Sleeve Sealing Element for Cooled Roller Inlet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bearing and rotary union designs for chilled reels have complex sealing assemblies with many individual parts, making quick changes and reliable sealing challenging, especially under high forces and thermal expansion.
Innovation Solution
A simplified sealing element is used, comprising a single sleeve-shaped component with both static and dynamic seals, made of PTFE for chemical resistance, allowing for easy replacement and effective sealing without the need for spring elements, and is arranged around the coolant pipe's circumference for enhanced reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex sealing assembly with many individual parts is used, then sealing reliability is improved, but ease of replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sealing functions (static sealing and dynamic sealing) into a single integrated sealing element. This sealing element includes a sealing ring for static sealing against the roller body and a sealing sleeve for dynamic sealing against the coolant pipe, both as one replaceable component. This merging reduces the number of individual parts while maintaining comprehensive sealing coverage, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of replacement.
2Reliability
If a sealing assembly with many individual parts is used, then sealing coverage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the sealing ring and sealing sleeve into a single sealing element that provides both static and dynamic sealing functions. This reduces device complexity by eliminating the need for multiple separate components, seal carriers, and assembly operations, while maintaining comprehensive sealing coverage through the integrated design.
3Adaptability or versatility
If spring elements and elastic sleeves are used for sealing, then adaptability to thermal expansion is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic sealing mechanism where the sealing element can move axially along the coolant pipe. This dynamic capability allows the sealing element to automatically adjust to thermal expansion and contraction of the roller components without requiring spring elements or elastic sleeves. The dynamic sealing maintains fluid-tight sealing while accommodating dimensional changes, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
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
This design achieves high reliability and quick seal changes with reduced parts, ensuring consistent fluid-tight sealing across stationary and moving components, suitable for high-force applications like continuous casting and rolling mills.
Implementation Method 1
The sealing element is preferably made of PTFE, so that there is high chemical resistance to different cooling media
Implementation Method 2
in the case of thermal expansion, the coolant pipe is designed to be displaceable, i.e. sliding, relative to the sealing element
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a bearing arrangement and a rotary inlet for a cooled roller. The aim of the invention is to provide a simple rotary inlet for a cooled roller while maintaining high reliability, such that firstly a seal element has only a small number of individual parts, and secondly a fast exchange of the seal element is possible. Said aim is achieved by means of a device of the type specified in the introduction, in which the coolant pipe (9) is connected to the roller body (4) via at least one sleeve-shaped sealing element (10) with an inner and an outer lateral surface (11,12), wherein the inner lateral surface (11) is sealingly connected to the stationary coolant pipe (9) and the outer lateral surface (12) is sealingly connected to the rotating roller body (4); and the sealing element (10) has at least one, preferably at least two static seal(s) (13) on the outer lateral surface (12) thereof, and has at least one, preferably at least two, dynamic seal(s) (14) on the inner lateral surface (11) thereof.