There are numerous applications in which relatively rotating members require a facial seal to establish and maintain uniform sealed engagement with a radial flange on one of the members notwithstanding relative axial or radial movement between the members. However, if the seal is not fixed with respect to the radial flange and the flange is free to undergo any axial or radial displacement with respect to the seal, serious problems can be encountered in maintaining uniform sealing pressure against the radial surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,698 to M. T. Collins, assigned to the assignee of this application, represents one approach to overcoming these problems by mounting an annular boot or diaphragm in surrounding relation to a shaft with an outer peripheral seal ring having a tapered face which engages the radial wall of a spindle housing, and a spring urges the tapered face into firm engagement with the radial wall. Furthermore, in my prior copending application for patent Ser. No. 282,683 and entitled ROTARY FACIAL SEAL AND BEARING ASSEMBLY, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,044 devised a facial seal in which uniform sealing pressure is maintained by the utilization of a toroidal-shaped wall section in combination with a tapered sealing lip, and the wall section is so constructed and arranged as to maintain substantially constant pressure over the entire circumference of the face portion of the seal lip notwithstanding axial misalignment or eccentric orbiting which may occur as the shaft spins. Although the forms of seal described are highly effective in most applications, there are nevertheless situations where it is important to maintain a fixed relationship between the seal body or lip and radial flange to the extent of acting as a single unit. In other words, there is no relative axial or radial motion between the seal lip and counterface or radial flange.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,482,029 to Reynolds discloses a seal which includes a sealing lip or ridge together with a rigid thrust ring, and the sealing lip extends away from a seal body which is molded to the thrust ring and is sealed against an annular surface by means of a spring element to addition, the seal includes a web portion which interconnects the seal body to an outer cylindrical portion of the seal and which also is mounted within a rigid flange. Thus, although a portion of the seal body of Reynolds is effectively mounted in fixed relation to a counterface, the sealing lip relies at least in part on spring force to maintain the necessary relationship to a cylindrical surface on which it is mounted and at a point remote from the thrust ring. Accordingly, Reynolds and the other seal devices as enumerated above do not unitize the seal lip with a counterface and in such a way as to maintain a fixed relationship notwithstanding high frequency oscillations in a radial direction and rapid reciprocating motion in an axial direction.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds