Cooling Circuit Rotary Slide Valve Sealing Geometry for Low-Leak Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary slide valves for cooling circuits face challenges in easy installation and damage-free assembly of sealing elements, leading to potential leakage and high production rejects due to complex assembly processes and the need for separate connecting pieces.
Innovation Solution
The sealing element features axially extending side surfaces that can be inserted axially or radially between projections on the housing, with a base plate providing a large contact surface and a V-shaped sealing lip for increased tightness, and a support structure for stability, allowing for pre-fixation and easy attachment without fasteners, ensuring smooth movement and high sealing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sealing element is mounted between a control body and a connecting piece inserted into an opening in the housing, then sealing between valve connections is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional separate connecting pieces and assembly positions for potential leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is integrated directly into the housing structure, eliminating the need for separate connecting pieces. The housing now directly receives and positions the sealing element, merging the functions of the housing, connecting piece, and sealing element into a unified structure that reduces component count and potential leak paths.
2Reliability
If a rotationally symmetrical sealing element is inserted into a recess in the housing and compressed radially on all sides, then sealing tightness is improved, but manufacturing complexity and reject rates increase due to complex assembly processes
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is pre-formed with a specific geometry that includes a base plate and side surfaces designed to engage with projections on the housing. This preliminary shaping allows the sealing element to be inserted in a single axial or radial motion without requiring complex radial compression from all sides during assembly, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining sealing tightness.
3Reliability
If the sealing element is compressed radially on all sides within the housing during assembly, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but assembly difficulty and damage risk increase leading to high reject rates
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is segmented into distinct functional zones: a base plate for radial engagement with housing projections, side surfaces for axial positioning, and a sealing lip for tightness. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function during a simplified single-step insertion process, avoiding the need for complex multi-directional compression while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
4Reliability
If multiple connecting pieces are used to attach sealing elements to the housing, then sealing coverage is improved, but potential leak positions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure is merged with the sealing element mounting function, where the housing itself provides the mounting projections and recesses for the sealing element. This eliminates the need for separate connecting pieces and reduces the number of interfaces between components, thereby reducing potential leak positions while maintaining comprehensive sealing coverage.
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
This design enables easy and damage-free installation of the sealing element, ensuring high tightness and smooth operation with reduced assembly errors and actuating forces, preventing leaks and improving manufacturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
whose open side is directed towards the inlet and thus towards the side on which the higher pressure is applied when the rotary slide valve is closed. This has the effect of forcing the two legs apart, whereby the sealing lip is pressed against the inner housing wall of the housing (10) and the base plate (40) is loaded against the control body (14).
Implementation Method 2
To improve the sealing effect, the sealing element can be preloaded axially in the direction of the control body by means of an elastic preloading element, at least when the valve is closed, so that the sealing element resting on the control body blocks any leakage flow between the two valve connections.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
Cooling circuit rotary slide valves are known that comprise a housing (10), which has a cylindrical inner contour (12), a control body (14), which is rotatably arranged in the housing (10) and has a cylindrical outer contour (16) and a flow opening (20), a first connection opening (28) on the housing (10), a second connection opening (30; 32), which is arranged perpendicularly to a rotational axis of the control body (14), on the housing (10), said second connection opening being fluidically connectable to the first connection opening (28) via the flow opening (20) of the control body (14), and a seal element (38), which is arranged radially between the control body (14) and a housing inner wall (36) that surrounds the second connection opening (30; 32). In order to improve the tightness and simplify the assembly, the seal element (38) has two axially extending lateral surfaces (48) which rest against protrusions (54) that extend parallel to the rotational axis and are formed on the housing inner wall (36).