Seal and method of making the same

Inventors: Gonzalo Barillas (Alsfeld-Altenburg, DE); Albert Ilinseer (Seevetal, DE); Andrej Fink (Seevetal, DE); Jens Kuhnert (Buchholz, DE); Frank Struebing (Ammersbek, DE); Roland Fietz (Neustadt-Momberg, DE)

Assignee: CARL FREUDENBERG KG

F16J15/3208

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12692943
App. No.: 18/177,786
Granted: Jul 28, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A seal, including a spiralized profile string of at least one thermoplastic elastomeric material, the spiralized profile string including a retaining portion and at least one sealing lip which are arranged opposite each other in a radial direction, winding turns axially adjacent to each other in an axial direction and contiguous with each other, and open ends.

Claims (28)

1 . A seal, comprising:

a spiralized profile string of at least one thermoplastic elastomeric material, the spiralized profile string including:

a spiralized retaining portion forming a plurality of winding turns axially adjacent to each other in an axial direction and contiguous with each other; and

a spiralized sealing lip which is arranged opposite the spiralized retaining portion in a radial direction and extending radially inwardly from the retaining portion,

wherein the winding turns form a winding-turn packing having a rectangular cross-section when viewed in the radial direction, and

wherein the spiralized profile string has open ends, each of the open ends is being arranged in a radial plane with a respective axially adjacent winding turn of the winding turns.

2 . The seal according to claim 1 , wherein the winding turns are formed to be congruent.

3 . The seal according to claim 1 , wherein the winding turns include the retaining portion on one side in the radial direction and include the sealing lip on another side in the radial direction, and

wherein the retaining portion and the sealing lip each have a constant diameter along the axial direction between the open ends.

4 . The seal according to claim 1 , wherein the spiralized retaining portion is configured to interlock with itself such that the winding turns, on their sides axially facing each other, are fixed to each other in an interlocking manner in the radial and axial directions by a snap engagement.

5 . The seal according to claim 1 , wherein the profile string consists of a thermoplastic material, and

wherein the retaining portion and the sealing lip are integrally contiguous with each other and consist of the same material throughout.

6 . The seal according to claim 1 , wherein the profile string comprises two mutually different materials for the retaining portion and the sealing lip.

7 . The seal according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the materials is a polyurethane.

8 . A method of manufacturing the seal according to claim 1 , comprising:

in a first method step, making a spiralized profile string, and

in a second method step, cutting the spiralized profile string to length in accordance with an installation length of an installation space in a seal assembly.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , comprising, in a third method step, compressing the spiralized profile string in the axial direction to form the essentially rectangular winding-turn packing.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the third method step includes engaging the snap engagement between the winding turns simultaneously with the axial compression to form the winding-turn packing.

11 . The seal according to claim 1 , wherein the open ends delimit the spiralized profile string such that the spiralized profile string winds about an axis corresponding to the axial direction from a first of the open ends to a second of the open ends.

12 . The seal according to claim 11 , wherein the retaining portion is a unitary body from the first of the open ends to the second of the open ends.

13 . The seal according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one sealing lip is a unitary body from the first of the open ends to the second of the open ends.

14 . The seal according to claim 1 , wherein the spiralized profile string is configured to be wound about an axis corresponding to the axial direction such that the spiralized profile string is axially deformed, and an offset of the axial deformation is one width of a winding turn.

15 . The seal according to claim 1 , wherein the open ends include an open face that extends within a plane extending in the axial direction and the radial direction.

16 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing lip at a respective winding turn of the winding turns is spaced apart relative to the sealing lip at a further winding turn of the winding turns, the respective winding turn being axially adjacent to and abutting the further winding turn.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the sealing lip, at at least one winding turn of the winding turns, abuts against the retaining portion at an axially adjacent winding turn of the winding turns.

18 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the snap engagement includes a protrusion of the retaining portion extending in the axial and radial directions, and wherein the protrusion is configured to engage with a corresponding recess of the retaining portion.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein the protrusion comprises a u-shaped hook that extends radially outward, then axially, then radially inward to form an end of the hook, and wherein the end of the hook is configured to engaged with the corresponding recess of the retaining portion.