Rotary mechanical seal

Claim 1

THE COMBINATION WITH A PAIR OF RELATIVELY ROTATABLE MEMBERS CONSISTING OF A HOUSING MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH AND A SHAFT MEMBER EXTENDING LOOSELY THROUGH AND CONCENTRIC WITH SAID OPENING, TOGETHER WITH MEANS ON ONE OF THE MEMBERS FORMING AN ANNULAR RECESS IN CONCENTRIC RELATION WITH THE SHAFT MEMBER, AND MEANS ON THE OTHER MEMBER PROVIDING A SEALED RADIAL FACE IN CONCENTRIC RELATION WITH THE AXIS OF THE SHAFT MEMBER AND SPACED AXIALLY A SMALL DISTANCE FROM THE RECESS, OF A ROTARY MECHANICAL SEAL OPERATIVE TO PROVIDE A FLUID SEAL FOR THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TWO MEMBERS AND COMPRISING AN ANTIFRICTION WASHER EXTENDING CONCENTRICALLY AROUND THE SHAFT MEMBER, HAVING EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AN AXIAL TRULY CYLINDRICAL BORE OF GREATER DIAMETER THAN SAID SHAFT MEMBER, HAVING ONE END FACE THEREOF FLAT AND IN ABUTMENT AND RUNNING SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SEALED RADIAL FACE, AND ALSO HAVING A TRULY CYLINDRICAL COUNTERBORE EXTENDING INWARDS FROM SAID ONE END FACE THEREOF AND TERMINATING IN A FLAT RADIAL SHOULDER IN SPACED RELATION WITH THE OTHER END FACE OF THE WASHER AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS OF SAID WASHER, AN IMPERFORATE, SINGLE THICKNESS, FRUSTO-CONICAL BACKING RING HAVING A SMALL SLANT ANGLE AND SHORT SLANT HEIGHT, FORMED OF THIN SPRING METAL, EXTENDING CONCENTRICALLY AROUND THE SHAFT MEMBER AND BETWEEN THE ANNULAR SEAT AND WASHER, HAVING ONE END THEREOF DISPOSED IN TIGHT SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ANNULAR RECESS AND HELD AGAINST AXIAL AND ROTATIVE SHIFTING WITH RESPECT TO SAID ONE MEMBER, AND HAVING ITS OTHER END PROVIDED WITH AN INTEGRAL OUTWARDLY EXTENDING TRULY CYLINDRICAL RIM PORTION THAT IS TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVED IN THE BORE OF THE WASHER WITH A TIGHT FRICTIONAL FIT AND TERMINATES SHORT OF THE COUNTERBORE, SAID BACKING RING PRESENTING A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT RADIAL CROSS SECTION FROM ONE END THEREOF TO THE OTHER AT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL RADIAL ANGLES AND BEING UNDER ENDWISE COMPRESSION TO THE END THAT IT SERVES TO URGE THE WASHER YIELDINGLY AGAINST THE AFORESAID SEALED RADIAL FACE ON SAID OTHER MEMBER, AND A RIGID COMPRESSION RING OF L-SHAPED CROSS SECTION, EXTENDING LOOSELY AROUND THE SHAFT MEMBER, POSITIONED BETWEEN THE WASHER AND SAID OTHER END OF THE BACKING RING AND EMBODYING A CYLINDRICAL PORTION THAT IS TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVED WITHIN THE CYLINDRICAL RIM PORTION OF THE BACKING RING AND SERVES TO EXPAND SAID CYLINDRICAL RIM PORTION UNIFORMLY AGAINST SAID CYLINDRICAL BORE OF THE WASHER, SAID COMPRESSION RING ALSO EMBODYING AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLAT RADIAL FLANGE WHICH EXTENDS OUTWARDS ACROSS THE FREE END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL RIM PORTION OF THE BACKING MEMBER AND FITS FLATLY AND DIRECTLY AGAINST THE AFORESAID FLAT RADIAL SHOULDER OF THE WASHER, SAID WASHER BEING SO PROPORTIONED THAT THE LENGTH OF ITS COUNTERBORE IS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE RADIAL FLANGE OF THE COMPRESSION RING TO THE END THAT ITS SAID ONE END FACE IS AXIALLY SPACED FROM THE OUTER SIDE FACE OF SAID RADIAL FLANGE OF THE WASHER.