Fluid Coupling Anti-Overfastening Protrusion Gasket Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fluid couplings may pass a leak test even without a gasket due to direct contact between anti-overfastening annular protrusions, failing to reliably detect the absence of the gasket.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating communication paths, such as grooves or holes, in the anti-overfastening annular protrusions that connect the internal and external spaces when these protrusions butt against each other, allowing for a leak test to detect the absence of the gasket.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the anti-overfastening annular protrusions directly butt against each other, then the sealing property is achieved, but the ability to detect gasket absence is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-overfastening annular protrusion is segmented into a sealing surface portion and a communication path portion. The sealing surface portion maintains direct contact for sealing, while the communication path portion includes grooves or holes that allow fluid to escape through the protrusion when the gasket is absent, enabling detection while preserving sealing functionality.
2Ease of operation
If the anti-overfastening annular protrusions prevent overfastening by butting against each other, then fastening control is improved, but false passing of leak test occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion structure is divided into functional segments: one segment provides mechanical butting for fastening control and overfastening prevention, while another segment incorporates communication paths (grooves or holes) that enable leak detection by allowing fluid to pass through when the gasket is missing, thus preventing false test results.
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid coupling reliably finding absence of the gasket, if exists, in the leak test is provided. Butted end surfaces of coupling members have annular sealing protrusions and anti-overfastening annular protrusions protruded further than the annular sealing protrusions, respectively. At least one of the anti-overfastening annular protrusions has a communication path communicating internal space with external space when both the anti-overfastening annular protrusions butt against each other.