Patent Application
20210262572
The present invention relates to a seal structure for sealing between a first member and a second member sliding relative to each other in a fluid pressure device.
For example, in a fluid pressure device, such as a fluid pressure cylinder or an electromagnetic valve, a sliding member, such as a piston or a spool, has a mounting groove in its outer circumference, a packing unit is mounted in the mounting groove, and the sliding member slides inside a sliding cavity in a housing with the packing unit disposed therebetween. That packing unit needs to have low sliding resistance and additionally be unlikely to produce biting, fixation, or the like resulting from protrusion from the mounting groove.
Examples typically used as the packing unit of that type may include an O ring and a D ring. The O ring, however, has the drawbacks of not only having high sliding resistance and but also being likely to produce biting, fixation, or the like resulting from twisting. The D ring is unlikely to produce twisting, biting, fixation, or the like, in comparison with the O ring, but has the drawback of having high sliding resistance because reaction force to compression when fluid pressure acts (during pressurization) is large.
Therefore, as described in Patent Literatures 1 to 7, there are an increasing number of examples using devised modified packing units, including one having a constricted section in part and one in which the thickness varies in the inner and outer circumferential directions. Because those modified packing units are flexible and are appropriately compressed and deformed during pressurization or during sliding, they possess the advantages of having lower sliding resistance than the D ring and of being less likely to produce biting, fixation, or the like than the O ring.
Many of the publicly known modified packing units, however, have problems of, for example, being deformed locally and in addition excessively in a thin portion, such as a constricted section, or on the contrary, being unable to obtain a sufficient advantage of reducing the sliding resistance because inadequate flexibility, and they still have room for further improvements.
In particular, in recent years, fluid pressure devices have been refined, and thus packing units used therein have been required to achieve a higher degree of sealing. Therefore, there is a need for a new packing unit that has lower sliding resistance even slightly and is less likely to produce biting, fixation, or the like than known packing units.
One example approach may be increasing the width of the D ring in the radius direction. In that case, because the flexibility is increased, the sliding resistance is expected to be reduced by deformation during sliding. In contrast, however, because the amount of protrusion from the mounting groove resulting from compression during pressurization is increased, biting, fixation, or the like is likely to occur. Therefore, simply increasing the width of the packing unit in the radius direction to reduce the sliding resistance is unsatisfactory.
PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 55-102457
PTL 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 61-228166
PTL 3: Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 62-91063
PTL 4: Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 62-126663
PTL 5: Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 4-36174
PTL 6: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-269733
PTL 7: Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 2537236
A technical object of the present invention is to provide a seal structure for a fluid pressure device, the seal structure having low sliding resistance in operation and being unlikely to produce biting, fixation, or the like resulting from protrusion from a mounting groove.
To achieve the object, the present invention provides a seal structure for sealing between a first member and a second member relatively displaced in a fluid pressure device.
The seal structure includes a ring-shaped mounting groove disposed in the first member and a ring-shaped packing unit housed in the mounting groove. An inner circumferential portion of the packing unit is a mounting section in contact with a bottom wall of the mounting groove, and an outer circumferential portion of the packing unit is a sliding section in contact with the second member. An end surface of the sliding section and an end surface of the mounting section are arc-shaped surfaces curved outward. A first side surface and a second side surface of the packing unit on a first side and a second side, respectively, in a direction of an axis thereof are conical surfaces which are inclined such that their diameters gradually increase in a direction from the mounting section toward the sliding section and which are inclined in mutually opposite direction. A thickness of the packing unit in the axis direction increases in a gradual manner in the direction from the mounting section to the sliding section, the thickness in the mounting section is the smallest, and the thickness in the sliding section is the largest.
In the present invention, an angle of the first side surface to a plane perpendicular to the axis and an angle of the second side surface thereto are equal.
The thickness in the sliding section of the packing unit is 1.2 to 1.5 times the thickness in the mounting section, and a width of the packing unit in its radius direction is three to five times the thickness in the sliding section.
In the present invention, preferably, the first side surface and the second side surface of the packing unit may have a plurality of annular grooves for keeping a lubricant, the annular grooves may be concentric about the axis, the plurality of annular grooves in the first side surface and the plurality of annular grooves in the second side surface may be equal in number and may be in mutually opposed positions.
In that case, a cross-sectional shape of each of the annular grooves may preferably be an arc and be a minor arc, the arcs of all of the annular grooves may preferably have the same radius of curvature, and all of the annular grooves may preferably have the same depth.
More preferably, the plurality of annular grooves in each of the first side surface and the second side surface of the packing unit may include three annular grooves evenly spaced, and a distance between centers of curvature of the neighboring annular grooves, a distance from the end surface of the mounting section to the center of curvature of the annular groove nearest the mounting section, and a distance from the end surface of the sliding section to the center of curvature of the annular groove nearest the sliding section may be equal.
In the present invention, the first side surface and the second side surface of the packing unit may preferably have a plurality of recessed grooves extending along the radius direction of the packing unit, arranged at equiangular intervals around the axis, starting at the end surface of the sliding section, and ending at a location of the annular groove nearest the mounting section, and the plurality of recessed grooves in the first side surface and the plurality of recessed grooves in the second side surface may preferably be in locations displaced from each other by 1/2 pitch in a circumferential direction thereof.
More preferably, the recessed grooves and the annular grooves may have the same depth.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the fluid pressure device is a fluid pressure cylinder, the first member is a piston housed in a cylinder cavity such that the piston is freely slidable, and the second member is a cylinder housing having the cylinder cavity.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the fluid pressure device is a spool valve, the first member is a spool housed in a valve cavity such that the spool is freely slidable, and the second member is a valve housing having the valve cavity.
In the seal structure of the present invention, because both side surfaces of the packing unit are conical surfaces inclined in mutually opposite directions and thus the thickness of the packing unit increases in a gradual manner in the direction from the mounting section toward the sliding section, the flexibility of the packing unit is increased and the packing unit can be easily bent in a smooth and uniform manner as a whole while at the same time protrusion from the mounting groove resulting from deformation of the sliding section during pressurization by fluid pressure is unlikely to occur. Therefore, the sliding resistance during operation can be efficiently reduced while at the same time biting is unlikely to occur and the fluid pressure can be lowered by the amount of the reduction in the sliding resistance, and thus an energy-saving effect is obtainable. In addition, because a component force of the fluid pressure acts on the side surfaces of the packing unit during pressurization by the fluid pressure toward the sliding section in the packing unit, an increase in the contact pressure on the mounting section side occurring with compression of the packing unit, that is, an increase in the amount of distortion can be suppressed, and the reaction force caused by the distortion on the mounting section side can be prevented from being transmitted to the sliding section side.
The air cylinder 1A includes a cylinder housing 3 whose external form has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The cylinder housing 3 has a circular cylinder cavity 4, the cylindrical cavity 4 houses a piston 5 such that the piston 5 can freely slide along an axis L of the cylinder cavity 4, and the piston 5 is connected to a rod 6.
A guide ring 7 for guiding the piston 5 is mounted on the outer circumference of the piston 5, and a packing unit 8 for sealing between the outer circumference of the piston 5 and the inner circumference of the cylinder cavity 4 is mounted thereon.
A first end and a second end of the cylinder cavity 4 are hermetically blocked by a head-side end plate 9 and a rod-side end plate 10, respectively. A head-side pressure space 11 is disposed between the head-side end plate 9 and the piston 5. A rod-side pressure space 12 is disposed between the rod-side end plate 10 and the piston 5. The head-side pressure space 11 communicates with a head-side port 13 disposed in a position near the head-side end plate 9 in a side surface of the cylinder housing 3. The rod-side pressure space 12 communicates with a rod-side port 14 disposed in a position near the rod-side end plate 10 in the side surface of the cylinder housing 3.
The rod 6 hermetically extends through a center hole 10a in the rod-side end plate 10 with a lip-type seal member 15 mounted on the inner circumference of the rod-side end plate 10 disposed therebetween. The tip of the rod 6 projects outside the cylinder housing 3.
In the air cylinder 1A, when in a state where the piston 5 and the rod 6 are positioned at a reverse end illustrated in
When in a state where the piston 5 and the rod 6 are at the forward end, the head-side pressure space 11 is opened to the atmosphere through the head-side port 13 and compressed air is supplied to the rod-side pressure space 12 through the rod-side port 14, the piston 5 and the rod 6 reverse, as illustrated in
Next, a seal structure 2 according to the present invention is described. The seal structure 2 is used for sealing between a first member and a second member relatively displaced in a fluid pressure device. In the case of the air cylinder 1A, the piston 5 is the first member, and the cylinder housing 3 is the second member. The seal structure 2 includes a ring-shaped mounting groove 16 disposed in the piston 5 and the packing unit 8 housed in the mounting groove 16.
As is clear from
As illustrated in
A first side surface 22a and a second side surface 22b of the packing unit 8 on a first side and a second side, respectively, of in the direction of the axis L are conical surfaces which are inclined such that their diameters gradually increase in the direction from the mounting section 20 toward the sliding section 21 and which are inclined in a gradual manner in mutually opposite directions. The angles of inclination of the conical surfaces, that is, the angles θ of the inclination of the first side surface 22a and the second side surface 22b to a plane S perpendicular to the axis L are equal. The angles θ may preferably be two to four degrees and more preferably be three degrees.
Because both of the side surfaces 22a and 22b of the packing unit 8 are conical surfaces, as described above, the thickness of the packing unit 8 in the direction of the axis L is not uniform in the radius direction of the packing unit 8 and increases in a gradual manner by a certain rate in the direction from the mounting section 20 toward the sliding section 21. The thickness T1 in the mounting section 20 is the smallest, and the thickness T2 in the sliding section 21 is the largest.
The thickness T2 in the sliding section 21 may preferably be 1.2 to 1.5 times the thickness T1 in the mounting section 20. In the illustrated example, the ratio between the thickness T2 in the sliding section 21 and the thickness T1 in the mounting section 20 is 1:0.75, and the thickness T2 in the sliding section 21 is about 1.33 times the thickness T1 in the mounting section 20.
The radius of curvature of the arc of the end surface 20a of the mounting section 20 is smaller than the thickness T1 in the mounting section 20 and is equal to or larger than 1/2 of the thickness T1. The radius of curvature of the arc of the end surface of the sliding section 21 is smaller than the thickness T2 in the sliding section 21 and is equal to or larger than 1/2 of the thickness T2.
The width of the packing unit 8 in the radius direction, that is, the width W from the end surface 20a of the mounting section 20 to the end surface 21a of the sliding section 21 is larger than the thickness T2 in the sliding section 21, and its preferable size may be in the range of three to five times the thickness T2. In the illustrated example, the width W is about four times the thickness T2.
The first side surface 22a and the second side surface 22b of the packing unit 8 have a plurality of ring-shaped annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c concentric about the axis L to make them keep a lubricant, such as grease. The plurality of annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c in the first side surface 22a and the plurality of annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c in the second side surface 22b are equal in number and are in mutually opposed positions. In the illustrated example, each of the first side surface 22a and the second side surface 22b has the three annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c spaced evenly in the radius direction. Hence, the packing unit 8 in portions where the annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c are present is thinner than that in the other portions where the annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c are absent, and it can be considered that constricted sections 26a, 26b, and 26c are present in the portions where the annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c are present.
The shape of a cross section of each of the annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c is an arc and is a minor arc. All the annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c have the same radius of curvature, and additionally, the annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c have the same depth. Accordingly, the three constricted sections 26a, 26b, and 26c have different thicknesses. The constricted section 26a, which is the nearest the mounting section 20, has the smallest thickness. The constricted section 26c, which is the nearest the sliding section 21, has the largest thickness.
Because the three annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c in each of the first side surface 22a and the second side surface 22b of the packing unit 8 are arranged at equal intervals, the distance (distance between the centers of curvature) D1 from the center O1 of curvature of the first annular groove 25a, which is the nearest the mounting section 20, to the center O2 of curvature of the second annular groove 25b, which is in an intermediate position, and the distance (distance between the centers of curvature) D2 from the center O2 of curvature of the second annular groove 25b to the center O3 of curvature of the third annular groove 25c, which is the nearest the sliding section 21, are equal. In the present embodiment, moreover, the distance D3 from the end surface 20a of the mounting section 20 to the center O1 of curvature of the first annular groove 25a and the distance D4 from the end surface 21a of the sliding section 21 to the center O3 of curvature of the third annular groove 25c are also substantially the same as the distances D1 and D2 between the centers of curvature.
The first side surface 22a and the second side surface 22b of the packing unit 8 have a plurality of recessed grooves 27 extending along the radius direction of the packing unit 8, arranged at equiangular intervals around the axis L, starting at the end surface 21a of the sliding section 21, and ending at the location of the first annular groove 25a, which is the nearest the mounting section 20. The plurality of recessed grooves 27 in the first side surface 22a and the plurality of recessed grooves 27 in the second side surface 22b are in locations displaced from each other by 1/2 pitch in the circumferential direction. The recessed grooves 27 are used for preventing the side surfaces 22a and 22b of the packing unit 8 from being in close contact with the side walls 16a of the mounting groove 16 by functioning as vent gaps. The depth of the recessed grooves 27 is the same as the depth of the annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c.
In the illustrated embodiment, each of the side surfaces 22a and 22b has the three recessed grooves 27 spaced at intervals of 120 degrees, and the recessed grooves 27 in the first side surface 22a and the recessed grooves 27 in the second side surface 22b are displaced from each other by 60 degrees.
The operations of the seal structure 2 are described below.
When in that state illustrated in
The sliding section 21 in the packing unit 8 is deformed in part, that deformed portion 8a enters a gap G between the outer circumferential surface of the piston 5 and the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder cavity 4 (cavity wall 4a).
The thickness of the packing unit 8, however, increases gradually in the direction from the mounting section 20 toward the sliding section 21, the thickness T2 in the sliding section 21 is the largest, and thus the sliding section 21 has a shape that is unlikely to bite into the gap G. Therefore, the amount and rate of an entry of a deformed portion of the sliding section 21 into the gap G are small, and malfunctions caused by the biting are unlikely to occur.
Then, when the piston 5 starts moving forward, as illustrated in
When the piston 5 reaches the forward end and stops at that position, the packing unit 8 is pressurized by the air pressure, and the second side surface 22b is pressed against one of the side walls 16a of the mounting groove 16 as in the case illustrated in
The operation of the packing unit 8 when in the state where the piston 5 is at the forward end, the compressed air is supplied to the rod-side pressure space 12 to reverse the piston 5 is the same as the case where
As previously described, the first side surface 22a and the second side surface 22b in the packing unit 8 are conical surfaces inclined in mutually opposite directions, the thickness increases in a gradual manner in the direction from the mounting section 20 toward the sliding section 21, the width W in the radius direction is three to five times the thickness T2 in the sliding section 21, and the packing unit 8 is elongated in the radius direction. Therefore, the packing unit 8 can be easily bent in a smooth and uniform manner as a whole during operation, and in addition, because the plurality of constricted sections 26a, 26b, and 26c corresponding to the plurality of annular grooves 25a, 25b, and 25c are evenly spaced in the intermediate portion of the packing unit 8, the bending can be further facilitated. By virtue of that bending, the sliding resistance during operation can be efficiently reduced, and biting occurring with compression during pressurization by the compressed air is unlikely to occur.
In the above-described embodiment, the air cylinder 1A is illustrated as the fluid pressure device. The fluid pressure device may be a spool valve.
The configuration of the spool valve 1B is described in further detail.
The valve housing 30 includes a single supply port P, a first output port A1 and a second output port A2 on opposite sides of the supply port P, and a first exhaust port E1 and a second exhaust port E2 positioned outside the first output port A1 and the second output port A2. All of the ports communicate with the valve cavity 31.
The spool 32 includes a first land section 32a capable of riding on a first valve cavity portion 31a between the supply port P and the first output port A1 in the direction from the supply port P, a second land section 32b capable of riding on a second valve cavity portion 31b between the supply port P and the second output port A2 in the direction from the supply port P, a third land section 32c capable of riding on a third valve cavity portion 31c between the first output port A1 and the first exhaust port E1 in the direction from the first exhaust port E1, and a fourth land section 32d capable of riding on a fourth valve cavity portion 31d between the second output port A2 and the second exhaust port E2 in the direction from the second exhaust port E2. Each of all the land sections is equipped with the mounting groove 16 and the packing unit 8.
In the spool valve 1B, when the spool 32 reciprocates by being driven by the pilot valve 33, the packing units 8 mounted on the land sections 32a to 32d ride on the valve cavity portions 31a to 31d or exit from the valve cavity portions 31a to 31d, thereby switching the connection states of the paths between the ports.
When air pressure acts on the packing unit 8 riding on any of the valve cavity portions 31a to 31d in the same direction as the direction in which that packing unit 8 is moving, that packing unit 8 behaves like in the case illustrated in
In contrast, when the air pressure acts on the packing unit 8 riding on any of the valve cavity portions 31a to 31d in a direction opposite to the direction in which that packing unit 8 is moving, that packing unit 8 is pressed against the side wall 16a on the rear side in the direction of movement out of the left and right side walls 16a of the mounting groove 16, as illustrated in
1A air cylinder
1B spool valve
2 seal structure
3 cylinder housing (second member)
4 cylinder cavity
5 piston (first member)
8 packing unit
16 mounting groove
16
b bottom wall
20 mounting section
20
a end surface
21 sliding section
21
a end surface
22
a first side surface
22
b second side surface
25
a, 25b, 25c annular groove
27 recessed groove
30 valve housing (second member)
31 valve cavity
32 spool (first member)
L axis
T1 thickness in mounting section
T2 thickness in sliding section
W width
θ angle
O1, O2, O3 center of curvature
D1, D2, D3, D4 distance
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-117248 | Jun 2018 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2019/022444 | 6/6/2019 | WO | 00 |
