Engine

Claim 1

AN ENGINE COMPRISING (A) A HOUSING CONTAINING A WORKING CAVITY HAVING A PAIR OF TRANSVERSE END WALLS AND HIGH AND LOW PRESSURE CONNECTIONS; (B) A PAIR OF MESHING GEARS POSITIONED WITHIN THE CAVITY AND CARRIED BY SHAFT WHOSE OPPOSITE ENDS PROJECT FROM SAID CAVITY; (C) BEARING MEANS SUPPORTED IN THE HOUSING FOR JOURNALING THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE SHAFTS; (D) A THIN DEFLECTABLE WEAR PLATE CLAMPED AROUND ITS OUTER PERIPHERY IN THE HOUSING AND POSITIONED ADJACENT ONE SIDE FACE OF THE GEARS SO THAT ITS FRONT FACE DEFINES ONE OF SAID TRANSVERSE END WALLS, THE WEAR PLATE BEING FORMED WITH BORES THROUGH WHICH THE SHAFTS PROJECT, THE HOUSING BEING FORMED TO PROVIDE A SPACE ADJACENT THE REAR FACE OF THE WEAR PLATE THAT IS ALIGNED WITH AND HAS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME CROSSSECTIONAL SIZE AND SHAPE AS THE WORKING CAVITY; (E) A SEAL PLATE SEPARATE FROM THE WEAR PLATE AND POSITIONED IN SAID SPACE, THE SEAL PLATE BEING FORMED WITH BORES OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF THE BEARING MEANS THROUGH WHICH THE SHAFTS EXTEND; (F) SEALING MEANS CONFINED BETWEEN THE SEAL PLATE AND THE REAR FACE OF THE WEAR PLATE AND DEFINING WEAR PLATE DEFLECTION-CONTROL AREAS ON THE REAR FACE OF THE WEAR PLATE;AND (G) MEANS FOR PRESSURIZING AND VENTING SELECTED ONES OF SAID DEFLECTION-CONTROL AREAS.