Patent Application
20150014945
In at least one aspect, the present invention is related to sealing components for higher pressure applications.
High pressure gas components such as valves, regulators, and vessels are used in critical sealing applications. Such components are used in assemblies that have interfaces where O-rings are supported by a back-up ring. Back-up rings are used in conjunction with O-rings for both static and dynamic sealing applications. They prevent extrusion of the O-ring when it is subjected to high pressures, or when the extrusion gaps are excessive. In many applications, a back-up ring is used on both sides of the O-ring.
Common back-up rings are made of hard supporting materials, which need to be cut/split for assembling. Unfortunately, the split slots of such O-rings tend to slit the O-ring material during the lifetime of the assemblies.
Alternative back-up rings are made of solid, but softer, material which allows spreading for assembling. Although these alternative back-up rings work reasonably well, they tend to get destroyed by the too high pressure extrusion forces over time. Experiences in the past show both of them fail during lifetime.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved back-up rings for higher pressure application.
The present invention solves at least one problem of the prior art by providing in at least one embodiment a back-up ring assembly for high pressure gas components. The back-up ring assembly includes a first ring and a second ring. The first ring is split at a first location with a first split angle, while the second ring is split at a second location with a second split angle. The first ring is concentrically positioned adjacent the second ring with the first location being offset relative to the second location. The back-up ring assembly is positionable adjacent to an O-ring in a sealed coupling in a high pressure application. Advantageously, the back-up ring design overcomes prior art durability issues such as ring extrusion and O-ring slitting destruction.
In another embodiment, a sealing assembly for high pressure gas components is provided. The sealing assembly includes a first sealing section and a back-up ring assembly. The back-up ring assembly includes a first ring having a quadrilateral cross section, and a second ring having a quadrilateral cross section. The first ring has a first resealed split at a first location with a first split angle while the second ring has a second resealed split at a second location with a second split angle. The second ring is concentrically placed about the first sealing section and positioned over the first ring with the first location being offset relative to the second location such that the back-up ring assembly is adjacent to an O-ring in a gas sealing couple.
In still another embodiment, a sealing assembly for high pressure gas components is provided. The sealing assembly includes a first sealing section and a back-ring assembly. The back-up ring assembly includes a first ring defining a first split at a first location, a second ring defining a second split at a second location, and a third ring defining a third split at a third location. The first ring, the second ring, and the third ring are concentrically placed about the first sealing section. The first ring is adjacent to the second ring with the first location being offset relative to the second location. The second ring is adjacent to the third ring with the third location being offset relative to the second location. The back-up ring assembly is adjacent to an O-ring in a gas sealing couple.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred compositions, embodiments and methods of the present invention, which constitute the best modes of practicing the invention presently known to the inventors. The Figures are not necessarily to scale. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for any aspect of the invention and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Except in the examples, or where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word “about” in describing the broadest scope of the invention. Practice within the numerical limits stated is generally preferred. Also, unless expressly stated to the contrary: percent, “parts of,” and ratio values are by weight; the term “polymer” includes “oligomer,” “copolymer,” “terpolymer,” and the like; the description of a group or class of materials as suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the invention implies that mixtures of any two or more of the members of the group or class are equally suitable or preferred; description of constituents in chemical terms refers to the constituents at the time of addition to any combination specified in the description, and does not necessarily preclude chemical interactions among the constituents of a mixture once mixed; the first definition of an acronym or other abbreviation applies to all subsequent uses herein of the same abbreviation and applies mutatis mutandis to normal grammatical variations of the initially defined abbreviation; and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, measurement of a property is determined by the same technique as previously or later referenced for the same property.
It is also to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and methods described below, as specific components and/or conditions may, of course, vary. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is used only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting in any way.
It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular form “a,” “an,” and “the” comprise plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, reference to a component in the singular is intended to comprise a plurality of components.
Throughout this application where publications are referenced, the disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.
The term “gas sealing couple” as used herein in one embodiment means a mating between two sealing surfaces in a gas or fluid application typically with an O-ring interposed between the two sealing surfaces.
With reference to
With reference to
In a variation of the present embodiment, back-up ring includes one or more additional rings of the same general construction as first ring 16 and second ring 18. In such variations, the additional rings define a split that is offset relative to the other rings when forming a seal.
With reference to
With reference to
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
