Sealing Assembly for Elongate Members Using Biasing Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing technologies fail to provide a reliable and maintainable environmental seal around elongate members, such as cables, especially in enclosures, as they lack a mechanism to consistently apply and maintain a compression load necessary for a positive pressurized seal.
Innovation Solution
A sealing assembly comprising a housing with a flowable sealant and a compression mechanism actuated by a biasing member, such as a spring, which applies a compression load to the sealant to form a seal around the elongate member, maintaining a pressure of at least 10 KPa and ensuring a durable, environmentally sealed enclosure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a seal is provided about an elongate member at its entry into an enclosure, then environmental protection is improved, but the reliability of maintaining a consistent compression load deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member is pre-configured to apply compression load to the sealant before the elongate member is fully inserted. The compression mechanism is pre-assembled with the sealant positioned between the compression member and the housing, ensuring that compression is applied at the optimal moment during insertion, thereby maintaining reliable environmental protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing member provides dynamic adjustment of compression load as the elongate member is inserted. As the member penetrates deeper, the biasing member automatically adjusts the compression force to maintain consistent sealing pressure, resolving the contradiction between environmental protection and compression load consistency.
2Reliability
If a compression mechanism with biasing member is used to apply compression load to sealant, then seal reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member is configured to automatically apply compression load to the sealant without requiring external actuation or complex control systems. The elastic element self-regulates the compression force based on the insertion depth of the elongate member, maintaining seal reliability while minimizing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The compression member acts as an intermediary between the biasing member and the sealant. This simple mechanical intermediary transfers the compression force efficiently from the biasing member to the sealant, achieving reliable sealing without requiring complex direct coupling mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If flowable sealant is used to provide environmental seal, then adaptability to different elongate member sizes is improved, but the ability to maintain positive pressure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member is pre-loaded to apply compression force to the flowable sealant before the sealing process is complete. This preliminary compression ensures that as the sealant flows and adapts to different elongate member sizes, positive pressure is maintained throughout the adaptation process, preventing leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The flowable sealant changes its physical parameters (viscosity, flowability) in response to the compression load from the biasing member. Under compression, the sealant transitions from a highly flowable state to a more rigid sealed state, maintaining adaptability to different sizes while preserving positive pressure capability.
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 solution effectively maintains a positive pressure seal around elongate members, ensuring environmental protection and integrity even after deformation, accommodating various cable sizes and providing a reliable, long-lasting moisture-tight seal.
Implementation Method 1
The biasing member is configured to apply a compression load against the sealant. The compression mechanism is configured to force the sealant to flow about the elongate member to provide an environmental seal
Implementation Method 2
The sealant may include a gel that is elastically displaced by the compression load
Data Source
AI summary
A sealing assembly for providing an environmental seal about an elongate member includes a housing defining a passage to receive an elongate member, a flowable sealant disposed in the passage, a compression mechanism and a trigger mechanism. The compression mechanism includes a biasing member. The biasing member is configured to apply a compression load against the sealant and the compression mechanism is configured to force the sealant to flow about the elongate member to provide an environmental seal about the elongate member. The trigger mechanism is configured to selectively actuate the biasing member to apply the compression load to the sealant.