Claims
- 1. A flexible seal for sealing the annular space between a cylinder and a tube, comprising:
- a. an annular base for engaging the outer surface of said cylinder;
- b. a flexible annular flap, supported by said base, sealing said annular space, said annular flap having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of said tube; and
- c. said flap including means for promoting buckling of said flap at a plurality of predetermined locations around the periphery of said flap.
- 2. The seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said annular flap is formed integral with said annular base.
- 3. The seal as recited in claim 1 or claim 2 further comprising an annular groove in a surface of said flap, near said base and concentric therewith, to facilitate axial flexing of said flap.
- 4. The seal as recited in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said flap comprises an elastomer.
- 5. The seal as recited in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said flap has a generally frustoconical shape joining said base on the smaller diameter thereof.
- 6. The seal as recited in claim 1 further comprising a bevel on the peripheral edge of said annular flap.
- 7. A flexible seal for sealing the annular space between a cylinder and a tube, comprising:
- a. an annular base for engaging the outer surface of said cylinder;
- b. a flexible annular flap, supported by said base, sealing said annular space, said annular flap having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of said tube; and
- c. said flap including a plurality of webs formed in said flap, regularly spaced around the surface of said flap, each of said webs comprising a substantially triangularly shaped section of said flap of substantially reduced thickness, one side of each said triangularly shaped section being near the periphery of said flap.
- 8. The seal as recited in claim 7 further comprising a radial recess in said flap, on the periphery thereof and adjacent each of said webs.
- 9. The seal as recited in claim 7 wherein said annular flap is formed integral with said annular base.
- 10. The seal as recited in claim 7 further comprising an annular groove in a surface of said flap, near said base and concentric therewith, to facilitate axial flexing of said flap.
- 11. The seal as recited in claim 7 wherein said flap comprises an elastomer.
- 12. The seal as recited in claim 7 wherein said flap has a generally frustoconical shape joining said base on the smaller diameter thereof.
- 13. The seal as recited in claim 7 further comprising a bevel on the peripheral edge of said annular flap.
- 14. A flexible seal for sealing the annular space between a cylinder and a tube, comprising:
- a. an annular base for engaging the outer surface of said cylinder;
- b. a flexible annular flap, supported by said base, sealing said annular space, said annular flap having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of said tube; and
- c. said flap including a plurality of radially diverging slit pairs in said flap and regularly spaced around the surface of said flap, each of said pairs defining a flexible wedged section of said flap.
- 15. The seal as recited in claim 14 wherein said annular flap is formed integral with said annular base.
- 16. The seal as recited in claim 14 further comprising an annular groove in a surface of said flap, near said base and concentric therewith, to facilitate axial flexing of said flap.
- 17. The seal as recited in claim 14 wherein said flap comprises an elastomer.
- 18. The seal as recited in claim 14 wherein said flap has a generally frustoconical shape joining said base on the smaller diameter thereof.
- 19. The seal as recited in claim 14 further comprising a bevel on the peripheral edge of said annular flap.
RIGHTS OF THE GOVERNMENT
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for all governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
2668067 |
Fitzsimmons |
Feb 1954 |
|
3995332 |
Forchini |
Dec 1976 |
|
4033593 |
Molnar et al. |
Jul 1977 |
|