SLIDING MEMBER

• US 20120217705A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eagle Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Eagle Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Hosoe, Takeshi, Inoue, Hideyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,228,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 277/400
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3412 with cavities F16J15/3424 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/342 with means for feeding fluid directly to the face
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3424 with microcavities
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3428 with a wavy surface

Abstract

An annular sliding member which is used in a mechanical seal, is attached to a rotating shaft, and slidably comes into contact, by being applied with energizing force in the axial direction, with another annular sliding member attached to a housing, wherein the sliding surface which comes into contact with the other sliding member is formed from: a dynamic pressure generating groove which guides a fluid to be sealed from a region to be sealed to the side of a region to not be sealed of the sliding surface, and a concave-convex section configured from a plurality of minute grooves which have a shallower depth than the dynamic pressure generating groove.

Claims

1. A sliding member in an annular shape used for a mechanical seal that suppresses leakage of a fluid to be sealed from between a housing and a rotating shaft penetrating the housing,

mounted on one of the housing and the rotating shaft, and

freely slidingly coming into contact with another sliding member in the annular shape mounted on the other of the housing and the rotating shaft after receiving an energizing force in an axial direction, wherein

on a sliding surface with the other sliding member,

a dynamic pressure generating groove that guides the fluid to be sealed from a region to be sealed to a side of a region to not be sealed of the sliding surface and also generates dynamic pressure resisting the energizing force by relative flow of the fluid to be sealed caused by rotation of the rotating shaft, and

an concave-convex section that is a groove shallower than the dynamic pressure generating groove and is constituted of a plurality of minute grooves extending in a direction inclined with respect to a sliding direction such that the fluid to be sealed is guided from the side of the region to be sealed to the side of the region to not be sealed of the sliding surface are formed.

2. The sliding member according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic pressure generating groove and the concave-convex section are formed close to each other.

3. The sliding member according to claim 2, wherein the concave-convex section is formed downstream of the dynamic pressure generating groove in a flow direction of the fluid to be sealed.

4. The sliding member according to claim 2, wherein the dynamic pressure generating groove and the concave-convex section are adjacent to each other.

5. The sliding member according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first dynamic pressure generating groove that generates the dynamic pressure for one rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a first concave-convex section that guides the fluid to be sealed from the side of the region to be sealed of the sliding surface to the side of the region to not be sealed thereof for the one rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a second dynamic pressure generating groove that generates the dynamic pressure for the other rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a second concave-convex section that guides the fluid to be sealed from the side of the region to be sealed of the sliding surface to the side of the region to not be sealed thereof for the other rotation direction of the rotating shaft.

6. The sliding member according to claim 5, wherein the first dynamic pressure generating groove, the first concave-convex section, the second concave-convex section, and the second dynamic pressure generating groove are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream in the flow direction of the fluid to be sealed for the one rotation direction of the rotating shaft.

7. The sliding member according to claim 3, wherein the dynamic pressure generating groove and the concave-convex section are adjacent to each other.

8. The sliding member according to claim 2, further comprising:

a first dynamic pressure generating groove that generates the dynamic pressure for one rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a first concave-convex section that guides the fluid to be sealed from the side of the region to be sealed of the sliding surface to the side of the region to not be sealed thereof for the one rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a second dynamic pressure generating groove that generates the dynamic pressure for the other rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a second concave-convex section that guides the fluid to be sealed from the side of the region to be sealed of the sliding surface to the side of the region to not be sealed thereof for the other rotation direction of the rotating shaft.

9. The sliding member according to claim 3, further comprising:

a first dynamic pressure generating groove that generates the dynamic pressure for one rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a first concave-convex section that guides the fluid to be sealed from the side of the region to be sealed of the sliding surface to the side of the region to not be sealed thereof for the one rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a second dynamic pressure generating groove that generates the dynamic pressure for the other rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a second concave-convex section that guides the fluid to be sealed from the side of the region to be sealed of the sliding surface to the side of the region to not be sealed thereof for the other rotation direction of the rotating shaft.

10. The sliding member according to claim 4, further comprising:

a first dynamic pressure generating groove that generates the dynamic pressure for one rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a first concave-convex section that guides the fluid to be sealed from the side of the region to be sealed of the sliding surface to the side of the region to not be sealed thereof for the one rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a second dynamic pressure generating groove that generates the dynamic pressure for the other rotation direction of the rotating shaft;

a second concave-convex section that guides the fluid to be sealed from the side of the region to be sealed of the sliding surface to the side of the region to not be sealed thereof for the other rotation direction of the rotating shaft.