JP2010038283A - Sealing structure and compressor using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide sealing structure in a system using a medium suitable for use in a compressor in particular, exhibiting superior sealability even in a portion in which securing of a sufficient sealing area is difficult or in a portion in which sufficient seal face pressure during pinching is difficult to be applied. <P>SOLUTION: The sealing structure pinches a sealing member between seat face parts of two box bodies at any portion of the system using a medium. The sealing member is configured as a member having a soft material layer softer than a sealing material base material on at least one surface of the sealing material base material. At least one recessed part is formed on at least one of the seat face parts of the box bodies. During pinching of the sealing member, one portion of the soft material layer of the sealing member is embedded in the recessed part. The compressor using the sealing structure is also provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a seal structure in a medium use system, and more particularly to a seal structure suitable for use in a compressor in which a plurality of cylinders are arranged around a central axis.

  As a compressor used for a vehicle air conditioner, for example, a multi-cylinder piston compressor is known. This multi-cylinder piston type compressor has a cylinder block provided with a plurality of cylinders, and each cylinder is arranged around a central axis. A piston is fitted into each cylinder so as to be able to reciprocate. The medium introduced from a suction chamber formed in the cylinder head is compressed in the cylinder and discharged to the discharge chamber. The suction and discharge operations are controlled by, for example, a suction valve and a discharge valve provided on a valve plate interposed between the cylinder block and the cylinder head. A plate-like gasket is interposed between the valve plate and the cylinder block to prevent medium leakage between adjacent cylinders and between each cylinder and the central shaft.

However, it is difficult to make a large contact area with the gasket between the cylinders and between the cylinders and the central shaft, and compared with other parts (for example, the outer peripheral side of the cylinder in the compressor radial direction). In many cases, it is difficult to ensure sufficient sealing performance. In addition, the above-described valve plate, gasket, and cylinder block are usually fastened and fixed together with a cylinder head by a through bolt, but the bolt fastening portion is often provided at a position on the outer diameter side of each cylinder due to structural limitations. Even when a large axial force is applied to the bolt fastening portion, it is difficult to apply a sufficient seal surface pressure to the portion between the cylinders located on the inner diameter side and the portion between the cylinder and the central shaft. If a slight medium leakage occurs between the cylinders or between the cylinder and the central shaft, the compression performance may be deteriorated.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-125682

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is a seal structure in a system using a medium, and an excellent seal even in a site where it is difficult to secure a sufficient seal area or a site where it is difficult to apply a sufficient surface pressure during clamping. It is intended to provide a seal structure suitable for application to a gasket installation site between a cylinder block and a valve plate in a compressor.

  In order to solve the above problems, a seal structure according to the present invention is a seal structure in which a seal member is sandwiched between seat surfaces of two housings in any part of a system using a medium, The sealing member is configured as a member having a soft material layer that is softer than the surface material of the sealing material base material on at least one surface of the sealing material base material, and at least one recess is formed in at least one of the seating surface portions of the housing In addition, a part of the soft material layer of the seal member is buried in the recess when the seal member is clamped.

  In such a seal structure, a part of the soft material layer of the seal member is buried in a recess provided in the seat surface portion of the housing by utilizing its good deformation performance when the seal member is clamped. Further, even if the structure has a recess, the generation of a minute gap is appropriately prevented, and the seal length is extended by the length extending along the recess shape in the cross section of the recess, whereby the seal member and the seat surface portion of the housing The contact area can be increased, and the sealing performance can be improved as compared with a sealing structure having no recess. Therefore, such a seal structure is useful as a seal structure for a site where it is difficult to secure a contact area between the seal member and the seating surface portion of the housing, or a site where it is difficult to apply a high surface pressure during clamping.

  The sealing material substrate in the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably composed of a metal substrate and an elastic film that is provided on at least one surface of the metal substrate and is harder than the soft material layer. By using a metal substrate as the sealing material base, it is possible to realize a sealing material base that is excellent in shape retention, heat resistance and strength, and easy to process at low cost. Further, by providing the elastic film on at least one surface of the metal substrate, the case where the seat surface portion of the housing is slightly deformed or displaced by an external force or the like, or there is a slight manufacturing error in the seat surface portion of the housing. However, the desired sealing performance can be maintained by deformation of the elastic membrane.

  The soft material layer in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the soft material layer can be buried so as to fill the space in the concave portion in the concave portion provided in the seating surface portion of the housing during clamping. For example, the soft material layer may be attached to the sealing material base material in advance, or may be configured separately from the sealing material base material and the seating surface portion of the housing and interposed therebetween. May be.

  Moreover, the recessed part in this invention should just be able to embed a soft material layer at the time of pinching, and the shape and quantity are not specifically limited. For example, at least one of the recesses may be a groove, and at least one of the recesses may be a dimple.

  The soft material layer in the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably made of soft rubber, more preferably nitrile rubber or butyl rubber. By forming the soft material layer with nitrile rubber, a seal member excellent in wear resistance, oil resistance, and heat resistance can be realized. These properties are particularly useful in the vicinity of the sliding portion and in a seal structure using a lubricating oil. Further, when the soft material layer is formed of butyl rubber, it is possible to obtain a sealing member having excellent airtightness, heat resistance, and chemical resistance. Such a sealing member is suitable for use in a medium use system that requires a particularly high hermeticity, such as a refrigeration circuit that uses a flammable medium or a medium with a large environmental load as a refrigerant.

  In addition, the soft material layer in the present invention can be formed of a foam material. By forming the soft material layer from the foamed material, a lightweight and easy-to-process sealing member can be realized at low cost.

  The seal structure in the present invention is particularly suitable for a compressor, especially for a multi-cylinder compressor. The seal structure according to the present invention can exhibit excellent sealing performance even at a site where it is difficult to apply a high seal surface pressure during clamping, and thus it has been difficult to maintain airtightness in a compressor. By applying the present invention to the above-mentioned part, it is possible to greatly improve the airtightness of the compressor, reliably prevent medium leakage, and improve the compression efficiency.

  As described above, when the present invention is applied to a compressor, the seal structure in the present invention is preferably applied to a compressor in which a plurality of cylinders (cylinders) are arranged around a central axis. In particular, it is more preferable that the present invention is applied to seal structure portions between the cylinders of such a compressor and between the central shaft and the cylinders. In such a compressor, normally, as described above, the sealability of the sealing structure portion is secured by the gasket sandwiched between the valve plate and the cylinder block, and each member is fixed by bolt fastening. Yes. However, since the seal area is small between the cylinders and between the central shaft and the cylinders, it is often difficult to ensure sufficient seal performance as compared with other parts. In addition, the bolt fastening portion is often provided only on the outer diameter side of each member due to structural restrictions, and even when a large axial force is applied, the center between the cylinders located on the inner diameter side and the center It is often difficult to apply a sufficient surface pressure between the shaft and the cylinder. For this reason, in the prior art, there is a possibility that a slight medium leakage may occur between the cylinders and between the center shaft and the cylinders during compression, and it is difficult to eliminate the possibility of a reduction in compression efficiency. there were. The present invention is particularly useful in such a case, and by providing recesses between the cylinders and between the central shaft and the cylinders, a part of the soft material layer is buried in the recesses. Even in a narrow seal structure portion, it is possible to secure a sufficient contact area, maintain a desired seal performance, and prevent a reduction in compression efficiency. If the recess provided in the seal structure part of such a compressor is provided with a recess in which a part of the soft material layer can be buried between the cylinder and between the central shaft and the cylinder, Any shape is possible. For example, the concave portion provided between the cylinders and the concave portion provided between the cylinder and the central axis are at least one continuous from the cylinder to the cylinder to the central axis. The form currently formed as a groove | channel can be mentioned.

  The seal structure in the present invention is suitable for use in a refrigeration circuit that uses a refrigerant as a medium, and is particularly suitable for use in a refrigeration circuit provided in a vehicle air conditioner. Since the seal structure in the present invention can ensure the target seal performance even at a site where it is difficult to sufficiently apply the seal surface pressure, the present invention is applied to a refrigeration circuit that requires a particularly high seal performance. By applying it, it is possible to prevent refrigerant leakage and improve the efficiency of the system. In recent years, from the viewpoint of preventing global warming, a refrigeration circuit using a flammable refrigerant or a highly chemically reactive refrigerant having a low global warming potential as a refrigerant has been developed. This is particularly useful in a refrigeration circuit that requires airtightness.

  Thus, the seal structure according to the present invention is particularly suitable for use between the seating surface portions of the casing at any part of the compressor.

  According to the seal structure according to the present invention, it is possible to ensure excellent sealing performance even in a site where it is difficult to ensure a sufficient seal area or a site where it is difficult to apply a high seal surface pressure during clamping. . The present invention is particularly useful when applied to seals between adjacent cylinders and between each cylinder and the central shaft in a multi-cylinder compressor.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a seating surface portion of a housing in a seal structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and in particular, a system using a medium comprises a compressor in which a plurality of cylinders are arranged around a central axis, and FIG. 3 shows a seat surface portion of a cylinder block as a housing when the concave portion is formed as a single groove continuous from at least between the cylinder and the cylinder and the central axis. In FIG. 1, a seat surface portion of a cylinder block 1 as a housing includes a cylinder (cylinder) 2, a shaft or shaft installation portion 3 as a central axis, and a bolt insertion hole 4. A groove 5 as a recess is provided around the center axis side of the cylinder 2. Since the soft material layer of the seal member is buried in the groove 5 at the time of clamping, the contact area between the seal member and the cylinder block 1 is increased, and the portion where the groove 5 is formed, that is, between the cylinder and the cylinder. And the sealing performance between the cylinder and the shaft is ensured.

  FIG. 2 shows a seal member according to an embodiment of the present invention, and in particular, a soft material layer is previously attached to a seal material base, and the seal material base is a metal substrate and a soft material layer. In addition, a gasket as a sealing member, which is made of a harder elastic film, is shown. In FIG. 2, a gasket 11 as a seal member includes a cylinder hole 12, a shaft hole 13, and a bolt hole 14, and is configured to be able to seal other than the holes in the cylinder block 1 shown in FIG. 1.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the gasket 11 shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the gasket 11 includes a sealing material base 20 and a soft material layer 21 attached to the sealing material base 20. The sealing material base material 20 includes a metal substrate 22 and an elastic film 23 that is harder than the soft material layer 21, and the soft material layer 21 is attached to the metal substrate 22. At the time of clamping, the soft material layer 21 is buried in the recess provided in the seat surface portion of the housing, and the contact area between the soft material layer 21 and the seat surface portion of the housing is increased, so that the soft material layer 21 and the housing The sealing performance with the seating surface portion is improved, and medium leakage is prevented.

  4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the alternate long and short dash line between AA in FIG. 1 when the gasket 11 shown in FIG. 2 is mounted on the cylinder block 1 shown in FIG. . In FIG. 4, the gasket 11 is clamped by the cylinder block 1 and the valve plate 24 as the other casing. The gasket 11 includes a sealing material base 20 and a soft material layer 21 attached to the sealing material base 20, and the sealing material base 20 is more than the metal substrate 22 and the soft material layer 21. It consists of a hard elastic film 23. The elastic film 23 is in direct contact with a valve plate 24 as a housing. The soft material layer 21 is in direct contact with the cylinder block 1, and a part of the soft material layer 21 is buried in a groove 5 as a recess provided in the seat surface portion of the housing. In this way, a part of the soft material layer 21 is buried in the groove 5, so that the sealing performance between the portion where the groove 5 is provided, that is, between the cylinder and the cylinder and between the cylinder and the shaft is secured. The As a result, medium leakage from the cylinder is prevented, and deterioration in compression efficiency due to medium leakage in the compressor is prevented, so that a compressor with higher compression efficiency can be realized.

  The seal structure in the present invention can be applied to any system that uses a medium, and is particularly suitable for use in a compressor in which a plurality of cylinders are arranged around the central axis.

It is a top view of the cylinder block as a seating surface part of a housing in one embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the gasket as a sealing member in one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the gasket of FIG. It is sectional drawing at the time of the pinching pressure of the gasket of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Cylinder block 2 Cylinder
3 Shaft 4 Bolt Hole 5 Groove 11 Gasket 12 Cylinder Hole 13 Shaft Hole 14 Bolt Hole 20 Sealing Material Base 21 Soft Material Layer 22 Metal Substrate 23 Elastic Film 24 Valve Plate

Claims (15)

  A seal structure in which a seal member is sandwiched between seat surfaces of two housings in any part of a system using a medium, wherein the seal member is disposed on at least one surface of a seal material base. A member having a soft material layer that is softer than the surface material of the material, forming at least one recess in at least one of the seating surface portions of the housing, and when the sealing member is clamped, the soft material of the seal member A seal structure characterized in that a part of a layer is buried in the recess.   The sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material base material includes a metal substrate and an elastic film that is provided on at least one surface of the metal substrate and is harder than the soft material layer.   The seal structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the soft material layer is attached in advance to the seal material substrate.   The seal structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the soft material layer is configured separately from the seal material base and the seating surface portion of the housing, and is interposed therebetween.   The seal structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the recesses is a groove.   The seal structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the recesses is a dimple.   The seal structure according to claim 1, wherein the soft material layer is made of soft rubber.   The seal structure according to claim 7, wherein the soft rubber is made of nitrile rubber or butyl rubber.   The seal structure according to claim 1, wherein the soft material layer is made of a foam material.   The seal structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a system using the medium includes a compressor, and is configured in at least a part of the compressor.   The compressor includes a compressor in which a plurality of cylinders are arranged around a central axis, and the recess is provided at least between the cylinders and between the central axis and the cylinders. The seal structure according to 10.   The concave portion provided between the cylinders and the concave portion provided between the cylinder and the central axis are at least one continuous between the cylinder and the cylinder and between the cylinder and the central axis. The seal structure according to claim 11, wherein the seal structure is formed in a groove.   The seal structure according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the medium is made of a refrigerant, and is configured in at least a part of a refrigeration circuit using the refrigerant.   The seal structure according to claim 13, wherein the refrigeration circuit is provided in a vehicle air conditioner.   The compressor characterized by the seal structure in any one of Claims 1-14 being comprised between the seat surface parts of two housing | casing.

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