The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 15, 1984
Filed:
Nov. 01, 1982
Ernst P von Bergen, Hamburg, DE;
Abstract
An annular seal assembly disposed between a shaft surface and a surrounding ousing, for example, a seal assembly for an aft-stern tube seal of a sea-going vessel, comprises a nonrotating annular seal element having a circumferentially segmented construction, the segments having overlapping ends. An inflatable annular member, concentrically disposed between the housing and the seal element, sealingly supports the seal element on the shaft surface at the same time providing some freedom for radial vibrating movements to accommodate shaft-eccentricities and radial vibrating movements of the shaft. The seal assembly includes means to admit a controlled pressurized fluid into the inflatable member. The pressurized fluid may be the outboard sea water or any water or air under pressure. The pressurized fluid is so controlled as to maintain a narrow clearance between the shaft surface and the segmented seal element for a lubricant, regardless of seal wear and variation in the pressure head of the fluid. The segmented seal construction offers better performance over conventional nonsegmented types.