Shaft Sealing Plate with Internal Channels for Symmetric Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sealing devices for rotatably mounted shafts face challenges in achieving effective sealing without compromising installation space, as they require multiple holes in the housing for sealing medium supply, leading to manufacturing complexities and potential flow disruptions, and often result in suboptimal radially symmetrical sealing performance.

Innovation Solution

A sealing device featuring a plate-shaped body with a line system that allows for radially symmetric distribution of sealing medium, integrated into a sealing plate attached to the housing, eliminating the need for multiple holes and enabling efficient sealing without manufacturing-induced flow hindrances.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple holes are drilled into the housing from the outside for sealing medium supply, then the sealing performance can be improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases and chips may hinder the flow behavior of the sealing medium

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of drilling holes from the outside of the housing into the interior (conventional approach), the invention introduces the sealing medium from the interior of the housing to the shaft through a channel system. This inversion of the sealing medium supply direction eliminates the need for external drilling operations, avoids chip contamination, and simplifies manufacturing while maintaining effective sealing performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If multiple holes are drilled into the housing from the outside for sealing medium supply, then the sealing performance can be improved, but additional production steps are required to seal the holes with plugs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidease of manufacture
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention inverts the conventional sealing medium supply approach by introducing the medium from the housing interior rather than drilling external holes. This eliminates the need for additional plug sealing steps, reduces manufacturing complexity, and maintains effective sealing performance through the alternative channel configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the sealing function from the housing structure itself by using a separate channel system within the sealing device. This separates the sealing medium supply path from the housing, eliminating the need to modify the housing with multiple drilled holes and plugs, thereby simplifying manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of manufacture

If the sealing medium is fed in at only one point on the shaft via one channel, then the machining production effort is reduced, but the sealing medium cannot be guided to the shaft in a radially symmetrical manner which impairs sealing performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemachining production effortVSAvoidsealing performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the sealing medium supply into multiple outlets distributed around the channel system, allowing radially symmetrical distribution of the sealing medium to the shaft. This segmentation is achieved through a compact channel design that branches into multiple exit points, maintaining both manufacturing simplicity and optimal sealing performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from a single-point sealing medium introduction to a distributed multi-point system by utilizing three-dimensional channel routing. The channel system extends in multiple directions within the sealing device, enabling radially symmetrical outlets that improve sealing performance while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4025407B1Sealing device
Publication Date: 2023.10.11 KRAUSSMAFFEI EXTRUSION GMBH
  • EP4025407B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4025407B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A sealing device (100) for sealing off the intermediate space between a housing (200) and a shaft (310) which is mounted rotatably in the housing, which housing (200) has a first plate-like body (110) with a front side, a rear side and a first opening (120) extending from the front side to the rear side and suitable for the leadthrough of the shaft (310), and has a line (130) which runs in the body (110) and which is suitable for conducting a liquid or gaseous medium. Here, the first body (110) is suitable for being fastened sealingly to the housing (200) such that the shaft (310) which is rotatably mounted in the housing (200) is led through the first opening (120). The line (130) has a multiplicity of outlets (138) which are connected to an inlet (132) via at least one diversion (134) and/or at least one divergence (136) and which lead radially symmetrically into the first opening (120). The first opening (120) is suitable for the introduction of first sealing means (140) such that the first sealing means (140) seal off an intermediate space between the shaft (310) and the first body (110) without blocking the outlets (138) of the line (130).