Face seal with increased torque transfer capacity

Abstract

A shear loaded face seal having means for increasing the torque transfer capacity of the shear loaded face seal between its support ring and its load ring along their mating interface is disclosed. In such a shear loaded face seal, the load ring is of a deformable rubber and the support ring is rigid. A varying torque is transmitted through the shear loaded face seal along the interface between the load ring and the seal ring. The torque transfer means comprises a surface texture on the mating surfaces of the support ring that has a configuration sufficient to generate a projected area that is at least five per cent of the surface area of a non-textured surface of equivalent dimensions. The surface texture is provided by a plurality of uniformly spaced micro splines that are oriented normal to the direction of the torque.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.