Rotary seal arrangement

Abstract

A rotary seal arrangement has a rotatably mounted machine part and a machine part that forms a bearing for the rotatably mounted machine part. One of the machine parts forms a seal accommodating structure and the other one of the machine parts has a surface forming a sealing surface. At least one rotary seal is arranged in the seal accommodating structure. The rotary seal seals off a high-pressure area from a low-pressure area between the machine parts.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A rotary seal of a rotary seal arrangement, the arrangement having a rotatably mounted machine part and a machine part that forms a bearing for the rotatably mounted machine part, wherein a first machine part forms a seal-accommodating structure and a second machine part has a surface forming a sealing surface, at least one rotary seal being arranged in the seal-accommodating structure for sealing off a high-pressure, rotary feed-through area from a low-pressure area between the machine parts, wherein, through the rotary feed-through area, a fluid that is under positive pressure relative to the low-pressure area is introduced through a sealing surface, from one of the machine parts into the other of the machine parts, the rotary seal comprising:
 a support element, said support element being essentially rigid and positionally stable with respect to the first machine part;   a rubber-elastically deformable contact body in contact with said support element on the high-pressure area side; and   a sealing ring made from PTFE and having a sealing edge, said sealing ring having a wide side on each side of said sealing edge and a seal seat edge area facing away from said sealing edge, said wide sides being interconnected via said seal seat edge area, wherein said contact body is at least partially disposed between at least one of said wide sides of said sealing ring and said support element, said support element extending, at least in a supporting area, obliquely with respect to an axial direction of the rotatably mounted machine part, wherein said contact body is shaped in such a manner that, in the supporting area, the sealing ring is pressed away from the sealing surface by said contact body and, when exposed to pressure lying below a threshold pressure, said sealing edge seats in the rotary feed-through area without exerting a pressing load on the sealing surface or such that said sealing edge is separated from the sealing surface and, in the event of pressure exceeding the threshold pressure, the sealing ring and said sealing edge are pressed, in opposition to internal elastic forces of said contact body, towards the sealing surface to seat in a sealing manner thereon.   
     
     
         12 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein said sealing ring is in loose contact with said contact body. 
     
     
         13 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein the sealing surface is constituted as a lateral surface of a cylinder and said contact body is at least partially disposed, in an axial direction of the rotatably mounted machine part, between said support element and said sealing ring. 
     
     
         14 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein the sealing surface is constituted as a circle area or a circular ring area and said contact body is at least partially disposed, in a radial direction of the rotatably mounted machine part, between said support element and said sealing ring. 
     
     
         15 . The seal of  claim 11 , wherein the second machine part is constituted as a radial shaft mounted in the first machine part and the rotary seal is ring-shaped and disposed about the radial shaft. 
     
     
         16 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein said support element is constituted integrally with the first machine part as part of the seal-accommodating structure. 
     
     
         17 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein said contact body extends, in a radial direction of the rotary seal, between said sealing ring and the seal-accommodating structure, said sealing ring being pretensioned in the radial direction toward the second machine part by an elastic restoring force of said contact body. 
     
     
         18 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein said contact body has an area in contact with said sealing ring in an axial direction of the rotatably mounted machine part, on the high-pressure area side, wherein said edge of said sealing ring facing radially away from the sealing surface is disposed in a recess of said contact body. 
     
     
         19 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein said sealing ring has a cross-section that is angled concavely with respect to the rotary feed-through area. 
     
     
         20 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein said support element is made of steel and/or said sealing ring is made of PTFE and/or said contact body is made from an elastomer. 
     
     
         21 . The seal arrangement of  claim 11 , wherein two rotary seals are preferably disposed mirror-symmetrically about the high-pressure area.