Annular Seal Blank Forming With Mandrel-Shaped Cross-Section Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing production processes for rotating joint components in offshore hydrocarbon mining installations are complex and costly, due to the harsh marine environment and large dimensions involved.
Innovation Solution
A process for producing a blank of an annular item for rotating joint components, involving arranging strips of predetermined materials around a partially annular production support to achieve a tailored cross-section, followed by removal of the support to obtain the blank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional sintering or extrusion processes are used to produce blanks of rotating joint components, then the blanks can be manufactured with required material properties, but the production process becomes complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-forming the blank on a mandrel with the desired cross-sectional shape before final processing. The mandrel is prepared in advance with the exact geometry needed, and the material is shaped around it during forming, ensuring precision is built into the process rather than achieved through complex post-processing or sophisticated sintering/extrusion parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The mandrel serves as an intermediary tool that temporarily supports the material during forming and defines the final cross-sectional geometry. This intermediary object allows simple forming operations to produce precise blanks, as the mandrel carries the geometric information that would otherwise require complex tooling or process control
2Manufacturing precision
If complex sintering or extrusion processes are implemented to ensure manufacturing precision, then the blank quality is maintained, but the production cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrel is pre-prepared with the exact cross-sectional geometry required, eliminating the need for complex real-time process control during forming. This preliminary preparation of the tooling allows rapid, simple forming operations that maintain high precision while significantly improving production speed and reducing costs compared to controlled sintering or multi-step extrusion processes
Solution Approach 2:
The mandrel as an intermediary carries all the geometric information needed for the blank's cross-section, allowing the forming process to be simple and fast. The material is merely shaped around this pre-defined template, enabling high productivity without sacrificing precision, as the mandrel ensures accurate geometry is achieved in a single straightforward operation
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a process for producing a blank from an item that is configured to equip a rotating-joint device of an installation for mining fluids, in particular on an offshore platform, including the following steps: providing at least one strip of a predetermined material; providing at least one production support that is at least partially annular and that has a predetermined outer diameter; arranging the at least one strip of a predetermined material around the production support until a predetermined thickness is obtained; and removing the production support to obtain the item blank that has a predetermined cross-section.