Seal for elevator drive mechanism

A seal for use in an elevator hoist drive mechanism comprising:

• an annular body of elastomeric material formed from the group consisting of synthetic rubber such as butyl, viton, nitrile and coated or milled urethane, natural rubber or plastic such as Teflon having a substantially radially disposed external wall;
• a compression surface extending angularly radially inwardly and axially internally from the outer radial edge of said external wall at an angle of substantially 80.degree. from said external wall being compressed to form a substantially axially disposed surface after setting said seal in said elevator hoist drive mechanism, said compression surface preforming both the function of sealing and securing said seal to the gear housing of said elevator hoist drive mechanism;
• a shaft sealing surface extending angularly radially inwardly and axially internally from the inner radial edge of said external wall at an angle of substantially 110.degree. from said external wall;
• a substantially radially disposed internal wall extending radially inward from the radially inner and axially internal edge of said compression surface;
• a shaft sealing surface end wall extending angularly radially outwardly and axially externally from the radially inner and axially internal edge of said shaft sealing surface at an angle of substantially 152.degree. 30' from said shaft sealing surface, the intersection of said shaft sealing surface and said shaft sealing surface end wall defining a shaft sealing lip on said shaft sealing surface for sealing engagement with a rotatable drive shaft;
• and
• a substantially U-shaped notch formed in the seal with the radially outward edge of said notch intersecting the radially inner edge of said internal wall and the radially inner edge of said notch intersecting the radially outer and axially external edge of said shaft sealing surface end wall such that said U-shaped notch permits relatively independent flexure of the shaft sealing lip relative to the remainder of the seal.