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US 5,509,664 AGranted
Segmented hydrodynamic seals for sealing a rotatable shaft
AssigneeStein Seal Company
InventorMark R. Borkiewicz
Life of this patent
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AssigneeStein Seal Company
InventorMark R. Borkiewicz
Estimating the term…
A seal for sealing between a rotating shaft and a housing comprising a seal ring formed by a plurality of circumferentially spaced segments mounted for movement toward and away from the shaft and having a high pressure side, a low pressure side, an inner circumferential face opposed to the shaft and an outer circumferential face. Resilient means urge the seal ring toward the shaft. Hydrodynamic means in the form of one or more plurality of spaced recesses in the inner circumferential face of each segment are formed so as to produce negative hydrodynamic lift in the recess and urge the seal ring segments toward the rotating shaft during normal rotation thereof. The seal segments are circumferentially spaced with the radial space between adjacent segments mated by complementary tongues and grooves formed in adjacent seal segments. The segments are in contact to form a continuous seal. The tongue and groove at each radial space between adjacent seal segments form a seal therebetween, however, under certain circumstances, pressure may build up in the radial space causing leakage of fluid along the radial space. In order to relieve this build-up, a pressure reducing passageway is formed in each tongue portion extending from the radial space to the adjacent end of the adjacent recess in the seal segment to cause fluid flow from the radial space into the recess to prevent seal leakage. A second seal is provided between the housing and the low pressure side of the seal ring.
In a rubbing seal for sealing between a rotatable shaft and a housing with a high pressure region and a lower pressure region in said housing and containing a fluid and further having (1) a seal ring mounted for movement toward and away from the shaft and formed by a plurality of circumferentially spaced mating segments each having a circumferential sealing face facing the shaft with a circumferential sealing portion sealing against the shaft mad with the sealing portion of adjacent segments in contact to form a continuous seal, said circumferential sealing portion being on the side of the seal ring face exposed to the lower pressure region, (2) means for sealing the radial space between each adjacent segment, (3) each of said segments including a recess in said sealing face which is spaced from the radial space between adjacent segments and each recess being connected by an opening in the seal ring face connecting the recess to the side of the seal ring exposed to the high pressure region so as to produce a negative hydrodynamic lift force on said segments to urge the seal ring toward the shaft due to fluid flow induced in said recesses by the rotation of said shaft, and (4) means for limiting rotation of said seal ring, the improvement comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.