Pressure-Locking Sealing Ring Assembly for Low-Wear Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Seals in piston-cylinder assemblies experience radial wear, leading to unacceptable leakage due to high wear rates of self-lubricating materials, which limits their operational life and effectiveness in maintaining a seal between high and low-pressure regions.
Innovation Solution
The sealing ring assembly incorporates a pressure-locking feature with recesses on the mating surfaces, allowing forces to maintain relative positions and reduce wear by ensuring contact between surfaces, even under varying pressures and geometric changes, using self-lubricating materials like graphite or ceramics to operate without liquid lubricants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If self-lubricating materials are used for the seal, then the seal can operate without liquid lubricants, but the wear rate is relatively high leading to unacceptable leakage flow
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple segments that can independently move and conform to the mating surface. This segmentation allows each segment to maintain optimal contact pressure while accommodating wear, preventing the formation of continuous leakage paths that would occur with a single rigid seal piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal incorporates dynamic elements that allow it to adapt its geometry during operation. The segments can shift position and the seal can deform to maintain contact with the mating surface, ensuring consistent sealing performance despite wear of the self-lubricating material.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the seal operates for extended periods, then economic benefits are achieved, but radial wear causes gaps to form between portions of the seal
Solution Approach 1:
The seal design anticipates wear by incorporating segments with sufficient initial material thickness and compliance. As wear occurs during extended operation, the segments gradually conform to the mating surface rather than forming gaps, maintaining sealing effectiveness throughout the operational life.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal utilizes materials and design features that allow parameters such as contact pressure and segment position to change during operation. This adaptation enables the seal to compensate for radial wear and maintain reliable sealing performance over extended periods.
3Reliability
If the mating surfaces are kept in contact to prevent leakage, then sealing performance is maintained, but wear increases due to continuous contact under pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The seal segments dynamically adjust their position and contact pressure based on operating conditions and wear accumulation. This dynamic behavior allows the seal to maintain adequate contact for sealing while reducing unnecessary friction and wear during periods when perfect contact is not critical.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pressure and material properties of the seal are designed to change during operation. The self-lubricating material's friction characteristics evolve with wear, and the seal geometry adapts to balance the need for contact (sealing) against the cost of contact (wear).
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
This configuration significantly reduces leakage and extends the operational life of the seal by maintaining contact between surfaces, minimizing wear, and effectively sealing high and low-pressure regions without liquid lubrication, enhancing the efficiency and longevity of the seal.
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, 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
Implementation Method 2
using self-lubricating materials like graphite or ceramics to operate without liquid lubricants
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A sealing ring (200) includes a first sealing element (220) having a first mating surface and a second sealing element (230) having a second mating surface. A high-pressure boundary (250) 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 (252) 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 (221) open to the low-pressure boundary and not open to the high-pressure boundary. The recess may include a groove (223), for example. The first mating surface is sealed against the second mating surface by a first force (290) acting on the first sealing element and a second force (291) acting on the second sealing element. These forces act to pressure-lock the assembly.