Combination wear sleeve and excluder lip adapted for easy installation

Claim 1

An oil seal assembly comprising a seal unit having a seal mounting flange portion, a radial flange portion, and a primary seal lip body bonded to a part of said radial flange, said seal lip body having oil and air side frusto-conical surfaces meeting to define a primary seal band, said radial flange also including an exterior surface portion adapted to engage and cooperate with an excluder lip to form an end face seal for protecting said primary seal lip against contamination, and an excluder unit comprising an annular casing with an axial flange having radially inner and outer surfaces and a radial flange portion, an elastomeric casing positioning sleeve having its outer diameter bonded to aid radially inwardly directed portion of said excluder component axial flange and its inner diameter adapted to be received in a snug but removable sealing engagement over an associated shaft, said excluder casing having its radially outwardly directed surface adapted to engage said seal band on said primary sealing lip body in snug sealing engagement, said excluder further including an excluder lip extending generally radially outwardly of said excluder casing and axially toward said exterior surface portion of said radial flange of said sealing unit, so as to engage said exterior surface in said face sealing engagement, with said excluder lip being adapted to contact said exterior surface with a first force in a static condition, and to deflect axially partially away from said exterior surface under an applied centrifugal force so as to reduce said first force on said exterior surface to a force of reduced value.