Gasket With Immobilized Polymer Chains For Sliding And Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaskets face challenges in achieving both excellent sliding properties and resistance to liquid leakage, particularly in applications where chemical liquids are involved, as conventional solutions like silicone oil can be adverse and PTFE films are expensive and not durable.
Innovation Solution
A gasket design featuring annular projections with immobilized polymer chains on its surface, where the projections have specific dimensions and curvatures, and the polymer chains are grown through a surface modification method involving photopolymerization, allowing for improved sliding and leakage resistance without the need for additional lubricants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If silicone oil is applied to the sliding surface to improve sliding properties, then sliding properties are improved, but adverse effects on chemical liquids occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful silicone oil lubricant from the system. Instead of applying external lubricants, the patent creates a self-lubricating surface through photopolymerization of monomers on the gasket surface, eliminating the need for silicone oil while maintaining sliding properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket surface becomes self-lubricating through photopolymerization. The polymerized monomer layer on the surface provides inherent lubrication without requiring external lubricants like silicone oil, enabling the surface to serve its own lubrication needs.
2Ease of operation
If PTFE film is coated on the surface to improve sliding properties, then sliding properties are improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a cost-effective photopolymerization process that creates a thin polymer layer directly on the gasket surface during manufacturing. This eliminates the need for expensive PTFE film coating while achieving similar self-lubricating effects through a cheaper, integrated process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the gasket manufacturing process with the surface treatment process. The photopolymerization of monomers occurs directly on the gasket surface during production, combining structure formation and surface modification into a single step, eliminating separate expensive coating processes.
3Ease of operation
If PTFE film is coated on the surface to improve sliding properties, then sliding properties are improved, but durability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the lubricating polymer layer during the gasket manufacturing process itself. The photopolymerization occurs before the gasket is put into service, ensuring the self-lubricating surface is already in place and will last throughout the product's service life, improving durability.
4Ease of operation
If PTFE film is coated on the surface to improve sliding properties, then sliding properties are improved, but radiation resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter from PTFE to photopolymerized monomers. The resulting polymer network structure has different radiation resistance properties, being more vulnerable to radiation but acceptable for applications where sterilization is achieved through other means, thus resolving the contradiction by changing the fundamental material parameter.
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 gasket exhibits enhanced sliding properties and resistance to liquid leakage, ensuring smooth operation and accurate dosing in applications like syringe plungers without the use of potentially harmful lubricants or expensive coatings.
Implementation Method 1
step 1 of forming polymerization initiation points A on a surface of a gasket base material; and step 2 of radically polymerizing a monomer, starting from the polymerization initiation points A, to grow polymer chains
Implementation Method 2
step 2 of radically polymerizing a monomer, starting from the polymerization initiation points A, to grow polymer chains
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a gasket excellent in properties such as sliding properties and resistance to liquid leakage. The present invention relates to a gasket whose sliding surface includes annular projections, the gasket having polymer chains immobilized on at least part of its surface, the annular projections including a first projection that is nearest to a top face, and a bottom side projection that is farthest from the top face, the first projection and/or the bottom side projection having an annular flat portion with a width of 0.1 mm or more.