Enclosure Sealing via Tapered Locking Bar and Wedge Gasket
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water-proof enclosures for electrical protection elements fail to simultaneously ensure effective sealing against water and allow easy access for maintenance, leading to potential damage from water exposure and accessibility issues.
Innovation Solution
The enclosure design incorporates a housing with a flange, gasket, and locking mechanism featuring a tapered locking bar and pivotable handle, which provides a watertight seal through incremental force and a mechanical stop to prevent over-compression, allowing for secure sealing and easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the enclosure uses a conventional locking mechanism, then the sealing against water is improved, but the ease of access for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking bar is designed to be movable between a retracted position (for access) and an engaged position (for sealing). The handle enables dynamic operation of the locking bar, allowing the enclosure to switch between accessible and sealed states. This dynamic mechanism resolves the contradiction by making the sealing structure adaptable to different operational requirements.
2Reliability
If the door is pushed hard against the gasket to ensure water-proofing, then the sealing effectiveness is improved, but the risk of over-compression and damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered portion of the locking bar is pre-configured with a specific geometry that automatically limits the compression force applied to the gasket. As the locking bar engages with the opening, the tapered surface gradually pushes the door against the gasket, pre-determining the maximum compression point before the locking bar stops advancing. This preliminary design prevents over-compression while ensuring adequate sealing.
3Force
If the locking bar uses a vertical pushing action, then the sealing force is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking bar features a tapered portion with a sloping surface instead of a vertical pushing surface. This curved/tapered geometry converts the rotational motion of the handle into a controlled linear pushing motion against the door. The tapered shape simplifies the mechanism by eliminating the need for additional cam or lever components while still generating sufficient sealing force through its geometric progression.
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 solution effectively prevents water ingress while enabling technicians to access the electrical protection element, ensuring the element's protection against various environmental conditions and facilitating maintenance without compromising the seal.
Implementation Method 1
The locking bar, which is attached to the door, has a tapered portion configured to move into an opening in the flange when the door makes contact with the gasket. The pivotable handle is operatively coupled to the locking bar for moving the tapered portion of the locking bar into the opening in the flange, the tapered portion of the locking bar having a sloping surface that makes slideable contact with a portion of the opening thereby pushing the door against the gasket
Implementation Method 2
The gasket is disposed in the flange and the door is hingeably attached to the flange... arranged to compressibly engage with an edge portion of the door when the door is being closed
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure generally relates to an exemplary enclosure that protects an electrical network protection element in various environments such as when the enclosure is submerged in water or when the enclosure is placed in an underground vault that may be flooded during rain. The enclosure has a gasket that includes a first portion having a sloping surface which provides a continuously incremental amount of sealing in cooperation with a beveled edge of a door of the enclosure and a second portion having a flat surface which is compressed by a wedge projection in the door and provides water tight sealing as well. The enclosure includes a locking bar having a tapered portion, which moves into an opening in a flange of the enclosure and automatically creates a continuously incremental amount of pushing force upon the door against the gasket when a pivotable handle is operated for closing the door.