Self-Centering Seal Component for High-Speed Shaft Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed shaft seal components experience radial growth due to centrifugal forces, leading to eccentric operation and excessive shaft vibration from imbalance.
Innovation Solution
An annular seal component with axially extending cavities that reduce radial growth of centering body portions, maintaining the component centered on the shaft axis and minimizing dynamic radial imbalance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the seal component is made solid without cavities, then the structural strength is maintained, but radial growth occurs during high-speed rotation causing eccentric operation and shaft vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The seal component is divided into multiple segments by introducing axially extending cavities that are spaced circumferentially about the centerline. These cavities create separate centering body portions between them, allowing differential radial growth in different regions. The segmentation enables the component to maintain overall structural integrity while permitting controlled radial expansion that preserves centering stability during high-speed rotation.
2Productivity
If the seal component rotates at high speed, then productivity is improved, but centrifugal forces cause radial growth leading to imbalance and excessive vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The cavities are strategically positioned to create centering body portions that experience controlled radial growth during high-speed rotation. This controlled growth pattern converts the harmful centrifugal forces into a beneficial self-centering mechanism, where the differential expansion of centering body portions maintains the component centered on the shaft axis, thereby reducing vibration and imbalance rather than exacerbating them.
3Stability of the object's composition
If cavities are added to reduce radial growth, then centering stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly modifying the entire seal component, cavities are introduced only in specific locations circumferentially spaced about the centerline. This localized modification creates centering body portions with optimized radial growth characteristics only where needed, maintaining centering stability without requiring complex modifications throughout the entire component structure.
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 minimizes shaft vibration and prevents eccentric operation by maintaining the seal component centered during high-speed rotation, reducing radial growth and balancing the centrifugal forces.
Implementation Method 1
such seal components experience substantial radial growth due to the high centrifugal forces generated within the component
Implementation Method 2
the body inner surface is frictionally engageable with the shaft outer surface to couple the component with the shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A seal assembly component includes an annular body having a centerline, first and second axial ends spaced along the centerline, an inner circumferential surface, and an opposing outer circumferential surface. The inner surface defines a bore for receiving a shaft and is sized such that the body inner surface frictionally engages the shaft outer surface to couple the component with the shaft. At least three cavities extend axially from the body first axial end and are spaced circumferentially about the centerline. Each cavity is located adjacent to the bore so as to define a separate centering body portion between a radially innermost surface section of the cavity and an axially-extending centering surface section of the body inner circumferential surface located inwardly of the cavity. Any radial growth of each centering body portion is lesser than concurrent radial growth of remaining portions of the body during rotation of the shaft.