Patent ID: 8753079

Claim:
A mechanical seal comprising: a rotatable portion; a stationary portion; a rotatable sealing face associated with the rotatable portion; a stationary sealing face associated with the stationary portion, the sealing faces being in opposed relation and arranged to be urged into contact to form a seal therebetween; and a support assembly incorporating one of the sealing faces thereon, the support assembly incorporating a movable portion on which the one of the sealing faces is disposed and a base portion that mounts to, or bears against, the stationary portion, the support assembly further incorporating a biasing device and being operative to move the one of the sealing faces into contact with the other of the sealing faces under the influence of a biasing force of the biasing device, the biasing device being disposed between the movable portion and the base portion, wherein the movable portion is disposed radially outward from the base portion, and further wherein the biasing device comprises one or more resilient members that, in use, are deformed so as to be placed in tension to provide the biasing force.