Reinforced Elastomer Seal for Large Gap Pressurized Fluid Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Seals that span a gap under pressure tend to destabilize and fail, leading to leakage and air introduction into systems, causing issues like foaming of oil and bearing failure, especially when manufacturing tolerances exceed the recommended 0.8 mm gap distance.
Innovation Solution
A seal system featuring a reinforcement member with an elastomer body overmolded on it, where the elastomer body is designed to extend beyond the reinforcement member's surfaces, allowing for compression and pre-loading to ensure a tight seal across gaps exceeding 0.8 mm, with the reinforcement member providing structural support to prevent extrusion under high pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the gap distance between sealing surfaces is increased to accommodate manufacturing tolerances, then the adaptability and ease of manufacture are improved, but the seal stability and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into two distinct components: a reinforcement member providing structural support and an elastomer body providing sealing functionality. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the reinforcement member can be designed for gap spanning and pressure resistance while the elastomer body is optimized for sealing contact and compliance, thereby maintaining reliability across larger gap distances
Solution Approach 2:
The seal combines two fundamentally different materials - a rigid or semi-rigid reinforcement member and a compliant elastomer body - into a composite structure. The reinforcement member (which may be fabric, mesh, or solid) provides the structural framework to span larger gaps and resist extrusion under pressure, while the elastomer body fills the gap and creates the sealing interface, enabling the seal to accommodate manufacturing tolerances while maintaining stability
2Ease of manufacture
If a seal spans a larger gap to accommodate manufacturing variances, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the seal tends to destabilize and disengage from the sealing surface
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement member is pre-formed with a specific geometry and structural configuration before assembly, providing inherent stability and positioning features that prevent destabilization during operation. The pre-structured reinforcement framework maintains the seal's positional integrity across larger gaps where conventional seals would disengage
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of reinforcement member plus elastomer body creates a stabilized system where the reinforcement provides structural rigidity to prevent seal migration or disengagement, while the elastomer maintains compliance for sealing. This combination enables stable operation over larger gap distances that would cause conventional single-material seals to destabilize
3Device complexity
If the seal structure is simplified to reduce complexity, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the ability to withstand high pressure without extrusion deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than creating a complex single-component seal, the solution segments the sealing function into two simpler components: a reinforcement member for structural integrity and an elastomer body for sealing. This segmentation actually reduces overall complexity while improving pressure resistance, as each component can be manufactured using standard processes and assembled together
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 seal system effectively maintains a tight seal across gaps from 0.8 mm to 2.5 mm, withstanding internal pressures up to 5000 kPa without failure, accommodating manufacturing variances and preventing air and lubricant leakage.
Implementation Method 1
In an installed condition, the elastomer body is deformed by the second member so that the reinforcement member is in contact with the second member
Data Source
AI summary
A seal is adapted to be received in an annular groove in a first member and is compressed against a groove bottom by a second member that defines a gap between the first and second members. The seal includes a reinforcement member and an elastomer body over-molded on the reinforcement member. The reinforcement member is disposed on an outboard side of the elastomer body and the elastomer body extends both above and below the reinforcement member. The compression of the seal causes the elastomer body to deform such that the reinforcement member provides a reinforcement substantially along the entire gap to prevent the elastomer body of the seal from being extruded through the gap.