Seal for the rotor of rotary piston machines

Abstract

The parting line or groove between the piston halves of the rotor of a rotary piston engine are sealed by means of fools which conform to the configuration of a peripheral portion of the rotor and cover the parting line or joint.

1 - 5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . A rotary engine comprising a rotor divided transversely to an axis of rotation of the rotor to form two piston halves which are urged apart from each other to sealingly engage side walls of a housing for the rotor and thereby form a space between the piston halves which defines a groove circumscribing the rotor, and sealing elements which seal the groove with respect to a working fluid of the engine, each of the sealing elements comprising a foil shaped to a contour of a peripheral portion of the rotor and covering the groove. 
     
     
         7 . The rotary engine of  claim 6 , wherein each of the sealing elements is of a width in an axial direction of the rotor only slightly smaller than axial width of the rotor. 
     
     
         8 . The rotary engine of  claim 6 , further comprising radial sealing elements in the form of radial vanes received in respective radial slots in the rotor and each of the vanes being urged radially outward by a spring in the radial slot, the spring being situated radially inward of the vane and having an end bearing against a radially inner end of the vane, and wherein the sealing element is bent at an end thereof to form a flange which abuts the bottom surface of the groove, and another end of the spring bears against the flange. 
     
     
         9 . The rotary engine of  claim 8 , wherein the flange of each of two adjacent ones of the sealing elements abut the bottom surface of the same one of the grooves so that the flange of one of the two sealing elements overlies the flange of the other of the two sealing elements and said other end of the spring bears against the upper of the two flanges. 
     
     
         10 . The rotary engine of  claim 8 , wherein the spring is arranged so as to retain the sealing element in the groove.