Valve Seat Sealing Structure for Low-Flatness Housing Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve devices experience fluid leakage due to gaps between the valve seat member and the housing, particularly when the facing surface and flange portion have low flatness, leading to poor sealing properties.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an annular housing-side seal portion made of rubber material interposed between the flange portion and the fixing member, along with a wave washer to generate a reaction force that ensures the flange portion is pressed against the housing in an airtight state, thereby restricting fluid flow between the valve seat member and the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the valve seat member is fixed to the housing using only the flange portion and fixing member, then the structure is simple, but fluid leakage occurs due to gaps between the valve seat member and housing when flatness is low
Solution Approach 1:
A rubber material seal portion is introduced as an intermediary element between the flange portion and the fixing member. This seal portion fills and prevents fluid from passing through gaps that form due to low flatness between the facing surface and flange portion, thereby resolving the sealing issue without requiring complex structural modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal portion is made of rubber material, which is a flexible material that can deform to accommodate surface irregularities and low flatness conditions. This flexibility allows the seal to maintain contact and block fluid flow even when the mating surfaces are not perfectly flat, improving reliability without increasing structural complexity.
2Reliability
If a seal portion made of rubber material is added between the flange portion and fixing member, then sealing performance improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rubber seal portion serves as a simple intermediary component that bridges the gap between the flange portion and fixing member. It is a straightforward addition that addresses the sealing issue without requiring complex mechanisms, maintaining relative structural simplicity while significantly improving sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal portion changes the physical parameters of the interface between the flange portion and fixing member by introducing a compliant material with different elasticity and sealing properties. This parameter change allows the system to tolerate variations in flatness while maintaining reliable sealing, achieving improved reliability with minimal increase in 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 configuration effectively prevents fluid leakage by maintaining an airtight seal between the valve seat member and the housing, even under conditions of low flatness, and ensures the valve seat member remains fixed to the housing, enhancing sealing performance.
Implementation Method 1
The housing-side seal portion is made of a rubber material and is interposed between the flange portion and the fixing member
Implementation Method 2
a wave washer to generate a reaction force that ensures the flange portion is pressed against the housing in an airtight state
Data Source
AI summary
A valve device includes a housing, a valve member, a valve seat member, a fixing member for fixing the valve seat member to the housing, and a housing-side seal portion. The housing has a valve chamber, and a housing-space inner wall forming a housing space communicating with the valve chamber. The housing-side seal portion blocks a flow of fluid between the valve seat member and the housing-space inner wall. The valve seat member has a tubular portion and a flange portion connected to the tubular portion. The flange portion is interposed between a facing surface of the housing-space inner wall and the fixing member in an axial direction. The fixing member is fixed to the housing-space inner wall in an airtight state. The housing-side seal portion is made of a rubber material and is interposed between the flange portion and the fixing member.