Seal Ring Rib Geometry to Prevent Foreign Matter Buildup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seal rings used in transmissions are prone to foreign matter accumulation, leading to degraded sealing performance and increased sliding abrasion, especially when used with soft materials like aluminum in housings.
Innovation Solution
A seal ring design featuring recessed parts and ribs with inclined lateral surfaces on the upstream side, which reduces foreign matter accumulation by directing it out of the recessed areas, thereby maintaining stable posture and sealing performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If ribs are configured to extend perpendicular to the projection part, then the seal ring structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but foreign matter accumulates at the corner parts where lateral-wall surfaces cross
Solution Approach 1:
The rib lateral-wall surfaces are configured with asymmetric angles relative to the rotation direction. Specifically, the upstream side has a smaller angle (α1) while the downstream side has a larger angle (α2), creating an asymmetric configuration that prevents foreign matter accumulation while maintaining manufacturing feasibility. This asymmetric design causes foreign matter to be pushed toward the downstream side rather than accumulating at corner parts.
2Ease of operation
If the seal ring has only a projection part on the outer peripheral surface, then sliding resistance is reduced, but the seal ring becomes easily inclined and its posture becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The seal ring structure is segmented into multiple functional parts: a projection part for sliding contact that reduces resistance, and multiple ribs that provide structural support and stabilize posture. The ribs are connected to the projection part and extend to lateral surfaces, creating a segmented structure where each part performs its specific function without interfering with others.
3Reliability
If foreign matter accumulates in the corner parts of the seal ring structure, then sealing performance degrades, but increasing structural complexity to prevent accumulation increases manufacturing difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral-wall surfaces of the ribs are configured with specific angle parameters (α1 and α2) relative to the rotation direction. By optimizing these angular parameters, the structure prevents foreign matter accumulation through hydrodynamic action rather than through complex geometric configurations. This parameter-based approach maintains relatively simple structure while effectively preventing foreign matter issues.
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 ring effectively prevents foreign matter from being caught in sliding parts, enhancing sealing performance and reducing abrasion, even when used with soft materials like aluminum in housings.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of ribs arranged on a sealed region side among the plurality of ribs have lateral-wall surfaces on an upstream side in a relative rotation direction of the housing with respect to the shaft, each of the lateral-wall surfaces having inclined surfaces inclined from the upstream side to a downstream side in the relative rotation direction of the housing from the projection part toward the lateral surfaces of the seal ring
Data Source
AI summary
A seal ring has, on an outer peripheral surface side thereof, a pair of recessed parts 140 extending in a circumferential direction on both sides in a width direction thereof to form a projection part 120 between the pair of recessed parts 140, and has a plurality of ribs 130 connected to the projection part 120 and extending to lateral surfaces of the seal ring at intervals in the circumferential direction inside the pair of recessed parts 140, and a plurality of ribs 130 arranged on a sealed region side among the plurality of ribs 130 have lateral-wall surfaces on an upstream side in a relative rotation direction of a housing with respect to a shaft, each of the lateral-wall surfaces having inclined surfaces inclined from the upstream side to a downstream side in the relative rotation direction of the housing from the projection part 120 toward the lateral surfaces of the seal ring.