Converging Seal Groove for Reliable Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elastomeric seal assemblies face challenges in achieving a reliable seal with high surface roughness and loose extrusion gap tolerances, and struggle with installation difficulties due to large seal element thickness relative to seal length.
Innovation Solution
A fluid seal assembly featuring a seal carrier with a converging seal-receiving groove that allows the seal element to project beyond the sealing face, incorporating seal retention means and pressure activation mechanisms to ensure effective sealing across a range of gap widths, and facilitating easy removal and replacement of the seal element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional rectangular seal groove is used with fixed geometry, then the seal element can be installed by stretching, but it is difficult to achieve reliable sealing with large extrusion gap tolerances and high surface roughness
Solution Approach 1:
The seal groove is designed with converging sidewalls that create a wedge-shaped configuration. This dynamic geometry allows the seal element to be progressively compressed as it is installed, enabling it to adapt to varying gap widths and surface roughness conditions. The converging walls provide increasing confinement that ensures reliable sealing across a range of extrusion gap tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the seal groove from a conventional rectangular shape to a converging wedge shape. This parameter change in groove geometry allows the seal element to experience controlled compression and deformation, enabling it to conform to surfaces with high roughness and accommodate loose gap tolerances while maintaining sealing reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the seal element thickness is increased to accommodate larger gaps, then sealing capability is improved, but installation difficulty increases due to the need to stretch the seal
Solution Approach 1:
The converging sidewall geometry creates a dynamic installation process where the seal element is progressively compressed rather than uniformly stretched. This allows thicker seal elements to be installed more easily, as the compression accommodates the thickness while the wedge shape guides the installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal groove is divided into distinct zones: an installation zone with wider opening that facilitates entry of thick seal elements, and a sealing zone with narrower width that provides the necessary compression for sealing. This segmentation of the groove geometry enables both easy installation and effective sealing with thick seal elements.
3Reliability
If the seal groove width is increased to accommodate seal element deformation, then pressure activation is promoted, but pressure entrapment in cavities may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts or removes the cavity spaces that would otherwise trap pressure by using converging sidewalls that eliminate voids between the seal element and groove walls. This prevents pressure entrapment while still allowing sufficient groove width for seal element deformation and pressure activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic converging geometry allows the groove width to adapt to the seal element's deformation state. During installation, the wider opening accommodates the seal element, while during operation, the compressed configuration prevents cavity formation and pressure entrapment, maintaining both pressure activation and preventing harmful effects.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a converging seal-receiving groove is used to improve sealing over broader gaps, then the seal element may fall out when not confined by a workpiece
Solution Approach 1:
The seal groove employs asymmetric geometry with converging sidewalls that provide retention in the direction opposite to sealing. The wider opening at the installation side facilitates entry, while the narrower sealed side prevents the seal element from falling out when not confined by a workpiece, achieving both broad sealing range and reliable retention.
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 an effective seal over a broader range of sealing gaps, simplifies seal replacement, and prevents pressure entrapment by allowing fluid pressure communication with the inner pressure chamber, while reducing the risk of seal element rolling and facilitating easy removal of thick seal elements.
Implementation Method 1
the initiation of the seal function is dependent on arranging the design parameters of geometry, surface roughness, elastomer compliance, and amount of interference to ensure that the initial contact stress distribution is sufficient to result in conforming contact both between the seal element and the workpiece surface and between the seal element and the seal groove bottom
Implementation Method 2
a resilient, compliant, and substantially incompressible seal element (mechanical properties characteristic of elastomers)
Implementation Method 3
due to its substantially incompressible bulk properties, elongation in the transverse direction
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid seal assembly consists of a seal element of compliant material that is retainingly carried by a seal carrier. The seal carrier includes one or more elements of relatively rigid material defining a sealing face with a seal-receiving groove interrupting the sealing face. The seal-receiving groove has groove-defining walls each of which has a proximal end at the sealing face and a distal end. The groove-defining walls serve as seal contact surfaces. The seal contact surfaces are configured such that the seal-receiving groove narrows toward its distal end. The seal-receiving groove has a depth and a breadth suitable for accepting the seal element, with the seal element projecting past the sealing face when compressed to be in contact with the seal contact surfaces.