Electric Machine Housing Protrusions for Seal Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric machines face challenges in maintaining effective sealing during installation, as radial expansion of sealing rings can lead to damage or incorrect installation, compromising the sealing ability.
Innovation Solution
The electric machine design incorporates axially projecting protrusions with radially outward circumferential shoulders to support sealing elements, allowing for secure mounting without radial expansion, and utilizes holding elements to maintain the sealing position, ensuring durable and reliable sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sealing rings are deformed radially in an elastic manner to enable installation in grooves, then the sealing rings can be placed in the grooves, but this can lead to the sealing ring being damaged or installed incorrectly, thereby jeopardizing the sealing ability
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is divided into multiple axially spaced sealing sections, each supported by separate circumferential shoulders on axially projecting protrusions. This segmentation allows each sealing section to be independently supported without requiring radial deformation for installation, eliminating the risk of damage while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing approach transitions from radial sealing (requiring radial deformation) to axial sealing support. The axially projecting protrusions with circumferential shoulders provide support in the axial dimension, allowing the sealing element to be installed without radial expansion, thus avoiding damage while ensuring proper sealing position.
2Ease of manufacture
If sealing rings are deformed radially to be placed in grooves, then installation is enabled, but the sealing ring may be damaged or installed incorrectly
Solution Approach 1:
The axially projecting protrusions with circumferential shoulders are pre-formed on the housing during manufacturing. These protrusions provide ready-made support structures that guide and position the sealing element during installation, eliminating the need for radial deformation and ensuring correct positioning without requiring complex installation procedures.
3Reliability
If the cylindrical wall is sealed on both sides in its axial end regions, then reliable sealing is achieved, but the housing structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The axially projecting protrusions serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for the sealing element, define the axial position of the seal, and prevent axial movement of the sealing element. This multi-functionality achieves reliable bilateral sealing without proportionally increasing overall structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric machine (1) has a housing (2) in which a stator (3) and a rotatable rotor (4) are arranged. The stator (3) is of hollow-cylindrical design and is arranged in a stator chamber (5) of the housing (2). The rotor (4) is arranged radially inside the stator (3) in a rotor chamber (8). An air gap (9) is provided between the rotor (4) and the stator (3) to permit rotation of the rotor (4) relative to the stator (3). The stator chamber (5) is delimited radially on the inside by a cylindrical wall (10) that is sealed with respect to the housing (2) by at least one sealing element (12). The housing (2) has at least one axially projecting protrusion (13) that forms an axial end face (17) and a radially outwardly facing circumferential shoulder (18) that supports the sealing element (12).