Seal assemblies for reciprocating and rotary applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10302102-B2
Application number	US-201615280421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2016
Priority date	Mar 10, 2011
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

Low-pressure and high-pressure reciprocating and rotary applications use seal assemblies to prevent leakage. One embodiment of a seal assembly includes a major annular body having opposing spaced-apart annular lips extending from a heel portion. The major annular body has a bore extending through the heel portion. A first spring is disposed between the lips, biasing the lips apart. A minor annular body extends from one of the lips of the major annular body. The minor annular body has opposing spaced-apart walls that extend from a base region and form a pocket. A second spring is disposed in the pocket between the spaced-apart walls, biasing the walls apart. During actuator operation, pressurized fluid urges one wall of the minor annular body against a pump head surface to produce a face seal and one of the lips of the major annular body against a rod surface to produce a radial seal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seal assembly comprising:
an annular body having a bore extending therethrough, the annular body having an inner lip opposed to and spaced apart from an outer lip, the inner lip having a lip portion, the outer lip having an overhanging lip portion and a notch behind the overhanging lip portion, the spaced apart inner and outer lips and the overhanging lip portion together defining a pocket, the notch extending from the pocket into the annular body; and
a spring disposed in the pocket at an angle such that a load line of the spring is directed substantially at a pocket side of the overhanging lip portion of the outer lip and at a pocket side of the lip portion of the inner lip, the spring biasing apart the overhanging lip portion of the outer lip and the lip portion of the inner lip.

2. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein the overhanging lip portion has a chamfer where the overhanging lip portion extends from the outer lip.

3. An actuator comprising:
a movable rod;
a pump head with a gland and a rod-receiving chamber;
a wash housing abutting the pump head, the wash housing having a hole through which the movable rod extends into the chamber of the pump head; and
a seal assembly disposed in the gland of the pump head, the seal assembly comprising:
an annular body having a bore extending therethrough for receiving the rod, the annular body having an inner lip opposed to and spaced apart from an outer lip, the inner lip having a lip portion, the outer lip having an overhanging lip portion and a notch behind the overhanging lip portion, the spaced apart inner and outer lips and the overhanging lip portion together defining a pocket, the notch extending from the pocket into the annular body;
a spring disposed in the pocket at an angle such that a load line of the spring is directed substantially at a pocket-side of the overhanging lip portion of the outer lip and a pocket-side of the lip portion of the inner lip, the spring biasing an exterior surface of the overhanging lip portion of the outer lip against a surface of the gland of the pump head while simultaneously biasing an exterior surface of the lip portion of the inner lip against a surface of the rod.

4. The actuator of claim 3 , wherein movement of the movable rod produces pressurized fluid that fills the notch behind the overhanging lip portion, thereby urging the exterior surface of the overhanging lip portion against the surface of the gland of the pump head.

5. The actuator of claim 3 , wherein the overhanging lip portion has a chamfer where the overhanging lip portion extends from the outer lip.

6. The actuator of claim 3 , wherein the gland has a wedge-shaped corner opposite the chamfer of the overhanging lip portion, and wherein pressurized fluid urges the chamfer of the lip portion into the corner of the gland.

7. The actuator of claim 3 , further comprising an actuator with a drive mechanism coupled to the movable rod and adapted to move the movable rod in reciprocating fashion.

8. The actuator of claim 3 , further comprising an actuator with a drive mechanism coupled to the movable rod and adapted to rotate the movable rod.

9. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the notch is located on an interior of the outer lip.

10. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the notch is a pressure cavity.

11. The actuator of claim 10 , wherein pressurized fluid is configured to fill the notch to urge a sealing face of the lip portion against a surface as fluidic pressure increases.

12. The actuator of claim 3 , wherein the notch is located on an interior of the outer lip.

13. The actuator of claim 4 , wherein the notch is a pressure cavity.

14. A seal assembly comprising:
an annular body having a bore extending therethrough, the annular body having an inner lip opposed to and spaced apart from an outer lip, the inner lip having a lip portion, the outer lip having an overhanging lip portion and a notch behind the overhanging lip portion, the spaced apart inner and outer lips and the overhanging lip portion together defining a pocket, the notch located on an interior of the outer lip; and
a spring disposed in the pocket at an angle such that a load line of the spring is directed substantially at a pocket side of the overhanging lip portion of the outer lip and at a pocket side of the lip portion of the inner lip, the spring biasing apart the overhanging lip portion of the outer lip and the lip portion of the inner lip.

15. The seal assembly of claim 14 , wherein the notch extends from the pocket.

16. The seal assembly of claim 14 , wherein the notch is a pressure cavity.

17. The actuator of claim 16 , wherein pressurized fluid is configured to fill the notch to urge a sealing face of the lip portion against a surface as fluidic pressure increases.

Assignees

• Waters Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Shreve Joshua A
• Almeida Neal B

Classifications

• F04B1/0448 Primary

  Sealing means, e.g. for shafts or housings (for pistons F04B1/0408 {; Stoffing boxes F04B53/164}) · CPC title

• F16J15/3208

  provided with tension elements, e.g. elastic rings · CPC title

• F04B53/00

  Component parts, details or accessories not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B23/00 or F04B39/00 - F04B47/00 · CPC title

• F04B53/143

  Sealing provided on the piston · CPC title

• G01N30/32

  of pressure or speed (G01N30/36 takes precedence) · CPC title