Custom Pipe Seal With Roughened Surface to Prevent Delamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipe seals are limited in size and shape, making them unsuitable for various plumbing fixtures and pipes, and they often fail to form a secure seal due to smooth surfaces that do not allow adequate adhesive bonding, leading to potential leaks and delamination.
Innovation Solution
A customizable pipe seal made from a soft, flexible material with a roughened surface for enhanced adhesive bonding, allowing expansion and contraction, and featuring a top lip and bottom hole for secure fitting around pipes and surfaces, with optional printing for standard sizes and shapes, enabling user customization to fit snugly around pipes and fittings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a smooth surface is used on the pipe seal, then the seal material can conform easily to the pipe shape, but the adhesive bonding strength is insufficient leading to delamination
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe seal incorporates a roughened surface layer on its outer surface while maintaining a smooth inner surface that conforms to the pipe. This local quality differentiation allows the inner smooth surface to easily conform to the pipe shape while the outer roughened surface provides enhanced adhesive bonding strength, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and bonding reliability
2Ease of manufacture
If a fixed size and shape pipe seal is manufactured, then production is simplified, but it cannot accommodate various pipe sizes and plumbing fixture shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe seal is designed with flexible, elastomeric material that allows it to dynamically adapt its shape and size to fit various pipes and plumbing fixtures. The material's elasticity enables the seal to stretch and conform to different geometries while maintaining sealing effectiveness, thus achieving versatility without complicating the manufacturing process
3Reliability
If a tight fit is achieved between the pipe seal and pipe, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but the seal cannot accommodate thermal expansion and contraction
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe seal utilizes elastomeric material with specific durometer ratings that allow it to maintain a tight fit for sealing effectiveness while simultaneously accommodating thermal expansion and contraction. The material's viscoelastic properties enable it to deform elastically under thermal stress while maintaining sealing pressure, thus resolving the contradiction between tight fit reliability and thermal adaptability
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 customizable pipe seal provides a watertight seal across various applications by increasing the surface area for adhesive bonding, preventing delamination, and accommodating different pipe sizes and shapes, ensuring a secure fit and preventing leaks.
Implementation Method 1
a rough surface may be imprinted onto one or all sides of the pipe seal apparatus. The rough surface may be imprinted into the interior portion of the body and the front and back sides. An adhesive sealant may be used along the rough surface at the pipe penetration. The roughness of the surface may provide a higher overall surface area for an adhesive to bond to, creating a stronger bond
Implementation Method 2
an apparatus may have a structure formed from a soft, flexible material with an interior opening provided opposite an exterior surface. The roughened areas may be of a size and configuration as to allow the expansion and contraction of the seal, thus giving it the ability to fit snugly around the pipe or plumbing apparatus
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for sealing a hole or a shape in a surface may be disclosed. According to an exemplary embodiment, a soft material may be provided containing an interior hole, an exterior surface, a top lip, and an outer area. In an exemplary embodiment, a bottom lip may be further incorporated. In another exemplary embodiment, a rough surface may be imprinted onto the pipe seal apparatus. The rough surface may be imprinted into the interior portion of the body and the exterior portion of the body and the top lip, or both. An adhesive pipe sealant may be used along the rough surface. The rough surface may have a higher overall surface area for the adhesive to bond to, creating a stronger bond and preventing delamination.