US 8,783,953 B2Granted

Low friction seal for bearings

AssigneeRoller Bearing Company of America, Inc.

InventorsJames Voisine, Bradley Smith

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A bearing assembly includes an annular inner member defining a first outer surface and a first inner surface, and a shaft extending therefrom. The bearing assembly includes an annular outer member defining a second outer surface and a second inner surface which is adapted to engage a recess defined in the first outer surface. An annular flexible seal defines a base adapted to engage the outer member, a head adapted to engage a groove defined in one of the inner member or the shaft, and a neck having a curvilinear cross-section which is adapted to bias the base toward the recess and the head toward the groove. The flexible seal is positioned adjacent to one end of the outer member and extends between the inner member and outer member. An annular low-friction liner has a cross-section that defines an interior area adapted to engage the flexible seal head.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A method for installing a sealing system for a bearing comprising:

providing an inner member defining an outer surface and having a shaft extending therefrom, the shaft defining a groove therein;
providing an outer member defining an inner surface adapted to engage the inner member outer surface;
providing a flexible seal defining a base adapted to engage a recess defined in the inner surface of the outer member, a head adapted to engage the groove, and a neck having a curvilinear cross-section, the neck being adapted to bias the base toward the recess and the head toward the groove;
providing a low-friction liner having a cross-section defining an interior area adapted to engage the flexible seal head;
dividing the low-friction liner into at least two liner segments wherein each liner segment defines at least one transverse face;
displacing the liner segments away from each other;
disposing the low-friction liner on one of the groove or the flexible seal head by engaging the liner segment transverse faces with one another;
positioning the flexible seal base adjacent to one end of the outer member extending between the inner member and the outer member;
and
positioning the flexible seal head in the groove.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/544,458Filed 9 Jul 2012 · us provisional application
Priority: 21 Jul 2011
Published: US 2013/0022299 A124 Jan 2013
Granted: 22 Jul 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

F16C 11/0676
Sealing means between the socket and the inner member shaft: allowing operational relative movement of joint parts due to sliding between parts of…
F16C 33/74
Sealings: of sliding-contact bearings
F16J 15/3284
With elastic sealings, e.g. O-rings: characterised by their structure; Selection of materials
F16J 15/52
Between relatively-movable members, by means of a sealing without relatively-moving surfaces, e.g. fluid-tight sealings for transmitting motion…:…

Family

Application61/510,232Us provisional application · filed 21 Jul 2011
US 2013/0022299 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 Jan 2013
US 8,783,953 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

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