Shaft seal

Claim 1

IN A FLUID PRESSURE SEAL FOR A SHAFT ROTATING IN A HOUSING AND HAVING A COOPERATING SEALING FACE CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING, A SEGMENTED RING HAVING A PLURALITY OF SEGMENTS WITH A TOTAL ANGULAR EXTENT OF LESS THAN 360 DEGREES AND MEANS CLAMPING SAID SEGMENTS UPON SAID SHAFT PROVIDING CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID SGEMENTS, SAID SEGMENTS PROVIDING ALIGNING FACES DEFINING PLANAR SURFACES POSITIONED IN THE SAME PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT WHEN CLAMPED THEREON, IN COMBINATION WITH AN INTEGRAL UNBROKEN RING SPACED FROM THE SHAFT AND HAVING A PLANAR ROTATING SEALING FACE AT ONE END THEREOF AND A PLANAR ALIGNING FACE PARALLEL THERETO AT THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID ROTATING SEALING FACE DEFINING A PLANAR SURFACE PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SHAFT, SAID ALIGNING FACES ON SAID SEGMENTED RING COOPERATING WITH SAID ALIGNING FACE ON SAID INTEGRAL UNBROKEN RING TO ESTABLISH SAID ROTATING SEALING FACE IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT, BIASING MEANS ACTING THROUGH SAID COOPERATING SEALING FACE FOR CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING SAID ALIGNING FACES IN CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER IN THE ABSENCE OF FLUID PRESSURE APPLIED TO SAID RINGS, ANNULAR SEALING MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID INTEGRAL RING AND SAID SHAFT, MEANS PREVENTING RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID RINGS, SAID INTEGRAL UNBROKEN RING BEING THUS CONNECTED TO THE SHAFT IN A CONDITION FREE OF EXTERNAL STRESS WITH ITS SAID ROTATING SEALING FACE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID COOPERATING SEALING FACE ESTABLISHING SAID SEALING FACES IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SHAFT.