in the unassembled state, the connecting portion 46 is convex outward in the cross-sectional width direction from the imaginary line segment that connects the tip portion 41a and the leg portion 43 (described later) by the shortest distance.

[0027] The bottom portion 42 is on the groove bottom 24 side (-X side) of the sealing member 40, relative to the top portion 41. The bottom portion 42 is in contact with the sealing groove 22. In cross-sectional view, the bottom portion 42 is the end of the sealing member 40 opposite to the top portion 41. As shown in Figure 2, the bottom portion 42 seals the space between the pair of groove walls 23 and the groove bottom 24 in the assembled state. The bottom portion 42 has a pair of legs 43, a protruding portion 44, and a pair of opening grooves 45.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the legs 43 are provided in pairs at each of the ends on both sides in the cross-sectional width direction of the base 42. The pair of legs 43 are spaced apart in the cross-sectional width direction. In other words, the legs 43 protrude toward the groove bottom 24 from each of the two corners aligned on the bottom side of the top 41, which is approximately triangular in cross-sectional view. Preferably, the legs 43 protrude further outward in the cross-sectional width direction relative to the top 41. The leg portion 43 is in contact with the groove bottom 24 when not assembled. Preferably, the leg portion 43 is spaced apart from the groove wall 23 when not assembled. The leg portion 43 is connected to the tip portion 41a by a connecting portion 46. In other words, the connecting portion 46 extends from the tip portion 41a toward the leg portion 43. As shown in Figure 2, when the sealing member 40 deforms in the assembled state, the leg portion 43 further contacts the groove wall 23. At this time, the leg portion 43 seals the space between itself and the groove bottom 24. At this time, the leg portion 43 further seals the space between itself and the groove wall 23.

[0029] The projection 44 is provided between a pair of leg portions 43, as shown in Figure 1. The projection 44 protrudes toward the groove bottom 24 from the base of the apex 41, which is approximately triangular in cross-sectional view. The projection 44 has an opposing surface 44a. The opposing surface 44a faces the groove bottom 24. The protruding portion 44 is spaced apart from the groove bottom 24 when not assembled. In other words, in the cross-sectional height direction, the amount of protrusion of the protruding portion 44 relative to the top 41 is smaller than the amount of protrusion of the leg portion 43 relative to the top 41. The protruding portion 44 forms a gap GB between itself and the groove bottom 24 when not assembled. As shown in Figure 2, when the sealing member 40 deforms in the assembled state, the protruding portion 44 makes surface contact with the groove bottom 24 at the opposing surface 44a. At this time, the protruding portion 44 seals the space between itself and the groove bottom 24.

[0030] The opening grooves 45 are provided in pairs between the protruding portion 44 and the pair of leg portions 43. In other words, the pair of opening grooves 45 are formed to be sandwiched between the protruding portion 44 and the pair of leg portions 43. The opening grooves 45 open toward the groove bottom 24. The pair of opening grooves 45 are connected by a gap GB in the unassembled state, as shown in Figure 1. The opening groove 45 has an inclined surface 45a.

[0031] The inclined surface 45a extends from the open end on the leg portion 43 side toward the bottom side of the opening groove 45 (i.e., toward the second member 30 side). In a cross-sectional view, the inclined surface 45a is inclined with respect to the cross-sectional height direction. In a cross-sectional view, the inclined surface 45a extends inward in the cross-sectional width direction as it moves toward the second member 30 side. In other words, the inclined surface 45a is inclined to extend from the open end on the leg portion 43 side toward the tip portion 41a side. The inclined surface 45a is part of the surface of the leg portion 43 that faces the groove bottom 24 side.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, when the sealing member 40 deforms in the assembled state, the opening groove 45 forms a space GS between itself and the groove bottom 24. In other words, the bottom portion 42 forms two spaces GS between itself and the groove bottom 24 in the assembled state. The two spaces GS are aligned in the cross-sectional width direction, with the protruding portion 44 in between. Each space GS is surrounded by the leg portion 43, the protruding portion 44, and the groove bottom 24. The length of the space GS in the cross-sectional height direction is preferably 0.05 mm or more.

[0033] (Mechanism of Action and Effects) Next, the operation and effects of the sealing member 40 of the embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 2, in the assembled structure 10, an assembly gap (not shown) is formed between the first assembly surface 20a and the second assembly surface 30a. If saltwater enters this assembly gap and reaches the seal groove 22, the saltwater slowly enters through the minute gap (not shown) between the seal member 40 and the seal groove 22 by capillary action. That is, the saltwater that reaches the seal member 40 from the assembly gap slowly enters and accumulates in the minute gaps formed between the groove wall 23 and the leg portion 43, and / or between the groove bottom 24 and the leg portion 43. Furthermore, the saltwater that enters between the groove bottom 24 and the leg portion 43 slowly enters and accumulates in the minute gaps formed between the groove bottom 24 and the protrusion portion 44. These minute gaps are smaller than the space GS. The saltwater that accumulates in the minute gaps accelerates the corrosion of the groove wall 23 and groove bottom 24, which are made of aluminum-based metal material that has not been treated for corrosion resistance. When the groove wall 23 and groove bottom 24 corrode, the sealing performance around the seal member 40 of the structure 10 deteriorates.

[0034] On the other hand, the sealing member 40 has an opening groove 45 at its bottom 42 between the leg portion 43 and the protruding portion 44. The opening groove 45 forms a space GS between itself and the groove bottom 24 when assembled. When the sealing member 40 forms a space GS when assembled, saltwater that enters the minute gap between the sealing member 40 and the sealing groove 22 remains in the space GS. In this case, the groove bottom 24 is less likely to corrode than when saltwater remains in the minute gap between the sealing member 40 and the sealing groove 22. Furthermore, the sealing member 40 forms two spaces GS between itself and the sealing groove 22. In this case, the groove bottom 24 is less susceptible to corrosion than when the sealing member forms only one space GS between itself and the sealing groove.

[0035] Furthermore, the sealing member 40 contacts the second member 30 with a single tip 41a. The sealing member 40 also contacts the groove bottom 24 with a pair of legs 43. In this case, when the sealing member 40 transitions from an unassembled state to an assembled state, it deforms in a way that makes it difficult to lose its posture. Therefore, when the sealing member 40 deforms in a way that makes it difficult to crush the space GS, it is difficult to crush the space GS. In other words, when the sealing member 40 transitions from an unassembled state to an assembled state, it is easy to deform in a stable posture that ensures the formation of the space GS. Therefore, the sealing member 40 of the sealing structure 12 can effectively suppress corrosion of the contact surface with the concave sealing groove 22. In particular, the first member 20 having the sealing groove 22 is not treated with corrosion-resistant treatment. Even in this case, the sealing member 40 can effectively suppress corrosion of the contact surface with the sealing groove 22.

[0036] The connecting portion 46 is substantially parabolic in cross-sectional view, with the tip portion 41a as the apex and extending toward the pair of leg portions 43. When the sealing member 40 deforms in the assembled state and comes into contact with the groove wall 23, surface pressure is generated between the sealing member 40 and the groove wall 23. The surface pressure between the sealing member 40 and the groove wall 23 in the assembled state is higher than when the connection between the tip portion 41a and each leg portion 43 is linear in cross-sectional view, due to the substantially parabolic shape of the connecting portion 46. Therefore, the sealing member 40 can improve the sealing performance between it and the groove wall 23 in the assembled state.

[0037] The opening groove 45 has an inclined surface 45a. In this case, when the sealing member 40 deforms as it transitions from an unassembled state to an assembled state, the pair of legs 43 tend to deform outward in the cross-sectional width direction. In other words, the sealing member 40, by having an inclined surface 45a, tends to increase the surface pressure between it and the groove wall 23 in the assembled state. Therefore, the sealing member 40 can further improve the sealing performance between it and the groove wall 23 in the assembled state.

[0038] The protruding portion 44 is spaced apart from the groove bottom 24 in the unassembled state. In other words, the protruding portion 44 is not in contact with the groove bottom 24 in the unassembled state. In this case, the protruding portion 44 is not subjected to a reaction force that would occur with contact with the groove bottom 24 in the unassembled state. In this case, when the sealing member 40 deforms as it transitions from the unassembled state to the assembled state, the protruding portion 44 first moves toward the groove bottom 24 to compress the gap GB. In this case, each of the pair of legs 43 is likely to deform outward in the cross-sectional width direction when the sealing member 40 deforms as it transitions from the unassembled state to the assembled state. In other words, because the sealing member 40 is spaced apart from the groove bottom 24 in the unassembled state, it is easy to increase the surface pressure between it and the groove wall 23 in the assembled state. Therefore, the sealing member 40 can further improve the sealing performance between it and the groove wall 23 in the assembled state.

[0039] The protruding portion 44 has an opposing surface 44a. The opposing surface 44a makes surface contact with the groove bottom 24 in the assembled state. In this case, when the sealing member 40 transitions from the unassembled state to the assembled state, it deforms in a way that makes it less likely to lose its orientation. Therefore, with the sealing member 40, deformation can be performed in a more stable position when transitioning from an unassembled state to an assembled state.

[0040] In its unassembled state, the body width WB of the sealing member 40 is shorter than the groove width WG of the sealing groove 22. In this case, when the sealing member 40 is placed in the sealing groove 22, it is not necessary to compress the sealing member 40 in the cross-sectional width direction. Therefore, the sealing member 40 can improve the ease of attachment to the sealing groove 22.

[0041] The length of the space GS in the cross-sectional height direction is 0.05 mm or more. Therefore, with the sealing member 40, when the first member 20 is made of an aluminum-based metal material, corrosion of the contact surface with the sealing groove 22 can be effectively suppressed.

[0042] As described above, an embodiment of the present invention has been explained as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications, changes, and improvements are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0043] The sealing member 40 in the embodiment has a single protrusion 44. However, the sealing member according to the present disclosure may have a plurality of protrusions aligned in the cross-sectional width direction between a pair of leg portions 43. In other words, the sealing member according to the present disclosure may have three or more opening grooves aligned in the cross-sectional width direction. In other words, the sealing member according to the present disclosure may form three or more spaces aligned in the cross-sectional width direction between itself and the bottom of the grooves when assembled.

[0044] In the embodiments described above, the sealing member 40 is applied to electrical equipment such as inverters installed in electric vehicles, etc. However, the application of the sealing member according to this disclosure is not limited to electrical equipment installed in electric vehicles, etc. The sealing member according to this disclosure may be applied to auxiliary equipment of vehicles, general industrial machinery, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, and other general-purpose machinery. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 10 Structure 12 Sealed structure 20 First component 20a First assembly surface 22 Seal groove 23 Ditch wall 24 Groove bottom 30 Second component 40 sealing member 41 Top 41a Tip 42 Bottom 43 Legs 44 Protrusion 44a Opposing surface 45 Opening groove 46 Connection part HB sealing member height WB sealing member width length GS space

Claims

1. An elastomer sealing member is disposed between a first member having a concave sealing groove and a second member facing the first member, The top portion that contacts the second member, A pair of legs that contact the bottom of the seal groove and are spaced apart in the cross-sectional width direction, A projection is provided between the pair of legs and forms an opening groove between the pair of legs, A sealing member having the following characteristics.

2. The aforementioned top is, A single tip portion that contacts the second member, A connecting portion that connects the tip portion and each of the pair of legs, the connecting portion having a substantially parabolic shape in cross-sectional view with the tip portion as the apex and extending toward the pair of legs, A sealing member according to claim 1, having the following characteristics.

3. The sealing member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the opening groove has an inclined surface that, in cross-sectional view, extends from the opening end on the leg side toward the tip side.

4. The sealing member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, in the non-assembled state, the protruding portion is spaced apart from the bottom of the groove.

5. The sealing member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the protruding portion has a facing surface that faces the bottom of the groove.

6. The sealing member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the length in the cross-sectional width direction in the non-assembled state is shorter than the groove width of the sealing groove.

7. In the assembled state, the opening groove forms a space between itself and the bottom of the groove, as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The first member is made of an aluminum alloy material, The sealing member according to claim 7, wherein the length of the cross-sectional space in the height direction in the assembled state is 0.05 mm or more.

9. The sealing member according to claim 8, wherein the first member is not subjected to corrosion-resistant treatment.

10. A first member having a concave sealing groove, A second member facing the seal groove and capable of being assembled to the first member, A sealing member according to any one of claims 1 to 9, disposed between the sealing groove and the second member, A sealed structure having

11. A first member having a sealing groove having a pair of groove walls and a groove bottom provided between the pair of groove walls, A second member facing the seal groove and capable of being assembled to the first member, An elastomer sealing member disposed between the sealing groove and the second member, The top portion that contacts the second member, A bottom portion that contacts the groove bottom, which seals the space between the pair of groove walls and the groove bottom when the first member and the second member are assembled, and forms a plurality of spaces arranged in the cross-sectional width direction between itself and the groove bottom, A sealing member having, A sealed structure having

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