Stern tube shaft sealing apparatus

(19)

(11)

EP 1 256 518 A3

(12)	EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88)	Date of publication A3:
	03.09.2003 Bulletin 2003/36

(43)	Date of publication A2:
	13.11.2002 Bulletin 2002/46

(21)	Application number: 02009400.9

(22)	Date of filing: 25.04.2002

(51)	International Patent Classification (IPC)⁷: B63H 23/32

(84)	Designated Contracting States:
	AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR
	Designated Extension States:
	AL LT LV MK RO SI

(30)

Priority:

11.05.2001 JP 2001141109

(71)	Applicant: Eagle Industry Co., Ltd.
	Tokyo (JP)

(72)	Inventor:
	Kudo, Yoshitaka, Saitama Factory Sakado-shi, Saitama (JP)

(74)	Representative: Gahlert, Stefan, Dr.-Ing. et al
	Witte, Weller & Partner, Patentanwälte, Postfach 105462 70047 Stuttgart 70047 Stuttgart (DE)

(54)	Stern tube shaft sealing apparatus

(57) An apparatus for sealing a shaft for a stern tube is disclosed, comprising: a case (32) arranged so as to surround an outer circumference of a propeller shaft (2) of the stern tube; a water seal (34), an oil seal (36), and an intermediate seal (35) provided between the water seal (34) and the oil seal (36) at an inner circumference of the case (32); characterized in that the oil seal (36) and the intermediate seal (35) are made of rubber elastic bodies and provided with bases (361, 351) held by the case (32) and seal lips (362, 352) slidably contacting at a side of the propeller shaft (2), the seal lip (362) of the oil seal (36) facing to an inside of a hull, and the seal lip (352) of the intermediate seal (35) facing to a side of the stern, wherein an air chamber (C) is bounded between the oil seal (36) and the intermediate seal (35), and wherein an air supplier (39) for supplying fluid having a higher pressure than in a drain chamber (B) is connected to the air chamber (C) (Fig. 1).

Search report