Lubricated seals having micropores
US6341782B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 3, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 3, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16J15/3424
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A lubricated hydrostatic seal comprising (a) surface regions having opposing surfaces; (b) a plurality of micropores in one or more of said surfaces having a pore geometry; and (c) a flow of fluid between said surfaces, wherein said flow of fluid past said micropores provides a lifting force between said surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, the opposing surfaces of the surface regions are nominally parallel. Nominally-parallel surfaces are simple to manufacture and are considerably less expensive than the various converging-surface configurations of the prior art. The nominally-parallel surface configuration can also be utilized in both liquid-lubricated and gas-lubricated hydrodynamic seal applications, and in hybrid-seal applications in which both hydrodynamic and hydrostatic lift are generated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.