Seal with integrated fluid regulating device
AssigneeHamilton Sunstrand Corporation
InventorJames S. Elder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seal housing with fluid regulating capability is provided for use with an outlet. The seal housing includes a seal element, a fitting and a valve. The seal element includes an angled flange that is fittable to the outlet and a seal element body from which the angled flange extends. The seal element body defines a bore extending between opposite open ends of the body and receptive of fluid from the outlet. The fitting is configured to tightly engage with the outlet and to urge the angled flange against the outlet with increasing pressure as fitting-outlet engagement proceeds. A valve is constrained within the bore and configured to regulate a flow of the fluid, which is received from the outlet, through the bore.
Claims7
A seal housing with fluid regulating capability for use with an outlet, the seal housing comprising:
- a seal element comprising an angled flange that is fittable to the outlet and a seal element body from which the angled flange extends,
- the seal element body defining a bore extending between opposite open ends of the body and receptive of fluid from the outlet;
- a fitting configured to tightly engage with the outlet and to urge the angled flange against the outlet with increasing pressure as fitting-outlet engagement proceeds;
- and
- a valve constrained within the bore and configured to regulate a flow of the fluid, which is received from the outlet, through the bore,
- wherein:
- the bore extends through a portion of the outlet and beyond an end of the outlet and has a longitudinal axis,
- the seal element body comprises an exterior surface defining a recess from which the angled flange extends at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the bore,
- the angled flange is conical, tapering along the longitudinal axis of the bore from wide to narrow with decreasing distance from the bore, and comprises a first side to register with the outlet and a second side parallel with and opposite the first side, and
- the valve is disposed at an axial location defined along the bore, which is downstream relative to the flow of the fluid from a forward-most portion of the angled flange.
A method of providing a seal for a male outlet having a predefined fluid regulating capability, the method of providing the seal comprising:
- forming a seal body such that the seal body comprises:
- a seal feature comprising a radially inward portion and a radially outward portion, the radially outward portion comprising a conical flange extending from the recess and including first and second conical surfaces, the first surface being abuttable with a conical surface of an end of the male outlet and the second surface being parallel with and opposite the first surface;
- a tubular feature comprising an exterior surface defining a recess from which a shoulder protrudes and an interior surface defining a bore having a fluid regulating capability reduced as compared to the predefined fluid regulating capability of the male outlet, the bore extending through a portion of the male outlet and beyond an end of the male outlet and having a longitudinal axis and the flange extending from the recess at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis whereby the first and second conical surfaces taper from wide to narrow along the longitudinal axis with decreasing distance from the bore;
- and
- a retention feature configured to trap the radially inward portion of the seal feature against the shoulder of the tubular feature;
- forming a female fitting such that the female fitting comprises:
- an aft end configured for engagement with the male outlet;
- and
- a forward end disposable about the seal body;
- and
- forming an intermediate body to be interposable between the female fitting and the seal body and movable about the seal body with the female fitting, the intermediate body comprising a surface configured to abut with the second surface and to force the first surface against the male outlet as the aft end of the female fitting engages with the male outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.