Damper with improved drive shaft bearing assembly

Abstract

A damper assembly particularly adapted for use in a hot furnace application that includes a damper blade, a housing having a passageway therein dimensioned and configured for receiving the damper blade, and a shaft carrying the damper for rotational movement in the passageway in the housing. A bearing is disposed at one axial extremity of the shaft. The apparatus also includes bearings including a bearing housing member having an interior portion thereof which is spherical section shaped and a bearing member disposed therein having an outer surface that is a spherical section dimensioned and configured for cooperation with the inner portion of the bearing housing member. The inner members has a bore tightly engaging the shaft and the bore has inboard and outboard ends. The inner member includes a counterbore disposed in concentric relationship with the bore at the inboard end thereof. A seal is disposed in the counterbore intermediate the shaft and the walls of the counterbore. The apparatus also includes apparatus for supporting the bearing on one side of the passageway of the housing. In some forms of the invention the seal is spring loaded and in other forms it is elastomer loaded.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.