Captured rotor seal
AssigneeInpro Companies, Inc.
InventorDavid C. Orlowski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved seal is provided to minimize or eliminate lubricant migration and welling problems on electric motors, gear boxes, and lubricant contamination in rolling mills. The improved seal includes a stator ring fixed in the housing and a rotor ring sealingly mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith. A second, captured, rotor is provided within the stator ring and is sealingly mounted upon the shaft for rotation therewith. The captured rotor includes a plurality of radially extending slots which impart increased energy to migrating and welling lubricant so as to force the lubricant into a communicating annular groove within the stator, which in turn is in communication with a return trough which directs the energized lubricant back into the housing or, in the case of rolling mills, of contamination back to the exterior.
Claims22
A seal between a fixed housing and a rotating shaft, comprising:
- a stator ring fixed to the housing concentrically about the shaft and having opposite end faces, an exterior peripheral surface and an interior peripheral surface;
- a rotor ring sealingly mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, and having opposite end faces, an exterior peripheral surface and an interior peripheral surface;
- one of the rings having an annular groove extending axially from one end face intermediate the exterior and interior peripheral surfaces;
- the other of said rings having an annular flange extending axially from one end face intermediate the exterior and interior peripheral surfaces and being received within the axially extending annular groove;
- the stator ring further having an annular groove extending radially from the interior peripheral surface;
- and
- a third ring sealingly mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, and being rotatably received within the radially extending groove of the stator ring.
A seal between a fixed housing and a rotating shaft, comprising:
- a stator ring fixed to the housing with a central opening through which the shaft rotatably extends and having opposite end faces;
- a first rotor ring adjacent the stator ring and being sealingly mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith;
- a second rotor ring rotatingly mounted within the stator ring between the end faces thereof and sealingly mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith;
- and
- one of the stator or first rotor rings having an axially extending annual groove and the other having an axially extending annular flange received within the annular grove.
A seal between a fixed housing and a rotating shaft, comprising:
- a stator ring fixed to the housing with a central opening through which the shaft rotatably extends and having opposite end faces;
- a first rotor ring adjacent the stator ring and being sealingly mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith;
- a second rotor ring rotatingly mounted within the stator ring between the end faces thereof and sealingly mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith;
- a channel in the stator ring for collecting oil migrating outwardly along the shaft;
- and
- a passageway in the stator ring communicating with the channel and the interior of the housing for returning lubricant to the interior of the housing form the channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.