Viscous Material Pump Wear Element Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thick matter pumps, such as concrete pumps, face challenges in maintaining operational reliability and ease of maintenance due to wear and tear issues in sealing components, leading to potential leaks and operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A sludge pump device with a pivotable S-tube and an outlet pipe section featuring a seal with rotating sealing surfaces, where one surface is a wear element designed for easy replacement, and a wear compensation unit to maintain sealing effectiveness despite wear, along with a guide ring for structural support, ensuring reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional sealing components are used in thick matter pumps, then the pump can operate continuously, but the sealing components wear out quickly leading to leaks and requiring frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is divided into separate components: a stationary sealing surface integrated into the pump housing and a replaceable wear element that can be independently removed and replaced. This segmentation allows the wear element to be swapped without replacing the entire sealing system, reducing maintenance complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The wear element is designed with specific material properties (softer material) concentrated at the sealing contact surface, while the rest of the pump structure maintains its original material properties. This local application of wear-resistant material properties allows the sealing surface to accommodate wear while the overall structure remains durable and reliable.
2Reliability
If sealing surfaces are made robust to prevent wear, then operational reliability improves, but the sealing effectiveness decreases as wear occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The wear element is designed as a consumable component that is intentionally made softer and more susceptible to wear. As it wears, it maintains sealing effectiveness through continuous contact with the stationary surface. When significantly worn, it is replaced rather than the entire sealing system, extending the service life of the robust stationary sealing surface while maintaining sealing effectiveness throughout its service life.
3Ease of repair
If sealing surfaces are designed to be replaceable for easy maintenance, then ease of repair improves, but the structural complexity of the sealing system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wear-prone sealing surface is extracted as a separate, removable wear element from the pump housing. This extraction allows the wear element to be independently replaced without disassembling the entire pump or sealing system, simplifying maintenance while the modular design actually reduces overall complexity compared to a monolithic sealing system.
4Reliability
If a wear compensation mechanism is added to maintain sealing effectiveness, then operational reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wear element is designed to automatically compensate for wear through its material properties and geometric design. The softer material deforms plastically under pressure to maintain continuous contact with the stationary sealing surface, and the conical geometry allows the element to be pressed against the surface with axial force, creating self-compensating sealing pressure without requiring additional active compensation mechanisms.
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 high-density pump with enhanced operational reliability and simplified maintenance by ensuring effective sealing and compensating for wear, thus maintaining pump performance over time.
Implementation Method 1
the seal has at least two sealing surfaces which can be rotated in relation to one another, which are intended to seal a connection between the S-pipe and the outlet pipe section
Implementation Method 2
the wearing element is provided for easy replacement, whereby maintenance of the thick matter pump device can be simplified
Data Source
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AI summary
Thick material pumping device, in particular for a mobile thick material pump, with an at least pivotable S-pipe (10a-n) having an inlet (11a) and an outlet (12a) offset axially parallel to the inlet (11a), with an outlet pipe section (17a-n) adjoining the S-pipe (10a-n) and designed to be connected to the outlet (12a) of the S-pipe (10a-n), and with at least one seal (18a; 18b; 18c; 18g) having at least two mutually rotatable sealing surfaces (15a-n, 16a-n) designed to seal a connection between the S-pipe (10a-n) and the outlet pipe section (17a-n), wherein the seal (18a; 18b; 18c; 18g) includes at least one wear element (13a, 14a; 13b; 14c; 14d; 13e, 14e; 13f, 14f; 13g, 14g; 14i) which forms one of the sealing surfaces (15a, 16a; 15b; 16c; 16d; 15e, 16e; 15f, 16f; 15g, 16g; 16i).