Mechanical seal with thermally stable mating ring

A seal assembly providing a fluid tight seal between a housing and a rotating shaft, said seal assembly comprising:

• a housing component defining an annular seal chamber surrounding the shaft, said housing component defining a radially directed annular compression surface, and a radially directed annular biasing contact surface spaced from said radially directed annular compression surface;
• an axially movable primary ring rotatable with the shaft and defining a radially directed annular sealing face;
• a mating ring fixed against rotation relative to the housing component defining a radially directed annular sealing face, said sealing faces of said rings defining a relatively rotatable sealing interface,
• said mating ring including an axially extending annular portion defining an outer cylindrical surface disposed radially inwardly of said radially directed surfaces of said housing component;
• an annular compression ring disposed intermediate said radially directed surfaces of said housing component and having said annular compression ring member including a radially directed compression surface and a radially directed biasing contact surface;
• an annular flexible compression element disposed between said radially directed annular compression surface of said housing component and said radially directed annular compression surface of said compression ring member;
• and a biasing member disposed between said radially directed annular biasing contact surface of said housing component and said radially directed annular biasing contact surface of said compression ring;
• said biasing member urging said compression ring toward said radially directed annular compression surface of said housing component to axially compress said flexible compression element and urge it radially into contact with said outer cylindrical sealing surface of said axially extending annular portion of said mating ring.