Self-centering seal component for high speed shaft assemblies

A seal assembly comprising:

• a shaft rotatable about a central axis and having an outer circumferential surface;
• and
• a seal component including an annular body having a centerline, first and second axial ends spaced apart along the centerline, an inner circumferential surface, an opposing outer circumferential surface, the inner circumferential surface defining a central bore receiving the shaft and being sized such that the entire body inner surface is frictionally engaged with the shaft outer surface to couple the component with the shaft, and at least three cavities extending axially from the first axial end and spaced circumferentially about the centerline, each cavity being located adjacent to the bore so as to define a separate centering body portion between a radially innermost surface section of the cavity and an axially-extending centering surface section of the body inner circumferential surface located radially inwardly of the cavity, any radial growth of each one of the centering body portions being less than concurrent radial growth of remaining portions of the body during rotation of the shaft such that each one of the centering surface sections remain in contact with the shaft outer surface when remaining sections of the body inner circumferential surface are spaced radially outwardly from the shaft outer surface, each one of the centering surface sections being located so as to center the annular body about the shaft axis;
• wherein the annular body further includes at least one of a seal runner surface, a mounting surface for a seal runner, an axial-extending annular mounting groove for an axial face seal, and a plurality of radially-outwardly extending ridges for a labyrinth seal.