SEALING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING SAME

Abstract

A sealing device includes: a housing; a seal ring configured to be axially displaceably inserted along an inner circumference of the housing, the seal ring including a front-end surface and a rear-end surface which defines packing mounting space; a packing configured to establish sealing between the housing and the seal ring, the packing being disposed in the packing mounting space; and spring means disposed on the rear-end surface side of the seal ring to elastically bias the seal ring toward the front-end surface side.

Claims

1. A sealing device comprising: a housing; a seal ring configured to be axially displaceably inserted along an inner circumference of the housing, the seal ring including a front-end surface, and a rear-end surface defining packing mounting space; a packing configured to establish sealing between the housing and the seal ring, the packing being disposed in the packing mounting space; and spring means disposed on the rear-end surface side of the seal ring to elastically bias the seal ring toward the front-end surface side.

2. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the rear-end surface has a tapered surface which defines the packing mounting space.

3. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the rear-end surface has a groove which defines the packing mounting space and has a quadrangular cross section.

4. The sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper ring disposed between the seal ring and the spring means.

5. A method of assembling a sealing device, the method comprising: inserting a seal ring into an inner circumference of a housing; subsequently, inserting a packing into packing mounting space defined by a rear-end surface of the seal ring, to establish sealing between the housing and the seal ring; and subsequently, inserting, from the rear-end surface side of the seal ring, spring means configured to elastically bias the seal ring toward a front-end surface side of the seal ring.

6. The sealing device according to claim 2, further comprising a stopper ring disposed between the seal ring and the spring means.

7. The sealing device according to claim 3, further comprising a stopper ring disposed between the seal ring and the spring means.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing device according to a first embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a seal ring according to a first embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the seal ring.

[0024] FIG. 3 is an explanatory illustration showing a method of assembling a sealing device according to the first embodiment.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing device according to a second embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing device of a conventional technique.

[0027] FIG. 6 is an explanatory illustration showing a method of assembling a sealing device of a conventional technique.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

First Embodiment

[0028] With reference to FIG. 1, a description will be given of a sealing device according to the present embodiment. The sealing device 11 according to the present embodiment is a valve-use seal used for a flow control valve which controls fluid such as oil or coolant in the field of automobiles. A valve rotor 21 is a counterpart component with which a seal ring 13 is slidably in contact. The valve rotor 21 has an outer surface 21a which is cylindrical. The outer surface 21a is provided with a plurality of ports 22. Note that, FIG. 1 shows just one port 22.

[0029] The sealing device 11 includes a housing (seal housing) 12, a seal ring 13, a packing 14, and spring means 15. The housing 12 is sleeve-like, and has an inner circumferential surface 12a which is cylindrical. The seal ring 13 is inserted along the inner circumference of the housing 12 so as to be axially displaceable, and brought into slidably contact with the outer surface 21a of the valve rotor 21 at a front-end surface 13a (the upper end in FIG. 1). The packing 14 is disposed between the housing 12 and the seal ring 13, to establish sealing against a clearance c between the housing 12 and the seal ring 13. The packing 14 is, for example, an 0 ring. The spring means 15 is disposed on the rear-end surface 13b side (in FIG. 1, the lower end side) of the seal ring 13, and elastically biases the seal ring 13 toward the valve rotor 21. The spring means 15 is, for example, a coil spring.

[0030] The seal ring 13 is formed of a member whose coefficients of friction is low, such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene).

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, corresponding to the outer surface 21a of the valve rotor 21 which is a cylindrical surface, the front-end surface 13a of the seal ring 13 is a corresponding cylindrical surface over the entire ring circumference so as to establish contact with the outer surface 21a of the valve rotor 21.

[0032] At the rear-end surface 13b of the seal ring 13, an annular tapered surface 13d is formed. Thus, annular packing mounting space 13c for mounting the packing 14 is defined at the rear-end surface 13b of the seal ring 13. That is, the packing mounting space 13c is defined as space whose cross section is triangular. When the packing 14 is mounted on the packing mounting space 13c, the packing 14 is brought into contact with the tapered surface 13d of the seal ring 13 and the inner circumferential surface 12a of the housing 12, to establish sealing against the clearance c between the housing 12 and the seal ring 13.

[0033] Here, the seal ring 13 including the tapered surface 13d exhibits excellent moldability in the case where a powder material such as PTFE is packed into a mold assembly and molded.

[0034] In order to prevent the packing 14 from coming off from the packing mounting space 13c, the rear-end surface 13b of the seal ring 13 may be combined with a plate-like stopper ring 16. In this case, the spring means 15 elastically biases the seal ring 13 via the stopper ring 16. While not shown in the drawings, a stopper ring as a spring bearing for supporting the rear end of the spring means 15 may be subsequently combined with the inner circumference of the rear end of the housing 12.

[0035] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a description will be given of a method of assembling the sealing device 11 according to the present embodiment. Firstly, the seal ring 13 is inserted from the rear end side of the housing 12. Next, from the rear end side of the housing 12, the packing 14 is inserted into the packing mounting space (13c). Next, the stopper ring 16 is inserted from the rear end side of the housing 12. Finally, the spring means 15 is inserted from the rear end side of the housing 12.

[0036] The inserting the stopper ring 16 may be omitted.

[0037] After the inserting the spring means 15, the stopper ring may be inserted from the rear end side of the housing 12.

[0038] According to the present embodiment, the seal ring 13 is inserted before the packing 14 is mounted on the inner circumference of the housing 12. Thus, the inserting the seal ring 13 is free from insert resistance or rotation resistance attributed to the elasticity of the packing 14, which contributes to smooth assembly work of the sealing device 11.

Second Embodiment

[0039] With reference to FIG. 4, a description will be given of a sealing device according to the present embodiment. Note that, the structure of the sealing device according to the present embodiment is basically similar to the sealing device according to the first embodiment. Accordingly, a structure identical to that in the first embodiment is denoted by an identical reference numeral to omit the detailed description thereof. Hereinafter, a description will be given of a structure different from that in the first embodiment.

[0040] Specifically, the sealing device 11 according to the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the structure of the rear-end surface 13b of the seal ring 13. At the rear-end surface 13b of the seal ring 13 according to the present embodiment, an annular groove 13e having a quadrangular cross section is formed. That is, the packing mounting space 13c is defined as space whose cross section is quadrangular. When the packing 14 is mounted on the packing mounting space 13c, the packing 14 is brought into contact with the groove 13e of the seal ring 13 and the inner circumferential surface 12a of the housing 12, to establish sealing against the clearance c between the housing 12 and the seal ring 13.

[0041] Next, a description will be given of a method of assembling the sealing device 11 according to the present embodiment. Firstly, the seal ring 13 is inserted from the rear end side of the housing 12. Next, from the rear end side of the housing 12, the packing 14 is inserted into the packing mounting space (13c) defined by the groove 13e. Next, the stopper ring 16 is inserted from the rear end side of the housing 12. Finally, the spring means 15 is inserted from the rear end side of the housing 12.

[0042] The inserting the stopper ring 16 may be omitted.

[0043] After the inserting the spring means 15, the stopper ring may be inserted from the rear end side of the housing 12.

[0044] Similarly to the first embodiment, according to the present embodiment, the seal ring 13 is inserted before the packing 14 is mounted on the inner circumference of the housing 12. Thus, the inserting the seal ring 13 is free from insert resistance or rotation resistance attributed to the elasticity of the packing 14, which contributes to smooth assembly work of the sealing device 11.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0045] 11 sealing device [0046] 12 housing [0047] 12a inner circumferential surface [0048] 13 seal ring [0049] 13a front-end surface [0050] 13b rear-end surface [0051] 13c packing mounting space [0052] 13d tapered surface [0053] 13e groove [0054] 14 packing [0055] 15 spring means [0056] 16 stopper ring [0057] 21 valve rotor (counterpart component) [0058] 21a outer surface [0059] 22 port [0060] c clearance