Pressure-Locking Sealing Ring Assemblies for Piston-Cylinder Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Seals in piston-cylinder assemblies wear down radially, leading to gaps that cause unacceptable leakage, limiting their effective operating life, especially with self-lubricating materials.
Innovation Solution
A sealing ring assembly with pressure-locking features, including recesses open to low-pressure boundaries, ensures that mating surfaces remain sealed by opposing forces, maintaining contact and reducing wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If self-lubricating material is used for the seal, then lubrication is improved, but wear rate increases leading to unacceptable leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple segments with different material properties. The first seal portion uses self-lubricating material for low friction, while the second seal portion uses wear-resistant material for maintaining sealing contact, resolving the contradiction between lubrication and wear resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The seal combines different materials in a composite structure - self-lubricating material in one portion and wear-resistant material in another portion - to simultaneously achieve both low friction and low wear rate, preventing the leakage problem that occurs with single-material seals
2Duration of action of moving object
If radial wear occurs, then operating time increases, but gaps form between seal portions causing leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter (wear resistance) in the second seal portion to compensate for radial wear over time. This wear-resistant material maintains the seal contact pressure and prevents gap formation, allowing the seal to maintain reliability throughout its extended operating life
Solution Approach 2:
The wear-resistant second seal portion acts as an intermediary that protects the sealing interface from wear damage. It mediates between the moving piston and cylinder wall, preventing direct wear that would otherwise create gaps and leakage paths
3Strength
If pressure differential acts on the seal, then sealing force is improved, but radial outward force increases causing separation
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is segmented into a first portion and second portion that can deform independently. This segmentation allows the seal to accommodate radial outward forces while maintaining sealing contact, preventing separation that would occur with a single rigid seal structure
Solution Approach 2:
The seal design incorporates dynamic deformation capability where the first and second seal portions can flex and adjust their positions in response to pressure differentials. This dynamic behavior allows the seal to maintain contact under varying pressure conditions without permanent separation
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 pressure-locking mechanism enhances the sealing performance by minimizing leakage and extending the operational life of the seal, even under varying pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a high-pressure boundary extending across at least a portion of the first sealing element and across at least a portion of the second sealing element. The sealing ring assembly also includes a low-pressure boundary extending across at least a portion of the first sealing element and across at least a portion of the second sealing element
Data Source
AI summary
A sealing ring includes a first sealing element having a first mating surface and a second sealing element having a second mating surface. A high-pressure boundary extends across at least a portion of the first sealing element and across at least a portion of the second sealing element, and a low-pressure boundary extends across at least a portion of the first sealing element and across at least a portion of the second sealing element. The first mating surface, the second mating surface, or both, includes a recess open to the low-pressure boundary and not open to the high-pressure boundary. The recess may include a groove, for example. The first mating surface is sealed against the second mating surface by a first force acting on the first sealing element and a second force acting on the second sealing element. These forces act to pressure-lock the assembly.