Bi-directional, non-contact face seal
First Claim
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1. A bi-directional seal for sealing, from the ambient, a pressurized fluid in the interior of a housing fitted with a rotatable shaft, the seal comprising:
- a rotor fixed to the shaft for rotation with the shaft, said rotor including a first annular sealing face substantially perpendicular to the shaft, the first annular sealing face having an inner and outer diameter;
a stator axially slidably held relative to the housing for movement toward and away from said rotor, said stator including a second annular sealing face substantially perpendicular to the shaft, the second annular sealing face having an outer and an inner diameter;
said first and second annular sealing faces being aligned with and opposed to each other, a variable gap between said faces providing a channel for the pressurized fluid to flow toward the ambient;
means for preventing the rotation of said stator relative to the housing;
sealing means for substantially preventing the flow of pressurized fluid to the ambient in areas other than across said sealing faces;
means for biasing said stator and its second annular sealing face toward said rotor and its first annular sealing face; and
a plurality of radial grooves for producing a gap between said first and second annular sealing faces regardless of the direction of rotation in response to relative rotation between the first and second annular sealing faces, the grooves having a curved shape with respect to a radial cross-section, said radial cross-section having a dimension defining the width of each groove, said groove having a depth, said width being greater than the depth of said groove, the grooves extending a portion of the distance between the inner and outer diameter and the grooves being in fluid communication with the pressurized fluid, the grooves thereby providing a hydrodynamic bi-directional non-contact seal, each groove being isolated from the remaining of said plurality of grooves by a continuous land surface.
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Abstract
A bi-directional seal for sealing, from the ambient, a pressurized fluid in the interior of a housing fitted with a rotatable shaft. The seal is a non-contact seal which balances hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces to form a predetermined proper gap between the annular sealing faces of the rotor and the stator. The hydrodynamic forces are primarily a result of the size and configuration of the radial grooves formed in the sealing faces of either the rotor or the stator.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A bi-directional seal for sealing, from the ambient, a pressurized fluid in the interior of a housing fitted with a rotatable shaft, the seal comprising:
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a rotor fixed to the shaft for rotation with the shaft, said rotor including a first annular sealing face substantially perpendicular to the shaft, the first annular sealing face having an inner and outer diameter; a stator axially slidably held relative to the housing for movement toward and away from said rotor, said stator including a second annular sealing face substantially perpendicular to the shaft, the second annular sealing face having an outer and an inner diameter; said first and second annular sealing faces being aligned with and opposed to each other, a variable gap between said faces providing a channel for the pressurized fluid to flow toward the ambient; means for preventing the rotation of said stator relative to the housing; sealing means for substantially preventing the flow of pressurized fluid to the ambient in areas other than across said sealing faces; means for biasing said stator and its second annular sealing face toward said rotor and its first annular sealing face; and a plurality of radial grooves for producing a gap between said first and second annular sealing faces regardless of the direction of rotation in response to relative rotation between the first and second annular sealing faces, the grooves having a curved shape with respect to a radial cross-section, said radial cross-section having a dimension defining the width of each groove, said groove having a depth, said width being greater than the depth of said groove, the grooves extending a portion of the distance between the inner and outer diameter and the grooves being in fluid communication with the pressurized fluid, the grooves thereby providing a hydrodynamic bi-directional non-contact seal, each groove being isolated from the remaining of said plurality of grooves by a continuous land surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A bi-directional seal for sealing, from the ambient, a pressurized fluid in the interior of a housing fitted with a rotatable shaft, the seal comprising:
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a rotor fixed to the shaft for rotation with the shaft, said rotor including a first annular sealing face substantially perpendicular to the shaft, the first annular sealing face having an inner and outer diameter; a stator axially slidably held relative to the housing for movement toward and away from said rotor, said stator including a second annular sealing face substantially perpendicular to the shaft and further including a rear pressure face at the end of said stator opposite said second annular sealing face, the second annular sealing face having an outer and an inner diameter; said first and second annular sealing faces being aligned with and opposed to each other, a variable gap between said faces providing a channel for the pressurized fluid to flow toward the ambient; means for preventing the rotation of said stator relative to the housing; sealing means for substantially preventing the flow of pressurized fluid to the ambient in areas other than across said sealing faces; a fluid channel providing the pressurized fluid in the housing direct access to said rear pressure face of said stator, whereby the pressurized fluid acts on said rear pressure face and thereby presses said second sealing face of said stator toward engagement with said first sealing face of said rotor; and a plurality of radial grooves formed in one of said first and second annular sealing faces for producing a variable force responsive to the rotation of the shaft to cause said gap between the first and second annular sealing faces to stay within a preselected range, the grooves having a curved shape with respect to a radial cross-section, said radial cross-section having a dimension defining the width of each groove, said groove having a depth, said width being greater than the depth of said groove, the grooves extending a portion of the distance between the inner and outer diameter and the grooves being in fluid communication with the pressurized fluid, said radial grooves having a width within the range of 0.1 to 0.5 inches and a depth within the range of 100 to 1000 millionths of an inch, each groove being isolated form the remaining of said plurality of grooves by a continuous land surface. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification