USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Antonio M Amaral

Stanley J Olson

Neil J Dubois

Chahee P Cho

Stephen F Oliver

William P Krol

Robert F Doleski

Anthony N Corvelli

Jonathan M Ferreira

A pressure balanced floating seal system positioned within a structure about a rotating shaft. The floating seal system has a cylindrical outer seal housing having a cylindrical internal recessed region formed in the outer seal housing with a retaining flange extending into said internal recessed region. A cylindrical inner seal housing is positioned within the internal recessed region. The inner seal housing has an annular internal surface for accommodating the rotating shaft. Two sealing member retaining grooves are formed in the inner seal housing annular internal surface and a lubricant recess is formed between the two grooves. An intermediate seal is retained on the forward side of the inner seal housing forward face between the inner seal housing and the outer seal housing at the retaining flange. Sealing members are positioned in the sealing member retaining grooves at substantially the same radius as the intermediate seal.

Axially pressure balanced floating seal system

A radially pressure balanced floating seal system is used to seal a rotating shaft, such as a drive shaft in a torpedo, or other type of vehicle or machinery. The radially pressure balanced floating seal includes an outer seal housing and an inner seal housing that floats with respect to the outer seal housing. The outer seal housing is secured proximate the shaft bearings, for example, in the tail cone of a torpedo. The inner seal housing is secured within an internal recessed region in the outer seal housing, and two or more discrete torque members or one distributed torque member extend from the outer seal housing to the inner seal housing to prevent rotation of the inner seal housing while allowing movement generally in a radial direction. The inner seal housing includes a lubricant recess formed within an internal annular aperture of the inner seal housing for containing lubricant. Double canted O-rings are disposed on each side of the lubricant recess in double canted O-ring grooves. The double canted grooves and O-rings prevent unbalanced radial forces that might cause rubbing of the shaft against the seal housing. In one embodiment, the lubricant recess is double canted to also minimize the sealing length.

Radially pressure balanced floating seal system

A compact floating seal system for sealing a rotating shaft within a structure. The floating seal system has a cylindrical outer seal housing positioned within the structure with a cylindrical internal recessed region formed in the outer seal housing and a retaining flange extending into the internal recessed region. An axial retaining means axially retains the outer seal housing against the structure, and an outer torque member prevents rotation of the outer seal housing with respect to the structure. An inner seal housing is retained within the internal recessed region and abuts the retaining flange for preventing axial movement of the housing. The inner seal housing has a shaft aperture therethrough. First and second sealing member retaining grooves formed within the shaft aperture retain O-rings. A lubricant recess is formed within the shaft aperture between the grooves. A rotation prevention means allows radial deflection of the inner seal housing within the outer seal housing but prevents rotation of the inner seal housing with respect to the outer seal housing.

Compact drive shaft floating seal system

The insertion tool is used to insert an oversized O-ring into a groove, such as a internal groove in an seal housing. The insertion tool includes a base for supporting the housing and an O-ring support extending into the housing and having a top support surface generally aligned with the groove. The O-ring is generally held into position proximate the groove using holding pins around which the O-ring is looped. Pie shaped segments are positioned onto the O-ring support between the holding pins to secure respective sections of the O-ring into the groove. Radial pushers are positioned in spaces between each of the segments, and a retainer ring is disposed over the segments and radial pushers. A central pusher rod extends through a hole in the O-ring support and base, and a cam plunger engages cam surfaces on the radial pushers. The holding pins are removed and movement of the cam plunger causes the radial pushers to move radially, thereby completely inserting the O-ring into the groove.

Insertion tool for inserting an O-ring into an internal O-ring

A joint band assembly secures payload and drive sections of a torpedo together and subsequently separates them while the torpedo is making a run. A pair of essentially semicircular bands is arranged in a ring shape have radially inwardly extending lip portions that compressively engage circumferential rims radially outwardly extending from a separation section having first and second parts connected to the payload and drive sections. Adjacent ends of the semicircular bands are coupled together by electro-explosive devices (EEDs) that each has a tubular body portion containing an explosive charge adjacent an annular segment of the tubular body portion. The annular segment has reduced thickness as compared to thickness of the tubular body portion to assure its rupture and separation of the body portion and the interconnected bands. The serial arrangement of bands and EEDs assures separation in the event that one of the electro-explosive devices should fail to detonate, and safety wire and a bonding agent hold separated parts together after detonation to prevent scattering of fragments and possible damage to the payload or drive sections.

Torpedo joint band with in-water separation capability utilizing frangible link EEDs

There is provided an endless tubular body forming an enclosed chamber then, and granules of permanent magnet material disposed in the chamber. The body is deformable by the granules when the granules are subjected to a magnetic force. With respect to the aspect of the invention wherein seal assembly technology is the center of interest, there are provided a first member of magnetically permeable material and a second member spaced from the first member to define a passageway therebetween, and the above described sealing ring is disposed in the passageway between the first and second members and in engagement therewith. With respect to the aspect of the of the invention wherein the technology of making a seal assembly is the center of interest, there is provided a method for making the above-described seal assembly.

Sealing ring with deformable tubular sheath filled with permanent

A damped flexible seal assembly for a torpedo isolates the tailcone thereof rom vibrational energy present in the drive shaft assembly. A pair of outside flanges, each of which include an inwardly facing groove and an O-ring constrained therein, provide a watertight seal against the outer non-rotating surface of the drive shaft assembly. An inside flange includes an outwardly-facing groove and an O-ring constrained therein, and provides a watertight seal against the inner surface of the tail cone. Two cast-in-place elastomeric seals provide a watertight seal between the flanges and further provide a damping barrier between the outside flanges and the inside flanges for damping vibrational energy present in the drive shaft assembly before the energy can reach the tailcone through the seal assembly.

Growing community of inventors

East Providence, RI, United States of America

Antonio M Amaral