Fluid face seal assemblies

Claim 1

A fluid face seal assembly comprising an elastomeric annular seal for engaging in a recess of a stationary housing or the like component, said annular seal having radially inner and outer axially directed limbs which at one end are joined by a radially directed end wall, the said limbs and said end wall co-operating to define an annular recess in said seal, a stiff ring-shaped element seated in said recess and having radially and axially directed portions bearing against corresponding regions of said annular seal to reinforce said seal, an axially directed extension on the radially inner limb of said annular seal, a step constituting a carrier member at the end of said extension remote from said limb, said step having a thickend free end, an annular face seal directly engaging said carrier member and retained by said thickened end in abutment against the shoulder between said step and the remainder of said extension, a retainer supporting at least said step and the adjoining part of said extension, said retainer acting to compress said thickened end between itself and a radially adjacent part of said face seal thereby mechanically to lock said face seal onto said carrier member, means for preventing relative rotation between said face seal and said annular seal, and spring means acting between said face seal and said annular seal to maintain a resilient relationship between the two.