Artillery Shell Sealing Ring V-Profile Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing artillery shell sealing rings are prone to destruction and damage due to misalignment during loading, aging-related embrittlement, and low temperatures, leading to potential safety risks and ineffective sealing.

Innovation Solution

A sealing ring with a V-shaped peripheral profile featuring a groove base leg and a resilient sealing leg that can be accommodated within the outer groove, allowing a circumferential annular gap for propellant gas inflow, which increases sealing effectiveness under pressure and prevents damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the sealing ring is oversized to ensure sealing function, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but the sealing ring may be stripped off or destroyed during loading

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing functionVSAvoidsealing ring integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing ring is divided into two functional legs: a groove base leg that provides structural support and a resilient sealing leg that performs the sealing function. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently - the groove base leg can be stronger while the resilient sealing leg can be more flexible and compliant.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient sealing leg is designed to be dynamically adaptable - it can be pressed together to be completely accommodated by the outer groove during loading, avoiding damage, and springs radially outwards during firing to ensure sealing effectiveness under pressure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the sealing ring cuts into the rifling to ensure seal, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but the sealing ring may be stripped off or destroyed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing functionVSAvoidsealing ring damage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient sealing leg is designed with inherent elasticity to absorb and cushion the impact forces during loading. This beforehand cushioning prevents the sealing ring from being stripped off or destroyed when it contacts the rifling, while still allowing it to cut into the rifling sufficiently to create an effective seal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Strength

If the sealing ring is made more robust to prevent damage, then sealing ring integrity is improved, but sealing effectiveness under pressure may be reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing ring integrityVSAvoidsealing function
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Different parts of the sealing ring have different properties optimized for their specific functions: the groove base leg has higher strength and rigidity to prevent damage during loading, while the resilient sealing leg has higher elasticity and compliance to ensure sealing effectiveness under pressure. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between robustness and sealing performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 new sealing ring design enhances sealing reliability and prevents damage by allowing propellant gas pressure to spread and reinforce the sealing effect, ensuring functional integrity even under extreme conditions.

Implementation Method 1

The second leg is a resilient sealing leg, the free end of which springs radially outwards, but can be pressed together to such an extent that it can be completely accommodated by the outer groove and does not protrude

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

The inflow of the propellant gases causes the pressure of the propellant gases to spread the resilient sealing leg further apart, as a result of which the sealing effect is reinforced by the pressure of the propellant gases

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure Increase: Pressure Increase

Data Source

PatentEP3164665B1Artillery shell with a sealing ring
Publication Date: 2018.06.13 RHEINMETALL WAFFE MUNITION GMBH
  • EP3164665B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3164665B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

The invention relates to an artillery shell (1) comprising a sealing ring (30), which prevents propellant gases flowing past during a firing process. For this purpose, the sealing ring (30) encompasses the shell casing (10) and comprises a surrounding sealing profile which is supported in an outer groove (40) of the shell casing (10). The sealing profile comprises an opened V-shape on the rear side, wherein a first leg is arranged in the outer groove (40) and a second leg is formed as a sprung sealing leg (32), the free end thereof springing radially outwards, although also able to be pressed together to such an extent as to be fully accommodated by the outer groove (40) and does not protrude.