Flow Path Switching Seal Structure to Prevent Rotor Seal Cracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing flow path switching devices suffer from local stress and wear at the boundary between non-contact and contact portions of the rotor seal, leading to deterioration of sealing performance due to the rotor seal cracking.
Innovation Solution
A flow path switching device with a highly rigid driving member and seal members, where the seal members are maintained under a pressing force, and the flow path patterns are switched without traversing certain ports, reducing deformation and stress on the seal members, and the ports are designed with specific edge shapes to facilitate smooth traversal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the rotor seal traverses the stator flow path during rotation, then the flow path switching function is achieved, but local stress occurs at the boundary between non-contact and contact portions causing wear and cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional design by making the driving member (rotor) more rigid than the fixed member (stator). Instead of the seal being supported by the stator, the rotor seal is supported by the highly rigid rotor, which maintains the seal's posture and prevents local stress during traversal, thereby resolving the contradiction between achieving flow path switching and maintaining sealing reliability
2Reliability
If the rotor seal contacts the stator continuously, then sealing is maintained, but the seal cannot traverse the flow path to enable switching
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by allowing the rotor seal to dynamically transition between contact and non-contact states with the stator during rotation. The seal traverses the stator flow path, creating a non-contact portion and a contact portion simultaneously, enabling flow path switching while the highly rigid rotor maintains overall sealing integrity through proper posture control
3Stability of the object's composition
If the stator is made more rigid to prevent deformation, then sealing stability improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the rigidity allocation by making the rotor (driving member) more rigid than the stator (fixed member). The highly rigid rotor provides the stable reference frame and maintains seal posture, while the stator can be less rigid and more easily manufactured, thereby achieving sealing stability without increasing overall device complexity
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 configuration ensures the sealing performance of the seal members by preventing wear and cracking, maintaining the posture of the seal members, and reducing local stress, thereby enhancing the device's operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a seal member that contacts with the fixed member under action of a pressing force and seals a gap between the port of the fixed member and the communication path of the driving member
Data Source
AI summary
This flow path switching device has at least one fixed member and a driving member, wherein: the at least one fixed member includes a port; the driving member includes a communication path; and a flow path, through which a fluid flows, is formed by making the port of the at least one fixed member and the communication path of the driving member communicate with each other. The flow path switching device has a seal member which is provided to the driving member, comes into contact with the at least one fixed member under action of a pressing force, and thereby seals a gap between the port of the at least one fixed member and the communication path of the driving member communicating with the port of the at least one fixed member, and the driving member has rigidity higher than the at least one fixed member.