Gate Valve Seal Wedge Adjustment for Wear Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gate valves experience reduced sealing effectiveness due to wear of rubber valve liners, leading to decreased compression force over time, which compromises the ability to prevent fluid flow.
Innovation Solution
A gate valve assembly featuring a seal with a wedging element that adjusts the compression force by moving along a longitudinal axis, allowing for increased or decreased sealing force as needed to maintain effective sealing despite wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the gate slides against the seal to open and close the valve, then the valve operation is enabled, but the seal wears away and loses sealing ability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the compression force adjustable through the wedging mechanism. The seal compression is no longer static but can be dynamically adjusted by moving the wedging element along the longitudinal axis to compensate for wear and maintain sealing ability throughout the valve's operational lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of compression force from a fixed value to an adjustable value. By modifying the compression parameter through the wedging mechanism, the seal can maintain effective sealing pressure despite wear, thus resolving the contradiction between operational enablement and sealing reliability.
2Reliability
If compression force is increased to maintain sealing, then sealing effectiveness improves, but wear rate of the seal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustability of the wedging mechanism allows the compression force to be optimized dynamically. Instead of applying excessive static compression that accelerates wear, the system can apply only the necessary compression to maintain sealing, thus extending seal lifespan while preserving sealing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedging mechanism enables the seal system to self-adjust and compensate for wear. By periodically adjusting the wedging element, the seal can maintain optimal compression without external intervention, balancing sealing performance with wear reduction over time.
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 adjustable sealing force extends the lifespan of the seal, ensures consistent fluid isolation, and reduces wear-related failures by compensating for the loss of sealing force due to friction and wear.
Implementation Method 1
a wedging element abutting a second seal surface of the seal opposite the first seal surface, wherein the wedging element comprises a front side for engaging the second seal surface and a backside for engaging an opposite wedge surface such that movement of the wedging element along the longitudinal axis causes the wedging element to exert a force against the seal along a lateral axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
Implementation Method 2
the gate slides against a first seal surface of the seal when the gate slides between the open position and the closed position
Data Source
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AI summary
A seal with a wedging element for adjustably compressing the seal. The seal abuts a surface, such as a gate of a gate valve, to seal against the surface with a sealing force that prevents fluid flow therebetween. The sealing force of the seal may be increasing or decreasing compression by adjusting the wedging mechanism. For example, as the seal wears away due to friction between the seal and a sliding gate, the compression may be increased in the wedging mechanism to increase the sealing force to a low threshold.