Conical Sealing Ring for Pipe Flange Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe flange sealing solutions are prone to leakage due to improper attachment and mechanical or thermal stress, which can cause deformations in the sealing ring and grooves, leading to inefficiencies and increased material costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and device where pipe flanges are forcibly held in abutting engagement, with a thin-walled, conically configured sealing ring that bends radially under compressive forces to ensure a stable and leak-proof connection, reducing material usage and weight, and allowing for reusability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional sealing ring with rectilinear wall is used between pipe flanges, then the sealing ring can be easily manufactured and installed, but leakage occurs when flanges are not properly attached or exposed to mechanical/thermal stress
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing ring is designed with a curved wall configuration (truncated cone shape) instead of a rectilinear wall. This curvature allows the sealing ring to deform and adapt to the groove geometry under compression, maintaining sealing integrity even when flanges are subjected to mechanical or thermal stress that causes misalignment or deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing ring's geometric parameters are optimized by transitioning from a rectilinear wall to a curved wall with specific cone angles. The curved configuration changes how the ring responds to compressive forces, enabling it to conform to the groove and maintain sealing under varying operational conditions.
2Weight of moving object
If a thin-walled, conically configured sealing ring is used, then material usage and weight are reduced, but the ring may be more susceptible to deformation under stress
Solution Approach 1:
The curved wall configuration of the thin-walled sealing ring is specifically designed to distribute compressive forces more evenly throughout the structure. When the flanges are compressed together, the curved geometry allows the ring to deform in a controlled manner, converting axial compression into radial expansion that maintains contact with the groove surfaces, thereby preventing leakage despite the reduced wall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin-walled sealing ring utilizes the flexibility of the curved shell structure to adapt to groove deformations. The curved configuration acts as a flexible element that can conform to irregularities in the groove geometry caused by flange misalignment or thermal expansion, maintaining sealing effectiveness without requiring excessive wall thickness.
3Reliability
If the sealing ring wall is bent radially under compressive forces to exhibit a curved configuration, then a stable and leak-proof connection is achieved, but the attachment process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing ring is pre-formed with a curved wall configuration (truncated cone shape) during manufacturing, rather than requiring bending during assembly. This preliminary shaping ensures that when the flanges are compressed together, the ring is already positioned to deform radially and conform to the groove geometry, simplifying the assembly process while maintaining the stable, leak-proof connection.
4Reliability
If pipe flanges are forcibly held in abutting engagement, then sealing integrity is maintained under mechanical and thermal stress, but the flange attachment requires higher tensioning forces
Solution Approach 1:
The curved wall configuration of the sealing ring enables it to efficiently transmit and distribute the compressive forces generated by flange tensioning. The curvature allows the ring to convert axial compression into radial pressure against the groove surfaces, maximizing the sealing effect for a given tensioning force and reducing the overall force required to maintain sealing integrity under stress.
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 stable and leak-proof connection that withstands mechanical and thermal stress, reduces material and weight costs, and facilitates simplified assembly, maintaining sealing integrity under varying pressures and conditions.
Implementation Method 1
causing compressive forces to act onto the sealing ring to yield that its wall, as viewed in cross-section, is bent radially to exhibit a curved configuration
Data Source
AI summary
Method and assembly of a pair of pipe flanges, a sealing ring and tensioners for sealing between the pair of flanges. At least one flange face has a circular groove to at least partly receive a sealing ring which has its ring wall rectilinear as seen in a cross-section when front faces of the pipe flanges are spaced apart. The ring fits at least partly into the flange groove. The ring in side view exhibits a truncated cone shape. The pipe flanges are attached to each other such that the flanges in operative state are forcibly held in abutting and facial engagement, and that upon tensioning of the tensionersto create said operative state, compressive forces act onto the sealing ring to yield that its wall, viewed in cross-section, is bent radially to exhibit a curved configuration. The groove may in an embodiment exhibit an isosceles trapezoid cross-section.