US 6,547,250 B1Granted

Seal assembly with two sealing mechanisms for providing static and dynamic sealing

AssigneeWestport Research Inc.

InventorsStephen D. Noble, Thomas Brook, Bruce Muehlchen

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A seal assembly for providing sealing between a movable cylindrical body and a housing body comprises separate sealing mechanisms for providing static and dynamic sealing. The seal assembly is associated in fixed relationship with either the cylindrical body or the housing body and provides a static seal with the body it is associated with and a dynamic seal with the body that moves relative to the seal assembly. The static sealing mechanism is temperature-activated so that within the operating temperature range, a metallic member of the static seal mechanism is pressed tightly against the associated body to provide a fluid tight static seal. The temperature-activation is caused by the metallic member having a different thermal expansion coefficient than the associated body. The dynamic seal may employ known dynamic sealing mechanisms such as spring-energized seals, interference fit seals, and/or temperature-activated seals.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A seal assembly for providing fluid sealing between an inner body and a housing body, wherein one of said bodies is movable relative to the other body and said seal assembly is fixedly associated with one of said bodies defined herein as a fixedly-associated body, with the other one of said bodies defined herein as a non-fixedly-associated body, said seal assembly comprising:

(a) a static seal for providing a seal between said seal assembly and said fixedly-associated body, said static seal comprising a metallic member in the shape of a ring wherein said static seal is temperature-activated by said metallic member having a thermal expansion coefficient that is different from that of said fixedly-associated body, whereby said metallic member is urged towards said fixedly-associated body to activate said static seal when said seal assembly is within a predetermined operating temperature range;
and
(b) a dynamic seal for providing a seal between said seal assembly and said non-fixedly-associated body when said non-fixedly-associated body is moving relative to said fixedly-associated body, said dynamic seal comprising a dynamic seal member in the shape of a continuous ring with at least one flange that cooperates with said static seal to provide a seal between said static seal and said dynamic seal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.