Machinery seal

Claim 1

A composite seal assembly comprising: an annular elastomeric boot having a central axis and having: A base portion having a flat front and parallel radially backwardly extending inner and outer side walls, a bifurcated portion contiguous with and inclined backwardly radially away from the parallel inner and outer base side walls a given distance and then reversibly beveled backwardly radially toward the parallel inner and outer base side walls to form radially inner and outer annular pointed sealing lips which intersect in a plane perpendicular to the central axis, an annular generally V-shaped groove having the wide section thereof annularly opening through the rear of the boot in the bifurcated portion opposite the flat front of the base portion such that said wide section of the groove and said inner and outer annular pointed sealing lips are in substantially the same plane, a pair of annular ribs contiguous with the reversely beveled portion of the sealing lips forming the rearmost portion of the boot and having flat undersides overlying the V-shaped groove restricting the annular opening thereof, and a wedge shaped annular elastomeric expander having flat sides and dimensions slightly larger than the space defined by the V-shaped groove and overlying annular ribs and having the widest portion adapted to fit into the widest portion of the V-shaped groove said wedge shaped expander being deformed into the V-shaped groove such that the greatest mass of the expander is just forward of the annular ribs and in a plane substantially even with the sealing lips causing the sealing lips to be biased apart and having the flat underside of each overlying annular rib firmly engaged with a corresponding flat surface of the wedge shaped expander thereby constraining the expander from backward axial movement out of the V-shaped groove, said expander being positioned in said groove such that the back surface of said expander is forward of the back surface of the overlying ribs.