Claims
- 1. A system for providing a seal for preventing fluid flow between relatively rotatable elements, said system comprising:first and second relatively rotatable elements; a substantially non-deformable seal consisting of a substantially non-deformable seal element; said first element having a groove defined therein for receiving said seal element and retaining said seal element at a predetermined orientation relative to said second element; a spacer element disposed between said seal element in said groove and said first element, said spacer element being formed from a substantially non-resilient material; wherein said first element is a piston having an opening therein, said groove being defined around the periphery of said opening in said piston; said second element is a drum having a hub, said hub of said drum adapted to be received in said opening in said piston; and said piston and said drum are arranged such that said seal element extends inwardly from said opening in said piston and is contiguous with the outer surface of said hub of said drum when said hub is received in said opening in said piston.
- 2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spacer element is formed from a wire.
- 3. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said wire is metallic.
- 4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drum is rotatable relative to said piston.
- 5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said piston is rotatable relative to said drum.
- 6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spacer element and said seal element are arranged in a contiguously abutting relationship.
- 7. A system for providing a seal for preventing fluid flow between relatively rotatable elements, said system comprising:first and second relatively rotatable elements; a substantially non-deformable seal consisting of a substantially non-deformable seal element; said first element having a groove defined therein for receiving said seal element and retaining said seal element at a predetermined orientation relative to said second element; a spacer element disposed between said seal element in said groove and said first element, said spacer element being formed from a substantially non-resilient material; wherein said first element is a drum having a hub thereon, said groove being defined around the outer surface of the hub; said second element is a piston having an opening therein, said hub of said drum adapted to be received in said opening in said piston; and said piston and said drum are arranged such that said seal element extends outwardly from said outer surface of said hub and is contiguous with the periphery of said opening in said piston when said hub is received in said opening in said piston.
- 8. The system as claimed in claim 7 wherein drum is rotatable relative to said piston.
- 9. The system as claimed in claim 7 wherein said piston is rotatable relative to said drum.
- 10. The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said spacer element and said seal element are arranged in a contiguously abutting relationship.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/315,927 filed May 18, 1999 U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,160 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. Nos. 08/940,172 and 08/940,359, both filed Sep. 30, 1997 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (31)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
585362 |
Oct 1959 |
CA |
974917 |
Feb 1951 |
FR |
6802 |
Jan 1894 |
GB |
627805 |
Jul 1949 |
GB |
1280712 |
Jul 1972 |
GB |
24905 |
May 1928 |
NL |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Updating Actuator Piston Ring Seals of Teflon TFE; H.A. Traub; The Journal of Teflon, Aug. 1965. |
Fundamental Principles of Polymeric Materials; Rosen, John Wiley & Sons, 1971. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/313927 |
May 1999 |
US |
Child |
09/992636 |
|
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/940172 |
Sep 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/313927 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/940359 |
Sep 1997 |
US |
Child |
08/940172 |
|
US |