And Biased Patents (Class 277/581)
  • Patent number: 10830080
    Abstract: A seal arrangement may comprise a seal comprising an outer ring, a shoe, and an arm extending between the shoe and the outer ring, wherein the shoe moves relative to the outer ring via the arm, a seal ring adjacent the seal, and a support plate disposed between the seal and the seal ring, wherein the support plate moves together with the shoe in a radial direction relative to the seal ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Michael L. DiFrancesco, Conway Chuong
  • Patent number: 9234433
    Abstract: A biasing means is provided for securing a plurality of sealing components which are arranged to seal gaps between adjacent structural components in a turbine, the biasing means having three foot regions joined in a substantially linear fashion by two resilient curved arms, wherein each arm has securing means for securing the biasing means to one of said structural components such that when the biasing means is secured to said one of said structural components, each of said foot regions contacts one of said sealing components and the curved arms urge the sealing components towards one of said structural components so that the sealing components collectively create a seal over the gap between said structural components. An apparatus for sealing gaps between adjacent structural components which includes the biasing means is also provided as is a method of sealing gaps in a turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: Caner H. Helvaci
  • Patent number: 8876398
    Abstract: The axial thrust bearing device, in particular for the suspension strut of a motor vehicle, comprises a bottom support cover, a top bearing cover, a rolling bearing axially disposed between said covers, and at least a sealing ring axially bearing against the bottom support cover and adapted to reduce any ingress of foreign matter between said covers. The sealing ring comprises at least one friction lip in contact with the top bearing cover and tending to keep said sealing ring in axial contact with the bottom support cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Aktiebolaget SKF
    Inventors: Richard Corbett, Samuel Viault
  • Patent number: 8740464
    Abstract: The bearing assembly concept includes a floating seal arrangement. In one form, a bearing assembly comprises a first bearing member and a second bearing member that is oriented adjacent to the first bearing member. A plurality of bearings is positioned between the first bearing member and the second bearing member. A shield is engaged with the first bearing member, and a floating seal is slidably engaged with the shield and the second bearing member. The shield captures the floating seal adjacent to the second bearing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Rexnord Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Mark I. Berns
  • Patent number: 8356821
    Abstract: A seal assembly forming a seal with a rotatable shaft of a hydrogen-cooled generator is provided. The seal assembly includes a ring assembly disposed about the rotatable shaft. The ring assembly includes a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. A hydrogen side ring is coupled to a generator frame of the generator. An insulating structure is positioned between the hydrogen side ring and the generator frame to provide electrical insulation between the hydrogen side ring and the generator frame. An air side ring is disposed adjacent to the hydrogen side ring and the seal structure is coupled to the air side ring. Structure for supplying oil to the ring assembly is provided, such that the oil flows through the ring assembly to an interface between the rotatable shaft and the seal structure so as to substantially limit direct contact between the rotatable shaft and the seal structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: David M. Freal, Joseph M. Emery, John M. Nemeth
  • Patent number: 8196934
    Abstract: A slider seal assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a housing, a seal plate moveable relative to the housing and a retaining ring. The housing includes an outer surface, an inner surface, and a recessed opening between the outer surface and the inner surface. The seal plate is received within the recessed opening. The inner surface of the housing includes a curved portion which is curved in an outward direction toward the outer surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Logan H. Do
  • Patent number: 7997858
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for sealing the space between first and second components, wherein a sealing element is placed between the sealing surface of the first component and the sealing surface of the second component, means are used for displacing the sealing element towards the first component and the sealing surface of the second component is used in the form of a guiding surface for the sealing element when it is displaced towards the first component. The means comprise a movable pressure element which is embodied in such a way that the displacement thereof generates the displacement of the sealing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Vinko Mikulec
  • Patent number: 7918461
    Abstract: a system for facilitating turbine labyrinth packing comprises: a packing holder 30, packing 20, packing teeth 21, pressurized air supply 50, hose 40, hose stabilizer 41, hose sleeve 42, pneumatic regulator 51, pressure gage 52, male quick disconnect 43, and female quick disconnect 44.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Star Field Fit, Inc.
    Inventors: Donna L. MacGregor, Thomas W. Rambin
  • Patent number: 7905495
    Abstract: A circumferential sealing arrangement is disclosed herein. The circumferential sealing arrangement includes a structure operable to rotate about an axis and having a first surface facing radially outward. The circumferential sealing arrangement also includes a static housing circumscribing the rotatable structure. The circumferential sealing arrangement also includes at least one seal element connected to the static housing and having a second surface facing radially inward. The circumferential sealing arrangement also includes a seal runner rotatable with the structure and having a third surface facing radially outward. The third surface cooperates with the second surface to form a circumferential seal between the static housing and the rotatable structure. A radial gap is defined between the first surface of the rotatable structure and a fourth surface of the seal runner facing radially inward and opposing the first surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventor: John Munson
  • Patent number: 7815193
    Abstract: The invention relates to a dry-running piston rod sealing arrangement (1) for sealing a piston rod (2) mounted in a longitudinally displaceable manner. The sealing arrangement comprises at least one sealing ring (5) having a sealing surface (5a), an actuator (7), a sensor (8), and a chamber ring (3) containing the sealing ring (5). The actuator (7) comprises an active connection in relation to the sealing ring (5), such that the sealing surface (5a) can be radially displaced in relation to the piston rod (2). The actuator (7) can be controlled according to a measuring value detected by the sensor (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Burckhardt Compression AG
    Inventors: Norbert Feistel, Georg Samland
  • Patent number: 7543822
    Abstract: A composite seal assembly for providing a seal between a rotating shaft and a static surface. The composite seal assembly includes first and second axially adjacent annular seal elements. The first and second seal elements each include a sealing edge contacting the shaft to provide a respective seal between the first and second seal element and the shaft. A static housing receives the first and second seal elements and engages the static surface to provide a static stationary seal, while concomitantly providing a flex region that engages the seal elements to form a dynamic seal therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: A.W. Chesterton Company
    Inventors: Michael P. Grimanis, Joseph K. Kaleshian
  • Publication number: 20090051124
    Abstract: The object is to provide a seal ring of which the abutments which oppose each other at the cut-apart portion are not complicated in shape, so that foreign matter contained in oil in the oil pressure side can be smoothly discharged into an annular gap on the non-pressure side. Abutments that are opposed to each other at a cut-apart portion have protrusions 3a and 3b and recesses 4a and 4b that are juxtaposed to each other in the axial direction, and a radial gap 5a is defined between the protrusion 3a of the abutment 1a that is pressed against a side wall 13a of an annular groove 13 formed in a shaft member 12 near a non-oil pressure side 14b and the recess 4b of the other abutment 1b, with the radial gap 5a and a circumferential gap 2 between the abutments 1a and 1b forming a passage through which an oil pressure side 14a of the annular gap 14 communicates with the non-oil pressure side 14b.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2007
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventor: Kouzou Kakehi
  • Patent number: 7413194
    Abstract: This invention provides a segmented annular seal (10) the sealing leakage gaps between relatively movable components 14,16 between high and low pressure regions in a gas turbine engine, for example for sealing an engine shaft 16. The seal comprises an annular array of circumferentially spaced and radially movable arcuate seal segments (12) which extend in a continuous end to end relationship in annular housing (14) and project radially from the housing for effecting a seal against an engine shaft (16), rotor or the like. The segments (12) are located in a channel (22) in the housing (14) sized such that the segments (12) are able to follow radial movements of the shaft (16). In order to reduce an axial loading on the segments (12) that ends to cause them to seize a pressure balance region (30) vented to the upstream pressure region is formed on the downstream side of the segments (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Christopher Wright, Gervas Franceschini
  • Patent number: 7320468
    Abstract: A sealing arrangement for sealing a leakage gap between relatively moveable parts in a flow path between a region of high fluid pressure and a region of low fluid pressure comprises a sealing member having an upstream surface, a downstream surface, a radially outer surface and a radially inner surface, the sealing member being in communication with a housing via a resilient element. The resilient element is fixedly joined to the upstream surface of the sealing member such that during operation both the radial force induced on the sealing member by fluid flowing axially into and circumferentially over the radially inner surface and the axial force induced on the sealing member because of a pressure difference across the sealing member is resisted by the resilient element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Jonathan J. Morgan
  • Patent number: 7201379
    Abstract: A seal assembly and cartridge for sealing a space between a rotating member and a stationary member in which a sleeve extends around the rotating member and with the inner surface of the sleeve being spaced from the outer surface of the rotating member to form a gap. Pressurized fluid is introduced to the sleeve to establish and maintain a predetermined gap between the sleeve and the rotating member, so that the pressure of the fluid can be varied to maintain the predetermined gap despite variations of the diameter of the rotating member during its rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Dresser-Rand Company
    Inventor: Claude Lemetteil
  • Patent number: 7147230
    Abstract: The sealing device is for drum filters or filter presses to form a seal between the rotary drum end faces and the end faces of the trough in which the rotary drums are situated. A sealing element (3) is disposed in a groove (1) on the rotary drum end face, in which the sealing element (3) is pressed into contact against the opposite part by a hose element (2), preferably in form of two flexible hoses (2a, 2b), which can be pressurized internally. The hoses (2a, 2b) are disposed one on top of the other in the groove (1) beneath the sealing element (3). The two open ends of the hose element (2) are provided with sleeves (7) which enclose the ends. The sleeves (7) are held in place in the groove (1) with a holder element (10). Spaces (19a, 19b) are formed on both sides of the middle piece (12) of the holder element. One space (19a) is provided with an inlet (17) for pressurizing medium and the other space (19b) is provided with an outlet (18) for the pressurizing medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Kvaerner Pulping AB
    Inventor: Michael A. Rowe
  • Patent number: 7090459
    Abstract: A seal having a first seal mechanism adapted for insertion between a first structure and a second structure, wherein the first structure is in communication with a first medium and the second structure is in communication with a second medium. The seal also includes a second seal mechanism, which is pressuringly biasable against the first seal mechanism and against the second structure by the second medium. In certain embodiments, a system has a first structure in communication with a first medium and a second structure houses a seal assembly between the first and second structures. The seal assembly includes an interface seal disposed against the first structure and a flexible seal pressuringly biased against the second structure and the interface seal by a second medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nitin Bhate, Raymond Edward Chupp, Kevin Bruce, Alberto Jose Negroni, Ronald Ralph Cairo
  • Patent number: 7083170
    Abstract: A rod or piston primary seal, which includes a primary seal (2) facing the space (1) to be sealed and a secondary seal (3) facing away from it, in which the primary seal (2) is fitted into the groove (4), of a holding element (5), open in the direction of the relatively movable machine part (11) which is bounded, on the side facing away from the space (1) to be sealed, by a first side surface (7) which extends essentially at right angles to the sealing axis (6), and includes a sealing edge ring (8) made of tough, hard plastic which has a sealing edge (9) lying adjacent to the machine part (11) and is pressed with its sealing edge (9) onto the machine part (11) by a profile ring (10) made of elastomeric material which is supported on the bottom surface (12) of groove (4) and lies adjacent to sealing edge ring (8) with its inner surface (13), the sealing edge ring (8) having a profile bounded essentially by a right angle between the sealing edge (9) and the bounding surface (14) facing the first side surface (7
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Carl Freudenberg KG
    Inventors: Dieter Von Borstel, Günter Reichow, Hans-Jürgen Timmermann
  • Patent number: 7066470
    Abstract: A seal assembly includes an annular hanger having a supporting ledge. An arcuate seal segment includes an outer rail mounted on the ledge and supporting an inner seal. An arcuate carrier is mounted between the hanger and the rail, and includes a piston mounted in a bore. The bore is selectively pressurized to deploy the piston between the hanger and rail for temporarily retracting the seal segment from an adjacent rotor component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Norman Arnold Turnquist, Biao Fang, Osman Saim Dinc, Hamid Reza Sarshar, Mehmet Demiroglu, Mark Edward Burnett, Frederick George Baily, Mahmut Faruk Aksit, Ahmad Safi, Richard Robert Larsen
  • Patent number: 6871562
    Abstract: For a power steering system which has, as a recirculating ball steering, a worm shaft and, enclosing this, a working plunger which is to be actuated by a bead chain axially shiftably with respect to the worm shaft, an axial seal is provided for the annular gap between the working plunger and the worm shaft which has a multi-part arrangement, and which has two support rings and one sealing ring, engaging between the support rings, pointing in opposite directions and guided in an annular grove of the working plunger, the width of the annular groove being greater than the axial width of the axial seal at the support rings arranged adjacent to the sealing ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
    Inventor: Willi Tropper
  • Patent number: 6805360
    Abstract: The regulator connects to a high pressure fluid supply and regulates the pressure to a downstream apparatus. If an over-pressure occurs, it is vented to atmosphere. A segmented body reduces production cost. An elongate control stem engages a supply seal assembly and a vent seal assembly and moves axially with respect to these seal assemblies to achieve regulation and venting. Both the supply seal assembly and the vent seal assembly are bi-directional and operate when forces are applied from opposing directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: Gilmore Valve Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Rodney C. Hope, Thomas W. Neugebauer
  • Patent number: 6692008
    Abstract: A sealing arrangement for closing off an end of a chamber formed between a plurality of rollers of a pressing apparatus, comprises a seal member made of a hard seal material such as carbon fiber material. The sealing arrangement is preferably a self-loaded sealing arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2004
    Assignee: Voith Paper Patent GmbH
    Inventor: David A. Beck
  • Patent number: 6575472
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system for providing a fluid seal between relatively movable elements, including a hub or a drum and a piston. A groove for retaining a seal is defined in the periphery of one of the rotatable elements, and a spacer element is disposed between the seal and the groove. The seal is formed from a substantially non-deformable material, and the spacer element is substantially non-resilient. The mass of the seal and the spacer element, together with rotational forces acting on the seal and the spacer element, provide a seal between the relatively rotatable elements for preventing flow of fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Inventor: Gilbert W. Younger
  • Patent number: 6505837
    Abstract: A compliant foil seal comprising at least one smooth resilient foil for facing a rotor and at least one bump foil for providing film riding stiffness and controlled deformation of the smooth resilient foil for providing an effective seal which is capable of operating reliably in the presence of large rotor excursions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Hooshang Heshmat
  • Patent number: 6378873
    Abstract: In a hydrogen cooled generator, a seal casing has a chamber opening radially inwardly for receiving a pair of seal rings forming a fluid film along the interface between the rings and the rotor. A spring biases the seal rings against axial spaced flanges of the seal casing and static oil sealing grooves are provided at the interface of the seal rings and flanges. A brush seal is carried by one or both of the seal rings or by the seal casing and has bristles for engaging the surface of the rotor. The combination of seal rings and brush seal form a low flow fluid film seal maintaining the hydrogen atmosphere and oil on opposite sides of the housing wall and the seal casing segregated from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Russell Mayer, Bharat Sampathkumaran Bagepalli, Mahmut Faruk Aksit
  • Patent number: 6367810
    Abstract: A seal assembly is undersized in relation to the bore in which it is installed to permit radial floating of the seal assembly within the bore to enable precise coaxial alignment between the seal assembly and shaft, despite misalignment between the axis of the shaft and the axis of the bore. A retaining ring urges a face seal of the seal assembly into static sealing engagement with the stepped face of the bore to prevent leakage of the fluid around the seal assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul World Wide, Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick Ronald Hatch
  • Patent number: 6340160
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system for providing a fluid seal between relatively movable elements, including a hub or a drum and a piston. A groove for retaining a seal is defined in the periphery of one of the rotatable elements, and a spacer element is disposed between the seal and the groove. The seal is formed from a substantially non-deformable material, and the spacer element is substantially non-resilient. The mass of the seal and the spacer element, together with rotational forces acting on the seal and the spacer element, provide a seal between the relatively rotatable elements for preventing flow of fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Inventor: Gilbert W. Younger
  • Patent number: 6315301
    Abstract: Rotating machine seal device is improved so that seal plate is fitted to rotating portion firmly, thereby self-induced vibration of the seal plate is reduced and occurrence of abrasion or thinning of the seal plate due to the self-induced vibration and sealing deterioration accompanying therewith are prevented. In rotating machine seal device having seal plate (2) inserted into groove (1a) provided in disc portion (1) driven rotationally, said seal device being for sealing fluid between fluid passage (12) on outer circumferential side of said groove (1a) and fluid passage (14) on inner circumferential side of said groove (1a), said seal plate (2) is divided into plural pieces along circumferential direction thereof to be inserted into said groove (1a) of the disc portion (1) and spring plate (3) is disposed on inner circumferential side of said seal plate (2) so that said seal plate (2) is pressed against seal surface (1b) of said groove (1a) by spring force of said spring plate (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Sunao Umemura, Jun Kubota, Koichi Akagi, Masaki Ono
  • Patent number: 6250813
    Abstract: A bearing having a spherically convex radially outer surface is pivotably mounted in a spherically concave bore of a bearing housing. An annular housing cap is mounted against an axial end of the bearing housing, the housing cap having a radially inwardly directed annular groove and providing clearance with respect to the rotatable shaft such that pivoting of the bearing within the housing is permitted. At least two split laminar rings located within the annular groove of the housing cap are spring-loaded radially inwardly for biased engagement with the rotatable shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventor: James Thibault
  • Patent number: 6145843
    Abstract: This invention discloses a completely different hydrodynamic gas seal configuration from both the Rayleigh bearing and other prior art. Instead of the shallow, wide, and short single pocket geometry for the Rayleigh bearing, and instead of the multiple depth grooves of the other prior art teachings, the hydrodynamic seal in this invention has a sealing face with lift pockets therein that are deep (normally in the range of about 0.010 inches to about 0.025 inches deep), narrow, long, multiple, coextensive, parallel, and single-depth. This invention incorporates the same basic hydraulic principle of generating pressure rise by the shearing gradient between the rotating shaft and stationary carbon elements, and therefore produces a force which is opposite in direction to the rubbing force generated by the ambient pressure drop across the seal. In this invention the forces are more evenly balanced across the axial face of the seal ring segments, thereby accommodating any conicity of the shaft race.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Stein Seal Company
    Inventor: Mingfong Hwang
  • Patent number: 6082740
    Abstract: A seal ring assembly for a generator includes an upper seal casing having a first radially inwardly directed channel for supporting at least one seal segment therein, the upper seal casing having a removable cap forming one side of the inwardly directed channel, and a lower seal casing having a second radially inwardly directed channel for supporting at least another seal segment. The first and second channels and the segments are adapted to be joined about a generator shaft to form a substantially 360.degree. seal, and the upper and lower seal segments in the upper and lower seal casings, respectively, are secured together at an interface therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventors: Steven William Jones, Luis Alberto Estrada, Blake Weldon Wilson
  • Patent number: 6004249
    Abstract: A slide disc seal for use in a roll of a paper or board making machine or finishing apparatus, which roll comprises a stationary axle (1) and a rotatable shell (2) with an end element (8) at each end and bearing elements (3) at each end of the roll. The slide disc seal comprises a circular sliding surface (10) on the end element (8), a chamber (18) on the other of the components (1) placed axially on the area of the sliding surface (10) and extending radially in relation to the sliding surface (10), and a ring-shaped sliding seal disc (15) having an inner edge, an outer edge and a lip seal (16) on one of the edges, the seal disc (15) being slidingly fitted within the chamber (18) so that the edge having the lip seal (16) is against the sliding surface (10) and the other edge of the seal disc (15) is within the chamber (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Valmet Corporation
    Inventor: James Blais