Sealed bearing

Claim 1

A SEALED BEARING COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN INNER BEARING ELEMENT DEFINING AN INNER ANNULAR RACE, AN OUTER BEARING ELEMENT ENCIRCLING SAID INNER BEARING ELEMENT AND DEFINING AN OUTER ANNULAR RACE ENCIRCLING SAID INNER RACE, AN ANNULAR SERIES OF ROTARY LOAD BEARING MEMBERS INTERVENING BETWEEN SAID RACES IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH TO JOURNAL SAID INNER AND OUTER ELEMENTS FOR RELATIVE ROTATION ABOUT A COMMON AXIS, SAID OUTER BEARING ELEMENT DEFINING AN ANNULAR SEALING SURFACE LOCATED AXIALLY AT ONE SIDE OF SAID OUTER RACE AND FACING GENERALLY IN A RADIALLY INWARD DIRECTION IN CONCENTRIC RELATION TO SAID AXIS, A FLEXIBLE ANNULAR SEAL FORMED OF YIELDABLE POLYMERIC MATERIAL AND ENCIRCLING SAID INNER BEARING ELEMENT BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER BEARING ELEMENTS, SAID FLEXIBLE SEAL INCLUDING A CANTILEVERING ANNULAR PORTION WHICH CANTILEVERS RADIALLY AWAY FROM SAID INNER BEARING ELEMENT AND AXIALLY AWAY FROM SAID INNER RACE, SAID CANTILEVERING ANNULAR PORTION OF SAID SEAL HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING MARGINAL EDGE WHICH IS ENCIRCLED BY SAID SEALING SURFACE, SAID SEAL BEING TWISTED OUT OF ITS UNSTRESSED SHAPE AND THEREBY HAVING A RESIDUAL STRESS WHICH CONTINUOUSLY URGES SAID CANTILEVERING ANNULAR PORTION OF THE SEAL RADIALLY OUTWARD AGAINST SAID SEALING SURFACE SO THAT THE SEAL SLIDABLY ENGAGES SAID SEALING SURFACE OVER AN ANNULAR BAND OF MUTUAL CONTACT HAVING SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH, SAID SEAL INCLUDING AN ANNULAR SUPPORT PORTION INTEGRAL WITH SAID CANTILEVERING PORTION AND CLOSELY ENCIRCLING SAID INNER BEARING ELEMENT AXIALLY INWARD OF SAID BAND OF MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT OF SUPPORT THE SEAL ON THE INNER BEARING ELEMENT, SAID SEAL SUPPORT PORTION BEING SHAPED TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR SEAL ANCHORING LIP WHICH PROJECTS LATERALLY SHARPLY IN RELATION TO THE ADJACENT PORTION OF SAID CANTILEVERING ANNULAR PORTION OF THE SEAL AND WHICH PROJECTS RADIALLY INWARD IN RELATION TO SAID INNER BEARING ELEMENT, SAID INNER BEARING ELEMENT DEFINING THEREIN AN ANNULAR SEAL ANCHORING GROOVE CONCENTRIC WITH SAID COMMON AXIS AND OPENING RADIALLY OUTWARD BETWEEN TWO RADIAL AND GENERALLY PARALLEL GROOVE WALLS FORMED ON THE INNER BEARING ELEMENT, SAID SEAL ANCHORING LIP EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARD INTO GROOVE TO ANCHOR THE SEAL AGAINST AXIALLY OUTWARD DISPLACEMENT; SAID ANCHORING LIP, AS DISPOSED IN SAID GROOVE, BEING TWISTED OUT OF ITS UNSTRESSED SHAPE AND HAVING A RESIDUAL STRESS TENDING TO TWIST THE LIP AGAINST THE RESTRAINT OF SAID GROOVE WALLS SO THAT THE LIP IS CONTINUOUSLY URGED BY THE RESIDUAL STRESS THEREIN INTO EFFECTIVE SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GROOVE WALLS, SAID RESIDUAL STRESS IN THE LIP TENDING TO TWIST THE LIP ROTATABLY IN A DIRECTION SUCH THAT THE RADIALLY INNER PERIPHERY OF THE LIP IS URGED AXIALLY AWAY FROM SAID INNER RACE AND AGAINST THE OUTERMOST GROOVE WALL WHICH IS ON THE SIDE OF THE GROOVE NEARER SAID BAND OF MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT SO THAT THE RESIDUAL STRESS IN THE ANCHORING LIP REACTS ON SAID OUTER-