Seal mechanism

• US 10,323,750 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Original Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Inventors: Mihara, Rei, Kakuta, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumar, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US15/198,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20160305553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 277549, 277309, 277349, 277351, 277353, 277394
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/164 the sealing action depending on movements; pressure difference, temperature or presence of leaking fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3204 with at least one lip
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/322 supported in a direction perpendicular to the surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3228 formed by deforming a flat ring

Abstract

A seal mechanism that is provided with an annular resin seal lip which is disposed coaxially with a shaft and is brought into contact with a circumferential surface of the shaft. The seal mechanism is provided with a stopper that is provided in a metallic housing surrounding the shaft and is disposed between the shaft and a portion of the seal lip other than the edge portion coming into direct contact with the shaft while spaced apart from the circumferential surface of the shaft. The stopper is made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than that of a material of which the seal lip is formed, and an axis of the seal lip is caused to correspond to an axis of the shaft by coming into contact with the seal lip which is reduced in diameter at the time of cooling.

Claims

1. A seal mechanism comprising:

an annular resin seal lip which is disposed coaxially with a shaft, and has an outer portion which is directly mounted on a metallic housing surrounding the shaft and an inner portion which is bent with respect to the outer portion, the inner portion having an inner edge portion that is brought into direct contact with a circumferential surface of the shaft and a root portion located between the inner edge portion and the outer portion; and

a stopper that is provided in the metallic housing and is disposed between the shaft and the root portion while spaced apart from the circumferential surface of the shaft,

wherein the stopper is made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than that of a material of which the annular resin seal lip is formed, and the seal mechanism has a first state in which a gap is formed between the stopper and the root portion, and a second state in which the stopper is brought into contact with the root portion by contraction of the annular resin seal lip at a time of cooling, the stopper guides a deformation of the annular resin seal lip due to contraction of the annular resin seal lip by the stopper coming into contact with the root portion and closing the gap such that an axis of the annular resin seal lip corresponds to an axis of the shaft.

2. The seal mechanism of claim 1, wherein the stopper has an annular shape and is coaxially provided around the axis of the shaft.

3. The seal mechanism of claim 1, wherein the stopper is formed of the same material as the housing.

4. The seal mechanism of claim 2, wherein the stopper is formed of the same material as the housing.

5. A seal mechanism comprising:

an annular resin seal lip which is disposed coaxially with a shaft, and has an inner edge portion that is brought into direct contact with a circumferential surface of the shaft and a bent portion which is located at a position spaced further apart from the shaft than the inner edge portion and has a contact surface facing the shaft side; and

a stopper that is provided in a metallic housing surrounding the shaft and is disposed between the shaft and the contact surface of the bent portion while spaced apart from the circumferential surface of the shaft,

wherein the stopper is made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than that of a material of which the annular resin seal lip is formed, and the seal mechanism has a first state in which a gap is formed between the stopper and the contact surface of the bent portion, and a second state in which the stopper is brought into contact with the contact surface of the bent portion by contraction of the annular resin seal lip at a time of cooling, the stopper guides a deformation of the annular resin seal lip due to contraction of the annular resin seal lip by the stopper coming into contact with the contact surface and closing the gap such that an axis of the annular resin seal lip corresponds to an axis of the shaft.

6. The seal mechanism of claim 5, wherein the stopper has an annular shape and is coaxially provided around the axis of the shaft.

7. The seal mechanism of claim 5, wherein the stopper is formed of the same material as the housing.

8. The seal mechanism of claim 6, wherein the stopper is formed of the same material as the housing.