Reinforcement for sealing element and sealing element incorporating said reinforcement

Claim 1

IN AN ANNULAR COMPOSITE SEALING ELEMENT COMPRISING A BODY OF AN ELASTOMER REINFORCEMENT WHICH IS EMBEDDED IN THE BODY AND COMPRISES A RING STRUCTURE HAVING A CIRCULAR NEUTRAL AXIS AND CONSISTING OF A METAL WIRE COILED IN CIRCULAR COILS ABOUT SAID AXIS SO THAT THE RING STRUCTURE HAS A SUCCESSION OF OBLIQUE COILS, THE COILS SLOPING TOWARD SAID AXIS IN SUCH MANNER THAT THE RING STRUCTURE HAS AN ELLIPTIC MERIDIAN CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE THE MAJOR AXIS OF WHICH SHAPE INTERSECTS THE CENTRE AXIS OF THE RING STRUCTURE AND THAT ANY TWO ADJACENT COILS ARE OFFSET FROM EACH OTHER AND PARTIALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN TWO OPPOSITE FIRST REGIONS OF THE COILS AND THEREBY PERMIT AND ADVANTAGEOUS ANCHORING OF THE REINFORCEMENT IN SAID BODY AND CROSS EACH OTHER AND PARTIALLY CONTACT EACH OTHER IN TWO SECOND REGIONS OF THE COILS AND THEREBY PREVENT CREP OF SAID BODY IN SAID SECOND REGIONS, SAID REINFORCEMENT FURTHER COMPRISING A SPACER RING EMBEDDED IN SAID BODY AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE COILS, WHEREBY REGIONS OF THE LATTER ARE SUPPORTED AND MAINTAIN THEIR SHAPE.