Pressure resistant static and dynamic seal assembly and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9249886-B2
Application number	US-201214366956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2012
Priority date	Dec 19, 2011
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A seal assembly includes a stator attached to a housing and a rotor attached to a shaft. A static sealing member is attached to the stator presenting a contact with the rotor at stand-still. An electromagnetic is attached to the stator at a distance from an end of the static sealing member. The static sealing member is activated and moved away from the rotor by the magnetic force exerted by the electromagnet as the shaft rotates. The electromagnet is controlled by a control system for controlling the equipment in which the bearing isolator is used. To deactivate the static sealing member during shaft rotation, the bearing isolator may have its own control system with a sensor to indicate if the shaft is rotating. As the shaft rotates, contaminants are expelled through gaps between the stator and the rotor.

First claim

We claim:

1. A seal assembly functionally interposed between a housing and a shaft rotatable about an axis and extending through the housing for providing a seal between the shaft and the housing, said seal assembly comprising:
a stator member attached to the housing;
a rotor member attached to the shaft and rotatable about the axis with the shaft and relative said stator member defining fluid passages therebetween; and
at least one sealing member connected to said stator member and movable between a static position with said at least one sealing member frictionally engaging said rotor member to define an enclosed pocket portion fluidly communicated with said fluid passages and defined between said rotor member and said stator member and a dynamic position as said at least one sealing member moves away from said rotor member and to said stator member in response to centrifugal force generated from said rotor member rotatable about the axis thereby forcing said at least one sealing member away from said rotor member to allow contaminants to leave said seal assembly through said fluid passages.

2. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said at least one sealing member presents a core portion and a pair of radial lips extending radially from said core portion with one of said lips extending from one distal end of said core portion and another distal end terminating into a third lip.

3. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said at least one sealing member is formed from resilient elastomeric materials.

4. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said stator member presents an annular wall extending to upper and lower side walls and further inclined outwardly from said annular wall to form inclined walls and further extending into a radial flange extending generally perpendicular to said annular wall and a front wall extending from said radial flange to one of said inclined walls.

5. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said radial flange is terminated into inner edge extending parallel to said annular wall and the an axis (A) of the seal assembly.

6. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 5 , including at least one electromagnet device connected to said radial flange adaptable to be activated in order to magnetically attract said at least one sealing member at said dynamic position of said at least one sealing member as said rotor member starts rotating about the axis wherein said radial lips extend from a planar position to a non-planar position extending to said radial rim and decreasing distance between said core portion of said at least one sealing member and said front wall of said stator member to allow the contaminants to leave said seal assembly through said fluid passages.

7. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said rotor member includes a first expeller rotor presenting a plurality of radial protrusions separated by a plurality of recesses.

8. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 7 , including a second expeller rotor attached to the shaft and presenting a tubular body having upper and lower radial flanges including inclined walls extending parallel said inclined walls of said stator member thereby forming said fluid passages.

9. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 8 , wherein said upper radial flange further includes first and second and third inner walls with said first inner wall extending from said inclined wall to the axis and generally perpendicular to the axis and said second inner wall extending from said first inner wall and parallel to the shaft and said front wall of said stator member.

10. A seal assembly functionally interposed between a housing and a shaft rotatable about an axis and extending through the housing for providing a seal between the shaft and the housing, said seal assembly comprising:
a stator member attached to the housing;
a rotor member including at least one electromagnet device and attached to the shaft and rotatable about the axis with the shaft and relative said stator member, defining fluid passages therebetween; and
at least one sealing member presenting a core portion and a pair of radial lips extending radially from said core portion with one of said lips extending from one distal end of said core portion and another distal end terminating into a third lip connected to said stator member and movable between a static position with said at least one sealing member frictionally engaging said rotor member to define an enclosed pocket portion fluidly communicated with said fluid passages and a dynamic position as at least one sealing member moves away from said rotor member and toward said stator member in response to centrifugal force generated from said rotor member rotatable about the axis and magnetic force of said at least one electromagnet device thereby forcing said at least one sealing member away from said rotor member to allow contaminants to leave said seal assembly through said fluid passages.

11. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 10 , wherein said sealing member is formed from resilient elastomeric materials.

12. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said stator member presents an annular wall extending to upper and lower side walls and further inclined outwardly from said annular wall to form inclined walls and further extending into a radial flange extending generally perpendicular to said annular wall and a front wall extending from said radial flange to one of said inclined walls.

13. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 12 , wherein said radial flange is terminated into inner edge extending parallel to said annular wall and an axis (A) of the seal assembly.

14. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 13 , wherein said least one electromagnet device connected to said radial flange adaptable to be activated in order to magnetically attract said sealing member at said dynamic position of said sealing member as said rotor member starts rotating about the axis wherein said radial lips extend from a planar position to a non-planar position extending to said radial rim and decreasing distance between said core portion of said sealing member and said front wall of said stator member to allow the contaminants to leave said seal assembly through said fluid passages.

15. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said rotor member includes a first expeller rotor presenting a plurality of radial protrusions separated by a plurality of recesses.

16. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 15 , including a second expeller rotor attached to the shaft and presenting a tubular body having upper and lower radial flanges including inclined walls extending parallel said inclined walls of said stator member thereby forming said fluid passages.

17. A seal assembly as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said upper radial flange further includes first and second and third inner walls with said first inner wall extending from said inclined wall to the axis and generally perpendicular to the axis and said second inner wall extending from said first inner wall and parallel to the shaft and said front wall of said stator member.

18. A method of forming a pressure resistant static and dynamic seal interposed between a housing and a shaft rotatable about an axis and extending through the housing, said method comprising the steps of:
connecting a stator member attached to the housing with a rotor member attached to the shaft to define fluid passages therebetween;
connecting a sealing member to the stator member; and
rotating the rotor member about the axis relativ

Assignees

• Jönsson Sven Anders
• Epshetsky Yefim
• Uncapher Bryan
• Skf Ab

Inventors

• Jönsson Sven Anders
• Epshetsky Yefim
• Uncapher Bryan

Classifications

• F16J15/3204

  with at least one lip · CPC title

• F16J15/346

  the pressing force varying during operation · CPC title

• F16J15/3444

  by magnetic attraction · CPC title

• F16J15/445

  with means for adjusting the clearance · CPC title

• F16J15/164 Primary

  the sealing action depending on movements; pressure difference, temperature or presence of leaking fluid · CPC title