Brake camshaft mounting

Claim 2

A brake camshaft bearing assembly comprising: an annular retainer of highly wear resistant material having axially spaced-apart end portions defining coaxial openings and two internal surfaces; intermediate said end openings of at least partially spherical form, an annular bushing of hard, tough dimensionally stable plastic material having two outer surfaces of at least partially spherical form received within said retainer for universal rocking movement relative thereto and an inner surface of generally cylindrical form, said bushing being axially shorter than said retainer and being axially centrally positioned within said retainer such that said retainer extends axially beyond the ends of said bushing, a shaft rotatably mounted within said bushing, and resilient annular seal elements mounted within the ends of said retainer at opposite ends of said bushing fOr sealing engagement with both said retainer and said shaft.

Claim 3

A brake camshaft bearing assembly as defined by claim 1 further comprising means for introducing lubricant through said retainer and said bushing axially intermediate said seal elements to provide lubrication of the mating surfaces of said retainer, said bushing and said shaft.

Claim 4

A brake camshaft bearing assembly as defined by claim 2 wherein said retainer is of hardened steel.

Claim 5

A brake camshaft bearing assembly as defined by claim 2 wherein said end seals are resilient rings nonrotatably mounted in said retainer and having inner boundaries adapted to compressively engage the relatively rotatable surface of said shaft.

Claim 6

A brake camshaft bearing assembly as defined by claim 1 wherein said bushing is formed on its inner boundary with at least one surface groove extending from end to end and is formed on its outer boundary with an annular groove axially intermediate its ends, at least one radial passage extending between said grooves, and passage means in said retainer communicating with said annular groove, whereby lubricant may be introduced through said passages and said grooves to provide lubrication of the mating surfaces of said retainer, said bushing and said shaft.

Claim 7

A brake camshaft bearing assembly as defined by claim 1 in which said annular retainer comprises: a pair of annular portions abutting each other on a plane normal to the axis of said end openings and containing the centers of said spherical surfaces, and means holding said retainer portions in abutting relationship.

Claim 8

A brake camshaft bearing assembly as defined by claim 6 in which the abutting section of each of said retainer portions is an annular flange radially disposed relative to the axis of said end openings, said flanges defining aligned sets of openings and said holding means comprising bolts extending axially through and substantially filling said openings to maintain said retainer portions in proper relative positions to define said internal spherical surface.

Claim 9

A brake camshaft assembly comprising: a first rigid support member having a bore extending therethrough, a first annular retainer of highly wear-resistant material nonrotatably lining said bore, the internal diameter of said retainer being cylindrical, a first annular bushing of hard, tough dimensionally stable plastic material rotatably mounted within said first retainer, a shaft rotatably mounted within said first bushing at a first cylindrical bearing surface on said shaft, said shaft having a second cylindrical bearing surface axially spaced from said first bearing surface, a second annular retainer of highly wear-resistant material having an internal surface of spherical configuration, a second annular bushing of hard, tough dimensionally stable plastic material having an outer surface of spherical configuration received within said second retainer for universal rocking movement relative thereto, said shaft rotatably mounted within said second bushing at said second cylindrical bearing surface, a second rigid support member adjacent said second retainer, and means rigidly securing said second retainer to said second support member in a relative position in which said first and second bushings are axially aligned to permit free rotation of said shaft, each of said first and second bushings being axially shorter than the respective retainer, said assembly further comprising: resilient annular seal elements mounted within the ends of said retainers at opposite ends of said bushings for sealing engagement with both said shaft and the respective retainers for preventing leakage of lubricant, and means for introducing lubricant through said retainers and the respective bushings axially intermediate each set of seal elements to provide lubrication of the mating surface of said retainers, said bushings and said shaft.

Claim 10

A brake camshaft assembly comprising: a first rigid support member having a bore extending therethrough, a first annular retainer of highly wear-resistant material nonrotatably lining said bore, the internal diameter of said retainer being cylindrical, a first annular bushing of hard, tough dimensionally stable plastic material rotatably mounted within said first retainer, a shaft rotatably mounted within said first bushing at a first cylindrical bearing surface on said shaft, said shaft having a second cylindrical bearing surface axially spaced from said first bearing surface, a second annular retainer of highly wear-resistant material having an internal surface of spherical configuration, a second annular bushing of hard, tough dimensionally stable plastic material having an outer surface of spherical configuration received within said second retainer for universal rocking movement relative thereto, said shaft rotatably mounted within said second bushing at said second cylindrical bearing surface, a second rigid support member adjacent said second retainer, and means rigidly securing said second retainer to said second support member in a relative position in which said first and second bushings are axially aligned to permit free rotation of said shaft, each of said first and second bushings being axially shorter than the respective retainer, said assembly further comprising: resilient annular seal elements mounted within the ends of said retainers at opposite ends of said bushings for sealing engagement with both said shaft and the respective retainers for preventing leakage of lubricant, and means for introducing lubricant through said retainers and the respective bushings axially intermediate each set of seal elements to provide lubrication of the mating surface of said retainers, said bushings and said shaft.

Claim 11

A brake camshaft assembly as defined by claim 8 wherein said fIrst and second retainers are of hardened steel.

Claim 12

A brake camshaft assembly as defined by claim 8 wherein each of said first and second bushings is formed on its inner boundary with at least one surface groove extending from end to end and is formed on its outer boundary with an annular groove axially intermediate its ends, at least one radial passage extending between said grooves, and wherein passage means is provided in each of said first and second retainers communicating with the annular groove of the respective bushing for supplying lubricant thereto.

Claim 13

A brake camshaft assembly as defined by claim 8 in which said second annular retainer comprises: a pair of annular portions abutting each other on a plane substantially normal to the axis of said first and second bushings and containing the centers of said spherical surfaces, said means rigidly securing said second retainer to said second support member also holding said retainer portions in abutting relationship.

Claim 14

A brake camshaft assembly as defined by claim 11 in which the abutting section of each of said retainer portions is an annular flange substantially radially disposed relative to the axis of said first and second bushings and in which said second support member includes a flange abutting one of said retainer flanges, said retainer flanges and said support flanges having aligned sets of openings therein, and said means rigidly securing said second retainer to said second support member comprising bolt means extending axially through said sets of opening to clamp said retainer portions and said support flange rigidly together, said bolt means substantially filling the openings in said retainer flanges to maintain said retainer portions in proper relative positions to define said internal spherical surface and being substantially smaller than the openings in said support flange to permit said second retainer to be radially shifted with respect to said second support member when said bolt means is loosened so as to permit proper alignment of said first and second bushings.

Claim 15

A brake camshaft assembly as defined by claim 12 in which each of said first and second bushings is axially shorter than the respective retainer; said assembly further comprising: resilient annular seal elements mounted within the ends of said retainers at opposite ends of said bushings for sealing engagement with both said shaft and the respective retainers for preventing leakage of lubricant, anD means for introducing lubricant through said retainers and the respective bushings axially intermediate each set of seal elements to provide lubrication of the mating surfaces of said retainers, said bushings and said shaft.

Claim 16

A brake camshaft assembly as defined by claim 13 wherein each of said first and second bushings is formed on its inner boundary with at least one surface groove extending from end to end and is formed on its outer boundary with an annular groove axially intermediate its ends, at least one radial passage extending between said grooves, and wherein passage means is provided in each of said first and second retainers communicating with the annular groove of the respective bushing for supplying lubricant thereto.