Sealing structure

Claim 1

IN A ROTARY MECHANISM OF THE KIND COMPRISING AN OUTER BODY HAVING A CAVITY THEREIN AND AN INNER BODY RELATIVELY ROTATABLE WITHIN SAID CAVITY ABOUT AN AXIS LATERALLY SPACED FROM BUT PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID CAVITY, SAID OUTER BODY HAVING AXIALLY-SPACED END WALLS AND A PERIPHERAL WALL INTERCONNECTING THE END WALLS TO FORM SAID CAVITY, THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CAVITY PERIPHERAL WALL HAVING MULTI-LOBE PROFILE WHICH IS BASICALLY AN EPITROCHOID, SAID INNER BODY HAVING END FACES DISPOSED ADJACENT TO SAID OUTER BODY END WALLS FOR SEALING COOPERATION THEREWITH AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL SURFACE WITH A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED APEX PORTIONS, SAID INNER BODY BEING PROVIDED AT EACH APEX WITH A THROUGH-SLOT THAT EXTENDS AXIALLY FROM ONE OF ITS END FACES TO THE OTHER, EACH SUCH SLOT BEING DEFINED BY A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS, AN APEX SEAL MEMBER SEATED IN EACH SAID SLOT WITH PLAY IN BOTH THE RADIAL AND CIRCUMFERENTIAL DIRECTIONS AND ENGAGING THE MULTI-LOBE INNER SURFACE OF THE OUTER BODY PERIPHERAL WALL AND ALSO ITS AXIALLY-SPACED END WALLS IN SEALING RELATION TO FORM A PLURALITY OF WORKING CHAMBERS BETWEEN THE TWO BODIES WHICH VARY IN VOLUME UPON RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE TWO BODIES, NORMALLY DIFFERENT RESPECTIVE GAS PRESSURES PREVAILING IN SAID WORKING CHAMBERS DURING OPERATION OF SAID ROTARY MECHANISM, EACH SAID SEALING MEMBER HAVING: A PAIR OF AXIALLY EXTENDING SIDE WALLS WHICH CONFRONT THE SIDE WALLS OF THE RESPECTIVE SLOT, A LATERALLY EXTENDING THROUGH-OPENING AT THE SEAL UNDERSIDE, A PAIR OF JAW-LIKE, END LEG PARTS, AND A MIDDLE PART WEDGED BETWEEN THE END LEG PARTS, THE INTERIOR SURFACES OF THESE PARTS DEFINING THE THROUGH-OPENING, SAID END LEG PARTS BEING SPLIT FROM THE MIDDLE PART ALONG A PAIR OF SPLITTING PLANES WHICH CONVERGE TO INTERSECTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE INNER BODY CENTER RADIALLY OUTWARDLY AND AXIALLY INWARDLY, SAID SPLITTING PLANES ALSO DEFINING THE MENTIONED INTERIOR SURFACES OF THE END LEGS, WHEREBY SAID PARTS ARE FREELY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER IN THE LATERAL DIRECTION, EVEN AT THE CONTACT LINE BETWEEN SEAL AND THE INTERIOR PERIPHERAL WALL OF SAID OUTER BODY, AND ARE ALSO FREE TO MOVE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER IN THE AXIAL AND RADIAL DIRECTIONS.