A seal assembly for a shaft supporting a rotary element comprises a sealing ring having an inner radial surface in contact with a seal surface of the shaft. The sealing ring comprising a disc shaped integral radial lip normal to the inner radial surface. A disc shaped seal shield is assembled in sealing contact with a first surface of the integral disc shaped radial lip and also in sealing contact with a first radial surface of an annular seal groove. An energizer positioned in the annular seal groove is in contact with the bottom surface of the groove and a second radial surface of the groove. The energizer exerts a radial force on the outer radial surface of the sealing ring and a lateral force on the integral radial lip of the sealing ring.
RELATED APPLICATION
The present application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/294,056 filed Nov. 13, 2002, entitled Bearing Seal, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,317, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/346,056, filed Nov. 16, 2001, entitled Bearing Seal.
A drill bit and seal assembly therefor include a seal gland, an elastomeric sealing seal disposed in the seal gland and having a dynamic sealing surface and a static sealing surface, and at least one auxiliary elastomeric annular seal member disposed between the static sealing surface of the sealing seal and the seal gland. The auxiliary annular seal member serves to prevent relative movement of the sealing seal relative to the surfaces of the seal gland and to permit sealing seals of various cross-sections and shapes to adapt to and function with a conventionally sized and shaped gland. The auxiliary annular seal member is sized and configured and its material properties selected so as to impart the appropriate squeeze to the sealing seal to provide the desired contact pressure and footprint. Choice of the appropriate auxiliary seal member may permit the same sized seal to be employed in seal glands of differing sizes.
