Mechanical Seal Sliding Ring Grooves for Lubricity and Leak Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sliding components in mechanical seals fail to effectively supply sealing target fluid to the leak side between sliding surfaces, leading to reduced lubricity and leakage, and struggle to hold a sufficient amount of fluid between the surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a sliding component with dynamic pressure generation mechanisms featuring a first groove communicating with the leak side and curved second grooves that extend towards the leak side, allowing recovered sealing target fluid to flow back to the fluid side, reducing leakage and enhancing lubricity by efficiently discharging fluid between sliding surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reverse Rayleigh step is disposed on the leak side to suction sealing target liquid, then sealability is improved, but the sealing target liquid is not supplied to the leak side between sliding surfaces and lubricity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structure is segmented into multiple functional regions: a first groove portion for suction, a pair of second groove portions for fluid distribution, and an extension-direction end surface for discharge. This segmentation allows the same component to simultaneously achieve sealability improvement and lubricity enhancement by directing fluid to different locations for different purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the groove structure provide different local functions: the first groove portion (communicating with leak side) provides suction function, the second groove portions provide fluid distribution function, and the end surface provides discharge function. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by ensuring that sealability is improved at the suction region while lubricity is enhanced at the discharge region between sliding surfaces.
2Loss of substance
If sealing target liquid is immediately suctioned into the reverse Rayleigh step, then leakage prevention is enhanced, but it is difficult to hold the sealing target liquid in quantity between sliding surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structure is designed to preliminarily hold sealing target liquid in the first and second groove portions before discharge. The curved configuration of the second groove portions and the extension-direction end surface create fluid retention zones that temporarily store liquid, ensuring sufficient fluid is available between sliding surfaces before any suction occurs, thus preventing immediate depletion.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove structure utilizes three-dimensional spatial configuration with curved second groove portions extending in multiple directions. This dimensional approach creates volumetric fluid holding capacity rather than just surface-level fluid presence, allowing the system to hold a larger quantity of sealing target liquid between sliding surfaces while maintaining effective suction capability.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple groove structure is used, then manufacturing is easier, but lubricity is insufficient in wide area of sliding surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structure is segmented into a first groove portion and a pair of second groove portions with specific geometric relationships. This segmentation creates multiple fluid discharge paths that cover a wider area of the sliding surfaces, enhancing lubricity coverage while maintaining a manufacturing process that is essentially a single grooving operation, thus balancing manufacturing ease with performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The second groove portions are configured to curvedly extend convex toward the leak side, and the end wall surface extends in the circumferential direction. This curvature design allows the groove to naturally guide and distribute sealing target liquid across a wider area of the sliding surfaces through centrifugal and capillary effects, enhancing lubricity coverage without requiring additional complex manufacturing steps.
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 improves lubricity across a wide area of the sliding surfaces, reduces leakage, and maintains a large amount of sealing target fluid between the surfaces, enhancing the seal's performance and longevity.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of dynamic pressure generation mechanisms 14 are provided on a sliding surface 11 of the stationary seal ring 10
Implementation Method 2
the sealing target fluid supplied to the leak side of the sliding surface is recovered by the first groove portion 15 communicating with the leak side
Implementation Method 3
the recovered sealing target fluid is caused to flow out between the sliding surfaces from the second groove portions 9A and partially returned to the sealing target fluid side
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
There is provided a sliding component with which it is possible to exhibit high lubricity by supplying a sealing target fluid to the leak side between sliding surfaces, reduce the leakage of the sealing target fluid, and hold a large amount of the sealing target fluid between the sliding surfaces. A sliding component 10 is formed in an annular shape and disposed at a relative rotation point of a rotating machine. A plurality of dynamic pressure generation mechanisms 14 are provided on a sliding surface 11 of the sliding component 10 and each of the dynamic pressure generation mechanisms 14 includes a first groove portion 15 communicating with a leak side and a pair of second groove portions 9A and 9B communicating with the first groove portion 15 and extending on both sides in a circumferential direction. Extension-direction end surfaces 9a and 9b of the second groove portions 9A and 9B are disposed on a sealing target fluid side as compared with a communication portions between the first groove portion 15 and each of the second communication portions.