High pressure lip seals with anti-extrusion and anti-galling properties and related methods
View Patent ↗Sealing assemblies to provide sealing between a shaft and a housing comprising a sealing component comprising a body section as well as an outer flange and an inner flange both extending from said body section; a supporting component receiving said sealing component and comprising a relatively thick inner arm projecting into said sealing component and providing a supporting area spanning an inner portion of said body section and a portion of said inner flange; an anti-extrusion component engaged with said relatively thick inner arm; the minimum clearance between said anti-extrusion component and said shaft being less than the minimum clearance between said relatively thick inner arm and said shaft; said inner flange comprising a sealing area; wherein said sealing assembly is to be received in a cavity in said housing or on said shaft.
1. A sealing assembly to provide sealing between a shaft and a housing comprising:
a sealing component comprising a body section, an outer flange, and an inner flange both extending from said body section, said inner flange comprising a sealing area and a sealing lip;
a supporting component receiving said sealing component and comprising an inner arm comprising an inner arm stub projecting under said sealing component, said inner arm stub providing a supporting area spanning an inner portion of said body section and a first portion of said inner flange of said sealing component and comprises an inner arm edge;
an anti-extrusion ring engaged to said inner arm stub, said anti-extrusion ring comprising an inner surface;
wherein said inner arm edge of said inner arm stub defining a first inside diameter and said inner surface of said anti-extrusion ring defining a second inside diameter, and wherein the second inside diameter is smaller than the first inside diameter so that when the sealing assembly is mounted on a shaft, said second inside diameter has a smaller clearance than said first inside diameter with the shaft.
2. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said anti-extrusion ring spans a second portion of said inner flange of said sealing component.
3. The sealing assembly of 2 , wherein said first portion of said inner flange has a length and said second portion of said inner flange has a length and wherein the two lengths are equal.
4. The sealing assembly of claim 2 , wherein said first portion of said inner flange has a length and said second portion of said inner flange has a length and wherein the length of said second portion is less than the length of said first portion of said inner flange by at least 25%.
5. The sealing assembly claim 1 , further comprising a locking ring mechanically engaged with said outer flange of said sealing component.
6. The sealing assembly of claim 5 , wherein said retaining component comprises a spring lip.
7. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said anti-extrusion component and said inner arm stub are engaged by a snap fit arrangement.
8. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said anti-extrusion component and said inner arm stub are engaged by a pressed fit arrangement.
9. The sealing assembly claim 1 , further comprising a spring energizer energizing the sealing area.
10. The sealing assembly of claim 9 , wherein said spring energizer is a canted coil spring.
11. The sealing assembly of claim 10 , wherein said canted coil spring is radial canted coil spring having a major axis turned at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of said sealing assembly.
12. The sealing assembly of claim 10 , wherein said canted coil spring contacts said inner flange at an area where the inner flange is supported by both the inner arm stub and the anti-extrusion ring.
13. The sealing assembly of claim 9 , wherein said spring energizer is a cantilever spring, a ribbon spring, or a garter spring.
14. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said anti-extrusion ring is made of plastic.
15. The sealing assembly of claim 14 , wherein said plastic is a high temperature engineered plastic.
16. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said anti-extrusion ring is made of a relatively low elastic modulus metal, which has a lower elastic modulus value than that of the supporting component.
17. The sealing assembly of one of claim 16 , wherein said relatively low elastic metal is one of bronze and bronze alloy.
18. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a cartridge housing comprising a cavity and wherein the sealing assembly is positioned inside the cavity of the cartridge housing.
19. A sealing assembly to provide sealing between a shaft and a housing comprising:
a sealing component comprising a body section, an outer flange, and an inner flange both extending from said body section, said inner flange comprising a sealing area and a sealing lip;
a supporting component made of a first material having a first modulus of elasticity value receiving said sealing component and comprising an inner arm projecting into said sealing component, said inner arm providing a supporting area spanning an inner portion of said body section and at least a portion of said inner flange;
a locking ring engaging the outer flange of the sealing component and together with the sealing component defining an energizer cavity;
a spring energizer disposed in the energizer cavity and biasing against the inner flange and the locking ring;
wherein the inner arm has an inner arm edge defining a first inside diameter and a reduced clearance area defining a second inside diameter, which is smaller than the first inside diameter, and wherein the reduced clearance area has a second material having a second modulus of elasticity value, which is lower than the first modulus of elasticity value.
20. The sealing assembly of claim 19 , wherein the reduced clearance area is part of an anti-extrusion ring engaged to an inner arm stub of the inner arm.
21. The sealing assembly of claim 20 , wherein said anti-extrusion ring is made of plastic.
22. The sealing assembly of claim 21 , wherein said plastic is a high temperature engineered plastic.
23. The sealing assembly of claim 20 , wherein said anti-extrusion ring is engaged to the inner arm stub by a snap fit or a press fit.
24. The sealing assembly of claim 19 , wherein the second material having the second modulus of elasticity value comprises one or more inserts positioned inside one or more bores.
25. The sealing assembly of claim 24 , wherein the one or more bores are open ended at each end of each bore.
26. The sealing assembly of claim 24 , wherein the one or more bores have at least one end of each bore that is closed.
27. The sealing assembly of claim 24 , wherein said spring energizer contacts said inner flange at a portion of the inner flange that is supported by the inner arm and the reduced clearance area of the inner arm.
28. The sealing assembly of claim 19 , wherein said spring energizer is a canted coil spring, a ribbon spring, a helical spring, or a V-spring.
29. The sealing assembly of 19 , further comprising a cartridge housing comprising an interior cavity and wherein the sealing assembly is positioned inside the interior cavity of the cartridge housing.
30. The sealing assembly of 29 , further comprising a second sealing assembly positioned inside the interior cavity of the cartridge housing in series with the sealing assembly.
31. The sealing assembly of claim 30 , wherein the second sealing assembly comprises a sealing component comprising an inner flange having a sealing lip supported by an inner arm of a supporting component.
32. A method for making a seal assembly comprising:
forming a sealing component comprising a body section, an outer flange, and an inner flange both extending from said body section, said inner flange comprising a sealing area and a sealing lip;
placing a supporting component made of a first material having a first modulus of elasticity value in receiving arrangement with said sealing component, said supporting component comprising an inner arm projecting into said sealing component and providing a supporting area spanning an inner portion of said body section and at least a portion of said inner flange;
placing a locking ring in engagement with the outer flange of the sealing component and forming an energizer cavity with said sealing component;
placing a spring energizer in the energizer cavity and biasing the spring energizer against the inner flange and the locking ring;
wherein the inner arm has an inner arm edge defining a first inside diameter and a reduced clearance area defining a second inside diameter, which is smaller than the first inside diameter, and wherein the reduced clearance area has a second material having a second modulus of elasticity value, which is lower than the first modulus of elasticity value.
33. The method of claim 32 , wherein the reduced clearance area is part of an anti-extrusion ring engaged to an inner arm stub of the inner arm.
34. The method of claim 33 , wherein said anti-extrusion ring is made of plastic.
35. The method of claim 34 , wherein said plastic is a high temperature engineered plastic.
36. The method of claim 33 , wherein said anti-extrusion ring is engaged to the inner arm stub by a snap fit or a press fit.
37. The method of claim 32 , wherein the second material having the second modulus of elasticity value comprises one or more inserts positioned inside one or more bores.
38. The method of claim 37 , wherein the one or more bores are open ended at each end of each bore.
39. The method of claim 37 , wherein the one or more bores have at least one end of each bore that is closed.
40. The method of claim 37 , wherein said spring energizer contacts said inner flange at a portion of the inner flange that is supported by the inner arm and the reduced clearance area of the inner arm.
41. The method of claim 32 , wherein said spring energizer is a canted coil spring, a ribbon spring, a helical spring, or a V-spring.
42. The method of claim 41 , wherein the canted coil spring has a major axis and wherein the major axis is generally parallel with a lengthwise axis of the sealing assembly.
43. The method of 32 , further comprising placing the seal assembly inside an interior cavity of a cartridge housing.
44. The method of 43 , further comprising placing a second sealing assembly inside the interior cavity of the cartridge housing in series with the sealing assembly.
45. The method of claim 44 , wherein the second sealing assembly comprises a sealing component comprising an inner flange having a sealing lip supported by an inner arm of a supporting component.