Gear positive displacement machine with U-shaped supporting element for sealing member

A positive displacement gear machine, comprising a housing bounding an inner hollow;

• two rotatable gear members located in said hollow so as to cooperate with a working fluid and to subdivide said hollow into a low pressure zone and a high pressure zone, said gear members meshing with each other, each of said gear members having an axis, two axial end faces, and a shaft extending in opposite axial directions from said axial end faces;
• two pairs of bearing members located in said hollow of said housing, each pair of said bearing members being arranged to bear said shafts of both gear members at respective axial side of the latter, at least one pair of said bearing members abutting against one axial end face of both gear members under the action of pressure of the pressure zone;
• a sealing member bounding the pressure zone at one axial side of said gear members and having a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of number three, said sealing member having a cross-section including a base side and two recesses;
• and a supporting element having a shape corresponding to the shape of said sealing member and being constituted of a material which is more rigid than the material of the sealing member, said supporting element having a U-shaped cross-section which includes two arms each provided with a bead, each of said beads of said arms engaging in a respective one of said recesses of said sealing element, and said sealing element being inserted into said supporting element by said base side of the former, so that said supporting element reinforces said sealing element. PG,13