Semicorrugated Elastomer Gasket for Material Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing elastomer seals with fixed geometry face challenges in reducing material volume without compromising sealing capacity and stability, as reducing height leads to compression loss and reducing width causes instability and buckling.

Innovation Solution

A semi-corrugated elastomer seal with a continuously variable geometry cross-section, incorporating linear and corrugated portions that allow for reduced material usage while maintaining stability and compressive force distribution, thereby preserving sealing capacity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the height of the gasket is reduced to lower material volume, then material cost decreases, but compression is lost and sealing capacity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial volumeVSAvoidsealing capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The gasket is divided into multiple sections along its length, with each section having a different height. This segmentation allows the gasket to use less material overall while maintaining sufficient compression and sealing capacity in critical areas where higher sections are positioned.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Quantity of substance

If the width of the gasket section is reduced to lower material volume, then material cost decreases, but instability and buckling occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial volumeVSAvoidgasket stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The gasket width is segmented into different sections along its length. Certain sections maintain sufficient width to provide stability and prevent buckling, while other sections can be narrower to reduce material usage. This selective width variation resolves the contradiction between material reduction and structural stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If specific shapes are added locally to generate retaining force and maintain compressive force distribution, then sealing performance is improved, but the section size becomes large and material gain is insignificant

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidmaterial volume
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of adding large specific shapes throughout the gasket, the invention applies local quality by varying the height and width of the gasket at specific locations where sealing performance is most critical. This approach maintains effective sealing while using less material overall, as the increased section dimensions are applied only where necessary rather than uniformly across the entire gasket.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 design achieves a 30% reduction in material usage while ensuring stability and effective compressive force absorption, maintaining sealing performance and adaptability to varying pressures.

Implementation Method 1

an elastomer seal having a length following a contour and a cross-section of width and height taken in a transverse plane perpendicular to said length

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2683966B1Semicorrugated gasket
Publication Date: 2016.11.09 CARL FREUDENBERG KG
  • EP2683966B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2683966B1 patent drawingFigure 3~6
  • EP2683966B1 patent drawingFigure 7~10

AI summary

The invention relates to an elastomer sealing gasket (10) having a length (L) along a contour (C) and a cross section (S) of width (I) and of height (H) considered in a transverse plane (T) perpendicular to said length (L), characterized in that the cross section (S) has a geometry that is continuously varying along the length (L) of the gasket.