Belleville spring loaded seal
AssigneeCaterpillar Tractor Co.
InventorRobert D. Roley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Sealing structure (10,110) for a sealing a first joint member (11,111) to a second joint member (12,112) across a variable space therebetween. The sealing structure includes a frustoconical Belleville spring (17,117) and an annular support spring (18,118) defining an arcuate cross section having one end (19,119) connected to the Belleville spring, and an opposite end (20,120) sealingly mounted to the first joint member (11,111). A seal element (21,121) is fixed to the Belleville spring and has a lip portion (22,122) projecting into dynamic sealing engagement with the second joint member (12).
Claims16
In a joint having a first member (11,111) and a second member (12) variably spaced adjacent said first member, an improved sealing structure (10,110) for sealing said first member to said second member across the movable space therebetween, said sealing structure comprising:
- a frustoconical Belleville spring (17,117);
- an annular support spring (18,118) defining an arcuate cross section having an end (19,119) connected to an outer portion of the Belleville spring and an opposite end (20,120) sealingly mounted to said first member (11,111), the spring constants of said Belleville (17,117) and support springs (18,118) being preselected to cumulatively cause a biasing sealing force developed thereby to continuously increase with an increase in deflection of said springs over the range of variable spacing between said members (11,111,12) notwithstanding a decrease in the sealing force developed by the Belleville spring alone over a portion of the range of increasing deflection;
- and
- a seal element (21,121) fixed to said Belleville spring and having a lip portion (22,122) urged into dynamic sealing engagement with said second member (12) by said cumulative continuously increasing biasing action of said spring.
In a sealing structure (10,110) comprising:
- an apertured frustoconical Belleville spring (17,117) having a plurality of through openings (23,123);
- a body (21,121) of elastic synthetic resin set in situ on said spring (17,117) and having a lip portion (22,122), a retaining portion (24,124), and a connecting portion (25,125) extending through said openings to retain said lip portion fixedly secured to said spring;
- and
- means for causing the load deflection characteristics of the sealing structure to provide a continuously increasing sealing force to be provided in said body notwithstanding a decrease in the sealing force produced by the apertured Belleville spring over a range of increasing deflection of the Belleville spring.
In a joint having a first member (11,111) provided with a recess (26,126) and a second member (12) variably spaced adjacent said first member, an improved sealing structure (10,110) for sealing said first member to said second member across the movable space therebetween, said sealing structure comprising:
- a frustoconical Belleville spring (17,117);
- an annular support spring (18,118) defining an arcuate cross section having one end (19,119) connected to an outer portion of the Belleville spring and an opposite end (20,120) sealingly mounted to said first member (11,111) in said recess (26,126), the spring constants of said Belleville (17,117) and support springs (18,118) being preselected to cumulatively cause a biasing sealing force developed thereby to continuously increase with an increase in deflection of said springs over the range of variable spacing between said members (11,111,12) notwithstanding a decrease in the sealing force developed by the Belleville spring alone over a portion of the range of increasing deflection;
- and
- a seal element (21,121) sealingly mounted to said Belleville spring and having a lip portion (22,122) urged into dynamic sealing engagement with said second member (12) by said cumulative continuously increasing biasing action of said spring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.