Interlocking Jigsaw Seal With Sealing Beads for Gap-Free Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional jigsaw seal configurations with overlapping ends suffer from significant gaps at the top and bottom when compressed, requiring additional sealant or structural modifications to achieve a continuous seal, which are costly and complex to implement.
Innovation Solution
The enhanced seal configuration features interlocking lobes and pockets with additional sealing beads at the top and bottom, allowing the seal to compress without gaps, eliminating the need for additional sealant or structural modifications by ensuring continuous contact with mating surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional jigsaw seal configurations with overlapping ends are used, then the seal can be installed without additional sealant, but significant gaps remain at the top and bottom when compressed
Solution Approach 1:
The seal cross-section is segmented into multiple functional regions: lobes and pockets for interlocking, sealing beads at top and bottom for gap sealing, and a body portion for structural support. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific sealing function independently, ensuring continuous sealing without gaps while maintaining installation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the seal are given different local qualities: the lobes and pockets provide interlocking engagement, the sealing beads provide localized compression for gap sealing, and the body portion provides structural support. This local differentiation enables the seal to address multiple sealing requirements simultaneously without requiring additional sealant.
2Reliability
If RTV sealant is applied in the gaps to enhance the continuous seal, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but processing steps and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seal structure is designed to be self-sufficient for sealing purposes. The interlocking lobes and pockets, combined with the sealing beads that compress to eliminate gaps, enable the seal to create its own continuous sealing surface without requiring external sealant materials or additional processing steps.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the seal is made wide enough to be tightly retained in the groove, then seal stability is improved, but the seal may overfill the groove in other locations
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is segmented into a body portion for retention and sealing beads for sealing. This allows the body to be sufficiently wide for stable retention while the sealing beads are positioned to contact mating surfaces without overfilling the groove, achieving both stability and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the seal have different local qualities: the body portion is designed for retention stability with appropriate width, while the sealing beads are designed for precise contact with mating surfaces. This local differentiation enables the seal to achieve both tight retention and accurate groove fit without overfilling.
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 enhanced seal configuration provides a continuous sealing surface without additional sealant or structural modifications, significantly reducing leakage and simplifying serviceability by maintaining tight retention within the seal groove.
Implementation Method 1
a continuous seal configured from a non-compressed state to a compressed state
Implementation Method 2
when the seal is compressed, the transverse surface contacts and seals against a surface of a component being sealed
Data Source
AI summary
A seal includes a first portion and a second portion, wherein the seal is configurable as a continuous seal having an overlapping region in which the first portion and the second portion overlap. The seal has a jigsaw seal configuration at the overlapping portion. The seal includes a transverse surface that extends between the inner surface and the outer surface of the seal, and a first sealing bead located at a junction between the transverse surface and the inner surface and a second sealing bead located at a junction between the transverse surface and the outer surface. The transverse surface may be recessed relative to the first and second sealing beads when the seal is in a non-compressed state. When the seal is in a compressed state, in the overlapping region one of the first or second sealing beads at the first portion and the other of the first or second sealing beads at the second portion seal against each other, and the transverse surface contacts and seals against a surface of a component being sealed.