Retained Plumbing Gasket for Leak-Free Fitting Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaskets for plumbing assemblies often fail to securely engage with fittings, leading to leaks and instability during assembly and operation.
Innovation Solution
A gasket design featuring a body with a hole aligned with a fastener hole of a fitting, and a retainer that biases the gasket against the fitting surface, ensuring secure engagement and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional gasket design is used, then the assembly is simple, but the gasket fails to securely engage with fittings leading to leaks and instability
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is segmented into distinct functional components: a body portion for sealing, a retainer portion for engagement, and a tab for manipulation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall reliability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer portion is designed to be movable relative to the body, transitioning from a first position during installation to a second position during operation. This dynamic feature enables secure engagement with the fitting while maintaining simplicity during the sealing phase.
2Reliability
If the retainer is always engaged with the fitting, then secure engagement is achieved, but stacking of multiple gaskets becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed with movable capability, allowing it to be in a first position during stacking/manufacturing when it does not engage the fitting, and a second position during operation when it secures the gasket to the fitting. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction between engagement reliability and stacking ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The tab extends from the body to facilitate preliminary manipulation of the retainer into the correct position before final engagement with the fitting. This preliminary action enables proper positioning during installation while maintaining stacking capability during manufacturing.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the gasket body is rigid, then structural stability is achieved, but adaptation to fitting surfaces and alignment becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket body is made of a resilient material that can flex and conform to the fitting surfaces while maintaining structural stability. This flexibility allows the gasket to adapt to variations in fitting surfaces and achieve proper alignment, while the overall structure remains stable during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket utilizes composite construction with a resilient body material combined with a retainer structure, creating a material system that provides both flexibility for adaptation and stability for structural integrity during sealing and engagement.
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 gasket effectively seals fluid openings and maintains alignment with fittings, preventing leaks and ensuring a stable assembly process.
Implementation Method 1
The retainer is a resilient strip that extends at least partially around the hole and is movable relative to the hole. The retainer is configured to bias the body against the surface of the fitting.
Data Source
AI summary
A gasket is provided to create a seal between plumbing fittings. A gasket is configured to be positioned adjacent a surface of a fitting. The gasket includes a body, a hole, and a retainer. The body has a first side and a second side opposite the first side. At least one of the first side and the second side are configured to engage the surface of the fitting. The hole is configured to be aligned with a fastener hole of the fitting. The hole extends between the first side and the second side. The retainer is positioned adjacent the hole and configured to engage a portion of the fitting. The retainer is configured to bias the body against the surface of the fitting.