Pipe Socket Closure with Integrated Radial Sealing Surface
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closures for access and cleaning require additional sealing elements, such as flat ring seals, which are not always reliable and can be prone to damage.
Innovation Solution
The second seat ring section and edge section form a continuous, radially expanding full-circumferential sealing surface with the first seat ring section, eliminating the need for additional sealing elements by integrating the seal into the shape of the pipe socket and cover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional sealing elements (flat ring seals) are used in the annular groove, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity and potential for damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the additional sealing element (flat ring seal) from the closure structure. Instead of adding a separate sealing component in the annular groove, the sealing function is integrated directly into the pipe socket and cover geometry through the radially expanding sealing surface formed by the second seat ring section and edge section.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is merged with the structural components of the closure. The second seat ring section and edge section are designed to form an integrated sealing surface that combines the structural support and sealing functions into a single geometric feature, eliminating the need for separate sealing elements.
2Reliability
If the sealing surface is extended radially between the second seat ring section and edge section, then sealing reliability improves without additional sealants, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing surface employs a radially expanding curved geometry that transitions from the second seat ring section to the edge section. This curved, form-fitting sealing surface design allows for reliable sealing through geometric interpolation, where the continuous radial expansion provides inherent tolerance compensation and self-aligning properties.
3Reliability
If a thin flat ring seal is arranged in the annular groove, then sealing is provided, but the seal is prone to damage and requires additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The closure structure serves its own sealing function through the geometric design of the pipe socket and cover. The radially expanding sealing surface formed by the second seat ring section and edge section creates a self-sealing mechanism that does not require external sealing elements, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating vulnerable components.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The closure has a pipe socket (1) extending at a cover-side end while forming a curvature in a first seat ring portion (1.1). The first seat ring portion and a second seat ring portion (1.2) are extended along a pipe socket axial direction. A cover (2) comprises an annular groove (2.1) for the first seat ring portion, which is adjoined with an edge section (2.2). The second seat ring portion and the edge section are formed with a seal surface, which radially extends from the first seat ring portion, where the second seat ring portion and the edge section are positively fits with each other.