Seal and seal assembly

Claim 2

An annular sealing element comprising a first impeller-facing side in alignment with a radial axis and a second case-facing side opposite said first side, and an inner axial surface in alignment with an axial axis and an outer axial surface opposite said inner axial surface; said first side including a plurality of inclined teeth having grooves therebetween, each tooth tapering from wide to narrow in a direction opposite said second side, at least one of said teeth extending away from said axial axis and one extending toward said axial axis.

Claim 3

The seal of claim 1, wherein said teeth extending away from said axial axis are disposed at an angle of less than about 80 degrees with respect to said axial axis.

Claim 4

The seal of claim 1, wherein said tooth extending toward said axial axis is disposed at an angle of less than about 80 degrees with respect to said axial axis.

Claim 5

The seal of claim 1, wherein said teeth extending away from said axial axis include at least three teeth each disposed at an angle of less than about 30 degrees with respect to said axial axis.

Claim 6

The seal of claim 1, wherein said tooth extending toward said axial axis includes an inclination of less than about 25 degrees with respect to said axial axis.

Claim 7

The seal of claim 1, wherein said plurality of teeth are generally wedge shaped.

Claim 8

The seal of claim 1, wherein said second side of said sealing element has a channel.

Claim 9

The seal of claim 7, further comprising an O-ring adapted to fit at least partially in said channel of said second side.

Claim 10

The seal of claim 1, wherein at least one of said grooves has a different volume from at least one other of said grooves.

Claim 11

The seal of claim 1, further comprising an impeller ring at least partially within and adjacent to said sealing element.

Claim 12

The seal of claim 1, wherein said sealing element comprises a poly(amide-imide).

Claim 13

The seal of claim 1, wherein said sealing element comprises a thermoplastic, amide-imide resinous material comprising at least one of the following moieties: ##STR4## wherein one carbonyl group is meta to and one carbonyl group is para to each amide group and wherein Z is a trivalent benzene ring or lower-alkyl-substituted trivalent benzene ring, R comprises one or more wholly- or largely-aromatic hydrocarbon radicals of from 6 to about 10 carbon atoms or two divalent aromatic hydrocarbon radicals of from 6 to about 10 atoms joined directly or by stable linkages selected from the group consisting of --O--, methylene, --CO--, --SO 2 --, and --S--.

Claim 14

The seal of claim 11 wherein R is ##STR5##

Claim 15

A seal assembly, comprising: (a) an annular sealing element including a first impeller-facing side in alignment with a radial axis and a second case-facing side opposite said first side, and an inner axial surface in alignment with an axial axis and an outer axial surface opposite said inner axial surface, said first side including a plurality of inclined teeth having grooves therebetween, each tooth tapering from wide to narrow in a direction opposite said second side, at least one of said teeth extending away from said axial axis and one extending toward said axial axis; and (b) an impeller ring at least partially within said sealing element including an axial surface and a radial surface, said axial surface adjacent to said inner axial surface of said sealing element and said radial surface adjacent to said first side of said sealing element.

Claim 16

A seal assembly, comprising: (a) an annular sealing element including a first impeller-facing side in alignment with a radial axis and a second case-facing side opposite said first side, and an inner axial surface in alignment with an axial axis and an outer axial surface opposite said inner axial surface, said first side including a plurality of inclined teeth having grooves therebetween, each tooth tapering from wide to narrow in a direction opposite said second side, at least one of said teeth extending away from said axial axis and one extending toward said axial axis; and (b) an impeller ring at least partially within said sealing element including an axial surface and a radial surface, said axial surface adjacent to said inner axial surface of said sealing element and said radial surface adjacent to said first side of said sealing element.

Claim 17

The seal assembly of claim 14, wherein said teeth extending away from said axial axis include an inclination of less than about 30 degrees with respect to said axial axis, and said tooth extending toward said axial axis includes an inclination of less than about 25 degrees with respect to said axial axis.

Claim 18

The seal assembly of claim 14, wherein at least one of said grooves has a different depth from at least one other of said grooves.

Claim 19

The seal assembly of claim 14, wherein said impeller ring and said sealing element are generally L-shaped annular members.

Claim 20

The seal assembly of claim 14, wherein said sealing element includes a diameter greater than said impeller ring diameter.

Claim 21

The seal assembly of claim 14, wherein said teeth extending away from said axial axis include three substantially parallel teeth at an inclination of less than about 30 degrees with respect to said axial axis, and said tooth extending toward said axial axis includes an inclination of less than about 25 degrees with respect thereto.

Claim 22

The seal assembly of claim 14, wherein said plurality of teeth are generally wedge shaped and each includes an apex.