The invention relates to a sealing assembly for flat flange connections, having a ring-shaped metallic basic body consisting of a metal sheet, and ring-shaped soft-material linings present on both sides, wherein teeth or corrugations are embossed into the metallic basic body in ring shape.
Such embossed sealing assemblies—in other words assemblies not produced by means of chip-removing processing—are already known as such in different variations from the state of the art, for example from EP 1 062 442 B1 or from EP 1 974 158 B1. The sealing assemblies known from the two aforementioned documents are, however, only designed and suitable for narrow flange face gaps of about 2 mm. In the case of wider flange face gaps, these sealing assemblies known from the prior art do not function properly.
The invention is therefore based on the task of adding a further well-functioning variant to these variations known from the prior art, which variant is designed for use in wide flange face gaps, i.e. in flange face gaps of about 5 mm and larger.
According to the invention, this task is accomplished by means of a sealing assembly for flat flange connections, having a ring-shaped metallic basic body consisting of a metal sheet, and ring-shaped soft-material linings present on both sides, wherein teeth or corrugations are embossed into the metallic basic body in ring shape, and the sealing assembly, in its original state, before installation into the flange connection, is characterized by the following combination of dimensions:
According to the invention, the task stated above is furthermore accomplished by means of a sealing assembly for flat flange connections, having a ring-shaped metallic basic body consisting of a metal sheet, and ring-shaped soft-material linings present on both sides, wherein four teeth or corrugations, having essentially the same embossed depth, in each instance, are embossed into the metallic basic body in ring shape, in such a manner that two of them, in each instance, face in the same direction, so that seen in cross-section, two of the four teeth or corrugations face upward and two of the said four teeth or corrugations face downward, and aside from the four said teeth or corrugations, no teeth or corrugations are present that are precisely as high as or higher than the four said teeth or corrugations, wherein the metallic basic body, seen in cross-section, within the region delimited by the four said teeth or corrugations, is a line that runs in the radial ring plane of the sealing assembly, or a straight line that runs at a slant, intersecting the radial ring plane of the sealing assembly, or has an embossed shape that runs in step shape or an embossed shape provided with spikes or corrugations, or an embossed shape having any other desired form, and the sealing assembly, in its original state, before installation into the flange connection, is characterized by the following combination of dimensions:
With regard to the embodiment of the sealing assembly according to the invention indicated in the preceding paragraph, those exemplary embodiments, in particular, in which the soft-material linings are situated at least within the region delimited by the four said teeth or corrugations are particularly advantageous. Each individual apex of the four said teeth or corrugations, independent of the state of the other apices, in each instance, can be covered with soft-material lining, or can be free of soft-material lining, and can be rounded off or not rounded off.
For all the embodiments of sealing assemblies according to the invention, it holds true that neither the ring-shaped soft-material linings nor the tooth embossings must extend over the entire radius of the ring-shaped metallic basic body in every case, although there are also such embodiments of sealing assemblies according to the invention.
Furthermore, it should be explicitly noted with regard to all embodiments of sealing assemblies according to the invention that it is not absolutely necessary for every ring tooth to be covered with soft-material lining, although there are also such embodiments of the sealing assembly according to the invention. Very generally, it is actually preferred that at least two of the highest ring teeth on each seal side are not covered with soft-material lining, so that in the installed state of the sealing arrangement, metallic contact occurs, in each instance, between the respective ring tooth and the respective flange face. Preferably, soft-material lining is then also present in the region between those last ring teeth mentioned, so that in the installed state of the sealing assembly, triple sealing occurs on both sides, in each instance: metallic on the inside, metallic on the outside, and, in between, soft-material sealing.
Furthermore, it should be explicitly noted that it is not absolutely necessary for any one at all of the ring teeth to be completely covered with soft-material lining, although there are also such embodiments of the sealing assembly according to the invention in which one ring tooth or multiple ring teeth is/are completely covered with soft-material lining.
It is true that according to the first embodiment of the sealing assembly according to the invention mentioned above, at least two ring teeth must be present, and according to the embodiment mentioned in second place above, at least four ring teeth must be present, but the sealing assemblies according to the invention can also have far more ring teeth or corrugations. The total number of ring teeth or corrugations is ultimately limited only by the concrete total diameter of the individual sealing assembly, in each instance. This diameter can amount to from a few centimeters to as much as several meters, depending on the size of the flange to be sealed.
In a preferred embodiment of the sealing assembly according to the invention, the metallic basic body is embossed in such a manner that in the region of the soft-material linings, seen in cross-section, it has the shape of two brackets lying on top of one another in opposite directions with a common leg, each bracket, in and of itself, being non-isosceles, or of a non-isosceles saw tooth curve having correspondingly differently steep flanks, wherein each individual apex formed by the metallic basic body or each individual tooth tip formed by the metallic basic body, independent of the corresponding state of the other apices or tooth tips formed by the metallic basic body, is covered with soft-material lining or free of soft-material lining, and rounded off or not rounded off. In the present connection, the word “non-isosceles” means that a leg of the respective bracket is shorter than the other leg of the respective bracket, and, in this regard, each of the two brackets therefore demonstrates asymmetry.
A particularly advantageous and preferred embodiment of the sealing assembly according to the invention is set up in such a manner that the legs of the two non-isosceles brackets that are different from the common leg separately, in each instance, form an angle of 45° to 90°, preferably of 55° to 65° or of 60° or of 60° to 90°, even more preferably of 75° to 90°, further preferably of 80° to 90°, and even further preferably of 85° to 90° or of 90° relative to the radial ring plane of the sealing assembly, so that the metallic basic body, in the region of the soft-material linings, has precisely or at least approximately the shape of a tipped-over “Z.” The radial ring plane of the sealing assembly mentioned above is a plane that runs parallel to the flange face surfaces against which the sealing assembly lies, in the installed state of the sealing assembly.
Preferably, the legs of the two non-isosceles brackets that are different from the common leg are shorter than the common leg.
Furthermore, the legs of the two non-isosceles brackets that are different from the common leg preferably have essentially the same length.
Further advantageous and preferred embodiments of the sealing assemblies according to the invention are the object of claims 8 to 15.
Exemplary embodiments of the sealing assemblies according to the invention will be explained below, using figures. These show:
All the figures show purely schematic and not true-to-scale representations of essential parts of particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the sealing assemblies according to the invention. In this regard, it will be easily evident to a person skilled in the art that both the definition, according to the invention, of the sealing assembly according to claim 1 and the definition, according to the invention, of the sealing assembly according to claim 2 comprise far more exemplary embodiments than the exemplary embodiments presented below as being particularly preferred and explained in greater detail using the figures.
In all five figures, the left side, in each instance, is the side facing the medium to be sealed off, and the right side, in each instance, is the side of the sealing assembly that faces the atmosphere. In other words, only the right half of the complete seal cross-section is shown in the figures, in each instance (
Hereinafter, the side facing the medium to be sealed off will also be designated with the term “on the inside,” because it faces the interior of the pipe or flange, and accordingly, the side facing the atmosphere will also be designated with the term “on the outside” hereinafter.
The exemplary embodiments of the sealing assemblies for flat flange connections, according to the invention, shown in the figures have a ring-shaped metallic basic body 1. Soft-material linings 2 that run circumferentially in ring shape are disposed on both sides of the metallic basic body 1 (in
In other exemplary embodiments of sealing assemblies according to the invention, the soft-material linings 2 are composed of PTFE or other suitable materials. They can also have density values other than those indicated above.
The soft-material linings 2 are delimited, on the inside and on the outside, in each instance, by a radially circumferential tooth 3, 4, 5, 6 embossed into the metallic basic body, having a rounded-off tooth tip 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, which produces metallic contact with the flange, in each instance, in the installed state of the sealing assembly, in the exemplary embodiment of
In the installed state of the sealing assembly, triple sealing, in each instance, occurs in this manner in the exemplary embodiment of
A particular feature of the exemplary embodiment of the sealing assembly according to the invention, according to
In this manner, improved metallic sealing to prevent cross-sectional leakage is achieved, for example as compared with the sealing assembly known from EP 1 062 442 B1. Furthermore, better flow of the soft material 2 is achieved, particularly if the soft material 2 is graphite. This in turn results in better sealing to prevent parting-surface leakage.
Furthermore, all the embodiments of the sealing assembly according to the invention are excellently suited for use in large flange face gaps of approximately 5 mm. This is guaranteed, in a first embodiment of the sealing assembly according to the invention, in that all the exemplary embodiments of the first embodiment of the sealing assembly according to the invention are designed in such a manner that in their original state, before installation into the flange connection, they have the following combination of dimensions:
The exemplary embodiments of sealing assemblies according to the invention shown in the figures are different exemplary embodiments of a further, second embodiment of sealing assemblies according to the invention, very closely related to the first embodiment, wherein strictly speaking, this second embodiment is merely a special case of the first embodiment. All the exemplary embodiments of the second embodiment are, in each instance, a sealing assembly for flat flange connections, having a ring-shaped metallic basic body 1 consisting of a metal sheet, and ring-shaped soft-material linings 2 present on both sides, wherein four teeth or corrugations 3, 4, 5, 6 having essentially the same embossed depth are embossed into the metallic basic body 1 in ring shape, in such a manner that two of them, in each instance, face in the same direction, so that seen in cross-section, two of the said four teeth or corrugations 3, 5 face upward and two of the said four teeth or corrugations 4, 6 face downward, and aside from the four said teeth or corrugations 3, 4, 5, 6, no teeth or corrugations are present that are precisely as high as or higher than the four said teeth or corrugations 3, 4, 5, 6. The metallic basic body 1, seen in cross-section, within the region delimited by the four said teeth or corrugations 3, 4, 5, 6, is a line that runs in the radial ring plane of the sealing assembly (see the exemplary embodiment shown in
The essential difference between the first embodiment of sealing assemblies according to the invention and the second embodiment of sealing assemblies according to the invention consequently consists in that in the first embodiment, the distance between each of two adjacent ring teeth 3, 4, 5, 6 that face in the same direction, in each instance, is greater than 3 mm and preferably greater than 4 mm, in each instance, while this applies, in the case of the second embodiment of sealing assemblies according to the invention, only for the four highest ring teeth 3, 4, 5, 6, in each instance, between which and/or outside of which, however, in the case of the second embodiment, lower ring teeth having a lesser distance between teeth can then also be disposed. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the heights of the teeth or corrugations present in the sealing assembly can be selected far more freely, in terms of their size ratio relative to one another, than in the second embodiment. Furthermore, in the second embodiment of sealing assemblies according to the invention, at least four ring teeth or corrugations 3, 4, 5, 6 are required, while in the first embodiment of sealing assemblies according to the invention, only at least two ring teeth or corrugations 3, 4, 5, 6 need to be present. However, all of the sealing assemblies according to the invention can also have far more ring teeth or corrugations, in varied exemplary embodiments. The total number of ring teeth or corrugations is ultimately limited only by the concrete total diameter of the individual sealing assembly, in each instance. This diameter can amount to from a few centimeters up to several meters, depending on the size of the flange to be sealed.
While the exemplary embodiment of
Thus,
The exemplary embodiments of sealing assemblies according to the invention shown in the figures have a centering ring 10, which is already known as such to a person skilled in the art, from other sealing assemblies, and, as usual, serves for centering of the sealing assembly during installation into the flange.
The centering ring 10 of the exemplary embodiments of the sealing assemblies according to the invention shown in the figures is provided with a planned breaking point 11. A very essential point during installation of a sealing assembly into a flat flange connection specifically consists in that it is absolutely necessary to tighten the flange screws 9 uniformly and in proper technical manner. This is occasionally neglected by installers. In the event of loose flange screws 9 due to improper tightening of the flange screws 9, it can happen that the flanges are pressed apart from one another by the high internal pressure of the medium that flows in the pipelines. As a result, the centering ring 10 is put into vibration by medium that is flowing out, because of the gap on both sides. These vibrations of the centering ring 10, excited by the medium that is flowing out, are so strong that pieces of the centering ring 10 could break out, fly out of the flange connection in the manner of a projectile, and severely injure installers who are walking past or working in the vicinity. However, by providing the planned breaking point 11 in the centering ring 10, the result is achieved that the centering ring 10 breaks off completely, as soon as it starts to vibrate even slightly as the result of medium that might be flowing out. When the centering ring 10 breaks off, the vibrations are terminated immediately, and any risk for human beings is then excluded, at least in this regard.
In the exemplary embodiments of the sealing assembly according to the invention shown in the figures, the soft-material linings 2 are not yet completely pressed into the embossed depths of the teeth 3, 4, 5, 6 before installation of the sealing assembly into the flange (see
In other, particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the sealing assembly according to the invention, the soft material 2 is already pressed into the embossed depth of the teeth 3, 4, 5, 6 to be filled with soft material 2 in the original state of the sealing assembly, i.e. before its installation into a flange, so that in these exemplary embodiments, a geometry as shown in
In every case, it is particularly preferred to select the thickness and the density of the soft-material linings 2 in such a manner that the soft-material linings 2 are optimally compressed in the installed state of the sealing assembly according to the invention.
It is furthermore particularly preferred to structure the teeth 3, 4, 5, 6 in such a manner that they have a spring characteristic.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20 2013 005 717.3 | Jun 2013 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2014/001128 | 4/28/2014 | WO | 00 |