Bearing seal

Claim 2

A seal for use with a tapered roller bearing which has a cup sized to fit into a housing bore and providing a front face which lies generally in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, a cone providing a thrust rib having a circumferential seat surface spaced inwardly from the cup front face, and tapered rollers between the cup and cone; said seal comprising: a seal mount carried on said seat surface of the cone rib without substantially obstructing the end face of the cone and projecting outwardly therefrom toward the wall of the housing bore; an elastomeric deflection member mounted on and projecting from the mount generally in the axial direction toward the cup front face and having a free end abutting the cup front face such that the entire deflection member is deflected outwardly; and a dirt excluder mounted on and projecting outwardly from the mount and spaced axially from the free end of the deflection member, the dirt excluder having a circumferentially extending outer face which is substantially wider than the free end of the deflection member, the diameter of the outer face on the deflection member being slightly less than the diameter of the housing bore so that the outer face will be positioned in close prosimity to but will not engage the wall of the housing bore, the diameter of the outer face further being greater than the diameter of the deflection member at any point thereon irrespective of whether or not the deflection member is deflected by the cup front face.

Claim 3

A seal according to claim 1 wherein the dirt excluder is formed from an elastomeric material.

Claim 4

A seal according to claim 2 wherein the mount comprises a metal mounting insert sized to be press-fitted over the thrust rib of the cone; and wherein the deflection member and the dirt excluder are bonded to the metal mounting insert.

Claim 5

A seal according to claim 3 wherein the deflection member and dirt excluder are joined by an integrally formed elastomeric web which extends axially along the mounting insert; and wherein the deflection member, the web, and the dirt excluder are all bonded to the mounting insert along the periphery of that insert.

Claim 6

A seal according to claim 3 wherein the mounting insert has an axially extending wall which is sized to tightly embrace the rib and a radially extending wall which projects outwardly from the axial wall and is presented generally across the ends of the rollers when the axial wall embraces the rib.

Claim 7

A seal according to claim 5 wherein the mounting insert further includes another axially extending wall connected to the radial wall and located outwardly from the axially extending wall which embraces the rib, whereby one of the axial walls will be located inwardly on the bearing and the other outwardly; and wherein the deflection member is bonded to the outer axial wall.

Claim 8

A seal according to claim 6 wherein an elastomeric web is formed integral with and interconnects the deflection member and the dirt excluder; and wherein the web and dirt excluder are bonded to the outwardly presented surface of the outer axial wall, while the deflection member is bonded to the end face of the axial wall.

Claim 9

The structure according to claim 6 wherein the outer axial wall terminates at an end face presented toward the cup end face when the inner axial wall is engaged with the thrust rib; and wherein the deflection member is bonded to the end face of the outer axial wall and extends generally obliquely toward the cup front face when the inner axial wall is so positioned.

Claim 10

A seal for use with an antifriction bearing which includes an outer race sized to fit into a housing bore and having a radially extending face at one end thereof, an inner race located within the outer race and having a rib located inwardly from the front face of the outer race and a radially extending end face on the rib, and rolling elements between the two races; said seal comprising: a metal mounting insert including an axially extending wall sized to be press-fitted over the rib of the inner race without substantially obstructing the end face on the rib, and a radially directed wall connected to and projecting outwardly from the axially extending wall; an elastomeric deflection member bonded to the mounting insert outwardly from the axially extending wall thereof and extending generally axially from the mounting insert, the deflection member having a free end provided with a sealing surface positioned to engage the radially extending end face of the outer race such that the deflection member is deflected outwardly by the end face of the outer race; and a elastomeric dirt excluder bonded to the mounting insert outwardly from the axially extending wall thereof and being spaced axially from the free end of the deflection member, the dirt excluder having a circumferentially extending outer face which is substantially wider than the seal surface on the free end of the deflection member and is slightly smaller in diameter than the housing bore so that the outer face will be presented close to but will not contact the wall of the housing bore, the diameter of the outer face on the dirt excluder further being greater than the diameter of the deflection member at any point along the deflection member, both when the deflection member is deflected by the end face of the outer race and when it is not deflected.

Claim 11

A seal for use with an antifriction bearing which includes an outer race sized to fit into a housing bore and having a radially extending face at one end thereof, an inner race located within the outer race and having a rib located inwardly from the front face of the outer race and a radially extending end face on the rib, and rolling elements between the two races; said seal comprising: a metal mounting insert including an axially extending wall sized to be press-fitted over the rib of the inner race without substantially obstructing the end face on the rib, and a radially directed wall connected to and projecting outwardly from the axially extending wall; an elastomeric deflection member bonded to the mounting insert outwardly from the axially extending wall thereof and extending generally axially from the mounting insert, the deflection member having a free end provided with a sealing surface positioned to engage the radially extending end face of the outer race such that the deflection member is deflected outwardly by the end face of the outer race; and a elastomeric dirt excluder bonded to the mounting insert outwardly from the axially extending wall thereof and being spaced axially from the free end of the deflection member, the dirt excluder having a circumferentially extending outer face which is substantially wider than the seal surface on the free end of the deflection member and is slightly smaller in diameter than the housing bore so that the outer face will be presented close to but will not contact the wall of the housing bore, the diameter of the outer face on the dirt excluder further being greater than the diameter of the deflection member at any point along the deflection member, both when the deflection member is deflected by the end face of the outer race and when it is not deflected.

Claim 12

A seal according to claim 8 wherein the mounting insert is further provided with another axially extending wall attached to the radially directed wall and being located directly outwardly from the axially extending wall which is press-fitted over the rib on the inner bearing race; and wherein the deflection member and the dirt excluder are bonded to the other axially extending wall.

Claim 13

A seal according to claim 10 wherein the other axially extending wall terminates at an end edge presented toward the outer race of the bearing and the deflection member is bonded to that end edge.