PATENTS

14Sealing Technology March 2013

Each one of the pair of side surfaces and the surrounding surface are moulded.Patent number: WO/2012/157383 Inventor: T. MouriPublication date: 22 November 2012

Borehole seal back-up

Applicant: Baker Hughes Inc, USAIn down-hole drilling operations, packers or seal elements are ubiquitously used for a myriad sealing and inhibition applications. This patent provides details of a method and assembly for reducing the radial gap between (radially) proximate components. These include a setting member that has a first dimension which partially defines the radial gap. The setting member includes a circumfer-ential groove extending radially from the first dimension, and a first toroid having a second dimension. The setting member is arranged to engage with the first toroid, enabling the boundary dimension of the assembly to be extended towards the radial gap, reducing it. The circumferential groove is arranged to catch the first toroid when the setting member is fully engaged.Patent number: WO/2012/162159 Inventors: A.L. Farrar, E.T Wood, G.C. Badke, R.O. Castillo and A.P. FosterPublication date: 29 November 2012

Composite seal member for an electronic device

Applicant: Polymatech Co Ltd, JapanIn this invention, a seal member (11) is used in a battery cover (12) that is fitted into a casing (13) of an electronic device. The seal member is configured from a silicone gel moulding. The compression set (JIS K6262 (ISO 815)) – measured under the condition that the silicone gel moulding is left as it is for 22 hours at 70°C, with a compressibil-ity of 50–80% – is 5% or less. Penetration (JIS K2220 (ISO 2137)) falls within the range of 60–130. The seal member, which improves the sealing action between the bat-tery cover and the casing, prevents water from entering the battery and also pre-vents the cover and the casing from being deformed and broken.

Patent number: WO/2012/161099Inventors: K. Odagiri and Y. HattoriPublication date: 29 November 2012

Seal-application system

Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, JapanThe seal-application system detailed by this patent is provided with a sealant-discharge device that has a discharge-punch drive unit which presses a discharge punch into a seal cartridge filled with sealant. The force with which the discharge-punch drive unit presses the discharge punch into the cartridge is varied in order to keep the sealant discharge rate con-stant. This configuration also makes it possible to keep the rate constant even when a sealant, which increases in viscosity over time, is used.Patent number: WO/2012/161169 Inventors: Y. Ikeda, T. Funato, T. Inagaki, M. Nakamura, Y. Ikeda, K. Kuroi, A. Suzuki, Y. Kondo and T. YamashitaPublication date: 29 November 2012

Vacuum seal arrangement for use in a plasma-processing chamber

Applicant: Lam Research Corp, USAThe vacuum seal arrangement described by this patent consists of a one-piece elastomeric gasket that has a set of (first and second) O-rings inter-connected by a planar web. A first part has a pla-nar sealing surface, containing a dove-tail groove to hold the first O-ring, and a square-walled groove for retaining the second O-ring. This part further includes at least one passage in the planar sealing surface surrounded by the first O-ring, or second O-ring.Patent number: WO/2012/162051 Inventor: H. SinghPublication date: 29 November 2012

Seal member

Applicant: Uchiyama Manufacturing Corp, JapanThe seal member described consists of a rubber base that includes a surface which is in elastic, sliding contact with a partner member. It contains a large number of small holes, with a depth of 3–20 μm and an opening size of not more than 70 μm. These are formed using a laser. The per-centage of the area occupied by these openings is set at 5–50%. According to the inventors, this produces a low-friction seal material. When used in automotive applications – for example, as a seal ring in a wheel bearing – it will reduce rotational torque and help to lower fuel consumption.Patent number: WO/2012/161259

Inventors: T. Yamamoto, T. Katayama, R. Yokota and C. AsanumaPublication date: 29 November 2012

Sealing lip

Applicant: Aktiebolaget SKF, SwedenThe sealing lip (170) detailed by this patent is used to seal a first space (250) from a second space (260), with respect to a liquid medium present in the first space. According to this pat-ent, a bearing surface (210) is designed to rest against the sealing surface (220) of a component (230) which can be moved relative to the seal-ing lip (170) in a specific direction (240). The patent describes a groove (270) in the bearing surface (210) that conducts the liquid medium to the first space (250) through a shift in the direction of movement when the liquid medium penetrates the groove (270). The groove runs entirely within the bearing surface (and is sur-rounded by the bearing surface). In this way, the sealing effect of the lip is optionally improved.Patent number: WO/2012/160148Inventors: H. Benedix, J. Kurth, J. Netzer, C. Passow and W. SeewaldPublication date: 29 November 2012

Turbine seals

Applicant: Siemens Energy Inc, USAThis invention relates to seals between components in a combustion turbine engine, but particularly to seals between air-cooled components along the combustion gas flow-path in the turbine section. Gas turbine engines are designed to extract energy

A composite seal member for the battery cover of an electronic device forms the subject of patent WO/2012/161099.

The lip structure that provides enhanced sealing, which is detailed by patent WO/2012/160148.