Compression-Sealed Penetration Fitting Without Adhesive Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional penetration fittings for underground storage tank fueling sites have components that degrade quickly due to harsh environments and require adhesives for installation, leading to messy and time-consuming replacements, and may not ensure a fluid-tight seal due to environmental factors.
Innovation Solution
A penetration fitting assembly with a pipe gasket, ring gasket assembly, and outer ring assembly that compresses gaskets to form a liquid-tight seal without adhesives, using a clamp to secure the assembly and shield components from hydrocarbons, allowing for easy installation and prolonged service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional penetration fittings use gaskets and boots made from materials with low chemical resistance, then installation is simpler, but the components degrade and fail quickly in the harsh sump environment
Solution Approach 1:
The penetration fitting uses a composite structure combining a chemically resistant outer boot made from chemically resistant material with an inner gasket assembly. The outer boot provides protection against chemical degradation from hydrocarbons, while the inner gasket provides the sealing function. This composite approach allows each component to be optimized for its specific function - the outer boot for chemical resistance and the gasket for sealing - thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and reliability.
2Reliability
If conventional penetration fittings require adhesives for installation, then sealing is achieved, but the process becomes messy, cumbersome, and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the chemical adhesive bonding system with a mechanical compression system. The gasket is compressed between the penetration fitting body and the sump wall using bolts and clamps, creating a mechanical seal instead of relying on adhesive curing. This mechanical approach eliminates the mess and time associated with adhesive application and curing, while maintaining reliable sealing through direct compression force.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the adhesive from the sealing system entirely, replacing it with a pure mechanical compression sealing mechanism. By taking out the adhesive component, the system eliminates all the problems associated with adhesive application - mess, curing time, and environmental sensitivity - while achieving the sealing function through mechanical means alone.
3Reliability
If conventional penetration fittings use adhesives for sealing, then a seal is formed, but the quality of the seal depends on environmental factors such as ambient temperature and humidity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the chemically-based adhesive sealing system with a mechanically-based compression sealing system. The gasket is sealed through mechanical compression force applied by bolts and clamps, rather than through chemical adhesive bonding. This mechanical approach is not sensitive to environmental factors like temperature and humidity that affect adhesive curing, thereby achieving reliable seal integrity across varying environmental conditions.
4Ease of repair
If penetration fittings require excavation of backfill to replace worn components, then component replacement is possible, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The penetration fitting is designed as a segmented, modular assembly with distinct components - the outer boot, gasket, bolts, and clamps - that can be independently accessed and replaced. The split-ring gasket design allows the gasket to be divided into sections that can be removed and replaced without removing the entire penetration fitting or excavating the backfill. This segmentation enables easy maintenance by allowing technicians to access and replace worn components from the sump interior.
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 reliable, long-lasting, and easy-to-install liquid-tight seal around pipes and conduits in containment sumps without the need for adhesives, improving seal quality and reducing installation time by using compression seals and shielding components from environmental degradation.
Implementation Method 1
the outer ring assembly compresses the wall gasket against the wall of the sump
Implementation Method 2
the clamp compresses the ring gasket assembly between the inner ring assembly and the outer ring assembly
Implementation Method 3
the clamp compresses the pipe gasket against the pipe or conduit
Data Source
AI summary
A penetration fitting assembly includes a pipe gasket having an annular portion defining a central opening and first and second stem portions extending in opposite directions from the annular portion, an inner ring assembly configured to surround the pipe gasket and including first and second inner ring halves, a ring gasket assembly configured to surround the inner ring assembly and including first and second ring gasket halves, a wall gasket, an outer ring assembly configured to surround the ring gasket assembly and including first and second outer ring halves, and a clamp configured to surround the outer ring assembly. When the penetration fitting assembly is installed, the outer ring assembly compresses the wall gasket against the wall of the sump, the clamp compresses the ring gasket assembly between the inner ring assembly and the outer ring assembly, and the clamp compresses the pipe gasket against the pipe or conduit.