Refrigerant Line Coupling Seal With Breakaway Cap Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing arrangements for refrigerant lines face challenges in reliable disassembly, as the plastic cap can be difficult to differentiate from a new one after disassembly, leading to potential confusion and damage to the sealing faces during levering out.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a predetermined breaking location in the form of a V-shaped groove in the plastic cap, allowing for easy disassembly without tools and preventing reuse of the cap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the plastic cap is designed to be reusable and durable, then the sealing arrangement can be assembled multiple times, but the cap becomes difficult to differentiate from a new one after disassembly, leading to potential confusion and damage to sealing faces
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic cap is segmented into two parts: a reusable cap body and a disposable retaining ring. The retaining ring is designed to break away during disassembly, separating the functional reusable portion from the sacrificial portion that prevents reuse confusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining ring is designed as a disposable component that breaks during disassembly. This cheap, short-living element prevents confusion about reuse by ensuring the cap body cannot be reattached to a used sealing arrangement, while the expensive cap body itself remains reusable.
2Reliability
If the plastic cap is made difficult to disassemble to ensure secure sealing, then the sealing reliability improves, but the ease of disassembly deteriorates and requires tools that may damage sealing faces
Solution Approach 1:
The retention mechanism is segmented into a permanent attachment between cap body and sealing ring, and a temporary attachment between retaining ring and cap body. The temporary attachment breaks easily during disassembly, providing tool-free removal while maintaining secure sealing during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining ring is extracted as a separate sacrificial element that performs the disassembly function. When the retaining ring breaks and is removed, the cap body can be easily separated from the sealing ring without tools, while the sealing ring remains intact for reuse.
3Strength
If the plastic cap is designed with high strength to maintain sealing pressure, then the sealing performance improves, but the force required for disassembly increases and may damage components
Solution Approach 1:
The force resistance is segmented between the strong cap body (maintains sealing) and the weak retaining ring (breaks during disassembly). The cap body provides high strength for sealing, while the retaining ring provides low strength for easy disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining ring is designed as a disposable element with low strength that breaks during disassembly. This sacrificial component absorbs the disassembly force, protecting the strong cap body and sealing ring from damage while enabling easy separation.
Data Source
AI summary
A sealing arrangement for a coupling for refrigerant lines comprises a first coupling piece, which is connected sealingly to a first line end piece, and a second coupling piece which is connected sealingly to a second line end piece. In the sealing arrangement, a sealing ring is held on the sealing face of one of the two coupling pieces by a holding device which is configured as a plastic cap having a through hole. The plastic cap has at least one predetermined breaking location (26) which is configured as a groove which reduces the material thickness of the plastic cap in such a way that the material integrity at the predetermined breaking location (26) is maintained during assembly and breaks apart during disassembly.