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US 5,490,762 AGranted
Weep hole plug for a fluid circulating pump
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsJoel D. Feucht, Stephen G. Shoup, Victor E. Swanson
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AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsJoel D. Feucht, Stephen G. Shoup, Victor E. Swanson
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides a fluid circulating pump utilizing a plug assembly sealingly disposed within a weep hole located in a secondary compartment of a cavity. The plug assembly is disposed within the weep hole and has a tube portion extending a predetermined length into the secondary compartment. A connector holds the plug assembly within the second compartment and sealingly engages the plug assembly with the weep hole. The length of the tube portion is sufficient to contain the leaked fluid within the secondary compartment until it can be evaporated, substantially eliminating fluid leakage into the atmosphere. However, excessive fluid build-up may occur within the secondary compartment when the pump is damaged. The present invention allows the excessive fluid to leak out to the atmosphere through a bore in the plug assembly to signal that pump repair is needed.
A fluid circulating pump adapted for use in an internal combustion engine and including a housing having a fluid chamber and a cavity, a shaft rotatably mounted within the housing and extending through the cavity and terminating in the in the fluid chamber, and a seal assembly in surrounding relation to the shaft to substantially isolate the fluid chamber from the cavity, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.