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US 12,631,253 B2Granted
Bellows with controlled shift of mean effective diameter
AssigneeEaton Intelligent Power Limited
InventorsSteven Paul Bender, Edward Nicholas Ruggeri, Jeffrey Robert Lavin, Michael Christopher Petrarca, Gerald Maurice Berard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a bellows seal arrangement having a bellows designed with a controlled shift in effective mean diameter when the bellows is exposed to a pre-determined pressure.
Claims31
A bellows seal assembly comprising:
- a carrier;
- a sealing ring carried with the carrier, the sealing ring including an axial sealing face adapted to oppose a rotational member;
- and
- a bellows for applying sealing load to the sealing ring through the carrier, the bellows having an interior and an exterior, the bellows being configured to have a first mean effective diameter when a pressure applied to the bellows is below a mean diameter transition pressure, the bellows being configured to have a second mean effective diameter when the pressure in the bellows is above the mean diameter transition pressure, the bellows including bellows plates that each extend across a convolution span between first weld locations and second weld locations, the bellows plates being arranged in plate pairs with each plate pair including first and second plates connected at the first weld locations, adjacent ones of the plate pairs being connected together at the second weld locations, the bellows being configured such that the first and second plates of each plate pair do not contact each other at a mid-span location when the bellows has the first mean effective diameter and do contact each other at the mid-span location when the bellows has the second mean effective diameter, the bellows being configured such that when the first and second plates of each plate pair contact one another at the mid-span locations, first non-contact regions between the first and second plates of each plate pair are defined between the mid-span locations and the first welds and second non-contact regions between the first and second plates of each plate pair are defined between the mid-span locations and the second welds, wherein the first and second plates of each plate pair have different configurations from one another, and wherein the first plate of each plate pair is adapted to engage a convex peak surface of the second plate of each plate pair at the mid-span location when the bellows has the second mean effective diameter.
1 more element
A bellows seal assembly comprising:
- a carrier;
- a sealing ring carried with the carrier, the sealing ring including an axial sealing face adapted to oppose a rotational member;
- and
- a bellows for applying sealing load to the sealing ring through the carrier, the bellows having an interior and an exterior, the bellows being configured with discrete mid-span contact locations configured to not contact when a pressure in the bellows is below a mean diameter transition pressure to cause the bellows to have a first mean effective diameter, the discrete mid-span contact locations also being configured to contact when the pressure in the bellows is above the mean diameter transition pressure to cause the bellows to transition to a second mean effective diameter, the second mean effective diameter being larger than the first mean effective diameter;
- the bellows including bellows plates, the bellows plates being arranged in plate pairs with each plate pair including first and second plates, wherein the first and second plates of each plate pair have different configurations from one another, and wherein the first plate of each plate pair is adapted to engage a convex peak surface of the second plate of each plate pair at the mid-span location when the bellows has the second mean effective diameter.
2 more elements
A method for designing a bellows seal assembly used with a pressure-generating system, the method comprising:
- designing a bellows with intentional mid-span contact locations between paired bellows plates of the bellows to cause the bellows to transition from a first mean effective diameter to a second mean effective diameter when the bellows is exposed to a predetermined pressure, wherein the bellows is designed such that the bellows is adapted to apply a customized first seal loading when the pressure-generating system is operating at a first condition in which a system pressure is below the predetermined pressure and is adapted to apply a customized second seal loading when the pressure-generating system is operating at a second condition in which a system pressure is above the predetermined pressure, the first and second seal loading being customized by selection of a radial placement of the mid-span locations along a convolution span of the bellows;
- wherein each plate of the paired bellow plates have different configurations from one another, and wherein a first plate of each plate pair is adapted to engage a convex peak surface of a second plate of each plate pair at the mid-span location when the bellows has the second mean effective diameter.
A device comprising:
- a bellows including bellows plates that each extend across a convolution span between first weld locations and second weld locations, the bellows plates being arranged in plate pairs with each plate pair including first and second plates connected at the first weld locations, adjacent ones of the plate pairs being connected together at the second weld locations, the bellows being configured such that the first and second plates of each plate pair contact each other at a mid-span location when the first and second plates of each plate pair are forced together, the bellows being configured such that upon contact of the first and second plates of each plate pair at the mid-span locations first non-contact regions between the first and second plates of each plate pair are defined between the mid-span locations and the first welds and second non-contact regions between the first and second plates of each plate pair are defined between the mid-span locations and the second welds;
- wherein the bellows are configured to transition from a first mean effective diameter to a second mean effective diameter, wherein the first and second plates of each plate pair have different configurations from one another, and wherein the first plate of each plate pair is adapted to engage a convex peak surface of the second plate of each plate pair at the mid-span location when the bellows has the second mean effective diameter.
A device comprising:
- a bellows including bellows plates that each extend across a convolution span between first weld locations and second weld locations, the bellows plates being arranged in plate pairs with each plate pair including first and second plates connected at the first weld locations, adjacent ones of the plate pairs being connected together at the second weld locations, the bellows being configured such that the first and second plates of the plate pairs define mid-span contact locations between the first and second plates of the plate pairs;
- wherein the bellows are configured to transition from a first mean effective diameter to a second mean effective diameter, wherein the first and second plates of each plate pair have different configurations from one another, and wherein the first plate of each plate pair is adapted to engage a convex peak surface of the second plate of each plate pair at the mid-span location when the bellows has the second mean effective diameter.
A device comprising:
- a bellows including bellows plates that each extend across a convolution span between first weld locations and second weld locations, the bellows plates being arranged in plate pairs with each plate pair including first and second plates connected at the first weld locations, adjacent ones of the plate pairs being connected together at the second weld locations, the bellows being configured such that the first plates of the plate pairs define mid-span concave valley surfaces that oppose mid-span convex peak surfaces defined by the second plates of the plate pairs, each concave valley surface having a radius of curvature that is at least 1.25 times as large as a radius of curvature of opposing convex peak surface;
- wherein the bellows are configured to transition from a first mean effective diameter to a second mean effective diameter, wherein the first and second plates of each plate pair have different configurations from one another, and wherein the first plate of each plate pair is adapted to engage a convex peak surface of the second plate of each plate pair at the mid-span location when the bellows has the second mean effective diameter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.