US4466619A — Mechanical seal assembly with integral pumping de…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 414 words

A mechanical seal construction for sealing a shaft which projects from and is relatively rotatable with respect to a surrounding housing, comprising in combination: an elongated shaft sleeve nonrotatably and sealingly connectible to said shaft in surrounding relationship thereto; an annular seal stator disposed in surrounding relationship to said shaft sleeve and being spaced therefrom by a narrow annular chamber therebetween, said seal stator being nonrotatable with respect to said housing; said seal stator defining thereon first and second nonrotatable annular seal faces, said first and second seal faces being defined on opposite axial ends of said stator and facing outwardly in opposite directions; a first seal rotor disposed axially adjacent one side of said stator in surrounding relationship to said shaft sleeve; said seal rotor being nonrotatably fixed to said shaft sleeve and spaced therefrom to define a first annular region therebetween which is in open communication with said annular chamber, and first deformable seal ring means coacting between said shaft sleeve and said first seal rotor for sealingly closing the end of said first annular region; said first seal rotor having a first rotatable annular seal face formed on one end thereof and maintained in abutting sliding contact with said first nonrotatable seal face; a second seal rotor disposed axially adjacent the other side of said stator in surrounding relationship to said shaft sleeve, said second seal rotor being nonrotatably fixed to said shaft sleeve and spaced therefrom to define a second annular region therebetween which is in open communication with said annular chamber, and second deformable seal ring means coacting between said shaft sleeve and said second seal rotor for sealingly closing the end of said second annular region; said second seal rotor having a second rotatable annular seal face formed on one end thereof and maintained in abutting sliding contact with said second nonrotatable seal face; and pump means integrally associated with said stator and said shaft sleeve for effecting recirculation of fluid through said annular chamber, said pump means including inlet and outlet passages extending radially through said stator, the inner ends of said passages where they communicate with said annular chamber being directed substantially tangentially with respect to said shaft sleeve, said pump means also including an annular pumping rotor defined by a portion of said shaft sleeve, said pumping rotor being disposed radially directly adjacent the inner ends of said passages and having an irregular annular surface for effecting pumping of the fluid within said annular chamber.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 414 words

A mechanical seal construction for sealing a shaft which projects from and is relatively rotatable with respect to a surrounding housing, comprising in combination: an elongated shaft sleeve nonrotatably and sealingly connectible to said shaft in surrounding relationship thereto; an annular seal stator disposed in surrounding relationship to said shaft sleeve and being spaced therefrom by a narrow annular chamber therebetween, said seal stator being nonrotatable with respect to said housing; said seal stator defining thereon first and second nonrotatable annular seal faces, said first and second seal faces being defined on opposite axial ends of said stator and facing outwardly in opposite directions; a first seal rotor disposed axially adjacent one side of said stator in surrounding relationship to said shaft sleeve; said seal rotor being nonrotatably fixed to said shaft sleeve and spaced therefrom to define a first annular region therebetween which is in open communication with said annular chamber, and first deformable seal ring means coacting between said shaft sleeve and said first seal rotor for sealingly closing the end of said first annular region; said first seal rotor having a first rotatable annular seal face formed on one end thereof and maintained in abutting sliding contact with said first nonrotatable seal face; a second seal rotor disposed axially adjacent the other side of said stator in surrounding relationship to said shaft sleeve, said second seal rotor being nonrotatably fixed to said shaft sleeve and spaced therefrom to define a second annular region therebetween which is in open communication with said annular chamber, and second deformable seal ring means coacting between said shaft sleeve and said second seal rotor for sealingly closing the end of said second annular region; said second seal rotor having a second rotatable annular seal face formed on one end thereof and maintained in abutting sliding contact with said second nonrotatable seal face; and pump means integrally associated with said stator and said shaft sleeve for effecting recirculation of fluid through said annular chamber, said pump means including inlet and outlet passages extending radially through said stator, the inner ends of said passages where they communicate with said annular chamber being directed substantially tangentially with respect to said shaft sleeve, said pump means also including an annular pumping rotor defined by a portion of said shaft sleeve, said pumping rotor being disposed radially directly adjacent the inner ends of said passages and having an irregular annular surface for effecting pumping of the fluid within said annular chamber.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 38 words

A seal construction according to claim 1, wherein the irregular annular surface on said pumping rotor is defined by a plurality of grooves or recesses which are formed in said shaft sleeve and are circumferentially spaced apart therearound.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 46 words

A seal construction according to claim 2, wherein the first elastomeric seal ring means sealingly contacts an outer annular surface as defined on said shaft sleeve having a diameter which is greater than the minimum diameter of the annular contact area between said first seal faces.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 51 words

A seal construction according to claim 3, wherein the first elastomeric seal ring means is sealingly engaged with an inner annular surface as defined on said first seal ring rotor which has a diameter which is less than the outer diameter of the annular contact area between the first seal faces.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 65 words

A seal construction according to claim 3, wherein the housing includes a cylindrical stuffing box opening through which the shaft concentrically projects, said shaft sleeve when mounted on said shaft projecting into said stuffing box opening, said stator being fixed to said housing directly adjacent the outer end of said stuffing box opening, and said first seal rotor being disposed within said stuffing box opening.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 85 words

A seal construction according to claim 1, including a platelike gland fixed to said housing in surrounding relationship to said stator, said gland and stator having seal ring means coacting therebetween, said gland having inlet and outlet ports extending radially therethrough and respectively communicating with the outer ends of the inlet and outlet passages, said inlet and outlet ports being connected to an external closed circuit for the fluid which circulates through the annular chamber, said external circuit being free of circulation-effecting auxiliary pumping devices.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 31 words

A seal construction according to claim 1, wherein the stator is of a rigid one-piece construction and has the first and second nonrotatable seal faces formed integrally on opposite ends thereof.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 46 words

A seal construction according to claim 4, wherein the first elastomeric seal ring means sealingly contacts an outer annular surface as defined on said shaft sleeve having a diameter which is greater than the minimum diameter of the annular contact areas between said first seal faces.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 60 words

A seal construction according to claim 1, including spring means coacting between said shaft sleeve and said first seal rotor for normally urging said first rotatable seal face into abutting sliding contact with said first nonrotatable seal face, said spring means comprising a single large-diameter coil spring disposed within said first annular chamber in surrounding relationship to said shaft sleeve.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 160 words

A seal construction according to claim 9, wherein said first seal rotor defines thereon an axially directed shoulder which is disposed in opposed relationship to a second axially directed shoulder as defined on said shaft sleeve, said coil spring being axially confined between the opposed first and second shoulders, and a retainer plate positioned between said second shoulder and the adjacent end of said coil spring, said retainer plate having a substantially L-shaped cross-section and including a radially extending ringlike base portion which has one side thereof seated against said second shoulder and the other side thereof in engagement with the end of said coil spring, said retainer plate also including an annular axially projecting rim which is secured to said base portion adjacent the radially outer edge thereof and projects axially away therefrom in the opposite direction from said coil spring, said annular rim at the free axial end thereof being engaged with said first deformable seal ring means.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 94 words

A seal construction according to claim 10, wherein the first deformable seal ring means sealingly contacts an outer annular surface as defined on a first portion of said shaft sleeve having a diameter which is greater than the minimum diameter of the annular contact area between said first seal faces, said first portion of said shaft sleeve being axially joined to a second portion which is of reduced diameter and defines said second shoulder at the interface therebetween, said coil spring being disposed in surrounding relationship to said second portion of said shaft sleeve.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 101 words

A seal construction according to claim 1, wherein said first seal rotor and said shaft sleeve are nonrotatably coupled together by axially elongated tongue-and-slot means coacting therebetween adjacent the end of said first rotor which is remote from said stator, said tongue-and-slot means comprising an axially elongated slot formed in said first rotor and an axially elongated tongue which is formed on said shaft sleeve and projects radially therefrom into said slot, both said tongue and said slot defining substantially parallel and axially elongated planar side surface for permitting the tongue to be snugly but axially slidably confined within the slot.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1987-08-21	1988-02-20	1988-08-21	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1991-08-21	1992-02-20	1992-08-21	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1995-08-21	1996-02-20	1996-08-21	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Mechanical seal assembly with integral pumping device

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