Crimp Seal O-Ring With Radial Protrusions for Leak Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing arrangements in crimp connections between pipes often fail to ensure a fluid-tight seal, as insufficient crimping or omitted crimping can lead to leaks over time, despite initial pressure test success.
Innovation Solution
A ring-shaped seal member with radially extending protrusions, such as hemispherical or trapezoidal nubs, that allows fluid flow before crimping but inhibits it after crimping, ensuring a consistent inner diameter for smooth assembly and maintaining structural integrity until crimping is complete.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional O-ring seal is used in a crimp connection, then the seal member allows fluid to pass around adjacent protrusions prior to crimping for assembly purposes, but it fails to provide a reliable fluid-tight seal after crimping due to insufficient or omitted crimping
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member is segmented into multiple protrusions that can be independently configured. These protrusions are distributed around the circumference of the ring-shaped body, creating multiple sealing zones that work together to prevent fluid leakage while maintaining assembly ease.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the seal member have different properties: the protrusions have a first hardness and the ring-shaped body has a second hardness. This local differentiation allows the protrusions to provide structural support for maintaining the fluid-tight seal while the softer body material provides compliance for easy assembly and sealing.
2Ease of operation
If the seal member uses a consistent radius inner diameter, then it provides smooth assembly and consistent sealing surface, but it requires precise manufacturing to ensure proper crimping and sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member utilizes a consistent radius inner diameter parameter throughout its circumference, which simplifies the geometry and facilitates smooth assembly. This parameter choice, while requiring manufacturing precision, is compensated by the tolerancing strategy that accounts for variations in crimping processes.
3Reliability
If the protrusions are made with a first hardness and the ring-shaped body with a second hardness, then it enables differential deformation during crimping for reliable sealing, but it complicates the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member incorporates local quality variations through different hardness levels in different regions. The protrusions are formulated with a first hardness to maintain their shape and provide structural support, while the ring-shaped body has a second hardness to provide compliance and conform to the mating surfaces during crimping.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member is constructed as a composite structure with regions of different material properties. By combining materials or formulations with different hardness levels within a single seal member, the design achieves both the structural integrity needed for reliable sealing and the compliance needed for easy assembly, without requiring multiple separate components.
Data Source
AI summary
A seal member for sealingly securing a first and a second pipe at a crimp connection, the seal member including a ring-shaped body having an outer diameter and an inner diameter. A plurality of protrusions are formed on the ring-shaped body and extend radially outwardly from the outer diameter. The ring-shaped body permits fluid to pass around adjacent protrusions prior to attaining the crimp connection and inhibits fluid from passing therearound subsequent to attaining the crimp connection.