JP2023055242A - Seal member - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a seal member which allows for further easy maintenance.SOLUTION: There is provided a seal member 10 arranged in an annular space which is formed between an external peripheral face 5a of a relatively-rotating shaft 5 and an internal peripheral face 6a of a fixed member 6 at a part of steel equipment such as a rolling mill. An annular lip 21 is formed on a seal main body 20, having a tip part 21a having a shape tapered toward the shaft, an inside face 21b located at the inside space S1 side of the tip part, and an outside face 21c located at an outside space S2 side of the tip part. A mark 24 whose state is changed accompanied by friction in a contact region R1 in which the annular lip slide-contacts with the shaft is formed on the inside face of the annular lip.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to sealing members.

Various sealing members are employed to maintain the sealing performance of devices that involve rotation. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an oil seal used for a roll neck bearing of a rolling mill.

JP 2017-136634 A

The seal member wears with use due to sliding contact with members (eg, shafts) within the device. When the amount of wear of the seal member exceeds a predetermined amount due to long-term use, the sealing function deteriorates, and the seal member needs to be replaced.

The seal member may be disassembled from the device during maintenance, for example, and subjected to various inspections. Conventionally, at the time of this inspection, it was determined whether or not the seal member needs to be replaced by measuring the wear amount of the seal member with a measuring instrument. However, in the case of this method, a reference table indicating replacement criteria for each type of seal member is required, and measurement using a measuring instrument is required, so maintenance is troublesome.

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a sealing member that can be maintained more easily.

(1) The seal member of the present disclosure is a seal member provided between a relatively rotating shaft and a fixed member, and is provided with a mark whose state changes with wear in a contact area that slides in contact with the shaft. and a sealing member with a lip that rests against the lip.

According to such a configuration, the user can determine whether or not the seal member needs to be replaced by visually or by touching the state of the mark provided on the lip. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a measuring instrument, and maintenance of the seal member can be performed more easily.

(2) Preferably, the lip separates an inner space sealed by the shaft, the fixing member and the sealing member from an outer space open to the atmosphere, and the inner peripheral surface of the lip is: a tip tapered toward the axis, an inner surface of the tip positioned on the inner space side, and an outer surface of the tip positioned on the outer space side, wherein the mark is , on the inner surface.

According to such a configuration, since the mark is provided on the inner surface of the sealed side, it is less likely to be contaminated by foreign matter (for example, scale, mud). As a result, the mark can be visually inspected or tactilely inspected, so maintenance of the seal member can be performed more easily.

(3) Preferably, the mark is a projection, groove, or colored portion that disappears when the lip is worn by a predetermined amount.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the seal member needs to be replaced by confirming the presence or absence of the mark visually or with a tentacle. Therefore, maintenance of the seal member can be performed more easily.

(4) Preferably, the marks are formed continuously in the circumferential direction or at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

For example, if the mark is provided partially in the circumferential direction, the function of the seal member may be uneven in the circumferential direction. By forming the marks continuously in the circumferential direction or at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bias in the function of the sealing member. Therefore, the mark can be provided while maintaining the function of the sealing member.

(5) Preferably, the shaft is a roll of steel equipment, the fixed member is a housing of the steel equipment, and the seal member is an oil seal or a scale seal for the steel equipment.

Oil seals or scale seals used in steel equipment are required to exhibit sealing functions in harsh environments such as high temperature, high humidity, and heavy loads. For this reason, compared to sealing members used in other applications (for example, automobiles and machine tools), it is necessary to perform more severe life management, and frequent maintenance is performed. By adopting the mark of the present disclosure for such a seal member, it is possible to more suitably reduce the trouble of maintenance.

According to the invention of the present disclosure, maintenance can be performed more easily.

It is explanatory drawing of the sealing member which concerns on embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the variation of a mark. It is explanatory drawing of the sealing member which concerns on a modification. It is explanatory drawing of the sealing member which concerns on a modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Overall composition]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a seal member 10 according to this embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the shaft 5 viewed from the side, and shows the seal member 10 as a cross-sectional view of a plane including the center line C1 of the shaft 5. FIG. Portions shown as cross sections in FIG. 1 are hatched.

The seal member 10 is a member for sealing a rotating device. The device is, for example, part of a steel installation and has a shaft 5 and a stationary member 6 which rotate relative to each other. A steel plant is, for example, a rolling mill. In this case the shaft 5 is the roll and the stationary member 6 is the housing. The steel equipment may be a continuous casting equipment or a pallet truck used in a sintering machine.

The shaft 5 has, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape, and is rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) provided on the fixed member 6 . The shaft 5 rotates with respect to the fixed member 6 around the center line C1. An annular space is formed between the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the shaft 5 and the inner peripheral surface 6 a of the fixed member 6 .

Here, the direction in which the center line C1 extends is called the "axial direction". In the axial direction, the inner side (sealing side) sealed by the seal member 10 is referred to as one axial direction, and the outer side (atmosphere side) opposite to the inner side is referred to as the other axial direction. A direction orthogonal to the axial direction is called a "radial direction". A direction toward the center line C1 in the radial direction is referred to as a radially inward direction, and a direction away from the center line C1 is referred to as a radially outward direction. Also, the direction of rotation around the center line C1 is referred to as the "circumferential direction".

A seal member 10 is provided in the annular space. FIG. 1 shows the seal member 10 in a free state, and when the seal member 10 is actually provided between the shaft 5 and the fixed member 6, for example, a lip 21, which will be described later, will come into contact with the shaft 5. It deforms radially outward at . 2 to 4 below also express the same.

The annular space is divided into an inner space S1 (sealed side space) and an outer space S2 (atmospheric side space) by a lip 21, which will be described later. The seal member 10 is an oil seal for preventing lubricant (for example, oil or grease) enclosed in the inner space S1 from leaking to the outer space S2.

[Regarding the sealing member 10]
The seal member 10 includes a seal body 20 , a cored bar 30 and a garter spring 4 . The seal body 20 is an annular elastic member whose base material is rubber such as acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), acrylic rubber (ACM), or fluororubber. The seal body 20 is fixed to the core metal 30 by vulcanization adhesion, for example.

The cored bar 30 is made of a metal such as a steel plate for cold rolling (SPCC). The core bar 30 has a cylindrical base portion 31 and annular flange portions 32 and 33 extending radially inward from one axial side and the other axial side of the base portion 31 . The core metal 30 can maintain the shape of the seal body 20 by surrounding the seal body 20 with the base portion 31 and the flange portions 32 and 33 . The base portion 31 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface 6a of the fixing member 6 by contacting the inner peripheral surface 6a of the fixing member 6 with a predetermined interference.

The seal body 20 has an annular lip 21 , an annular base 22 , and side portions 23 connecting the lip 21 and the base 22 . Seal body 20 may also include one or more secondary lips. The base 22 is fixed to the base 31 and the flanges 32 and 33 . The side portion 23 is fixed to the flange portion 32 .

The inner peripheral surface of the lip 21 includes a tip portion 21a tapered toward the shaft 5, an inner surface 21b positioned on the inner space S1 side of the tip portion 21a, and an outer surface 21b positioned on the outer space S2 side of the tip portion 21a. and a side surface 21c. The inner side surface 21b and the outer side surface 21c are sloped surfaces that slope radially outward as the distance from the tip portion 21a increases in the axial direction. That is, the tip portion 21a is the apex of the substantially V shape.

The garter spring 4 is a spring member in which both ends of a coil spring are connected. The lip 21 is biased inward in the radial direction by the garter spring 4 to contact the outer peripheral surface 5a of the shaft 5 with a predetermined interference. Further, when the shaft 5 rotates, the lip 21 keeps the inner space S1 sealed by sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface 5a. Thereby, the lip 21 prevents the lubricant in the inner space S1 from leaking to the outer space S2.

A region of the lip 21 that is in sliding contact with the shaft 5 is referred to as a contact region R1. The contact region R1 includes a tip portion 21a, a portion of the inner side surface 21b on the other side in the axial direction, and a portion of the outer side surface 21c on the one side in the axial direction.

The contact area R1 gradually wears due to repeated sliding contact with the shaft 5 . When the wear amount of the contact region R1 exceeds a predetermined amount due to long-term use, the sealing function of the sealing member 10 is deteriorated, and the sealing member 10 needs to be replaced.

In the present embodiment, in order to determine whether or not the seal member 10 needs to be replaced by visual observation or touch, the state (for example, appearance when visually observed, tactile sensation when touched) changes as the contact area R1 wears. A mark 24 is provided in the contact area R1. Specifically, the mark 24 is provided on the inner surface 21b of the contact region R1. The mark 24 is, for example, a projection continuously formed in the circumferential direction (that is, all around).

The mark 24 is formed to have such a height and shape that the projection disappears when the contact area R1 is worn by a predetermined amount (for example, a critical wear amount requiring replacement of the seal member 10). As the contact area R1 slides into contact with the shaft 5, the mark 24, which is a protrusion, is gradually worn away. Then, when the contact area R1 is worn by a predetermined amount, the mark 24 disappears.

As a result, when disassembling the seal member 10 from the apparatus for maintenance, the user can determine whether or not the seal member 10 needs to be replaced by visually checking or touching the mark 24 . Specifically, the user can determine whether or not the seal member 10 needs to be replaced by confirming the presence or absence of the mark 24 visually or with a tentacle.

At least one of visual inspection and tentacles inspection by the user may be performed, or both visual inspection and tentacles inspection may be performed. In the case of visual inspection, the presence or absence of the mark 24 can be determined by the appearance. In the case of touch inspection, if the mark 24 (protrusion) is worn away and disappears, the portion where the mark 24 was present is almost flat. can. For example, the user replaces the seal member 10 when the mark 24 has disappeared or is about to disappear. Therefore, the maintenance of the sealing member 10 can be performed more easily without using a measuring instrument.

In addition, since the mark 24 is provided on the inner side surface 21b on the sealing side, it is less likely to be contaminated by foreign matter (for example, steel scale, mud) on the atmosphere side. This allows the user to better see or touch the mark 24 during maintenance.

Here, if the mark 24 is unevenly provided in a part of the circumferential direction, the function of the seal member 10 may be uneven in the circumferential direction. Since the mark 24 of this embodiment is continuously formed in the circumferential direction, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bias in the function of the seal member 10 . Therefore, the mark 24 can be provided while maintaining the function of the seal member 10 .

Moreover, the sealing function of the seal member 10 may be impaired even when a part in the circumferential direction is significantly worn. Since the mark 24 is formed over the entire circumference, the mark 24 is cut off in the circumferential direction when only a part of the mark 24 is worn in the circumferential direction by a predetermined amount or more that requires replacement. For this reason, the user can detect wear only in a part of the circumferential direction by checking whether or not the mark 24 is interrupted in the circumferential direction with the naked eye or with a feeler. can be determined more easily.

Moreover, the sealing member 10 of this embodiment is an oil seal used for steel equipment. Such a sealing member 10 is required to exhibit a sealing function in severe environments such as high temperature, high humidity, and heavy load. For this reason, compared to sealing members used in other applications (for example, automobiles and machine tools), it is necessary to perform more severe life management, and frequent maintenance is performed. By adopting the mark 24 in such a seal member 10, it is possible to more suitably reduce the trouble of maintenance.

[Modification]
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made. Modifications according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In addition, in the following description, the same reference numerals are given to parts that are not changed from the embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

[Marking variation 1: Groove, coloring]
2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining variations of marks provided on the lip 21. FIG. FIG. 2(a) shows an enlarged view of a portion including the mark 24 of the seal body 20 according to the embodiment. FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c) show enlarged portions of the seal bodies 20a and 20b according to the modification including the marks 25 and 26. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the mark 25 according to the modification is a groove provided on the inner side surface 21b of the contact region R1. The mark 25 is formed, for example, continuously in the circumferential direction. The mark 25 is formed with such a depth and shape that the groove disappears when the contact area R1 is worn by a predetermined amount requiring replacement of the seal member 10 .

When the contact area R1 is in sliding contact with the shaft 5, the inner surface 21b around the mark 25, which is a groove, is worn away, and the depth of the groove gradually becomes shallower. Then, when the contact area R1 is worn by a predetermined amount, the bottom of the groove and the inner side surface 21b become the same height, and the mark 25 disappears.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the mark 26 according to the modification is a colored portion provided on the inner side surface 21b of the contact area R1. The marks 26 are formed by continuously applying paint in the circumferential direction by, for example, spraying. The color of the mark 26 is a color different from that of the inner surface 21b, for example, a color (yellow, red, etc.) that is easily visible to the user.

The mark 26 is formed in such a thickness and shape that the color disappears when the contact area R1 is worn by a predetermined amount requiring replacement of the seal member 10 . When the contact area R1 is in sliding contact with the shaft 5, the inner surface 21b is worn away, and the mark 26, which is a colored portion, is gradually scraped away. Then, when the contact area R1 is worn by a predetermined amount, the mark 26 disappears.

According to the marks 25 and 26, when the seal member 10 is disassembled from the device for maintenance, the user can visually check the state of the marks 25 and 26 to determine whether or not the seal member 10 needs to be replaced in the same manner as the mark 24. can judge. Therefore, maintenance of the seal member 10 can be performed more easily. Also, if the circumference of the mark 25 (groove) is worn away and the mark 25 disappears, the portion where the mark 25 was present is almost flat. be able to. For this reason, the mark 25 can determine whether or not the seal member 10 needs to be replaced by the tentacles in the same manner as the mark 24 .

[Variation 2 of the mark: formed in a part of the circumferential direction]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a seal member 11 according to a modification. The sealing member 11 is different from the sealing member 10 of the above-described embodiment in that it has a plurality of marks 27 provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

The mark 27 is a protrusion provided on the inner side surface 21b of the contact area R1. A plurality of marks 27 are formed, for example, at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. FIG. 3 exemplifies a triangular pyramid-shaped protrusion as the mark 27, but the shape of the mark 27 may be other shapes. For example, the mark 27 may be a square pyramid, a triangular prism, a square prism, or a cylinder.

The mark 27 is formed in such a height and shape that the projection disappears when the contact area R1 is worn by a predetermined amount requiring replacement of the seal member 11 . When the contact area R1 is in sliding contact with the shaft 5, the projection mark 27 is gradually worn away. Then, when the contact area R1 is worn by a predetermined amount, the mark 27 disappears.

According to the mark 27, when the seal member 11 is disassembled from the device for maintenance, the user can visually or touch the state of the mark 27 to determine whether or not the seal member 11 needs to be replaced in the same manner as the mark 24. be able to.

In addition, since the marks 27 are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, it is possible to prevent the function of the seal member 11 from being biased. Therefore, the mark 27 can be provided while maintaining the function of the seal member 11 .

[Mark Variation 3: Others]
All of the marks 24 to 27 according to the above embodiment and modifications are provided on the inner surface 21b. However, the position where the mark is provided is not particularly limited as long as it is in the contact region R1, and may be provided on the outer surface 21c, for example.

The marks 27 are protrusions, but may be grooves or colored portions formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. Also, the marks need only be formed at least partially in the circumferential direction, and may not be formed all around or at equal intervals. Even in this case, it is possible to obtain the effect that maintenance can be easily performed by visually observing the mark or by touching the mark.

All of the marks 24 to 27 according to the above-described embodiment and modifications are formed so as to disappear entirely by a predetermined amount of wear requiring replacement of the contact area R1. However, the mark is not particularly limited as long as the state changes as the contact area R1 wears.

For example, the mark may be formed such that it partially disappears with a predetermined amount of wear requiring replacement of the contact area R1. In this case, the mark may be a plurality of projections with different heights (for example, a first projection and a second projection lower than the first projection). With this configuration, the protrusions disappear in ascending order of height for each amount of wear, and the shape of the mark changes. quantity can be known.

By configuring in this way, the user can easily find the position of the mark itself, compared with the case where the mark disappears completely, and it becomes easier to determine whether or not replacement is necessary. In addition, with this configuration, the user can manage the amount of wear of the seal member during maintenance, and can utilize the amount of wear for prediction of replacement timing of the seal member.

Moreover, the mark may appear due to wear of the contact area R1. For example, the mark may be a colored portion or cavity embedded in the contact area R1, and may be configured such that as the contact area R1 wears, a color or groove appears in the contact area R1.

Further, when the contact region R1 is worn in a triangular shape radially outward from the tip portion 21a, the mark is provided at the axial end of the contact region R1, and is radially outward and in the axial direction along with the wear. The necessity of replacement may be determined depending on whether or not the moving tip portion 21a has reached a mark. In this case, the state of the mark that changes with wear is the distance between the mark and the tip portion 21a.

[Modification of seal member: scale seal]
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a seal member 12 according to a modification. The seal member 12 is different from the seal member 10 of the above-described embodiment in that it is a scale seal used in steel equipment. The seal member 12 is provided in an annular space between the side surface 5b of the roll neck portion of the shaft 5 (roll) and the side surface 6b of the fixed member 6 facing the side surface 5b.

The annular space is divided into an inner space S3 (sealed side space) and an outer space S4 (atmosphere side space) by a lip 71, which will be described later. The seal member 12 is a scale seal for preventing foreign matter (for example, scale contained in rolling oil) scattering in the outer space S4 from entering the inner space S3.

Specifically, the seal member 12 includes a seal body 70 and a metal core 34 . The seal body 70 is an annular elastic member. The seal body 70 is fixed to the core metal 34 by vulcanization adhesion, for example. The cored bar 34 is an annular metal plate. The materials of the seal main body 70 and the metal core 34 are the same as those of the seal main body 20 and the metal core 30 of the above embodiment, respectively.

The seal body 70 has an annular lip 71 , an annular base 72 , and side portions 73 connecting the lip 71 and the base 72 . Seal body 70 may also include one or more secondary lips. The base portion 72 is fixed to the side surface 6b of the fixing member 6 with a bolt (not shown) or the like while being fixed to the cored bar 34 .

The inner peripheral surface of the lip 71 includes a tip portion 71a tapered toward the side surface 5b of the shaft 5, an inner surface 71b positioned on the inner space S3 side of the tip portion 71a, and an outer space S4 side of the tip portion 71a. and a positioned outer surface 71c. The inner side surface 71b and the outer side surface 71c are inclined surfaces that incline toward the side surface 6b as the distance from the tip portion 71a increases in the radial direction. That is, the tip portion 71a is the apex of the substantially V shape.

The lip 71 prevents foreign matter from entering the inner space S3 by sliding contact with the side surface 5b when the shaft 5 rotates. A region of the lip 71 that is in sliding contact with the shaft 5 is referred to as a contact region R2. The contact region R2 includes the tip portion 71a, a radially outward portion of the inner side surface 71b, and a radially inner portion of the outer side surface 71c.

The contact area R2 gradually wears out due to repeated sliding contact with the shaft 5 . In this modified example, a mark 74 whose state changes as the contact area R2 is worn is provided in the contact area R2 in order to visually or by touch to determine whether or not the seal member 12 needs to be replaced. Specifically, the mark 74 is provided on the inner side surface 71b of the contact region R2. The mark 74 is, for example, a projection continuously formed in the circumferential direction.

The mark 74 is formed to have such a height and shape that the projection disappears when the contact area R2 is worn by a predetermined amount or more requiring replacement of the seal member 12 . As the contact area R2 slides into contact with the shaft 5, the mark 74, which is a protrusion, is gradually worn away. Then, when the contact area R2 is worn by a predetermined amount, the mark 74 disappears.

According to the mark 74, when the seal member 12 is disassembled from the apparatus for maintenance, the user can visually or touch the state of the mark 74 to determine whether or not the seal member 12 needs to be replaced in the same manner as the mark 24. be able to.

In addition, since the mark 74 is provided on the inner side surface 71b on the sealing side, it is less likely to be contaminated by foreign matter (for example, steel scale, mud) on the atmosphere side. This allows the user to better see or touch the mark 74 during maintenance.

Moreover, the seal member 12 of this modified example is a scale seal used in steel equipment. Similar to the seal member 10, the seal member 12 like this needs to exhibit a sealing function in a severe environment, so maintenance is frequently performed. By employing the mark 74 in such a seal member 12, it is possible to more suitably reduce the trouble of maintenance.

[Other Modifications]
The seal members of the above embodiments and modifications are oil seals or scale seals used in steel facilities. However, the application of the sealing member is not limited to steel applications. For example, it may be used for vehicles or may be used for machine tools. Even in this case, since the degree of wear of the seal member can be visually confirmed during maintenance, it is possible to easily determine whether or not replacement is required.

In the above embodiments and modifications, the shaft 5 rotates around the centerline C1 and the fixed member 6 is fixed. However, the fixed member 6 may rotate around the center line C1 with respect to the shaft 5 which is fixed. In this case, the seal member fixed to the fixed member 6 rotates together with the fixed member 6 and comes into sliding contact with the shaft 5 .

[Supplement]
The embodiments and modifications disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, but includes all modifications within the scope of equivalents to the configurations described in the claims.

10: Seal member 11: Seal member 12: Seal member 20: Seal main body 20a: Seal main body 20b: Seal main body 21: Lip 21a: Tip 21b: Inner surface 21c: Outer surface 22: Base 23: Side 24: Mark 25 : mark 26: mark 27: mark 30: cored bar 31: base 32: flange 33: flange 34: cored bar 4: garter spring 5: shaft 5a: outer peripheral surface 5b: side surface 6: fixed member 6a: inner peripheral surface 6b: side surface 70: seal body 71: lip 71a: tip portion 71b: inner surface 71c: outer surface 72: base portion 73: side portion 74: mark C1: center line S1: inner space S2: outer space S3: inner space S4: Outer space R1: contact area R2: contact area

Claims (5)

A seal member provided between a relatively rotating shaft and a fixed member,
A sealing member comprising a lip provided with a mark whose state changes with wear in a contact area that makes sliding contact with the shaft. the lip defines an inner space sealed by the shaft, the fixing member and the sealing member and an outer space open to the atmosphere;
The inner peripheral surface of the lip is
a distal end tapered toward the axis;
an inner surface positioned on the inner space side of the tip portion;
an outer surface of the distal end located on the outer space side;
has
The mark is provided on the inner surface,
The sealing member according to claim 1. The mark is a projection, groove, or colored portion that disappears when the lip is worn by a predetermined amount.
The sealing member according to claim 1 or 2. The marks are formed continuously in the circumferential direction or at equal intervals in the circumferential direction,
The sealing member according to claim 3. said shaft is a roll of steel equipment,
The fixed member is a housing of the steel equipment,
The sealing member is an oil seal or scale seal for the steel equipment,
The sealing member according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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