Claims
- 1. A seal arrangement for sealing off a slot between first and second mutually movable bodies, the arrangement comprises a first and a second member, the first member being arranged on the first body and the second member being arranged on the second body, whereby a labyrinth-shaped slit is formed between the first and the second members, and said slit being filled with a semi-solid material having lubricating properties so that, upon movement of one of the members, the material will slide along at least one of the members thereby forming a very thin labyrinth between said member and the material that substantially prevents passage of air, moisture and dirt.
- 2. The seal arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first and second bodies are arranged concentrically one inside the other, and are mutually rotatable, thereby forming an annular slot.
- 3. The seal arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the first body is arranged inside the second body so that the annular slot is formed between an outer annular envelope surface of the first body, and an inner annular envelope surface of the second body, and wherein the first member is radially arranged on the outer envelope surface of the first body and the second member is radially arranged on the inner envelope surface of the second body.
- 4. The seal arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the first and second members of the seal are positioned at an axial distance from each other.
- 5. The seal arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the second member is a ring arranged on the inner envelope surface of the second body, the ring is provided with a radial flange that extends from the inner envelope surface of the second body and substantially all the way to the outer envelope surface of the first body leaving only a narrow gap therebetween.
- 6. The seal arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the first member is formed as an annular disc radially extending from the outer envelope surface of the first body substantially all the way to the ring of the second member, leaving only a narrow gap therebetween.
- 7. The seal arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the annular disc is positioned in the vicinity of the radial flange of the second member in the axial direction leaving a slit therebetween.
- 8. The seal arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the first member and the second member each comprise axial surfaces facing towards each other, each axial surface provided with at least one substantially axially extending tongue and whereby the tongue of the first member cooperates with the tongue of the second member thereby forming a labyrinth-shaped slit between them.
- 9. The seal arrangement according to claim 8, wherein each axial tongue is provided with a radially extending tip, and the tip of the tongue of the first member faces the tip of the tongue of the second member.
- 10. The seal arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the first member is a ring arranged on the outer envelope surface of the first body, the ring is provided with a radial flange which extends from the outer envelope surface of the first body and substantially most of the way to the inner envelope surface of the second body leaving only a narrow gap.
- 11. The seal arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the second member is a cup-shaped ring radially arranged on the inner envelope surface of the second body, the cup-shaped ring has an open side, and a cup-shaped portion facing towards the flange of the first member.
- 12. The seal arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the cup-shaped ring is positioned in the vicinity of the radial flange of the first member in the axial direction leaving a slit between them, and the cup-shaped ring extends radially from the inner envelope surface of the second body substantially all the way to the ring of the first member, leaving only a narrow gap therebetween.
- 13. The seal arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the cup-shaped ring is provided with a ring portion in contact with the inner envelope surface of the second body, the ring portion is provided with a free end that extends beyond the flange of the first member in the axial direction.
- 14. The seal arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the free end of the ring portion is provided with a radially extending lip.
- 15. The seal arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the flange of the first member is provided with at least one wavelike, annular corrugation facing the cup-shaped portion so that peaks of the corrugation extend a distance inside the cup-shaped portion.
- 16. The seal arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the flange of the first member is provided with at least one peak facing the cup-shaped portion, the peak extends a distance inside the cup-shaped portion.
- 17. The seal arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the cup-shaped portion is filled with the semi-solid material so that the wavelike, annular corrugation of the flange of the first member forms a corresponding wavelike, annular corrugation in the semi-solid material upon relative movement of the members.
- 18. The seal arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the cup-shaped portion is filled with the semi-solid material such that the at least one peak on the flange of the first member forms a recess in the semi-solid material corresponding to the peak, upon relative movement of the first and second members.
- 19. The seal arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first and second bodies are arranged to form a slot therebetween, and the first and second bodies are mutually, linearly movable and wherein the first member of the seal is attached to the first body and the second member of the seal is attached to the second body.
- 20. The seal arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the first body is provided with a first groove in a surface facing the second body, the first member of the seal being positioned in the first groove, and the second body is provided with a second groove in a surface facing the first body, the second member of the seal is positioned in the second groove.
- 21. The seal arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the first member has a U-profile which legs of the U-profile are pressed into the groove of the first body, and the U-profile is provided with a wavelike corrugation on the surface facing the second member of the seal, the portion of the first member being provided with the corrugation extends a distance out from the first body towards the second body.
- 22. The seal arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the first member is a U-profile which legs of the U-profile are pressed into the groove of the first body, and the U-profile is provided with at least one outwardly directed peak on the surface facing the second member of the seal, the portion of the first member being provided with the at least one peak extends a distance out from the first body towards the second body.
- 23. The seal arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the second member of the seal has a U-profile which is pressed into the groove of the second body with the open portion of the U-profile facing towards the U-profile of the first member, and wherein the U-profile of the first member extends a distance into the U-profile of the second member forming a slit between the first and the second members.
- 24. The seal arrangement according to claim 23, wherein the second member is filled with the semi-solid material to such an extent that the wavelike corrugation forms a corresponding wavelike corrugation in the semi-solid material upon relative movement of the first and second members.
- 25. The seal arrangement according to claim 23, wherein the second member is filled with the semi-solid material to such an extent that the at least one peak forms a corresponding recess in the semi-solid material upon relative movement of one of the first and second members.
- 26. The seal arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the semi-solid material fills the labyrinth-shaped slit, the material having the property of releasing a friction reducing substance under influence of the heat, pressure or friction generated by the relative movement of the first and second members.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
0202049-3 |
Jul 2002 |
SE |
|
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 with respect to Swedish Application No. 0202049-3 filed on Jul. 2, 2002, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.