Piston seal and return spring
AssigneeGarlock Inc.
InventorsDean R. Bainard, Martin E. Benjamin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A seal for use on a disc brake piston/caliper assembly which seals the piston and also functions as a piston-return spring. The seal has a seal-retaining portion, a sealing lip portion, and a radially extending flex portion therebetween for retracting the piston by an amount equal to the flex portion retraction, thus automatically adjusting the piston position to compensate for normal pad wear. The seal can also include a locking flange and a separate pressure sealing lip to allow the seal to function without the previously required separate lathe cut sealing ring.
Claims16
An annular piston seal and return spring for a disc brake piston/caliper assembly comprising:
- a. an annular elastomeric body having a sealing lip portion including a sealing lip, a seal retaining portion spaced radially outwardly from said sealing lip portion, and an intermediate flex portion extending between said sealing lip portion and said seal retaining portion,
- b. a first reinforcing element incorporated in said sealing lip portion,
- c. a second reinforcing element incorporated in said seal retaining portion, and
- d. said sealing lip portion being axially moveable, with respect to said seal retaining portion, from its rest position to an extended position by the flexing of said flex portion, and said flex portion exerting a retracting force on said sealing lip portion when in its extended position tending to retract said sealing lip portion back to said rest position, whereby said sealing lip portion can move axially with a piston sealed thereby and can both seal and retract said piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.