JPH0535240Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a metal hollow O-ring used for sealing, for example, a pipe joint for ultra-high vacuum equipment or nuclear power equipment.

Technical background of the invention and its problems Metal hollow O-rings, which have high airtightness and do not have gas permeation problems, are used especially in pipe joints related to nuclear power equipment. This metal hollow O-ring is an O-ring formed in a pipe joint (for example, a flange).
It is installed in a ring groove and the flanges at both ends are tightened together to seal the internal fluid.

There are two types of metal hollow O-rings: one type consists only of a hollow ring-shaped metal jacket itself, and the other type, as shown in Fig. 7, has a ring-shaped metal jacket 2 inside a hollow ring-shaped metal jacket 2. There is a type that incorporates a metal coil spring 1 or the like as an elastic member. A metal hollow O-ring consisting only of the metal sheath itself may lack elasticity and reduce sealing performance, so the coil spring 1 as an elastic member is incorporated within the metal sheath 2. Metal hollow O-rings 3 of this type are often used for nuclear power equipment and the like.

However, such metal hollow O-ring 3
For example, when mounting the O-ring groove 5 of the flange 4 shown in FIG. 8, the following disadvantages occurred. That is, when the flange surface 4a of the flange 4 faces vertically downward or horizontally, the metal hollow O
Even if you try to install ring 3, this O-ring 3
There was a risk that the O-ring would fall off from the O-ring groove 5, and the work was complicated. In particular, when installing the metal hollow O-ring 3 into the O-ring groove 5 formed in the flange 4 for nuclear equipment, from the viewpoint of safety, it is necessary to install the O-ring 3 while grasping it with a robot hand or the like. , the installation work is particularly complicated;
It has been difficult to quickly and accurately fit this O-ring 3 into the O-ring groove 5.

Traditionally, to solve this type of problem,
A composite gasket as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 148953/1983 is known. In the composite gasket disclosed in this publication, an elastic member such as a rubber material is attached to the outer periphery of the metal gasket, so this elastic member comes into pressure contact with the gasket groove to prevent the composite gasket from falling off. There is.

However, the composite gasket disclosed in this publication has the following problems because an elastic member such as a rubber material is attached to the outer periphery of the metal gasket.

First, since the elastic member such as a rubber material attached to the outer periphery of the metal gasket has a simple cylindrical ring shape, in order to attach the elastic member to the outer periphery of the metal gasket, it is necessary to combine the metal gasket and the elastic member. There is a complication in the manufacturing process of having to glue the parts. If these are not bonded together, there is a risk that the metal gasket and the elastic member may separate during handling, and the composite gasket must be installed in an unstable state.

Second, the elastic member attached to the outer periphery of the metal gasket has a simple cylindrical ring shape,
Furthermore, since the gasket has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the outer circumferential wall of the gasket groove, it is difficult for the elastic member to enter the gasket groove when the gasket is installed in the gasket groove. As a result, it has the disadvantage that the mounting is complicated.

Thirdly, in such a case, when the gasket is used especially for nuclear power related equipment, there is a risk that the rubber material attached to the outer periphery of the metal gasket will deteriorate due to radiation, and once it deteriorates,
It has the disadvantage that it cannot be reused.

Fourth, when using such a composite gasket in a pipe joint for ultra-high vacuum equipment, the entire device must be baked at high temperatures (150°C to 250°C).
At this time, it may not be possible to create an ultra-high vacuum due to the gas generated from the rubber material attached around the metal gasket, so it is necessary to use a rubber material as an elastic member attached to the outer periphery of the metal gasket. has the disadvantage that it is practically impossible.

Fifth, in the case of a composite gasket in which a rubber material is attached to the outer periphery of a metal gasket, there is a risk that the rubber material will corrode in a corrosive gas fluid, so such a composite gasket should not be handled in a corrosive gas atmosphere. This has the disadvantage that it is not possible.

Purpose of the invention The present invention was made in order to eliminate the inconveniences associated with the conventional technology. An object of the present invention is to provide a metal hollow O-ring that allows the O-ring to be quickly and easily installed in the correct position even in places where it is difficult to install the metal hollow O-ring.

Summary of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a circumferentially continuous metal jacket in which a continuous opening is formed in the circumferential direction and whose cross section is approximately C-shaped; A metal hollow O-ring consisting of an elastic member that is housed inside and improves the elasticity of the metal sheath, wherein the opening of the metal sheath has a discontinuous part in a circumferential direction and has elasticity. It is characterized by fitting a ring member made of a polygonal wire rod.

In the case of such a metal hollow O-ring, when the O-ring is installed in the O-ring groove, the corner portion of the ring member elastically abuts against the outer circumferential side wall surface or the inner circumferential side wall surface of the O-ring groove. Therefore, once this O-ring is accommodated in the O-ring groove, even if the O-ring
Even if the ring groove faces vertically downward, it will not fall off. Furthermore, due to such abutment of the ring member, the positioning of the O-ring within the O-ring groove can be easily and accurately performed simultaneously with the mounting of the O-ring. Further, when such a ring member is attached to a metal jacket, it is only necessary to simply fit it into an opening in the metal jacket, so that manufacturing is easy. Furthermore, the ring member fitted into the opening of the metal jacket has an elastic polygonal shape with a discontinuity in a part in the circumferential direction, and is adapted to make point contact with the peripheral wall of the O-ring groove. Therefore, when installing such an O-ring into the O-ring groove, the ring member contracts smoothly without getting in the way.
Therefore, the metal jacket fitted with this ring member can be smoothly installed into the ring groove.

In addition, when the ring member is formed from a wire made of a metal elastic member such as stainless steel spring steel, this material will not deteriorate due to radiation, will not change in quality even at high temperatures, and will not change in quality even in a corrosive gas atmosphere. Since it has corrosion resistance, it is particularly preferred when used as a seal for nuclear power equipment or ultra-high vacuum equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 is a front view of a metal hollow O-ring according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the ring member shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of a metal hollow O-ring according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of a metal hollow O-ring according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a main part showing the installed state of the metal hollow O-ring according to the present invention. The sectional view and FIG. 6 are plan views of a metal hollow O-ring according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the metal hollow ring 10 according to the present invention is made of a circumferentially continuous metal ring having a circumferentially continuous opening 11 and having a substantially C-shaped cross section. It has a jacket 2 and a metal coil spring 1 as an elastic member housed inside the metal jacket 2. and the metal jacket 2
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a ring member 13 made of a polygonal wire having elasticity and having a discontinuous portion 12 in a part of the circumference as shown in FIG. It is fitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the metal jacket 2 is formed from a single soft metal material with a substantially C-shaped cross section in consideration of compatibility with the mating member, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 4, the metal jacket 2a may be made of a metal clad material made by laminating a soft metal material 14 and a hard metal material 15. Here, the metal clad material is a composite of two or more metals formed by closely adhering a coated metal plate to the front or back of a base metal and rolling it at high temperature. The dissimilar metal materials of this metal composite are integrated by metal bonding. The metal clad material can be a composite of various metals, but in the metal clad material used in this example, the surface layer side is composed of a soft metal material 14, and the back layer side is composed of a hard metal material 15. , and preferably soft metal material 1
Set the thickness of step 4 to 0.05 to 1.00 mm. The purpose of arranging the soft metal material 14 on the surface layer side in this way is to provide good compatibility with the sealing surface of the mating metal and achieve stable sealing performance, and the hard metal material 15 is placed on the back layer side. The purpose of this arrangement is to suppress the coil spring from digging in, thereby preventing a drop in stress between the pitches of the coil spring, and to reliably transmit the repulsive force of the coil spring to the surface layer.

Specifically, as the soft metal material 14, a relatively soft metal material such as aluminum, copper, or silver is selected, and as the hard metal material 15, stainless steel, stainless steel, etc. are selected.
Select a relatively hard metal material such as Inconel, Monel, or nickel alloy.

As mentioned above, the cladding material used in this example is usually a two-layer cladding material (single overlay), but it may also be a composite of three layers (double overlay) or more. good. However, in this case, the metal material on the outermost layer side must be a softer metal than at least one layer of the metal material on the back layer side.

Next, the elastic members accommodated within the metal jackets 2 and 2a will be explained. As the elastic member, first,
A metal coil spring 1 having a circular cross section as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is preferable. This is because if it is made of metal, it will not deteriorate due to radiation and has excellent heat resistance and corrosion resistance. In addition, in the present invention, the elastic member housed in the metal jacket 2 is not limited to the coil spring 1 having a circular cross section, but may be a coil spring having another cross-sectional shape, or may be a coil spring other than a coil spring. It may be an elastic member. Since such an elastic member such as the coil spring 1 is pressed against the inner peripheral side of the metal jacket 2, it improves the elasticity of the metal jacket 2 and is fitted into the opening 11 of the metal jacket 2. Since it also comes into pressure contact with the inner peripheral side of the ring member, the elasticity of this ring member is also improved.

Next, the ring member 13 will be explained. The ring member 13 is made by bending a resilient wire rod into a polygonal ring shape having at least four corners 16, as shown in FIG. 2, and forming discontinuous portions 12 in the circumferential direction. It is shaped so that it can be used. The number of corner portions 16 is preferably about 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, but is not limited to this. The material of the ring member 13 is preferably a metal such as stainless steel spring steel, but other elastic materials may also be used. Metal is preferable because it does not deteriorate due to radiation and has excellent heat resistance and corrosion resistance. However, synthetic resin or the like may be used as the material for the ring member 13 as long as the material can withstand the intended use.

For such a metal hollow O-ring 10,
As shown in FIG. 5, when this O-ring 10 is installed, for example, in the O-ring groove 5 formed in the flange 4, the corner 16 of the ring member 13 is attached to the outer peripheral side wall surface of the O-ring groove 5. Because the O-ring 10 contacts elastically due to its own elasticity and the elasticity of the coil spring 1, once the O-ring 10 is accommodated in the O-ring groove 5, even if the O-ring groove 5 is vertically It will not fall off even when facing downward. Furthermore, due to the abutment of the ring member 16, the positioning of the O-ring 10 within the O-ring groove 5 can be easily and accurately performed simultaneously with the mounting of the O-ring 10. Moreover, when attaching such a ring member 13 to the metal jacket 2, it is sufficient to simply fit it into the opening 11 of the metal jacket 2, so that manufacturing thereof is easy. Furthermore, metal jacket 2
The ring member 16 fitted into the opening 11 has an elastic polygonal shape with a discontinuous portion 12 in a part in the circumferential direction, and is in point contact with the outer peripheral wall of the O-ring groove 5. Because of this, O
When the ring 10 is installed in the O-ring groove 5, the ring member 13 contracts smoothly without getting in the way, and therefore the metal jacket 2 fitted with this ring member is inserted into the ring groove 5. It can be installed smoothly.

In addition, when the ring member 13 is formed from a wire made of a metal elastic member such as spring steel, this material will not deteriorate due to radiation, will not change in quality even at high temperatures, and will not change in quality even in a corrosive gas atmosphere. Since it has corrosion resistance, it is particularly convenient when used as a seal for nuclear power equipment or ultra-high vacuum equipment.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, an opening 11 continuous in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer circumferential side of the metal jacket 2, and the ring member 13 is fitted therein, but the invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 9, a circumferentially continuous opening 11 may be formed on the inner peripheral side of the metal jacket 2, and the ring member 13 may be fitted therein. In the case of this embodiment, the straight portion of the ring member 13 other than the corner portion 16 makes point contact with the inner circumferential wall surface of the O-ring groove 5.

Moreover, the overall shape of the metal hollow O-ring 10 is
The ring shape is not limited to a substantially perfect circle as shown in the figure, but may be an ellipse or a rectangular ring as shown in FIG.

In the metal hollow O-ring 10a shown in FIG. 6, a large number of corner portions 16 are formed in an opening continuously formed in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential side of a metal jacket 2b that is continuous in the circumferential direction in a rectangular ring shape. A ring member 13a made of a polygonal ring-shaped wire having a discontinuous portion 12 in the circumferential direction is fitted therein. In particular, in this embodiment, the number of corners 16 formed in the ring member 13a located at the corners 18 of the metal jacket 2b is increased. This effectively prevents the metal hollow O-ring 10a from falling out of the O-ring groove.

Effects of the invention As explained above, according to the invention, a ring member made of a polygonal wire rod having elasticity and having a discontinuous part in a circumferential direction is fitted into an opening of a metal jacket. Therefore, even when it is difficult to install a metal hollow O-ring, this invention can be quickly and easily installed in the correct position, especially when used for sealing pipe joints for nuclear power equipment or ultra-high vacuum equipment. A metal hollow O-ring can be installed.

Moreover, such an O-ring has the excellent effect of being extremely easy to manufacture.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a metal hollow O-ring according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the ring member shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional front view of a main part of a metal hollow O-ring according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a sectional view of main parts showing the installed state of the metal hollow O-ring according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is a plan view of a metal hollow O-ring according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a conventional metal hollow O-ring. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the mounting state of the O-ring according to the conventional example, and FIG. 9 is a main part showing the mounting state of the metal O-ring according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2...Metal jacket, 10, 10a...Metal hollow O
Ring, 11...opening, 13, 13a...ring member, 16...corner.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1) A circumferentially continuous metal jacket having a circumferentially continuous opening and having a substantially C-shaped cross section; and a metal jacket housed inside the metal jacket; In this metal hollow O-ring, which is made of an elastic member that improves the elasticity of the metal sheath, the opening of the metal sheath is made of a polygonal wire rod having elasticity and having a discontinuous part in a part of the circumference. 1. A hollow metal O-ring characterized by fitting a ring member consisting of: 2) The metal hollow O-ring according to claim 1, wherein the ring member is made of metal.