Rotary Control Valve Seal Geometry for Self-Aligning Sliding Contact
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The rotary control valve's seal member fails to maintain suitable sliding contact with the rotor's cylindrical outer periphery due to improper installation or rotational misalignment, leading to inefficiencies in cooling-water distribution.
Innovation Solution
The seal member features an arc-curved contact face with noncontact parts forming ridges at the ends, which are pressed onto the rotor's periphery by a biasing member, ensuring proper sliding contact and automatic restoration to the correct attitude, even if initially misaligned.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the seal member is biased by a compression spring for sliding contact with the rotor, then the seal member is pressed against the rotor periphery, but the contact face fails to be in suitable sliding contact due to improper installation or rotational misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The contact face of the seal member is formed with an arc-curved surface that matches the cylindrical curvature of the rotor's outer periphery. This curved geometry ensures that the seal member naturally conforms to the rotor surface, maintaining reliable sliding contact even when subjected to compressive biasing forces during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The ridges formed by noncontact parts on the contact face automatically guide the seal member into the correct rotational attitude during operation. The ridges create mechanical features that self-align the seal member with the rotor, eliminating the need for precise manual alignment during installation and ensuring proper contact orientation.
2Reliability
If the contact face has a simple flat surface, then the structure is simple, but it cannot maintain consistent sliding contact with the cylindrical rotor periphery
Solution Approach 1:
The contact face of the seal member is formed with an arc-curved surface that matches the cylindrical curvature of the rotor's outer periphery. This curved geometry ensures that the seal member naturally conforms to the rotor surface, maintaining reliable sliding contact even when subjected to compressive biasing forces during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact face features localized ridges formed by noncontact parts that are strategically positioned to provide specific functional properties. These ridges create localized high-contact areas that guide alignment and maintain consistent sliding contact, while the rest of the contact face maintains a simpler geometry for overall compatibility with the rotor surface.
3Manufacturing precision
If the seal member is pressed hard against the rotor by the biasing member, then contact pressure is sufficient, but misalignment causes improper contact and reduces distribution accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The ridges formed by noncontact parts on the contact face automatically guide the seal member into the correct rotational attitude during operation. The ridges create mechanical features that self-align the seal member with the rotor, eliminating the need for precise manual alignment during installation and ensuring proper contact orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact face of the seal member is formed with an arc-curved surface that matches the cylindrical curvature of the rotor's outer periphery. This curved geometry ensures that the seal member naturally conforms to the rotor surface, maintaining reliable sliding contact even when subjected to compressive biasing forces during operation.
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 ensures consistent and efficient sliding contact between the seal member and rotor, improving the valve's operational reliability and accuracy in distributing cooling-water to various heat auxiliary units.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member that is disposed at a face of the seal member opposite to the contact face of the seal member, and is structured to cause the contact face to be pressed on the cylindrical outer periphery of the rotor
Implementation Method 2
a contact face that is formed at a front end of a seal member, and is structured to be in sliding contact with a cylindrical outer periphery of a rotor, and has an arc-curved surface shaped to fit with the cylindrical outer periphery of the rotor
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary control valve includes: a rotor including a tubular part and an opening in the tubular part; a seal member including a contact face, an internal passage, a noncontact part, and a ridge; a biasing member structured to cause the contact face of the seal member to be pressed on the tubular part; and a drive mechanism structured to rotate the rotor. The contact face is structured to be in sliding contact with the tubular part, and has an arc-curved surface shaped to fit with an outer periphery of the tubular part. The internal passage is structured to communicate with the opening of the tubular part. The noncontact part is formed at least one of ends of the arc-curved surface in a rotational direction of the tubular part, and is structured to be out of contact with the tubular part so as to define the ridge.