Dynamic metal seal

1. A seal, comprising:

a metallic annular body comprising an inner sealing leg comprising a first sealing lip, a second sealing lip, and a valley disposed between the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip, wherein the valley comprises a plating reserve having a plating thickness that is greater than the plating thickness on the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip, wherein the plating reserve substantially fills the valley to form a planar sealing surface, and the first sealing lip, the second sealing lip, and the planar sealing surface collectively define a contact area about inner diameter of the metallic annular body, wherein the inner sealing leg forms a radial seal with a component, and the contact area is substantially parallel to the component, wherein the valley comprises an opposite, inwardly projecting arcuate convolution with respect to the first sealing lip.

2. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the metallic annular body comprises a central body portion, and wherein the inner sealing leg extends from the central body portion.

3. The seal of claim 2 , wherein the central body portion is arcuate.

4. The seal of claim 3 , wherein the metallic annular body comprises an outer sealing leg, and wherein the outer sealing leg extends from the central body portion.

5. The seal of claim 4 , wherein the outer sealing leg is arcuate, linear, or planar, or a combination thereof.

6. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip of the inner sealing leg form ridges about the inner diameter of the metallic annular body of the seal.

7. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the planar sealing surface of the inner sealing leg is substantially parallel to the axis of the seal, orthogonal to a radial width of the seal, or combinations thereof.

8. The seal or assembly of claim 7 , wherein the planar sealing surface of the inner sealing leg comprises an axial length that is at least 1%, at least 2%, at least 3%, at least 4%, at least 5%, at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, or at least 25% of an axial length of the metallic annular body of the seal.

9. The seal or assembly of claim 8 , wherein the planar sealing surface of the inner sealing leg comprises an axial length that is not greater than 95%, not greater than 90%, not greater than 85%, not greater than 80%, not greater than 75%, or not greater than 50% of the axial length of the metallic annular body of the seal.

10. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the plating thickness at the valley of the first sealing leg and/or the second sealing leg is at least 1.05, at least 1.10, at least 1.15, at least 1.25, at least 1.5, at least 1.75, at least 2.0, at least 2.5, or at least 3.0 times thicker than the plating thickness at the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip.

11. The seal of claim 10 , wherein the plating thickness at the valley of the first sealing leg and/or the second sealing leg is not greater than 10.0, not greater than 9.0, not greater than 8.0, not greater than 7.0, not greater than 6.0, not greater than 5.0, not greater than 4.5, not greater than 4.0, or not greater than 3.5 times thicker than the plating thickness at the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip.

12. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the metallic annular body is formed from a nickel-chromium based alloy, a nickel-based alloy, nickel, titanium, tungsten, stainless steel, spring steel, steel, aluminum, zinc, copper, magnesium, tin, platinum, lead, iron, or bronze.

13. The seal of claim 12 , wherein the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip of the metallic annular body comprises a gold plating, a silver plating, an aluminum chromium nitride (AlCrN) plating, or a titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) plating.

14. The seal of claim 12 , wherein the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip of the metallic annular body are free of plating.

15. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the plating reserve in the valley comprises a gold plating, a silver plating, an aluminum chromium nitride (AlCrN) plating, or a titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) plating.

16. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the plating reserve in the valley comprises an injection molded or compression molded polymer.

17. The seal of claim 16 , wherein the injection molded or compression molded polymer comprises a fluoropolymer, a perfluoropolymer, PTFE, PVF, PVDF, PCTFE, PFA, FEP, ETFE, ECTFE, PCTFE, a fluorinated copolymer, a polyarylketone, PK, PEK, PEKK, PEKEKK, a polysulfone, PPSU, PSU, a polyether, or PPO, an aromatic polyamide or an aliphatic polyamide, a thermoplastic polyimide, a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoplastic vulcanizate, a thermoplastic olefin, Teflon, or a combination thereof.

18. The seal of claim 17 , wherein the plating reserve comprises one or more fillers, wherein the one or more fillers comprise carbon, graphite, graphene, mica, vermiculite, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ), barium sulfate (BaSO 4 ), talc, mica, boron nitride (BN), aromatic polyester, an inorganic filler, or a combination thereof, and wherein the one or more fillers are configured to expand after the polymer wears or decays to fill voids left by the thermally worn or decayed polymer.

19. The seal of claim 5 , wherein the inner sealing leg is configured to form a radial seal with a first component of an assembly, and wherein the outer sealing leg is configured to form a radial seal with a second component of an assembly.

20. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the valley consists of an opposite, inwardly projecting arcuate convolution with respect to the first sealing lip.