Sealed thrust bearing

Claim 1

A SEALED THRUST BEARING COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND MUTUALLY CONCENTRIC AND AXIALLY SPACED THRUST RINGS ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER ABOUT A COMMON AXIS, SAID RINGS DEFINING MUTUALLY CONFRONTING ANNULAR RACES, AN ANNULAR SERIES OF ROTATABLE SUPPORT ELEMENTS INTERVENTING BETWEEN SAID THRUST RINGS IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITH BOTH RACES TO TRANSMIT THRUST LOADS BETWEEN SAID THRUST RINGS, AN INNER ANNULAR BEARING SHELL MEMBER SPANNING SAID THRUST RINGS INWARDLY OF SAID SUPPORT ELEMENTS, SAID INNER BEARING SHELL MEMBER HAVING A STATIC ANNULAR CONNECTION TO ONE OF SAID THRUST RINGS AND HAVING A ROTATABLE SEALED CONNECTION WITH THE OTHER OF SAID RINGS, AN OUTER ANNULAR BEARING SHELL MEMBER SPANNING SAID THURST RINGS OUTWARDLY OF SAID ROTATABLE SUPPORT ELEMENTS, SAID FIRST THRUST RING HAVING A CIRCULAR OUTER PERIPHERY AND HAVING A FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM SAID OUTER PERIPHERY ON THE INNER SIDE OF SAID FIRST THRUST RING, SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER HAVING A MEDIAL PORTION WHICH IS CIRCULAR IN SHAPED AND SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER IN DIAMETER THAN SAID OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID FIRST THRUST RING, SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER HAVING AN ANNULAR SPRING FLANGE INTEGRAL WITH THE FIRST THRUST RING END OF SAID MEDIAL PORTION OF SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER AND EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARD IN ADJACENT RELATION TO SAID INNER FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE ON SAID FIRST THRUST RING, SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER BEING SHAPED IN ITS UNSTRESSED CONDITION SO THAT WHEN THE OUTER SHELL MEMBER IS FREE OF EXTERNALLY APPLIED STRESS SAID ANNULAR SPRING FLANGE HAS A TRUNCATED CONICAL SHAPED DIVERGING AWAY FROM SAID INNER FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE ON SAID FIRST THRUST RING IN A RADIALLY OUTWARD DIRECTION, SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER BEING A PERIPHERAL MOUNTING LIP INTEGRAL WITH SAID SPRING FLANGE AT THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE LATTER AND ENCIRCLING SAID OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID FIRST THRUST RING, SAID ANNULAR SPRING FLANGE BEING FORCEABLY FLATTENED AGAINST SAID INNER FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE ON SAID FIRST THRUST RING, SAID OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID FIRST THRUST RING DEFINING THEREON A SHARP AND SUBSTANTIALLY RING ANGLED ANNULAR CORNER SPACED AXIALLY FROM SAID INNER FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE, THE MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID MOUNTING LIP REMOTE FROM SAID SPRING FLANGE BEING TURNED SHARPLY INWARD AROUND SAID SHARP CORNER ON THE OUTER PHERIPHERY OF SAID FIRST THRUST RING TO FORM AN ANCHORING FLANGE HOLDING SAID FLATTENED SPRING FLANGE FLAT AGAINST SAID INNER FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE ON SAID FIRST THRUST RING TO MAINTAIN THE FLATTENED SPRING FLANGE IN A PERMANENT CONDITION OF RESIDUAL STRESS WHICH CONTINUOUSLY URGES THE INNER PERIPHERY OF THE SPRING FLANGE HARD AGAINST SAID INNER FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE AND WHICH CONTINUOUSLY URGES SAID ANCHORING FLANGE HARD AGAINST SAID SHARP CORNER TO FORM TWO NARROW BANDS OF HIGH INTENSITY SEALING PRESSURE BETWEEN SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER AND SAID FIRST THRUST MEMBER, SAID SECOND THRUST RING DEFINING A GENERALLY FLAT AND RADIALLY EXTENDING END SURFACE ON THE SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE FROM SAID ROTATABLE SUPPORT ELEMENTS, AND SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER DEFINING A SEALING FLANGE INTEGRAL WITH SIAD MEDIAL PORTION OF THE OUTER SHELL AND EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARD INTO CLOSE FITTING RADAILLY OVERLAPPING RELATION WITH SAID OUTER END SURFACE ON SAID SECOND THRUST RING TO FORM THEREWITH A CAPILLARY SEAL AND ALLOW RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER AND SAID SECOND THRUST RING.