# US 9,438,080 B2 · Seal arrangement for a motor pump assembly and a motor for a pump including a seal arrangement

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- Number: US 9,438,080 B2
- Document ID: US9438080B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/790,821
- Filed: 2013-03-08
- Published: 2014-09-11
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-08
- Assignees: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
- Applicants: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
- Inventors: Joseph S. Minogue
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438080B2

## CPC

- H02K 5/10: with arrangements for protection from ingress, e.g. water or fingers
- F04B 17/03: driven by electric motors
- F04D 25/082: {the unit having provision for cooling the motor}
- H02K 5/124: Sealing of shafts
- H02K 5/161: {radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor (H02K5/165, H02K5/167, H02K5/173 take precedence)}
- H02K 5/1732: {radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor (H02K5/1737 takes precedence)}
- H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53})
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02)

## Abstract

An electric machine includes an end frame having a shaft bore extending therethrough. The end frame includes a first side and a second side. A shaft extends through the shaft bore. A bearing is supported by the end frame and is coupled to the shaft to support the shaft for rotation about a longitudinal axis. A first seal is fixedly attached to the end frame and includes an internal bore that is sized to cooperate with the shaft to form a seal point therebetween. The first seal is disposed on the first side of the end frame. A second seal is fixedly attached to the second side of the end frame. The second seal includes a movable portion in direct contact with the shaft to define a second seal point. The first seal point is on a first side of the bearing and the second seal point is on a second side of the bearing.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An open drip proof motor arranged to drive a rotating element of a pump, the motor comprising:
a housing including a pump end and a non-pump end;
a stator disposed within the housing and including an opening, the stator fixed with respect to the pump;
a rotor positioned at least partially within the opening and operable to rotate in response to the application of an electric current to the motor;
a shaft coupled to the rotor to support the rotor for rotation;
an end frame fixedly coupled to the pump end of the housing;
a bearing supported by the end frame and coupled to the shaft to support the shaft for rotation, the bearing defining a first side and a second side;
a first seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the bearing and the rotor, the first seal assembly cooperating with the shaft and the end frame to substantially enclose the first side of the bearing, the first seal assembly including a wall that defines an aperture that is positioned adjacent the shaft to create a non-contact seal therebetween and an outer portion coupled to the housing to define a seal area having a portion that extends beyond an outer diameter of the bearing;
a second seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the bearing and the pump, the second seal assembly arranged to substantially enclose a second side of the bearing; and
a third seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the second seal assembly and the pump.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the second seal assembly includes a lip seal having a lip that contacts the shaft and a biasing element coupled to the lip to bias the lip into contact with the shaft.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the third seal assembly includes a first disk fixedly attached to the shaft, a second disk fixedly attached to the shaft, and a third disk fixedly attached to the end frame and positioned between the first disk and the second disk.

### Claim 4

An open drip proof motor arranged to drive a rotating element of a pump, the motor comprising:
a housing including a pump end and a non-pump end;
a stator disposed within the housing and including an opening, the stator fixed with respect to the pump;
a rotor positioned at least partially within the opening and operable to rotate in response to the application of an electric current to the motor;
a shaft coupled to the rotor to support the rotor for rotation;
an end frame fixedly coupled to the pump end of the housing;
a bearing supported by the end frame and coupled to the shaft to support the shaft for rotation, the bearing defining a first side and a second side;
a first seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the bearing and the rotor, the first seal assembly cooperating with the shaft and the end frame to substantially enclose the first side of the bearing;
a second seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the bearing and the pump, the second seal assembly arranged to substantially enclose a second side of the bearing; and
a third seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the second seal assembly and the pump, wherein the first seal assembly includes a first seal member in direct contact with the end frame and the bearing, a bearing lock plate in direct contact with the first seal member, and a second seal member in direct contact with the bearing lock plate and including an internal bore.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The electric machine of claim 4, wherein the first seal member and the second seal member are formed from a resilient material and are adhesively bonded to the bearing lock plate.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The electric machine of claim 4, wherein the internal bore and the shaft are sized to define an annular space therebetween, and wherein a layer of lubricant is positioned on the shaft adjacent the internal bore, the lubricant cooperating with the second seal member to seal the annular space.

### Claim 7

An open drip proof motor arranged to drive a rotating element of a pump, the motor comprising:
a shaft;
a rotor coupled to the shaft for co-rotation therewith;
a housing including a pump end and a non-pump end, the rotor disposed within the housing;
an end frame fixedly coupled to the pump end of the housing;
a bearing supported by the end frame and coupled to the shaft to support the shaft for rotation, the bearing defining a pump side and a non-pump side;
a first seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the bearing and the rotor, the first seal assembly cooperating with the shaft and the end frame to substantially enclose the non-pump side of the bearing, the first seal assembly including a substantially planar portion that defines an aperture sized to receive the shaft and create a non-contact seal therebetween, the substantially planar portion extending radially from the shaft to a diameter beyond an outermost diameter of the bearing;
a second seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the bearing and the pump; and
a third seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned such that the second seal assembly is disposed between the third seal assembly and the bearing.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The electric machine of claim 7, wherein the second seal assembly includes a lip seal having a lip that contacts the shaft and a biasing element coupled to the lip to bias the lip into contact with the shaft.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The electric machine of claim 7, wherein the third seal assembly includes a first disk fixedly attached to the shaft, a second disk fixedly attached to the shaft, and a third disk fixedly attached to the end frame and positioned between the first disk and the second disk.

### Claim 10

An open drip proof motor arranged to drive a rotating element of a pump, the motor comprising:
a shaft
a rotor coupled to the shaft for co-rotation therewith;
a housing including a pump end and a non-pump end, the rotor disposed within the housing;
an end frame fixedly coupled to the pump end of the housing;
a bearing supported by the end frame and coupled to the shaft to support the shaft for rotation, the bearing defining a pump side and a non-pump side;
a first seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the bearing and the rotor, the first seal assembly cooperating with the shaft and the end frame to substantially enclose the non-pump side of the bearing;
a second seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned between the bearing and the pump; and
a third seal assembly coupled to the end frame and positioned such that the second seal assembly is disposed between the third seal assembly and the bearing, wherein the first seal assembly includes a first seal member in direct contact with the end frame and the bearing, a bearing lock plate in direct contact with the first seal member, and a second seal member in direct contact with the bearing lock plate and including an internal bore.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The electric machine of claim 10, wherein the first seal member and the second seal member are formed from a resilient material and are adhesively bonded to the bearing lock plate.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The electric machine of claim 10, wherein the internal bore and the shaft are sized to define an annular space therebetween, and wherein a layer of lubricant is positioned on the shaft adjacent the internal bore, the lubricant cooperating with the second seal member to seal the annular space.