Rotatable seal assembly
US4361332A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 12, 1980 |
| Grant date | Nov 30, 1982 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 12, 2000 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S277/913
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An assembly is provided for rotatably supporting a rotor on a stator so that vacuum chambers in the rotor and stator remain in communication while the chambers are sealed from ambient air, which enables the use of a ball bearing or the like to support most of the weight of the rotor. The apparatus includes a seal device mounted on the rotor to rotate therewith, but shiftable in position on the rotor while being sealed to the rotor as by an O-ring. The seal device has a flat face that is biased towards a flat face on the stator, and pressurized air is pumped between the faces to prevent contact between them while spacing them a small distance apart to avoid the inflow of large amounts of air between the faces and into the vacuum chambers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.