Sealing arrangement

A fluid valve for a gas line of a fuel cell and/or a motor vehicle drive, wherein the fluid valve comprises:

• a housing with an inner wall;
• a flap;
• and
• a sealing arrangement comprising:
• a retaining ring with a retaining-ring contact portion and a multiplicity of legs;
• and
• an annular, flexible seal which has an encircling radial web and a first radial surface adjacent to the radial web, arranged on an upstream side during use and configured as a centering surface for an interference fit with a corresponding mating centering surface of an inner wall of the housing, wherein a first side surface of the radial web on an upstream side during use is provided to lie against a contact surface of the inner wall of the housing, the retaining-ring contact portion has a retaining-ring contact surface which, during lies against a second side surface of the radial web that is on a downstream side, and free ends of at least a partial quantity of the multiplicity of legs are provided, during use, to be supported under a prestress against a supporting portion of the inner wall of the housing, the supporting portion extending substantially perpendicular to a direction of flow of the fluid;
• wherein the fluid valve is configured to control a fluid flow through a valve opening of the fluid valve by adjusting a position of the flap between a closed position and an open position,
• wherein the inner wall of the housing has the mating centering surface, the contact surface and the supporting portion, the first radial surface of the seal lies under a prestress against the mating centering surface, the first side surface of the radial web lies against the contact surface, the retaining-ring contact surface lies against the second side surface of the radial web, and free ends of at least a partial quantity of the multiplicity of legs are supported on the supporting portion under a prestress.

A method for mounting a fluid valve, the fluid valve comprising a housing, a flap, a retaining ring, and an annular, flexible seal, the method comprising:

• providing the housing having a bore and an inner wall,
• inserting a shaft through the bore,
• introducing the flap from a downstream side of the housing and mounting the flap on the shaft, the flap being configured to control a fluid flow through a valve opening of the fluid valve by adjusting a position of the flap between a closed position and an open position,
• introducing the annular, flexible seal from the downstream side of the housing, the annular, flexible seal having an encircling radial web and a first radial surface adjacent to the radial web, such that the first radial surface is arranged on an upstream side during use and is configured as a centering surface for an interference fit with a corresponding mating centering surface of the inner wall of the housing, and such that a first side surface of the radial web on the upstream side during use lies against a contact surface of the inner wall of the housing, and
• introducing the retaining ring from the downstream side of the housing the retaining ring having a retaining-ring contact portion with a retaining-ring contact surface and a multiplicity of legs, such that free ends of at least a partial quantity of the multiplicity of legs are bent radially inward elastically during insertion by contact with the inner wall of the housing and, after passing a supporting portion of the inner wall extending substantially perpendicular to a direction of flow of the fluid, snap back radially outward by a spring force of the legs and the retaining-ring contact surface lies against a second side surface of the radial web that is on a downstream side during use, such that the radial web is compressed along a direction of flow of the fluid.