Seal construction for rotary combustion engine

Claim 1

A SEALING ARRANGEMENT FOR THE WORKING CHAMBERS OF A ROTARY COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPRISING AN OUTER BODY HAVING AXIALLY-SPACED END WALLS AND A PERIPHERAL WALL INTERCONNECTING SAID END WALLS TO FORM A CAVITY THEREBETWEEN; AN INNER ROTOR RECEIVED WITHIN SAID CAVITY AND HAVING AXIALLY-SPACED END FACES ADJACENT TO SAID END WALLS AND ALSO HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED APEX PORTIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL TO FORM A PLURALITY OF WORKING CHAMBERS BETWEEN SAID ROTOR AND PERIPHERAL WALL WHICH VARY IN VOLUME UPON RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR AND OUTER BODY; SAID SEALING ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING AT EACH APEX PORTION, AN END WALL SEALING MEMBER CARRIED BY THE APEX PORTION AND OF A LENGTH SUCH THAT EACH OF ITS ENDS IS DISPOSED IN GOOD SEALING RELATION WITH THE ADJACENT END WALL OF THE OUTER BODY WHEN SAID END WALL SEALING MEMBER AND END WALLS ARE AT THEIR RESPECTIVE NORMAL ENGINE OPERATING TEMPERATURES; A PERIPHERAL WALL SEALING MEMBER ALSO CARRIED BY THE APEX PORTION SHORTER IN LENGTH THAN THE END WALL SEALING MEMBER WHEN THE MEMBERS ARE AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, AND FREE TO EXPAND RELATIVE TO THE END WALL SEALING MEMBER TOWARD THE END WALLS OF THE OUTER BODY AS THE TEMPERATURE OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL SEALING MEMBER IS INCREASED, THE MATERIAL OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL SEALING MEMBER HAVING A LOWER THERMAL COEFFICIENT OF EXPANSION THAN THE MATERIAL OF THE END WALL SEALING MEMBER; AND MEANS FOR URGING THE PERIPHERAL WALL SEALING MEMBER INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PERIPHERAL WALL INNER SURFACE.