Seal ring

Abstract

To provide a high-performance seal ring retaining seal performance even under a high temperature condition.SOLUTION: A seal ring has an annular shape as the whole, and includes an inner ring 110, an outer ring 120 and a seal material 130 sandwiched by the inner ring 110 and the outer ring 120 from the inside and the outside in a radial direction. The seal material 130 has a center part 130a, a first protrusion 130b protruding outward in the radial direction of the center part 130a, a second protrusion 130c protruding inward in the radial direction of the center part 130a, a third protrusion 130d protruding toward a direction orthogonal to the radial direction of the center part 130a, and a fourth protrusion 130e protruding toward an opposite side to the third protrusion 130d with the center part 130a being a boundary. The first protrusion 130b is received in a receiving part 120a formed between a pair of protrusions 122 of the outer ring 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0006]

[0001] This invention relates to a seal ring.

Background Art

[0002] Among the joint seal rings for vacuum pipes used in semiconductor devices, in order to suppress the pressure increase due to the deformation of the sealing material, a metal ring may be used not only on the inner diameter side but also on the outer diameter side. In this case, a technique using an O-ring with a round cross-sectional shape as the sealing material disposed in the space formed by the inner ring and the outer ring is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-010100 (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, a technique using a sealing material with a cross-sectional shape other than round is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-533702 (Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When the environmental temperature at which the seal ring is used is high, the volume of the sealing material increases due to the expansion of the sealing material, and the volume of the sealing material may become larger than the volume formed by the inner ring and the outer ring. In this case, overflow of the sealing material may occur from the above volume, and there is a risk of significantly deteriorating the sealing performance of the sealing material, such as cracks occurring in the sealing material. Furthermore, due to the thermal expansion of the sealing material, there is also a risk that the clamp holding the inner ring and the outer ring is pushed apart.

[0006] In the future, as processes operate at higher temperatures, there will be a demand for high-performance sealing rings that maintain sealing performance even under high-temperature conditions.

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a high-performance sealing ring that maintains sealing performance even under high-temperature conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The seal ring of this disclosure has an annular shape as a whole and includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and a seal material sandwiched radially from the inside and outside by the inner ring and the outer ring, wherein the outer ring has, when viewed in a cross section cut by a plane perpendicular to the tangential direction of the outer ring, a base portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction and a pair of protrusions projecting radially inward from the base portion, and the seal material has, when viewed in a cross section cut by a plane perpendicular to the tangential direction of the seal material, a central portion, a first protrusion projecting radially outward from the central portion, a second protrusion projecting radially inward from the central portion, a third protrusion projecting in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the central portion, and a fourth protrusion projecting on the opposite side of the central portion from the third protrusion, with the first protrusion being received in a receiving portion formed between the pair of protrusions.

[0009] In other configurations, when comparing the first distance from the center of gravity of the central portion along the radial direction to the tip of the first projection with the second distance from the center of gravity to the tip of the second projection, the first distance is set to be greater than the second distance.

[0010] In other configurations, the width of the first projection in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction is defined as the first interval, and the maximum inner width of the pair of projections in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction is defined as the maximum inner interval. When comparing the first interval and the maximum inner interval, the first interval is set to be smaller than the maximum inner interval.

[0011] In other configurations, the maximum outer width of the pair of protrusions in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction is defined as the maximum outer spacing, and the width between the tips of the third and fourth protrusions in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction is defined as the second spacing. When comparing the maximum outer spacing with the second spacing, the maximum outer spacing is set to be smaller than the second spacing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] This sealing material makes it possible to provide high-performance sealing rings that maintain sealing performance even under high-temperature conditions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is an overall perspective view of the seal ring according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a plan view of the sealing material according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in Figure 2. [Figure 5] This is a first cross-sectional view of a reference example seal ring. [Figure 6] This is a second cross-sectional view of the seal ring shown as an example. [Figure 7] This is a third cross-sectional view of the seal ring shown as an example. [Figure 8] This is a first cross-sectional view of the seal ring of the embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a second cross-sectional view of the seal ring of the embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a third cross-sectional view of the seal ring of the embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a detailed cross-sectional view of the seal ring according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a first cross-sectional view showing other effects of the seal ring of the embodiment. [Figure 13]It is a second cross-sectional view showing other operational effects of the seal ring according to the embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] The sealing material and the seal ring in the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, when referring to the number, amount, etc., unless otherwise specified, the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the number, amount, etc. Also, for the same parts and corresponding parts, the same reference numerals may be assigned, and redundant explanations may not be repeated.

[0015] (Seal ring 100) Referring to FIG. 1, the structure of the seal ring 100 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the seal ring 100. The seal ring 100 of the present embodiment has an annular shape as a whole, and includes an inner ring 110, an outer ring 120, and a sealing material 130 sandwiched from the inside and outside in the radial direction (see FIG. 3: X direction) by the inner ring 110 and the outer ring 120. In the present embodiment, a stainless steel material is used for the inner ring 110, and an aluminum material is used for the outer ring 120. The detailed structures of the inner ring 110 and the outer ring 120 will be described later.

[0016] For the inner ring 110, fluorocarbon rubber (FKM), perfluorocarbon rubber (FFKM), silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM), nitrile rubber (NBR), polychloroprene (CR), and combinations thereof are used.

[0017] Next, referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the structure of the inner ring 110 will be described. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sealing material 130, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the radial direction is indicated as the X direction, and the direction orthogonal to the radial direction is indicated as the Y direction. The same is used in the following figures.

[0018] The sealing material 130 has an annular shape overall. Figures 3 and 4 show the cross-section of the sealing material 130 as viewed when cut by a plane perpendicular to the tangential direction of the annular sealing material 130. The sealing material 130 has the same cross-sectional shape at any position in the circumferential direction.

[0019] The sealing material 130 has a central portion 130a, a first projection 130b projecting radially outward from the central portion 130a, a second projection 130c projecting radially inward from the central portion 130a, a third projection 130d projecting in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction) of the central portion 130a, and a fourth projection 130e projecting on the opposite side of the central portion 130a from the third projection 130d. A more detailed structure will be described later.

[0020] (Reference example) Referring to Figures 5 to 7, a seal ring 200 using a seal material 210 with a circular cross-section will be described. The inner ring 110 and outer ring 120 constituting the seal ring 200 have the same shape as the seal ring 100 in this embodiment. Figures 5 to 7 are the first to third cross-sectional views of the seal ring 200 of the reference example. Each figure shows the cross-section of the seal ring 200 when cut by a plane perpendicular to the tangential direction of the seal ring 200. The seal ring 200 has the same cross-sectional shape at any position in the circumferential direction of the seal ring 200.

[0021] Referring to Figure 5, the shapes of the inner ring 110 and the outer ring 120 that constitute the seal ring 200 will be described. The inner ring 110 has a concave portion 110a that receives the sealing material 210.

[0022] The outer ring 120 has a base portion 121 extending in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction), and a pair of projections 122 projecting inward in the radial direction (X direction) relative to the base portion 121. The distance between the pair of projections 122 is smaller than the diameter of the sealing material 210. The roughly trapezoidal space sandwiched between the pair of projections 122 constitutes the receiving portion 120a.

[0023] Referring to Figure 6, when the sealing material 210, which has a circular cross-section, is sandwiched radially (X-direction) by the inner ring 110 and the outer ring 120, and further compressed by the flange 140 from a direction perpendicular to the radial direction, the sealing material 210 deforms along the outer surface shapes of the concave portion 110a of the inner ring 110 and the receiving portion 120a of the outer ring 120. This enables the sealing performance of the sealing ring 200.

[0024] Referring to Figure 7, if the ambient temperature in which the seal ring 200 is used becomes higher, the volume of the seal material 210 will increase further due to further expansion, and the volume of the seal material 210 will become larger than the volume formed by the inner and outer rings. As a result, the seal material 210 will overflow from the volume. In particular, in the configuration shown in Figure 7, the seal material 210 will overflow in the region in contact with the projection 122, and the seal material 210 will expand toward the gap between the projection 122 and the flange 140. This will cause a localized increase in pressure on the seal material 210, which may lead to cracking of the seal material 210.

[0025] Next, with reference to Figures 8 to 10, the seal ring 100 using the seal material 130 in this embodiment will be described. Figures 8 to 10 are the first to third cross-sectional views of the seal ring 100.

[0026] Referring to Figure 8, the configuration of the inner ring 110 and outer ring 120 that make up the seal ring 100 is the same as the shape described above, so we will not repeat the same explanation here.

[0027] Referring to Figure 9, the sealing material 130 of this embodiment is sandwiched radially (in the X direction) by the inner ring 110 and the outer ring 120. At this time, the first projection 130b is received in the receiving portion 120a formed between the pair of projections 122.

[0028] Furthermore, when compressed by the flange 140 from a direction perpendicular to the radial direction, the sealing material 130 deforms along the outer surface shapes of the concave portion 110a of the inner ring 110 and the receiving portion 120a of the outer ring 120. This enables the sealing performance of the sealing ring 100 to be achieved.

[0029] Referring to Figure 10, if the ambient temperature in which the seal ring 100 is used becomes higher, the volume of the seal material 130 will increase further due to further expansion of the seal material 130. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the seal material 130 is compressed by the flange 140, with the third projection 130d and the fourth projection 130e being compressed.

[0030] As a result, the third protrusion 130d and the fourth protrusion 130e deform, and the central portion 130a, the second protrusion 130c, and the first protrusion 130b also deform along the outer surface shape of the concave portion 110a of the inner ring 110 and the receiving portion 120a of the outer ring 120.

[0031] As a result, even if the first protrusion 130b is deformed by compression, the occurrence of overflow of the sealing material 210 in the region in contact with the projection 122 is suppressed, and even if the ambient temperature in which the sealing ring 100 is used becomes higher, there is no risk of cracks occurring in the sealing material 130, and it is expected that the sealing performance of the sealing ring 100 will be maintained.

[0032] Here, with reference to Figure 11, the detailed cross-sectional structure of the seal ring 100 will be described. Figure 11 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the seal ring 100 according to the embodiment. In order to clearly show the arrangement, the inner ring 110 and the sealing material 130 are shown overlapping in part.

[0033] The sealing material 130 has a central portion 130a, a first projection 130b projecting outward in the radial direction (X direction) of the central portion 130a, a second projection 130c projecting inward in the radial direction (X direction) of the central portion 130a, a third projection 130d projecting in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction) of the central portion 130a, and a fourth projection 130e projecting on the opposite side of the central portion 130a from the third projection 130d.

[0034] In the following diagrams, the cross-sectional shape shown is an example, but all shapes are examples and the diagrams are not the only possible cross-sectional shapes.

[0035] The central portion 130a has a trapezoidal shape with the shorter side facing inward and the longer side facing outward. The centroid of this trapezoidal shape is called the centroid CG.

[0036] The first projection 130b, which protrudes radially (in the X direction) outward from the central portion 130a, has a substantially semicircular shape. The second projection 130c, which protrudes radially (in the X direction) inward from the central portion 130a, has a bowl shape.

[0037] When viewed along the radial direction (X direction), if we compare the first distance L1 from the center of gravity CG (line A) to the tip of the first projection 130b (line B) with the second distance L2 from the center of gravity CG (line A) to the tip of the second projection 130c (line C), it is preferable that the first distance L1 be greater than the second distance L2. By maintaining this dimensional relationship between the first distance L1 and the second distance L2, the center of gravity CG of the central portion 130a can be positioned inward rather than outward. This allows the center position of the seal provided by the seal ring 100 to be positioned inward.

[0038] The third projection 130d, which protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction) of the central portion 130a, and the fourth projection 130e, which protrudes on the opposite side of the central portion 130a from the third projection 130d, both have a substantially semicircular shape.

[0039] On the other hand, the inner ring 110 has a concave portion 110a that receives the sealing material 130. The radius of curvature of the concave portion 110a is set to be larger than the radius of curvature of the curved surface of the second protrusion 130c. Therefore, in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction), the width H2 of the concave portion 110a is larger than the width H1 of the second protrusion 130c.

[0040] The outer ring 120 is provided with a pair of projections 122 that protrude radially (in the X direction) inward from the base portion 121.

[0041] Here, the width of the first projection 130b in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction) is defined as the first interval D1, and the maximum inner width of the pair of projections 122 of the outer ring 120 in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction) is defined as the maximum inner interval D2. When comparing the first interval D1 and the maximum inner interval D2, the first interval D1 is set to be smaller than the maximum inner interval D2.

[0042] Furthermore, the maximum outer width of the pair of projections 122 of the outer ring 120 in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction) is defined as the maximum outer spacing D3, and the width between the tips of the third projection 130d and the fourth projection 130e in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction (Y direction) is defined as the second spacing D4. When comparing the maximum outer spacing D3 and the second spacing D4, the maximum outer spacing D3 is set to be smaller than the second spacing D4.

[0043] As a result, when the sealing material 130 is sandwiched between the inner ring 110 and the outer ring 120 along the radial direction (X direction), and further compressed by the flange 140 from a direction perpendicular to the radial direction, the sealing material 130 deforms along the outer surface shapes of the concave portion 110a of the inner ring 110 and the receiving portion 120a of the outer ring 120. This enables the sealing performance of the sealing ring 100 to be achieved.

[0044] Furthermore, even if the first protrusion 130b is deformed by compression, it is expected that the overflow of the sealing material 210 will be suppressed in the region in contact with the projection 122, and that even if the ambient temperature in which the sealing ring 100 is used becomes higher, there will be no risk of cracks occurring in the sealing material 130, thus maintaining the sealing performance of the sealing ring 100.

[0045] Although the illustration shows the central portion 130a as having a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape, it may also be a square, rectangle, circle, etc. The illustration also shows the first protrusion 130b, second protrusion 130c, third protrusion 130d, and fourth protrusion 130e as having a semicircular or curved cross-sectional shape, but any shape is acceptable as long as it satisfies the dimensional relationship described above, including the central portion 130a.

[0046] (Other effects and benefits of seal ring 100) Other effects of the seal ring 100 will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figures 12 and 13 are first and second cross-sectional views showing other effects of the seal ring 100.

[0047] Referring to Figure 12, in this seal ring 100, the receiving portion 120a of the outer ring 120 contains the number of seal material 130 1 Projection 130 b It has a form that can be accepted. As a result, as shown in Figure 13, even if the outer ring 120 is shifted downward, the 1 Projection 130 b The protrusion 122 contacts the inner surface of the seal ring 100, thereby suppressing the tilting of the seal ring 100. This configuration prevents the outer ring 120 from easily falling off when the inner ring 110 and outer ring 120 are assembled to the seal material 130.

[0048] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 100, 200 Seal ring, 110 Inner ring, 110a Concave portion, 120 Outer ring, 120a Receiving portion, 121 Base portion, 122 Projection portion, 130, 210 Seal material, 130a Center portion, 130b First projection, 130c Second projection, 130d Third projection, 130e Fourth projection, 140 Flange.

Claims

1. A seal ring having an annular shape overall, comprising an inner ring, an outer ring, and a seal material sandwiched radially from the inside and outside by the inner ring and the outer ring, The outer ring is When viewed in cross-section, which is cut by a plane perpendicular to the tangential direction of the outer ring, A base portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction, It has a pair of projections that protrude radially inward from the base portion, The aforementioned sealing material is When viewed in cross-section, which is cut by a plane perpendicular to the tangential direction of the sealing material, The central part, The first protrusion projecting radially outward from the central portion, The second projection that protrudes radially inward from the central portion, A third projection that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the central portion, A fourth projection is provided that protrudes from the third projection, with the central portion as the boundary, on the opposite side. Yes, The first projection is received in the receiving portion formed between the pair of projections. The aforementioned central portion has a trapezoidal shape with the shorter side facing inward and the longer side facing outward. The first projection protrudes from the long side, The second projection protrudes from the short side, Recesses are provided between the first protrusion and the third protrusion, between the third protrusion and the second protrusion, between the second protrusion and the fourth protrusion, and between the fourth protrusion and the first protrusion, with recesses that are recessed towards the central portion. Seal ring.

2. Viewed from the center of gravity of the central portion along the radial direction, When comparing the first distance from the center of gravity to the tip of the first projection with the second distance from the center of gravity to the tip of the second projection, the first distance is set to be greater than the second distance. The seal ring according to claim 1.

3. The width of the first projection in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction is defined as the first interval, and the maximum inner width of the pair of projections in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction is defined as the maximum inner interval. When the first interval and the maximum inner interval are compared, the first interval is set to be smaller than the maximum inner interval. A seal ring according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The maximum outer width of the pair of protrusions in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction is defined as the maximum outer spacing, and the width between the tips of the third and fourth protrusions in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction is defined as the second spacing. When comparing the maximum outer spacing with the second spacing, the maximum outer spacing is set to be smaller than the second spacing. A seal ring according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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