Modular Multiple-Passage Rotary Union for Leak-Safe Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotary unions with multiple passages are prone to leakage due to wear or incorrect assembly, and their complex assembly/disassembly process is time-consuming and costly.
Innovation Solution
A modularly constructed rotary union with a housing and shaft design featuring annular plates and spools, utilizing sliding mechanical face seals and static seals to ensure efficient assembly and disassembly, while maintaining sealed fluid passages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional multiple passage rotary unions are used, then fluid sealing between rotating and non-rotating components is achieved, but the device is prone to leakage due to wear or incorrect assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary union is divided into modular components including a stationary housing, rotating shaft, multiple annular plates, and spools that can be assembled in segments. This segmentation allows for easier assembly and disassembly while maintaining sealing integrity through standardized interface features between modules.
Solution Approach 2:
Seal rings are introduced as intermediary elements between the rotating shaft/annular plates and the stationary housing/spools. These seal rings mediate the interface between rotating and non-rotating components, providing reliable fluid sealing while accommodating relative motion and reducing direct wear between mating surfaces.
2Reliability
If traditional multiple passage rotary unions are used, then fluid passages are sealed, but assembly and disassembly processes are time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary union is divided into modular components including a stationary housing, rotating shaft, multiple annular plates, and spools that can be assembled in segments. This segmentation allows for easier assembly and disassembly while maintaining sealing integrity through standardized interface features between modules.
Solution Approach 2:
Seal rings are pre-installed on the shaft or annular plates before final assembly, and biasing mechanisms are pre-configured to automatically engage seals when components are brought together. This preliminary preparation reduces assembly time and ensures proper sealing without requiring complex adjustment procedures during final assembly.
3Reliability
If complex assembly procedures are used to ensure proper sealing, then leakage is reduced, but servicing becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary union is divided into modular components including a stationary housing, rotating shaft, multiple annular plates, and spools that can be assembled in segments. This segmentation allows for easier assembly and disassembly while maintaining sealing integrity through standardized interface features between modules.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates self-aligning and self-latching features that guide components into proper positions during assembly and maintain sealing without requiring complex adjustment procedures. The modular structure allows individual components to be serviced or replaced independently, reducing overall servicing time and cost.
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 design provides improved sealing and facilitates efficient assembly/disassembly, reducing leakage and operational costs by ensuring proper component alignment and sealing integrity.
Implementation Method 1
Two seal rings are slidably disposed along the longitudinal axis and biased in opposite directions so that the two seal rings slide against side faces of the two adjacent annular plates when the shaft is rotating
Implementation Method 2
a spring disposed between the two seal rings and oriented in the axial direction
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A rotary union includes a housing having a shaft rotatably mounted in a bore. A plurality of annular plates is mounted on the shaft in spaced relation, and a plurality of spools is disposed in alternating fashion between the plurality of annular plates on the shaft. Each spool includes two seal rings creating mechanical face seals with adjacent annular plates. The shaft, the plurality of annular plates and the plurality of spools are arranged to assemble in a stacked arrangement, which is insertable as a whole into the cylindrical bore of the housing.