EP0498627B1 - Improvements in or relating to seals - Google Patents

Improvements in or relating to seals Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0498627B1
EP0498627B1 EP19920300953 EP92300953A EP0498627B1 EP 0498627 B1 EP0498627 B1 EP 0498627B1 EP 19920300953 EP19920300953 EP 19920300953 EP 92300953 A EP92300953 A EP 92300953A EP 0498627 B1 EP0498627 B1 EP 0498627B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
row
sealing
elements
overlap
confronting
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19920300953
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0498627A3 (en
EP0498627A2 (en
Inventor
Jim Washbourne
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Oxford Brookes Enterprises Ltd
Original Assignee
Oxford Brookes Enterprises Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Oxford Brookes Enterprises Ltd filed Critical Oxford Brookes Enterprises Ltd
Publication of EP0498627A2 publication Critical patent/EP0498627A2/en
Publication of EP0498627A3 publication Critical patent/EP0498627A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0498627B1 publication Critical patent/EP0498627B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21D—SHAFTS; TUNNELS; GALLERIES; LARGE UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS
    • E21D9/00—Tunnels or galleries, with or without linings; Methods or apparatus for making thereof; Layout of tunnels or galleries
    • E21D9/06—Making by using a driving shield, i.e. advanced by pushing means bearing against the already placed lining
    • E21D9/0635—Tail sealing means, e.g. used as end shuttering

Definitions

  • This invention relates to seals and more particularly to seals for sealing between two relatively moveable parts which may be linearly and angularly moveable.
  • seal packing for use when tunnelling underground is a so called brush seal such as that described and claimed in GB-A-1,545,930.
  • the brush type packing according to GB-A-1,545,930 is used for sealing an annular gap between two surfaces, either the surfaces of two parts of the apparatus or of the apparatus and the wall of the tunnel, and comprises a ring-shaped brush of resilient wear-resistant fibres, and means securing said brush to one surface at the position where the gap is to be closed, the fibres projecting away from said one surface at an angle to engage said other surface, the interstices between the brush fibres being sealed with a material which can be applied in a condition of sufficient fluidity to permeate said interstices and when applied renders said brush substantially impermeable to water without substantially reducing the resiliency of the brush.
  • a seal in accordance with the present invention is particularly but not exclusively useful when tunnelling underground and when sinking a shaft especially when such tunnelling and shaft work is carried out below the water table.
  • FR-A-2,608,714 discloses a seal for use in tunnelling, the seal comprising two rows of sealing elements with the sealing elements in each row disposed in edge to edge abutting relationship and with the abutting edges between adjacent elements in one row off-set with respect to the abutting edges between adjacent elements in the other row, and a layer of resilient material disposed between the two rows of sealing elements so as to separate the two rows from each other.
  • a seal according to the present invention is characterised in that the seal comprises at least two confronting rows of sealing elements in that adjacent sealing elements in each row overlap each other and in that the sealing elements in any two confronting rows overlap in opposite directions.
  • the sealing elements in each confronting row successively overlap each other to form a series of steps and in that the overlap of adjacent elements in any one row is a mirror image of the overlap of adjacent elements in a confronting row.
  • the overlap of adjacent elements in any one row is a displaced mirror image of the overlap of adjacent elements in a confronting row.
  • the steps of one row are staggered with respect to the steps of a confronting row.
  • the sealing portion has a width, measured in a direction transverse to the elongation thereof, which is greater than a corresponding transverse dimension of the first portion.
  • a seal for sealing between two relatively movable parts is characterised in that the seal comprises at least two confronting rows of sealing elements, in that adjacent elements of each row overlap each other and in that the elements of any two confronting rows overlap in opposite directions.
  • a seal in accordance with the present invention may, if desired be used in conjunction with a brush-type seal such as that disclosed in GB-A-1,545,930.
  • the degree of overlap is indicated at O in Figure 1 and this may vary between 10% and 75% and is preferably between 40% and 60%.
  • the two rows 1 and 2 are separated or divided by an imaginary line joining double headed arrows N in Figure 1. From figure 1 it will be seen that the overlapping configuration of row 1 is a displaced mirror image of the overlapping configuration of the confronting row, row 2.
  • each sealing element includes a first portion 3 having 2 fixing holes 5 and a sealing portion 4. As indicated in Figure 5, the sealing element is bent along a line 6 out of the plane of the portion 3 by an amount of 50 degrees to form a sealing portion 4.
  • Figure 2 shows an assembly of sealing elements as indicated in Figure 1 bolted at 7 to a support plate 8 with a silicone rubber sealing fillet 9 disposed between the assembled rows of sealing elements and the support plate 8.
  • a seal consists of a single row of overlapping sealing elements such as row 1 (see Figure 1)
  • application of a force in the direction of arrow X to any individual element A will create a leakage path between that element A to which the force is applied and an adjacent overlapping element at position L in Figure 1.
  • application of a force in the direction X although producing a leakage path L will, nevertheless, serve to increase the contact pressure between overlapping sealing elements in the second row and thereby effect a satisfactory seal.
  • This same sealing effect would obtain in reverse if a force is applied to any sealing element in row 2 of Figure 1 in a direction Z. In this situation however leakage paths would be produced between adjacent and overlapping element in row 2 whereas a mechanical face to face seal would be produced between adjacent overlapping sealing elements in row 1.
  • the sealing elements A may be made from steel, spring steel, alloys capable of withstanding corrosive environments and frictional wear, loaded and unloaded plastic materials and natural and synthetic rubbers.
  • the sealing elements may be coated with a natural or synthetic material such as silicone composition. Further, greases containing flake and/or fibre additive may be forced in the interstices between confronting rows as an additional sealing medium. Coating of the sealing elements using a silicone composition possesses an added advantage in that front which is usually present during tunnelling or boring will not stick to the elements. Teflon (Registered Trade Mark) may also be used as a coating material.
  • Figure 2A shows a modification of the opposing overlapping arrangement of Figure 1.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Sealing Devices (AREA)
  • Lining And Supports For Tunnels (AREA)
  • Outer Garments And Coats (AREA)
EP19920300953 1991-02-04 1992-02-04 Improvements in or relating to seals Expired - Lifetime EP0498627B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9102357 1991-02-04
GB919102357A GB9102357D0 (en) 1991-02-04 1991-02-04 Improvements in and relating to seals

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0498627A2 EP0498627A2 (en) 1992-08-12
EP0498627A3 EP0498627A3 (en) 1993-02-10
EP0498627B1 true EP0498627B1 (en) 1995-12-20

Family

ID=10689500

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19920300953 Expired - Lifetime EP0498627B1 (en) 1991-02-04 1992-02-04 Improvements in or relating to seals

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0498627B1 (da)
DE (1) DE69206834T2 (da)
DK (1) DK0498627T3 (da)
ES (1) ES2081045T3 (da)
GB (1) GB9102357D0 (da)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB9300753D0 (en) * 1993-01-15 1993-03-03 Oxford Polytechnic Improvements in and relating to sealing compositions
FR2807058B1 (fr) * 2000-03-30 2002-06-14 Condat Sa Mastic de secours pour la prevention et la venue d'eau, pour les queues de tunneliers

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2623223C3 (de) * 1975-05-30 1978-05-24 Tekken Kensetu Co. Ltd., Tokio Ringspaltdichtung für den Tunnelvortrieb
FR2608714B1 (fr) * 1986-12-17 1990-11-30 Fives Cail Babcock Joint d'etancheite pour machine de creusement de tunnels ou de galeries
JPH01322095A (ja) * 1988-06-25 1989-12-27 Kazuo Ishikawa トンネル掘削機におけるテールシール構造

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69206834D1 (de) 1996-02-01
GB9102357D0 (en) 1991-03-20
EP0498627A3 (en) 1993-02-10
EP0498627A2 (en) 1992-08-12
DE69206834T2 (de) 1996-05-23
DK0498627T3 (da) 1996-02-12
ES2081045T3 (es) 1996-02-16

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