Constant Width Annular Seal for Pipe Joint Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe sealing technologies, such as those using press fittings with rubber seals, face issues where the seal can turn or become dislodged during pipe insertion, leading to potential leaks and reduced durability due to uneven cross-sectional areas, especially when the seal is not crimped.
Innovation Solution
An annular seal with a section formed by a succession of circle segments connected by vertices, creating a regular polygon shape, which provides a constant cross-sectional width and increased curvature, stabilizing the seal within the groove and allowing for a bead that creates leakage channels before crimping to ensure proper assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a circular section seal is used, then the seal can be easily manufactured and installed, but it may turn or become dislodged during pipe insertion, compromising sealing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The seal employs a non-circular cross-section with an odd number of circular arcs (at least three) that form a constant width profile. This asymmetric geometry prevents the seal from rotating or becoming dislodged during pipe insertion, as the irregular shape cannot align symmetrically with the circular groove, thereby ensuring stable positioning while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through extrusion processes.
2Reliability
If the seal cross-section is made non-circular to prevent turning, then seal stability improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal utilizes a constant width profile formed by an odd number of circular arcs with specific radius relationships. This geometric parameter configuration allows the seal to be manufactured using standard extrusion processes while achieving the desired non-circular cross-section. The constant width property ensures uniform material distribution and simplifies the extrusion tooling design, making the manufacturing process feasible despite the complex cross-sectional geometry.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a seal with greater radius of curvature segments is used, then the seal stabilizes at the bottom of the groove, but the cross-sectional area increases making the assembly harder
Solution Approach 1:
The seal employs circular arcs with different radii of curvature distributed around its perimeter, with at least three arcs forming the constant width profile. The segments with greater radii of curvature are strategically positioned to contact the groove surfaces, providing stabilization points that prevent the seal from moving or rotating. This localized curvature variation achieves stable positioning while the overall constant width profile controls the total cross-sectional area, balancing stabilization needs with crimping force requirements.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
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AI summary
The invention relates to an annular seal for ensuring a watertight connection between a first and a second pipe after crimping, comprising an axis of revolution (X-X'), a section of which, parallel to said axis, is a curve formed by a succession of an odd number of circular segments Ci connected by vertices Si, forming a regular polygon, i varying from 1 to 2*n+1, n being a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, vertex Si being the center of the circle passing through vertices Si+n and Si+n+1 modulo 2*n+1. Such a curve is said to have a constant width. The vertices Si advantageously form a polygon.