Motor Grounding Seal

Abstract

A shaft seal assembly is disclosed having a stator including a main body and axial and radial projections therefrom. The rotor may be radially extended to encompass the axial and radial projections from said stator. A passageway formed between the radial projection of stator and rotor results in an axial passageway having its opening facing rearwardly from the rotor and away from the source of impinging coolant and/or contaminant. A concentric circumferential receptor groove in the stator facing the housing allows insertion of a conductive insert for transmission of electrostatic charge away from the shaft through the shaft seal assembly to the housing and ground. The receptor groove is opposite the axial passageway and provides for both a substantially lower contaminant environment and improved engagement with the conductive insert.

1 . A motor ground sealing assembly comprising:
 a) a stator surrounding a shaft and affixed to a housing, said stator having a main body and projections extending both axially and radially beyond said main body;   b) a rotor surrounding said shaft, said rotor secured to said shaft, said rotor having a main body and projections extending both radially and axially;   c) a circumferential receptor groove formed in said stator, wherein said receptor groove faces said shaft; and,   d) a circumferential conductive insert, said conductive insert placed within said receptor groove and engaged with said shaft to conduct electrical currents away from said shaft to said housing, wherein said rotor and said stator are abutted and intermeshed with each other on said shaft, said rotor radial projections extending radially outwardly farther than any radial projections of said stator.   
     
     
         2 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance to  claim 1  wherein the radial space between said radial rotor projections and said radial stator projections forms a first axial passage. 
     
     
         3 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein said first passageway includes a first axial passage opening to a space in said stator and facing the body of the stator between said housing and the radial extensions of the rotor and stator. 
     
     
         4 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein said dimension of said axial passage is constant. 
     
     
         5 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein the dimension of said axial passage is predetermined. 
     
     
         6 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein said opening of said axial passage faces away from injected coolant, said rotor projection and towards said housing. 
     
     
         7 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein said main body of said stator surrounds a portion of said rotor. 
     
     
         8 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein the radius of the radial internal surface of the rotor radial projection encompassing said stator is greater than the radius of the exterior surface of said radial projection of said stator. 
     
     
         9 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein there is at least one labyrinth formed between the main body of said stator and the main body of said rotor. 
     
     
         10 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said rotor and said stator are restrained from relative axial movement between each other. 
     
     
         11 . A motor ground sealing assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein a groove is formed in said main body of said stator, said groove augmenting the radial extension of said radial projection from said stator.