Pump Seal Assembly Impact Protection via Resilient Ring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seal assemblies for pumps, particularly those using ceramic or carbon-based materials, are prone to cracking and damage due to impacts from teeth on the receptacle, leading to reliability and longevity issues.
Innovation Solution
A seal assembly design that incorporates a protection ring around the collar of the rotary seal ring, featuring recessed housings to house the receptacle's teeth, preventing direct contact and absorbing impact energy, thereby protecting the fragile materials from damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rotary seal ring collar is made of hard and fragile material (ceramic, silicon carbide, or carbon based mix), then the sealing performance is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to cracking and breaking from impacts with receptacle teeth
Solution Approach 1:
A protection ring made of resilient material is introduced as an intermediary component between the fragile collar and the receptacle teeth. This protection ring absorbs the impact energy from the teeth during rotation, preventing direct transmission of impact forces to the collar. The resilient material acts as a buffer that protects the ceramic or carbon-based collar from cracking while maintaining the sealing function.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the collar is made of hard and fragile material, then the durability deteriorates due to impacts, but using softer materials would compromise the sealing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is segmented into two functional parts: the main collar body made of hard and fragile material (ceramic, silicon carbide, or carbon based mix) that maintains sealing performance, and an outer protection ring made of resilient material that absorbs impacts. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specialized function - the collar provides sealing while the protection ring provides impact resistance, thereby extending service life without compromising sealing reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the rotary seal ring is made in one piece, then the manufacturing is simplified, but the reliability deteriorates because the entire collar is exposed to impact damage
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary seal ring is divided into two components: the original one-piece collar and an additional protection ring. The collar remains simple and easy to manufacture as a single piece, while the protection ring is added as a separate component that can be fitted over the collar. This approach maintains the manufacturing simplicity of the collar while adding the necessary impact protection through the resilient protection ring.
Data Source
AI summary
A seal assembly includes a fixed seal ring, and a rotary part having a rotary seal ring with a friction edge intended to slide against a counter-track of the fixed seal ring, a receptacle connected to a rotary shaft and provided with teeth intended to be housed inside cavities obtained in a collar of the rotary seal ring in order to drive the rotary seal ring into rotation, and a protection ring disposed around the collar and provided with recessed housings intended to be disposed inside the cavities of the collar and to house the teeth of the receptacle.