Single Pipe Seal With Elastic Sealing Body
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing single duct seals for rigid plastic microducts require high manufacturing accuracy and a large number of parts, making them complex and difficult to assemble and disassemble, while also compromising tightness against data cables.
Innovation Solution
A structurally simple single pipe seal design featuring a slip-on sleeve with an elastically deformable sealing body and a holding and releasing device that allows easy assembly and disassembly, ensuring adequate tightness and reduced component size for increased packing density.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional single pipe seal with dovetail clamp and half shells is used, then radial sealing forces can be built up, but the number of parts increases and manufacturing accuracy requirements become high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sealing body and the holding device into a single integrated component. The sealing body includes an elastic sealing element and a holding element that exerts radial holding forces on the pipe, eliminating the need for separate dovetail clamps and half shells. This merging reduces the number of parts while maintaining sealing reliability through the integrated structure.
2Reliability
If a traditional single pipe seal with dovetail clamp is used, then radial sealing forces can be built up, but manufacturing accuracy requirements become high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the sealing body to an elastomeric or rubber-like material that is elastically deformable. This allows the sealing body to accommodate variations in radial dimensions through elastic deformation, reducing the stringency of manufacturing accuracy requirements while maintaining reliable sealing. The elastic properties enable the seal to self-adjust to dimensional variations.
3Ease of operation
If a slip-on sleeve with holding and releasing device is used, then assembly and disassembly become easy, but the structure must ensure adequate tightness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic holding and releasing device that can transition between a closed position (exerting radial holding forces to maintain tightness) and an open position (allowing easy assembly and disassembly). The device includes a actuating mechanism that enables controlled opening and closing, providing both ease of operation and reliable tightness when in the closed state.
4Strength
If the plastic pipe wall thickness is increased to increase rigidity, then protection against external impacts improves, but the packing density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction for the plastic pipe, combining materials with different properties to achieve both high rigidity and thin wall thickness. The composite structure provides enhanced strength and impact resistance without increasing the overall dimensions, thereby maintaining high packing density while ensuring adequate protection against external impacts.
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 provides a reliable, easy-to-assemble, and disassemble seal that maintains tightness against data cables, addressing the complexity and accuracy issues of existing designs while optimizing space usage and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
a reliable seal is achieved by means of the elastic deformation of the seal body
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a single-pipe seal (1) for mounting on an end section of a rigid plastic pipe (3), such as a micropipe, which has an inner channel for receiving at least one data cable (5), such as a fiber optic cable, comprising an at least partially cylindrical slip-on sleeve (7) formed from a rigid material, such as plastic, and defining an interior space into which the end section (15) can be inserted, and having an insertion opening for axially inserting the end section into the interior space and an exit opening through which the data cable can extend axially from the interior space; an elastically deformable sealing body (9) which is inserted into the interior space via the insertion opening and has an end section facing the inner channel of the plastic pipe, which is shaped for sealing the inner channel, and a feed-through opening for the data cable;and a holding and releasing device (11) inserted axially through the insertion opening partially into the interior, which in a passive state exerts a radial holding force on the plastic tube in order to hold the plastic tube axially, and can be actuated in such a way that the radial holding force is substantially eliminated in order to release the plastic tube.