US3994545A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bearing and seal construction
Assignee: Torrington Co Ltd
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Filing: 1975-12-23
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Granted: 1976-11-30
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Expires: 1995-12-23
Abstract
Abstract The invention contemplates a seal construction as for use between relatively rotating parts such as the inner and outer race rings of an antifriction bearing. In such an application, the end of the inner ring is rabbeted to define a cylindrical land and a generally frusto-conical shoulder near one axial end of the raceway, and the outer ring may be conventionally formed for swedged or crimped reception of an annular metal seal cap assembled thereto. The cap metal is formed with an inward skirt having radial-clearance relation of an axially outer portion of the land, and an elastomeric seal member is bonded to the axially inner face of the cap metal, at a location radially offset from the inner edge of the skirt. The seal member comprises a body to provide substantially axially inward offset for suspension of a seal lip, integrally formed with the body and projecting inwardly to an extent having interference with the land, so that when assembled to the land the lip is in axially extensive and circumferentially continuous light resiliently loaded running contact with the land, and so that the bend of the lip near connection with the body is in closely nested, inversion-protecting adjacency to the frusto-conical shoulder.
Inventors
- 👤 Horace B. Van Dorn
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 17:17
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16J; F16J15/00; F16J15/16; F16J15/32; F16J15/3204; F16C; F16C33/00; F16C33/72; F16C33/76; F16C33/78; F16C33/784; F16C33/7843; F16C33/7853; F16C19/00; F16C19/02; F16C19/04; F16C19/06; F16C2300/00; F16C2300/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
270 words
An antifriction bearing comprising inner and outer rings having opposed raceways and antifriction elements riding said raceways, one end of the bore of said outer ring having a shouldered recess, and an annular metal cap secured in said recess and against said shoulder; the outer surface of said inner ring having at said end a circumferential rabbet formation extending axially inwardly and terminating in spaced relation to the inner-ring raceway, said rabbet formation being characterized by a cylindrical land terminating at its axially inner end with a generally frusto conical shoulder which flares outwardly in the direction of the inner-ring raceway, said cap integrally including a radially inward skirt which extends into clearance relation with an axially outer region of said land, and a unitary annular elastomeric seal member bonded to the axially inner side of said cap and including an axially inwardly offsetting body and a relatively thin radially inwardly projecting circumferentially continuous seal lip, said body being radially offset from said land to an extent greater than lip thickness, and said lip being of unstressed projecting extent less than the magnitude of body offset but having interference with said land to the extent of at least substantially the lip thickness, whereby said lip is axially outwardly bent and radially enlarged into uniform axially extensive and circumferentially continuous sealing contact with said land and within the body offset, the bent region of said lip being adjacent the flare of said inner-ring shoulder, whereby the flare of the inner-ring shoulder is not needed for seal effectiveness but protects the seal lip from inversion in the presence of externally applied pressure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
270 words
An antifriction bearing comprising inner and outer rings having opposed raceways and antifriction elements riding said raceways, one end of the bore of said outer ring having a shouldered recess, and an annular metal cap secured in said recess and against said shoulder; the outer surface of said inner ring having at said end a circumferential rabbet formation extending axially inwardly and terminating in spaced relation to the inner-ring raceway, said rabbet formation being characterized by a cylindrical land terminating at its axially inner end with a generally frusto conical shoulder which flares outwardly in the direction of the inner-ring raceway, said cap integrally including a radially inward skirt which extends into clearance relation with an axially outer region of said land, and a unitary annular elastomeric seal member bonded to the axially inner side of said cap and including an axially inwardly offsetting body and a relatively thin radially inwardly projecting circumferentially continuous seal lip, said body being radially offset from said land to an extent greater than lip thickness, and said lip being of unstressed projecting extent less than the magnitude of body offset but having interference with said land to the extent of at least substantially the lip thickness, whereby said lip is axially outwardly bent and radially enlarged into uniform axially extensive and circumferentially continuous sealing contact with said land and within the body offset, the bent region of said lip being adjacent the flare of said inner-ring shoulder, whereby the flare of the inner-ring shoulder is not needed for seal effectiveness but protects the seal lip from inversion in the presence of externally applied pressure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which said body extends generally radially and axially inward and is tapered to juncture with said lip.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which said body extends radially inward to substantially the outer radial limit of said inner-ring shoulder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which said lip is substantially wholly contained within a radially outer limit which does not exceed the outer radial limit of said inner-ring shoulder.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which said lip is generally frusto-conical in unstressed condition, extending both radially inward and axially outward from juncture with said body.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which the radial extent of said inner-ring shoulder is at least twice the lip thickness.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which the durometer of said seal member is in the range 60 to 70.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which the inner-ring shoulder is faired to said land with a curvature of effective radius exceeding the radius of the convex surface of the bend of said lip.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
63 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which said cap is one of two, mounted to corresponding shouldered recesses at opposite ends of said outer ring and having seal members with lip engagement to the respective lands of corresponding rabbet formations on opposite sides of the inner-ring raceway, said rabbet formations and inner-ring raceway being the simultaneous product of a single form-wheel plunge cut.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which the lip thickness exceeds cap clearance with said land.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
46 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which said cap includes a central flat body portion and a frusto-conical offsetting connection thereof to said skirt, said seal-member body being in bonded overlap with said offsetting connection and with adjacent annular regions of said body portion and skirt.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The bearing of claim 1, in which said inner-ring shoulder is generally conically sloped in the range of 10° to 50° from a radial plane of the bearing.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
240 words
As an article of manufacture, an end-seal cap for an antifriction bearing, said cap comprising a single annular metal part and a single annular elastomeric seal member concentrically bonded thereto; said metal part comprising a central flat annular body portion, cap-mounting means including an outer shoulder-locating face and an outer crimping flange, a first frusto-conical connection between said mounting means and said body and providing a first axially outward offset of said body with respect to said shoulder-locating face, a radially inwardly extending skirt, and a second frusto-conical connection between said body and skirt and providing a second axially outward offset of said skirt with respect to said body; said seal member comprising an axially inwardly offsetting annular body bonded to the axially inner surface of said metal part throughout said second frusto-conical connection and in bonded overlap with adjacent annular regions of said body portion and of said skirt, and a relatively thin radially inwardly projecting circumferentially continuous seal lip, the effective projecting extent of said lip substantially exceeding the lip thickness but being less than the effective offset of lip-connection to said seal-member body, whereby in assembly of said cap to the outer ring of an antifriction bearing having an inner ring with a land for which said seal-member body is radially offset from the land to an extent greater than lip thickness, said lip will be contained within the adjacent axially inner confines of said metal part.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
240 words
As an article of manufacture, an end-seal cap for an antifriction bearing, said cap comprising a single annular metal part and a single annular elastomeric seal member concentrically bonded thereto; said metal part comprising a central flat annular body portion, cap-mounting means including an outer shoulder-locating face and an outer crimping flange, a first frusto-conical connection between said mounting means and said body and providing a first axially outward offset of said body with respect to said shoulder-locating face, a radially inwardly extending skirt, and a second frusto-conical connection between said body and skirt and providing a second axially outward offset of said skirt with respect to said body; said seal member comprising an axially inwardly offsetting annular body bonded to the axially inner surface of said metal part throughout said second frusto-conical connection and in bonded overlap with adjacent annular regions of said body portion and of said skirt, and a relatively thin radially inwardly projecting circumferentially continuous seal lip, the effective projecting extent of said lip substantially exceeding the lip thickness but being less than the effective offset of lip-connection to said seal-member body, whereby in assembly of said cap to the outer ring of an antifriction bearing having an inner ring with a land for which said seal-member body is radially offset from the land to an extent greater than lip thickness, said lip will be contained within the adjacent axially inner confines of said metal part.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-11-30 | 1980-05-31 | 1980-11-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-11-30 | 1984-05-31 | 1984-11-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-11-30 | 1988-05-31 | 1988-11-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |