Seal of a vacuum valve and production method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10830360-B2
Application number	US-201815872279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2018
Priority date	Jan 16, 2017
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

A vacuum valve including a valve seat having a valve opening defining an opening axis and a first seal surface circumferential around the valve opening and having a closure element having a second seal surface corresponding to the first seal surface. The first seal surface and/or the second seal surface has an at least two-component material composite having a metallic carrier component and a polymer-based seal material. The metallic carrier component defines an inner and outer carrier region and has a plurality of defined depressions extending in the inner carrier region by the seal surface. The seal material is applied to the carrier component such that a defined profile of the seal material is provided on the outer carrier region and a part of the seal material extends at least into a part of the depressions of the carrier component and fills them at least halfway.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum valve for regulating a volume or mass flow and/or for a gas-tight interruption of a flow path, comprising:
a valve seat having
a valve opening defining an opening axis and
a first seal surface circumferential around the valve opening, and

a closure element having a second seal surface corresponding to the first seal surface
wherein
the first seal surface and/or the second seal surface has an at least two-component material composite and the material composite has a metallic carrier component and a polymer-based seal material, and
the seal material having a defined profile,
wherein,
the metallic carrier component defines an inner carrier region and an outer carrier region,
the metallic carrier component has a plurality of at least three defined depressions extending into the inner carrier region in the region of the respective seal surface, wherein each of the depressions respectively defines a volume and a depth, wherein at least one of the depressions in the inner carrier region is formed as a cylindrical recess that is delimited on one side having a defined depth or as a conical or pyramidal recess having decreasing width with increasing depth, and
the seal material is applied to the carrier component such that
the defined profile of the seal material is provided on the outer carrier region and a part of the seal material extends at least into a part of the depressions of the carrier component and fills them by at least 50% with respect to volume and/or depth.

2. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein,
a degree of filling with respect to a filling of one of the depressions at least 50%
and/or
at least 50% of the volumes defined by the depressions are filled at least 50% with the seal material.

3. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein, at least one of the depressions in the inner carrier region is formed
as a cylindrical recess that is delimited on one side having a defined depth and an end region enlarged with respect to the recess diameter or as a depression having an undercut or as a conical or wedge-shaped depression having a width decreasing or increasing with increasing depth.

4. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein, at least one of the depressions,
has a depth in the inner carrier region from a range between 200 μm and 500 μm
and/or has an internal diameter from a range between 80 μm and 200 μm
and/or is formed having a ratio of internal diameter d to depth t in the inner carrier region of d:t<1:2.

5. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein,
an average depth for the plurality of the depressions is in a range between 200 μm and 500 μm and/or
an average internal diameter for the plurality of the depressions is in a range between 80 μm and 200 μm and/or
a mean ratio of internal diameter d to depth t for the plurality of the depressions of d:t<1:2.

6. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein,
the adhesion of the seal material on the carrier component is essentially provided by mechanical clinging of the seal material in the depressions,
and/or the material composite is provided without adhesion promoter.

7. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein a distance of respective adjacent depressions is more than 100 μm and less than 250 μm.

8. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the depressions extends along the first seal surface or along the second seal surface.

9. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein,
respective adjacent depressions are arranged essentially parallel with respect to the alignments thereof or the depressions are intentionally arranged chaotically with respect to the alignment thereof.

10. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein, a volume of a depression is defined such that the volume is greater than a volume occupied by the volume of the seal material, which is vulcanized, in the depression.

11. The vacuum valve of claim 1 , wherein the first seal surface has a similar path and dimensions as the second seal surface, the seal material has a defined height in a direction of surface normals of the carrier component and is vulcanized onto the carrier component.

12. The vacuum valve according to claim 2 , wherein the degree of filling with respect to the filling of a majority of all of the depressions with the seal material is on average at least one of 50%, 75%, or 90%, and/or at least 75% or 90% of the volumes defined by the depressions are filled at least 75% or 90% with the seal material.

13. The vacuum valve according to claim 3 , wherein a majority of all depressions in the inner carrier region is formed as a cylindrical recess delimited on one side having a defined depth or as a cylindrical recess delimited on one side having a defined depth and having an end region with one of an ellipsoidal end volume or a repository volume.

14. The vacuum valve according to claim 4 , wherein a majority of the depressions
have a depth in the inner carrier region from a range between 300 μm and 400 μm,
and/or has an internal diameter on its surface from a range between 100 μm and 130 μm,
and/or is formed having a ratio of internal diameter d to depth tin the inner carrier region of d:t<1:3 or d:t<1:4.

15. The vacuum valve according to claim 5 , wherein the average depth for the plurality of the depressions is in a range between 300 μm and 400 μm,
and/or
the average internal diameter for the plurality of the depressions is in a range between 100 μm and 130 μm, and/or a mean ratio of internal diameter d to depth t for the plurality of the depressions of d:t<1:3 or d:t<1:4 is provided.

16. The vacuum valve according to claim 8 , wherein the entire plurality of the depressions extends along the seal surface concentrically with respect to the valve opening.

17. The vacuum valve according to claim 10 , wherein the volume of all depressions or a mean value for the volume is sufficiently larger that the seal material can be accommodated in the depression due to an enlargement of the spatial extension of the seal material occurring during vulcanization of the seal material.

18. A closure element for a vacuum valve and designed for regulating a volume or mass flow and/or for a gas-tight termination of a process volume by means of interaction with a vacuum valve opening of the vacuum valve provided for the process volume, having a second seal surface corresponding to a first seal surface of the valve opening wherein the first seal surface is circumferential around the vacuum valve opening,
wherein the second seal surface has an at least two-component material composite and the material composite has a metallic carrier component and a polymer-based seal material, and
the seal material having a defined profile is applied onto the carrier component along a seal surface course,
wherein, the metallic carrier component defines an inner carrier region and an outer carrier region, the metallic carrier component has a plurality of at least three defined depressions extending into the inner carrier region in the region of the respective seal surface, wherein each of the depressions respectively defines a volume and a depth and wherein at least one of the depressions in the inner carrier region is formed as a cylindrical recess that is delimited on one side having a defined depth, and
the seal material is applied to the carrier component such that the defined profile of the seal material is provided on the outer carrier region and a part of the seal material extends at least into a part of the

Assignees

• Vat Holding Ag

Inventors

• Frank Brian
• Sandeck Marco
• Moder Michael
• Bestebner Jürgen

Classifications

• B29L2031/7506

  Valves · CPC title

• B29C65/70

  by moulding (using a particular moulding technique, see the relevant technique {, e.g. by injection B29C45/14467}) · CPC title

• F16K3/314

  Forms or constructions of slides; Attachment of the slide to the spindle · CPC title

• F16K3/0263 Primary

  using particular material or covering means · CPC title

• F16K51/02

  specially adapted for high-vacuum installations · CPC title