Multi-position labyrinth seal ring
AssigneeGarlock Inc.
InventorRichard Borowski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A labyrinth seal ring designed to function properly regardless of its rotational orientation relative to a horizontal shaft to be sealed. The novel seal ring bore is formed with a series of lands and grooves, with a plurality of axially extending drainage grooves cut across the axially inner lands to allow fluid to drain back into the associated housing interior. The pattern of the drainage grooves varies from land to land so that nowhere is there a direct flow path across more than two lands. The new ring will most likely be used in conjunction with a bearing isolator seal, but it may be used alone in some applications.
Claims19
A labyrinth ring comprising
- (a) an axially inner end,
- (b) an axially outer end,
- (c) an internal bore,
- (d) a series of radial lands and grooves formed in said bore at said inner end,
- (e) a plurality of axial drainage grooves extending across said lands at spaced intervals around the inner periphery of said lands to join said radial grooves, said axial grooves in adjacent lands being rotationally offset from one another sufficiently that none of said axial grooves extends continuously across more than two adjacent radial lands, and
- (f) at least one radial land at said axially outer end having no axial grooves extending thereacross.
In a rotary shaft bearing isolator seal having a rotor disposed within a stator housing, said stator housing including an axially inner, radially inwardly extending flange, that improvement comprising an axially inwardly extending labyrinth ring depending from the radially inner portion of said flange, said labyrinth ring having
- (a) an axially inner end,
- (b) an axially outer end,
- (c) an internal bore,
- (d) a series of radial lands and grooves formed in said bore at said inner end,
- (e) a plurality of axial drainage grooves extending across said lands at spaced intervals around the inner periphery of said lands to join said radial grooves, said axial grooves in adjacent lands being rotationally offset from one another sufficiently that none of said axial grooves extends continuously across more than two adjacent radial lands, and
- (f) at least one radial land at said axially outer end having no axial grooves extending thereacross.
In combination, a labyrinth ring and a bearing isolator seal having a stator and a rotor, said labyrinth ring being integral with a portion of said stator and having
- (a) an axially inner end,
- (b) an axially outer end,
- (c) an internal bore,
- (d) a series of radial lands and grooves formed in said bore at said inner end,
- (e) a plurality of axial drainage grooves extending across said lands at spaced intervals around the inner pariphery of said lands to join said radial grooves, said axial grooves in adjacent lands being rotationally offset from one another sufficiently that none of said axial grooves extends continuously across more than two adjacent radial lands, and
- (f) at least one radial land at said axially outer end having no axial grooves extending thereacross.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.