Relatively rotatable seal assembly having eccentric sealing contact

Claim 1

A SEAL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A HOUSING, AND TWO PARTS MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING FOR RELATIVE ROTATION CONCENTRICALLY ON A COMMON AXIS, THE TWO PARTS BEING A FIRST PART HAVING A PLANE RADIALLY CONTINUOUS SEALING FACE DISPOSED NORMAL TO SAID AXIS, AND A SECOND PART HAVING A RIGID METAL RING-LIKE BODY PORTION MOUNTED FOR AXIAL SLIDABLE MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST PART, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A RIGID METAL ANNULAR SEALING DIAPHRAGM AXIAL OF SAID BODY WHICH DIAPHRAGM IS JOINED INTEGRALLY WITH SAID RING-LIKE BODY ALONG A THIN ANNULAR FLEXIBLE RESILIENT ZONE AND WHICH DIAPHRAGM TERMINATES IN AN INTEGRAL ANNULAR MARGIN REMOTE FROM AND THICKER THAN SAID RESILIENT ZONE, A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS ANNULAR LINE CONTACT SEALING EDGE ON SAID MARGIN LOCATED ECCENTRICALLY OF SAID BODY PORTION AND SAID COMMON AXIS FOR ABUTTING SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PLANE SEALING FACE, A SPRING FOR BIASING THE BODY PORTION OF SAID SECOND PART AND SAID FIRST PART AXIALLY TOWARD EACH OTHER AND A LOADING NUT ENGAGED WITH THE HOUSING FOR FORCIBLY DEFLECTING SAID SPRING AND FOR URGING SAID TWO PARTS RELATIVELY TOWARD EACH OTHER TO DEFLECT SAID ZONE OF SAID DIAPHRAGM RESILIENTLY AND THEREBY MAINTAIN RESILIENT PRESSURE ENGAGEMENT AT THE INTERFACE OF SAID SEALING EDGE AND SAID PLANE SEALING FACE.