Ring seal with axially-opposed radially-offset seal beads
View Patent ↗A ring seal includes a sealing ring including an asymmetric body portion having axially-opposed and radially-offset seal beads. The ring seal may also include a reinforcement ring carried at least partially in the sealing ring to distribute load across the seal beads. The ring seal may further include a skirt depending generally axially from the body portion and defining an inner diameter of the sealing ring and preferably having frusto-conical cross-sectional shape.
1. A ring seal comprising:
a sealing ring including an asymmetric body portion having, in an uncompressed state, axially-opposed and radially-offset seal beads, a radially outward portion, a radially inward portion, an axially outboard sealing surface, and an axially inboard sealing surface axially spaced apart from and opposite said axially outboard sealing surface, wherein the seal beads include an axially inboard seal bead contiguous with the axially inboard sealing surface and an axially outboard seal bead contiguous with the axially outboard sealing surface and disposed radially inwardly of the axially inboard seal bead;
the sealing ring also including a frustoconical skirt extending axially away from the axially inboard sealing surface at the radially inward portion of the body portion and extending radially inwardly from the axially inboard sealing surface to define an inner diameter of the sealing ring; and
a reinforcement ring carried at least partially in the sealing ring to distribute load across the seal beads, and including a radially outer peripheral portion, a radially inner peripheral portion, a first planar portion between the radially outer and inner peripheral portions, a second planar portion between the radially outer and inner peripheral portions and completely embedded in the sealing ring, a bend between the first and second planar portions and radially between the seal beads of the sealing ring and completely embedded in the sealing ring, and a frustoconical bend at the radially inner peripheral portion and completely embedded in the sealing ring.
2. The ring seal of claim 1 wherein the skirt is composed of a flexible material and the skirt maintains concentricity of the ring seal with respect to a component when assembled to a component.
3. The ring seal of claim 1 wherein the reinforcement ring includes at least one flow hole into which material from the sealing ring may extend and form a mechanical lock therebetween.
4. The ring seal of claim 1 , wherein the sealing ring is composed of a relatively flexible material and the reinforcement ring is composed of a relatively rigid material.
5. The ring seal of claim 4 , wherein the sealing ring is composed of a polymeric material including at least one of a thermoplastic material, an elastomeric material, or a composite of a thermoplastic and an elastomeric material, and wherein the reinforcement ring is composed of at least one of a metal or a rigid polymer.
6. The ring seal of claim 5 wherein the sealing ring is composed of a bisphenol cured fluorocarbon rubber and the reinforcement ring is composed of stainless steel.
7. The ring seal of claim 1 wherein the sealing ring is over-molded to the reinforcement ring.
8. The ring seal of claim 1 wherein the sealing ring is assembled to the reinforcement ring.
9. The ring seal of claim 1 wherein the sealing ring includes a third seal bead contiguous with the outboard sealing surface and positioned substantially at a radially inward end of the body portion.
10. The ring seal of claim 9 wherein the axially-opposed and radially offset seal beads are overlappingly spaced such that a radially inward slope of one of the seal beads radially overlaps a radially outward slope of another of the seal beads.
11. A ring seal compressible axially between a first component having a first radial wall and a second component having a second radial wall, at least one of the components having an axial wall adjacent the radial wall thereof, comprising:
a sealing ring including:
a body portion having:
a first sealing surface having a first seal bead contactable with the first radial wall; and
a second sealing surface generally opposed to and axially spaced apart from the first axial sealing surface and having a second seal bead contactable with the second radial wall and radially offset from the first seal bead; and
a skirt portion extending generally axially from the body portion and having a portion contactable with the axial wall of the at least one of the components and defining an inner diameter of the ring seal; and
a reinforcement ring at least partially carried in the sealing ring to distribute load from one of the seal beads to the other through the body portion and including a first planar portion, a second planar portion disposed radially inwardly of the first planar portion and completely embedded in the sealing ring, a bend between the first and second planar portions and located radially between the seal beads of the sealing ring and completely embedded in the sealing ring, and a frustoconical bend at the radially inner peripheral portion and completely embedded in the sealing ring.
12. A ring seal comprising:
a sealing ring including:
a radially planar body having:
a radially outward portion,
a radially inward portion,
an axially outboard surface,
an axially inboard surface opposed to and axially spaced apart from said axially outboard surface, and
axially opposed and radially offset seal beads including an axially inboard seal bead contiguous with the axially inboard surface, and an axially outboard seal bead contiguous with the axially outboard surface and disposed radially inwardly of the axially inboard seal bead and radially outwardly of the radially inward portion, and
a frustoconical skirt extending from the radially inward portion of the radially planar body in an axially inboard direction and beyond the axially inboard seal bead and in a radially inward direction to define an inner diameter of the seal; and
a reinforcement ring carried in the sealing ring and including: a radially outer peripheral portion; a radially inner peripheral portion;
a radially inner planar portion disposed radially outwardly of the radially inner peripheral portion and embedded in the sealing ring;
a radially outer planar portion disposed radially inwardly of the radially outer peripheral portion;
a bend embedded in the sealing ring and disposed between the radially inner and outer planar portions to provide an axially offset elevational step in the reinforcement ring, and radially between the seal beads of the sealing ring, to resist bending moments in the seal due to the radially offset sealing beads and thereby resist seal rolling; and
a frustoconical bend at the radially inner peripheral portion to rigidify the reinforcement ring.
13. The ring seal of claim 12 wherein the bend of the reinforcement ring includes at least one flow hole through which material from the sealing ring extends to form a mechanical lock to the reinforcement ring.