Rotating Shaft Seal Ring Structure for Easier Assembly and Longer Life
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional seal rings for rotating shafts in thermostats are costly, have high manufacturing defects, and require precise installation, which complicates assembly and reduces sealing effectiveness and service life.
Innovation Solution
A seal ring with an outer wall featuring external ribs and inner wall with obliquely extending seal contact parts, made of ethylene propylene diene rubber, designed to optimize assembly through injection molding and reduce costs, featuring a K- or Y-shaped structure with a recessed part for lubrication and a hook component to prevent sliding, allowing for improved sealing and easier installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal skeleton with rubber is used in the seal ring, then the seal ring can be secured at the sealing position, but the material costs and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the metal skeleton from the seal ring structure, extracting only the essential rubber material to form the complete seal ring. This eliminates the need for costly metal components while maintaining the sealing function through the rubber material's inherent elasticity and friction properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from a composite metal-rubber structure to a pure rubber structure. By utilizing the friction coefficient and elasticity of rubber, the seal ring achieves secure positioning without requiring metal reinforcement, thereby reducing material costs while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If a metal skeleton is used to provide tension for fixing the seal ring, then the seal ring can be secured, but the installation accuracy requirement becomes very high
Solution Approach 1:
The rubber material of the seal ring provides its own friction-based securing mechanism without requiring external metal skeletons. The rubber's inherent elasticity and friction coefficient enable it to self-adjust and secure itself at the sealing position, eliminating the need for high installation accuracy and complex centering procedures.
3Reliability
If the seal ring is made with a metal skeleton structure, then tension can be provided for fixing, but the assembly sequence becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fixing function and sealing function into a single rubber seal ring component. By eliminating the separate metal skeleton, the assembly process is simplified to a single-step installation, reducing assembly sequence complexity while maintaining the necessary fixing and sealing capabilities through the rubber material's properties.
4Reliability
If the rubber is contacted with the rotating shaft during installation, then sealing can be achieved, but uneven stress may damage the seal ring and reduce service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the friction coefficient parameter of the rubber material to create a controlled stress distribution during installation. The rubber's elasticity and friction properties enable it to conform to the rotating shaft surface, distributing stress evenly across the contact area rather than concentrating it at specific points, thereby preventing damage and extending service life while maintaining effective sealing.
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 enhances sealing efficiency, extends service life, and simplifies assembly by reducing material costs and improving yield rates, enabling miniaturization and mass automatic assembly.
Implementation Method 1
the seal ring is made of an elastic material
Implementation Method 2
The outer wall includes one or more external ribs, and the external ribs are disposed along a circumferential direction of the outer wall
Implementation Method 3
a recessed part is provided between the two seal contact parts, the recessed part being configured to receive a lubricant
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
The present application provides a seal ring for sealing a rotating shaft. The seal ring has an outer wall and an inner wall. The outer wall includes one or more external ribs, and the external ribs are disposed along a circumferential direction of the outer wall. The inner wall includes one or more seal contact parts extending inwards from the inner wall, and the seal contact parts are disposed along a circumferential direction of the inner wall. The seal ring is made of an elastic material. The seal ring and a seal structure using the seal ring can not only optimize the assembly sequence for miniaturization and mass automatic assembly with reduced costs and improved yield rates, but also improve the sealing effect and service life of the seal ring.