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Spring seal

  • US 4,352,498 A
  • Filed: 03/07/1980
  • Issued: 10/05/1982
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1979
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method comprising the steps of providing an annual seal assembly including a sealing ring and a back-up ring with the assembly having a generally trianular opening between said rings on its inner periphery, placing said assembly in a stationary rectangular groove having an axial length greater than the axial length of the assembly so as to provide a space on the high pressure side of the groove, deforming the sealing ring radially outwardly by contact between the outer periphery of a piston and a surface on the sealing which tapers from the high pressure side to said triangular opening, decreasing the size of said opening by said deforming step, using a piston whose outer diameter is greater than the inner diameter of the sealing ring tapered surface in the relaxed state of the sealing ring, applying pressure to the piston and to said space so that said sealing ring deforms axially into and occupies said triangular opening and biases said back-up ring radially inwardly, releasing pressure on said piston and seal assembly, and using said sealing ring as a return spring for retracting the piston a predetermined amount as said sealing ring returns to its original cross-sectional shape as deformed by the outer periphery of said piston.

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