Seal for a joint or juncture – Seal between relatively movable parts – Circumferential contact seal for other than piston
Patent
1997-12-15
2000-06-20
Cuomo, Peter M.
Seal for a joint or juncture
Seal between relatively movable parts
Circumferential contact seal for other than piston
277547, F16J 1516
Patent
active
060768320
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to split seals for use in sealing arrangements for rotating, stationary and reciprocating elements such as, for example, positive displacement pumps and hydraulic rams or pistons, and other valve-actuated applications. Such elements are used in systems within a wide range of technical fields including the petro chemical, drilling, mining and oil industries, as well as in quarrying and power engineering fields.
One known type of split seal is formed by breaking an integral ring of material (commonly carbon) in half to form two components. In use, the two components are placed together again around, for example, a rotating shaft. The components must, however, be placed together very carefully during installation in order to avoid damage to the contact faces between the components. Such damage can result in the creation of a radial or axial leakage path across the contact faces of the seal, leading to poor and/or inadequate performance of the seal. Additionally, the two halves may be damaged on installation such that the two halves cannot mate perfectly, leading to ineffective sealing due to damage to the contact faces. Furthermore, damage to the contact faces can occur during handling of the seal which can render the seal ineffective. A further disadvantage of such seals is that grooves are cut on one axial end face of the seal, and axially on a radially inner surface of the seal, during manufacture in order to create weak points to aid breaking of the seal in two. Such grooves can allow undesirable build up of pressure at the contact faces of the seal during use which, in turn, can lead to fluid leakage in the radial direction. Fluid leaking in between the contact faces acts like a "wedge" between the two seal halves, pushing the two halves apart as the pressure increases.
Other known types of annular split seal rely on the mating of opposed planar faces which extend radially of the seal and which comprise or are coated in a hardened material such as ceramic or tungsten carbide. While such materials have a certain resilience, providing some limited protection against damage, each contact face is essentially a single plane surface, so any damage which does occur during installation or handling may readily destroy the integrity of the seal. Additionally, in use, externally applied radially inward mechanical pressure is required to maintain the contact faces in engagement.
The conventional "broken" split seals also have the disadvantage of necessitating substantial maintenance "down time" of equipment in which the seals are incorporated, due to the need to dismantle major components of the equipment to allow replacement of worn or damaged seals.
It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimise one or more of the above disadvantages.
According to a first aspect of the present invention a split seal having an annular cross-section and a central axis, and having a radial width and an axial length, comprises at least two components of arcuate form, each component having two end portions and each end portion having a surface formed and arranged for mating engagement with a respective complementary end portion surface of another said component, in which each end portion surface extends in an indirect manner over one of the radial width and axial length of the seal, and which end portion surface extends substantially continuously in non-reentrant manner over the other one of the radial width and the axial length of the seal so that the matingly engaged components are substantially smoothly, relatively translatable in one of a generally axial direction and a generally radial direction.
Preferably, a substantial extent of each said end portion surface extending indirectly over one of the radial width and axial length of the seal is inclined at an angle thereto. Each said end portion surface may extend in a zigzag manner.
According to a second aspect of the present invention a split seal having an annular cross-section and a central axis comprises at least two components of arcuate fo
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Cuomo Peter M.
Management Consultancy Services (Scotland) Ltd.
Schwing Karlena D.
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