The Research and Experiments on Contact Sealing Theory of the Underwater Clamp Connector

With regard to the sealing structure characteristics of the underwater clamp connector, based on the Hertz contact theory, this article studies the method of solving the extreme value of the radius of curvature on the two curved surfaces at the sealing contact point; first, the method of calculating the extreme value of the radius of curvature at any surface point of the rotary part is obtained, and then the equivalent radius of curvature is solved. Using finite element simulation to study the contact sealing characteristics without considering the edge thickness and width of the sealing gasket, it is verified that the Hertz contact theory is applicable to the metal contact theory of underwater clamp connectors. Then, the sealing simulation with the influence of the detailed dimensions of the sealing gasket is compared with the theoretical result of the direct application of the Hertz contact theory in the underwater clamp connector contact, and the theoretical correction coefficient of metal contact seal for underwater clamp connectors is introduced to solve the errors. The pressure sealing experiment is carried out on six-inch flange and metal sealing gasket, which proves that the coefficient can greatly enhance the theoretical calculation accuracy of the contact sealing of the underwater clamp connector.

Ultra-high-speed TEHL characteristics of T-groove face seal under supercritical CO2 condition

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to acquire sealing properties of supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) T-groove seal under ultra-high-speed conditions by thermo-elastohydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL) analysis. Design/methodology/approach Considering the choked flow effect, the finite difference method is applied to solve the gas state equation, Reynolds equation and energy equation. The temperature, pressure and viscosity distributions of the lubricating film are analyzed, and sealing characteristics is also obtained. Findings The face distortions induced by increasing rotational speed leads to the convergent face seal gap. When the linear velocity of rotation exceeds 400 m/s, the maximum temperature difference of the sealing film is approximately 140 K, and the viscosity of CO2 is altered by 17.80%. Near the critical temperature point of CO2, while the seal temperature increases by 50 K, the opening force of the T-groove non-contact seal enhances by 20% and the leakage rate declines by 80%. Originality/value The TEHL characteristics of the T-groove non-contact seal are numerically analyzed under ultra-high-speed, considering the real gas effect and choked flow effect. In the supercritical conditions, the influence of rotational speed, seal temperature, seal pressure and film thickness on sealing performance and face distortions is analyzed.

Analysis of sealing performance of a kind of profiled rubber gasket used in the radial contact seal structure

Sealing performance of standard rubber gaskets in the radial contact seal structure are observed through the experiment. A kind of profiled rubber gasket is proposed to replace the standard gasket. Leakage experiment and numerical simulation are carried out to study the sealing performance and failure mode of the profiled gasket. Several equations are presented to help analyze the failure reason. Results show that sealing performance of the profiled rubber gasket is more reliable than that of the standard rubber gasket. The failure reason of the profiled rubber gasket is that the friction force between the gasket external face and tube wall cannot balance the tube internal pressure. Dimension precision of the metal compressive ring has a great effect on the failure pressure.

Investigation of a low-stress and low-contamination clamping method for large-aperture optics

Motivated by the need to decrease initial contact seal stress on Nd:glass coated with SiO2 sol–gel film and effectively control the surface contaminants from film debris induced by stress in the assembly process, a novel vacuum clamping method is studied to achieve the purpose of low stress and low contamination. In this article, theoretical analyses, numerical simulations, and field experiments are used to verify the feasibility of this method. Mechanical simulation results indicate that under the same radial compression conditions, the higher the hollowness of the O-ring rubber, the less the contact stress on Nd:glass. In addition, microstructures of the SiO2 sol–gel film are observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the damage mechanism is analyzed in order to optimize assembly stress. By optimizing the distribution of hollowness, the honeycomb structure is proved to have lower contact stress due to its larger deformation. Finally, experimental results verify that the low-stress vacuum clamping method can meet the strict surface cleanliness requirements of Nd:glass. This study also provides a promising method for clean assembly of other large-aperture optics.

Theoretical and numerical investigation into brush seal hysteresis without pressure differential

Brush seal is a novel type contact seal, and it is well-known due to its excellent performance. However, there are many intrinsic drawbacks, such as hysteresis, which need to be solved. This article focused on modeling hysteresis in both numerical way and analytic way without pressure differential. The numerical simulation was solved by the finite element method. General contact method was used to model the inter-bristle contact, bristle–rotor contact, and bristle–backplate contact. Bristle deformation caused by both vertical and axial tip force was used to validate the numerical model together with reaction force. An analytic model in respect of the strain energy was created. The influence of structure parameters on the hysteresis ratio, with the emphasis on the derivation of hysteresis ratio formula for brush seals, was also presented. Both numerical model and analytic model presented that cant angle is the most influential factor. The aim of the article is to provide a useful theoretical and numerical method to analyze and predict the hysteresis. This work contributes the basis for future hysteresis investigation with pressure differential.