Annular seals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10794489-B2
Application number	US-201615780011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 1, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

An annular seal including a body defining a central lumen and a weakened portion disposed around the central lumen. In an embodiment, the weakened portion includes at least one aperture or a plurality of apertures. In a further embodiment, the apertures may be identical to one another. An annular seal including a body defining a central lumen bounded by a sidewall, wherein the body has a dual-elastic modulus profile including a first elastic modulus, S 1 , as measured along the sidewall prior to assembly with an inner component, and a second elastic modulus, S 2 , as measured along the sidewall after assembly with the inner component, and wherein the first elastic modulus is less than the second elastic modulus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An annular seal comprising:
a body defining a central lumen and a weakened portion disposed around the central lumen, wherein the body comprises an uninstalled density, d u , as measured within an annular region defined by an inner sidewall of the body, an outer sidewall of the body, a first axial end of the body, and a second axial end of the body, and an assembled density, d A , as measured within the annular region, and wherein d A is greater than d U , wherein the body comprises first elastic modulus, S 1 , as measured prior to installation, to a second elastic modulus S 2 , as measured after installation, and wherein S 2 is at least 1.01 S 1 .

2. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the weakened portion comprises a plurality of apertures, wherein at least two of the apertures are identical.

3. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the weakened portion comprises an aperture extending through the body, wherein the aperture is generally parallel with the central lumen.

4. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the weakened portion comprises a plurality of apertures extending through the body, wherein at least one of the apertures has a diameter less than a diameter of the central lumen.

5. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the weakened portion comprises an aperture that extends through at least 25% of an axial length of the body.

6. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the weakened portion comprises an aperture, wherein the aperture has a cross-sectional shape selected from a circle, an oval, a peanut shape, a polygon, a triangle, a rectangle, a square, a pentagon, a hexagon, a heptagon, an octagon, an enneogon, a decagon, a hendecagon, a dodecagon, a tridecagon, a tetradecagon, or any combination thereof.

7. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the body has an unassembled axial length, L u , and an assembled axial length, L A , and wherein L A is no greater than 1.05 L.

8. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a substantially homogenous composition.

9. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the weakened portion comprises at least two apertures, wherein the apertures are evenly distributed around the central lumen.

10. The annular seal of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a material density change as measured by a difference between a material density, d Mu , as measured in the uninstalled state, and a material density, d MA , as measured in the assembled state, and wherein a ratio [d A -d u /d MA -d Mu ] of the body density change to the material density change is greater than 1.

11. A seal assembly comprising:
an outer component defining a bore;
an inner component disposed within the bore; and
an annular seal disposed between the inner and outer components, wherein the annular seal comprises:
a body defining a central lumen,
wherein:
the inner component is disposed within the central lumen, and
sealing force against the inner component is provided in part by deflection of a weakened portion in the body, wherein the body comprises an uninstalled density, d u , as measured within an annular region defined by an inner sidewall of the body, an outer sidewall of the body, a first axial end of the body, and a second axial end of the body, and an assembled density, d A , as measured within the annular region, and wherein d A is greater than d U , wherein the body comprises a first elastic module, S 1 , as measured prior to installation, to a second elastic modulus, S 2 , as measured after installation, and wherein S 2 is at least 1.01 S 1 .

12. The seal assembly of claim 11 , wherein the weakened portion is adapted to at least partially collapse upon installation of an inner component within the central lumen.

13. The seal assembly of claim 11 , wherein the central lumen has an uninstalled diameter, D U , as measured prior to assembly of an inner component, and an installed diameter, D I , as measured after assembly of the inner component, and wherein D I is at least 1.1 D U .

14. The seal assembly of claim 11 , wherein the body has a dual-stiffness profile including a first stiffness, S 1 , as measured along the sidewall prior to assembly with an inner component, and a second stiffness, S 2 , as measured along the sidewall after assembly with the inner component, and wherein the first stiffness is less than the second stiffness.

15. The seal assembly of claim 11 , wherein the seal has an initial wall thickness, T 1 , as measured in a radial direction prior to assembly with an inner component, and an effective thickness, T E , as measured in the radial direction after assembly with the inner component, and wherein T I is greater than T E .

16. The seal assembly of claim 11 , wherein the weakened portion is spaced apart from both an inside sidewall and an outside sidewall of the body.

17. A method of installing an annular seal between an inner component and an outer component comprising:
providing an annular seal having a body defining a central lumen and a weakened portion disposed around the central lumen;
installing the annular seal in the outer component; and
inserting the inner component into the central lumen, wherein the body comprises an uninstalled density, d u , as measured within an annular region defined by an inner sidewall of the body, an outer sidewall of the body, a first axial end of the body, and a second axial end of the body, and an assembled density, d A , as measured within the annular region, and wherein d A is greater than d U , wherein the body comprises a first elastic modulus, S 1 , as measured prior to installation, to a second elastic modulus, S 2 , as measured after installation, and wherein S 2 is at least 1.01 S 1 .

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein installing the annular seal in the outer component is performed prior to inserting the inner component into the central lumen.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein inserting the inner component into the central lumen is performed such that the weakened portion in the annular seal at least partially deflects.

Assignees

• Saint Gobain Performance Plastics Corp

Inventors

• Fremy Flavien
• Singh Rojendra
• Deleuze Charles

Classifications

• F16J15/024

  the packing being locally weakened in order to increase elasticity · CPC title

• F16J15/3228

  formed by deforming a flat ring · CPC title

• F16J15/328

  Manufacturing methods specially adapted for elastic sealings (moulding B29C) · CPC title

• F16J15/3204 Primary

  with at least one lip · CPC title

• F16J15/3284

  characterised by their structure; Selection of materials · CPC title