The University of New Mexico

Varel International Ind., L.p.

Utex Industries, Inc.

Honeywell International Inc.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Alan Otto Lebeck

Lionel A Young

Bowie Gordon Keefer

Christopher R McLean

James Vincent Guiheen

Steven E Sund

Raymond J Knorr

Peterjon Ellis

Michael Jamie McKerrow

Michel P LeBlanc

Xiang Lu Kong

A sealing system includes a first gland in a cone and a second gland in a shaft region. A first ring is mounted in the first gland, a second ring is mounted in the second gland and a third ring is positioned between the first and second rings. The first and third rings present a pair of opposed metal seal faces. A biasing spring is configured to exert an axial force against the third ring so as to keep the metal seal faces in sealing contact. A third gland is formed between the second and third rings, with an o-ring sealing member installed within the third gland and compressed in a sealing relationship between the second and third rings. The third ring includes a sealing region supporting the metal seal face and a body region supporting the third gland, with the sealing region pivotally coupled to the body region.

Rock bit having a flexible metal faced seal

A sealing system includes a first gland in a cone and a first ring mounted in the first gland. A second ring is mounted to a shaft region. A third ring is positioned between the first and second rings. The first and third rings present a pair of metal seal faces. A second gland is formed between the second and third rings, with an o-ring sealing member installed within the third gland and radially compressed in a sealing relationship between the second and third rings. The second gland is sized to permit axial movement of the o-ring sealing member within the second gland in response to pressure changes. An energizer is configured to exert an axial force against the third ring so as to keep the metal seal faces in sealing contact. The axial force is applied at a radial position corresponding to a radial center the metal seal faces.

Rock bit having a pressure balanced metal faced seal

A sealing system includes a first gland in a cone and a second gland in a shaft region. A first ring is mounted in the first gland, a second ring is mounted in the second gland and a third ring is positioned between the first and second rings. The first and third rings present a pair of metal seal faces. A third ring is mounted to the second ring through a set of mounting pins which permit axial movement of the third ring. A biasing spring is mounting in the second ring and configured to exert an axial force against the third ring so as to keep the metal seal faces in sealing contact. A third gland is formed between the second and third rings, with an o-ring sealing member installed within the third gland and compressed in a sealing relationship between the second and third rings.

Rock bit having a radially self-aligning metal faced seal

A typical rotary face seal employs a seal ring rotating relative to a sealing surface and also employs means to urge the seal ring towards the sealing surface in order to effect a seal. The seal ring may itself comprise a seal face bonded to a backing ring. In certain applications, the seal face may deform significantly as a result of the temperature variations experienced and an undesirable crowning of the seal face may occur. Such crowning may be reduced by employing an improved seal ring with anti-crowning features in which the thickness of an edge of the seal face is different from that in the middle of the seal face, or in which a relief slot is employed in the seal face. The improved seal ring is particularly suited for rotary face seals used in a rotary valve in a rotary gas separation device.

Rotary face seal with anti-crowning features

A composite face seal has an annular seal rotor and an annular seal stator, both having a metal base portion and a radially extending flange. The flange has first and second axially facing surfaces. A first ceramic ring may be mounted to the first surface of the flange of either or both of the seal rotor and the seal stator by a first braze joint. A second ceramic ring may be mounted to the second surface of the flange of either or both of the seal rotor and the seal stator by a second braze joint. Each of the braze joints may include a molybdenum ring disposed between two braze rings or, for thicker seal assemblies, molybdenum and nickel rings disposed between braze rings.

Face seal assembly with composite stator

A double gas pressure seal,is provided for sealing between a stationary housing,and a rotary housing,. The gas pressure seal includes a stationary ring,and a rotary ring,each having a radially inner sealing face and a radially outer sealing face. A biasing spring,biases one of the rings toward the other ring. An annular groove,is provided in one of the rings, with the groove being spaced between the radially inner sealing faces and radially outer sealing faces. A supply port,supplies pressurized gas to the annular groove at a pressure higher than the process fluid in the stationary housing. A plurality of radially inner and radially outer recesses,are provided on the one of the rings, and corresponding feed channels,fluidly interconnect the annular groove with a rotary leading portion of each respective recess. A small quantity of pressurized gas escapes between the inner sealing faces to atmosphere and between the outer sealing faces to the process fluid sealed in the stationary housing.

Double gas seal with coplanar pad faces

A mechanical seal assembly having multiple compression spring assemblies that are used to bias a stationary seal into sealing engagement with a rotating seal, the springs in the spring assemblies being supported on their internal diameter and having their outside diameter visible for their entire length, each spring assembly further including a releasable, expendable clip that serves to preload the two seal faces against one another, limits relative axial movement between the stationary and rotating seal assemblies, and coaxially aligns the stationary and rotating seal assemblies.

Gland assembly for use with mechanical seal

This invention relates to a dynamic seal or bearing interface having areas with different roughnesses. The different surface areas both provide asperity tip load support for the opposing interface.

Differential surface roughness dynamic seals and bearings

A unique wavy-tilt-dam shaped mechanical face seal ring, a mechanical face seal which incorporates the wavy-tilt-dam shaped ring, and an apparatus for shaping seal rings. The face shape of the ring is contoured to include a number of waves, tilts and a dam, for the purposes of promoting hydrostatic and hydrodynamic lift, and minimizing leakage in the seal. The apparatus includes a grinding wheel, a drive motor, a spindle, a cam, a cam follower, and flexure mounts to allow slight rotations of the grinding wheel or the face seal ring being ground, and thereby the apparatus machines contours onto the face of the ring.

Wavy-tilt-dam seal ring and apparatus for shaping seal rings

Wavy-tilt-dam seal ring

A dynamic seal or bearing interface having areas with different roughnesses. The different surface areas both provide asperity tip load support for the opposing interface.

A radially compliant and zero net thermal radial taper mechanical face seal. The seal includes a primary seal ring which is radially compliant to the opposing ring due to its narrow ring length, and an opposing ring which has a geometry and physical characteristics such that the thermal rotation caused by itself and the primary ring is zero. The seal includes further design features for enhancing the radial compliance and the zero net thermal rotation characteristics.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Alan Otto Lebeck