Annular Elastic Seal Wedge Effect for Filter Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seal arrangements for filters, particularly in compressed air systems, face challenges in achieving reliable fluid-tight sealing between filter elements and filter heads, especially when subjected to pressure differentials and require complex designs to maintain sealing effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
An axially sealing seal arrangement featuring an annular elastic sealing member with specific concavities and partial faces that ascend toward the center, creating a wedge effect when pressed, enhancing the sealing effect and allowing for self-acting pressure increase, along with a retaining groove for secure latching, ensuring reliable and efficient sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard sealing members such as O-rings are used for sealing between filter element and filter head, then the sealing arrangement is simple, but the sealing reliability under pressure differentials is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member is divided into multiple functional zones with different concavities (first concavity on filter head side, second concavity on filter element side) and partial faces (inner and outer partial faces). Each zone serves a specific sealing function under different pressure conditions, allowing the seal to adapt to varying pressure differentials and maintain reliability without requiring multiple separate sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing member incorporates ascending partial faces that create a wedge effect under pressure. When pressure differential acts on the seal, the partial faces ascend toward the center, automatically increasing the sealing force in response to the applied pressure. This dynamic response allows the seal to maintain effectiveness under varying load conditions without manual adjustment.
2Reliability
If complex sealing members are designed to meet special sealing requirements, then sealing reliability improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member utilizes parameter changes in its geometry, specifically the ascending partial faces that create a wedge effect. By varying the angle and orientation of the partial faces, the seal automatically adjusts its sealing force in response to pressure differential. This geometric parameter change enables high sealing effectiveness while maintaining a relatively simple single-piece construction that is easier to manufacture than multi-component complex seals.
3Reliability
If the sealing member is designed to seal predominantly in the radial direction, then the sealing structure is simple, but the sealing effectiveness under axial pressure differentials is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member transitions from purely radial sealing to axial sealing by incorporating ascending partial faces that respond to axial pressure differentials. The first concavity on the filter head side and the second concavity on the filter element side, combined with the ascending partial faces, enable the seal to effectively seal in the axial direction under pressure, while maintaining the simplicity of a single annular sealing member without complex multi-directional mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a high-functional reliability seal that increases sealing effectiveness with pressure differentials and facilitates easy assembly and replacement, maintaining a fluid-tight seal even under varying loads.
Implementation Method 1
an annular, elastic sealing member (4)
Implementation Method 2
the partial faces of the filter head sealing face (5) and of the filter element sealing face (6) ascend toward the center between the partial faces (13, 14) in such a manner that the mutual spacing between the inner partial faces (13) decreases from the inside to the outside and the spacing between the outer partial faces (14) decreases from the outside to the inside, substantially in the direction of the central axis of the sealing member (4). The partial faces (13, 14) interact with the concavities (11, 12) in such a manner that, when impinged with pressure, the sealing member (4), proceeding from the internal face (9) and/or the external face (10), in the direction of the acting force is wedged between the inner partial faces (13) and/or the outer partial faces (14).
Data Source
AI summary
A seal arrangement for a filter for fluid-tight sealing between a filter element and a filter head includes an annular elastic seal, a filter head sealing face and a filter element sealing face. The seal has a filter head side facing the filter head sealing face, a filter element side facing the filter element sealing face, an inner face running circumferentially on the inner side, and an outer face running circumferentially on the lateral side. The filter head side has a circumferential first recess between the inner and outer faces. The filter element side has a circumferential second recess between the inner and outer faces. The seal arrangement is configured in such a way that the seal, when subjected to a pressure from the inner face and/or from the outer face, is wedged in the direction of the acting force, between part faces of the sealing faces that narrow toward the middle.