Breakaway Coupling Seal Compensation for Anti-Rotation Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Breakaway couplings with anti-twist devices can lead to misalignments of the sealing body relative to the valve seat over time, affecting the long-term reliability and leakage protection, as the anti-twist device restricts the relative movement that maintains proper alignment.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a compensating element with a lower hardness than the valve seat and sealing body at the contact surface, allowing for angular deviation and deformation to compensate for misalignments, ensuring continued sealing contact and preventing leaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If an anti-rotation device is added to prevent relative rotation of coupling parts, then long-term durability is improved, but misalignment of the sealing element relative to the valve seat occurs over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a compensating element made of material with lower hardness than both the valve seat and sealing element. This material property change allows the compensating element to deform and accommodate misalignments that occur over time, while still providing effective sealing. The hardness parameter is specifically chosen to be between 40-80 Shore A, enabling it to yield under compression and compensate for positional deviations.
Solution Approach 2:
The compensating element acts as an intermediary between the sealing element and the valve seat. It is positioned at the contact surface where sealing occurs, serving as a compliant layer that absorbs misalignment errors. This intermediary layer allows the rigid sealing element and valve seat to maintain their structural integrity while the soft compensating element adapts to dimensional variations.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the anti-rotation device restricts relative movement, then rotational stability is improved, but the sealing contact is compromised due to accumulated misalignments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mechanical parameter of the contact surface by introducing a soft compensating element with hardness between 40-80 Shore A. This parameter change enables the surface to deform elastically under compression, accommodating misalignments that would otherwise prevent proper sealing contact while maintaining the rotational stability provided by the anti-rotation device.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve assembly becomes a composite structure combining rigid components (valve seat, sealing element, anti-rotation device) with a soft compliant layer (compensating element). This composite construction allows the rigid parts to maintain structural integrity and rotational stability while the soft layer provides tolerance compensation for sealing contact.
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 compensating element effectively maintains sealing contact despite misalignments, enhancing the long-term reliability and durability of the breakaway coupling by allowing for deformation and maintaining fluid containment.
Implementation Method 1
a compensating element is arranged in the area of the contact surface, which consists of a material that has a lower hardness than the material of the valve seat and/or the material of the sealing element
Implementation Method 2
a leakage protection valve with a valve seat and a sealing element designed to interact with the valve seat... designed to prevent fluid from leaking out of at least one of the fluid lines
Data Source
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AI summary
A breakaway coupling for connecting two fluid lines, comprising a first coupling part (3) which can be connected to the first fluid line and a second coupling part (4) which can be connected to the second fluid line. The coupling parts (3, 4) can be disconnected from one another by way of a defined disconnecting force, wherein at least one of the coupling parts (3, 4) has an outflow prevention valve (20) with a valve seat (21) and with a sealing body (14) which is configured for interaction with the valve seat (21). The outflow prevention valve (20) has a hold-open element (16) which is configured to enable a passage of the fluid in the joined-together state of the coupling parts (3, 4). The outflow prevention valve (20) is configured to prevent an outflow of the fluid from at least one of the fluid lines in the disconnected state of the coupling parts (3, 4). The breakaway coupling has an anti-rotation safeguard which, during operation of the coupling, prevents a rotation of the first coupling part (3) and the second coupling part (4) with respect to one another. According to the invention, the valve seat (21) has a bearing surface (24) for the sealing body (14), wherein a compensatory element (25) is arranged in the region of the bearing surface (24), which compensatory element (25) consists of a material which has a lower hardness than the material of the valve seat (21) and/or than the material of the sealing body (14).