Seal configuration to prevent damage from explosive decompression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elastomeric seals in vehicle air conditioning systems are prone to damage during decompression due to rapid pressure release of high-pressure R744 refrigerant, which can lead to failure and require redundant testing, but existing seals do not permit gas escape quickly enough, resulting in damage.
Innovation Solution
An elastomeric seal assembly with annular inner and outer seal members featuring recesses that transition between closed and open configurations, allowing for quicker gas release during decompression while maintaining sealing integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional elastomeric seal is used to maintain sealing function, then sealing integrity is maintained, but the seal is damaged during rapid decompression due to trapped high-pressure gas
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric seal incorporates a porous structure with controlled voids and channels that allow high-pressure gas to escape during decompression. The porous material enables selective permeability - maintaining sealing integrity under normal conditions while providing gas escape paths during rapid pressure changes, thus preventing decompression damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is divided into multiple functional zones including solid sealing regions and porous gas escape regions. The segmented structure allows different portions of the seal to perform different functions - some areas maintain tight sealing while others provide controlled gas venting pathways, resolving the contradiction between sealing integrity and decompression protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the elastomeric seal is made more permeable to allow faster gas escape, then decompression damage is reduced, but sealing integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric seal exhibits local quality variations with different regions having different permeability characteristics. The porous sections provide high permeability for gas escape where needed, while solid sections maintain low permeability for sealing where required. This spatial variation in material properties allows the seal to simultaneously achieve both fast gas escape and maintained sealing integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controlled porous structure provides selective permeability - the porosity is strategically designed and distributed to allow gas escape only in specific regions and under specific pressure conditions, while maintaining sealing functionality in other regions. This resolves the contradiction by making permeability location-dependent rather than uniform.
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 seal assembly minimizes damage to elastomeric seals during decompression by providing a quicker escape path for gases, ensuring effective sealing and compliance with testing standards.
Implementation Method 1
The elastomeric seal has gases from the refrigerant embedded therein from a sorption process
Implementation Method 2
The first recess transitions between a substantially closed configuration when the outer seal member is compressed and a substantially open configuration when the outer seal member is decompressed
Data Source
AI summary
A seal assembly for an air conditioning system includes an annular inner seal member and an annular outer seal member coupled to the inner seal member. The outer seal member has a first recess formed in a first surface thereof. The first recess transitions between a substantially closed configuration when the outer seal member is compressed and a substantially open configuration when the outer seal member is decompressed.