STATIC SEALING DEVICE FOR WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES CONNECTED TO CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINTS

• US 20130001885A1
• Filed: 06/19/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABet SKF
• Original Assignee: ABet SKF
• Inventors: NOSENZO, Fabio, FERRARO, Vincenzo
• Granted Patent: US 9,488,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 277/500
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/184 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/02 Wheel hubs or castors in general B60B
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/768 between relatively stationary parts, i.e. static seals
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/7883 mounted to the inner race and of generally L-shape, the two sealing rings defining a sealing with box-shaped cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3256 comprising two casing or support elements, one attached to each surface, e.g. cartridge or cassette seals
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3264 the elements being separable from each other

Abstract

A static sealing device for a wheel hub assembly, an inner ring of which is operatively associated with a constant velocity joint, an outer ring coupled with the wheel hub, including a first sealing assembly arranged between the inner ring and an outer ring of the wheel hub for protecting respective rolling bodies, and a second sealing assembly supported by the inner ring, arranged straddling the wheel hub and the outer ring; wherein the first sealing assembly includes a shield anchored to the inner ring of the bearing and provided, on a first side of the joint, with a flange portion carrying an annular signal generating element towards the joint which leaves an annular radially inner area of the flange portion uncovered, defining an annular seat between it and the inner ring in which an edge radially folded on the outside of a tubular core of the second sealing assembly.

Claims

1. A static seal device for wheel hubs connected to constant velocity joints comprising:

a first sealing assembly interposed between an inner ring and an outer ring of the wheel hub, and

a second sealing assembly integrally supported by the inner ring and arranged straddling the wheel hub and an outer ring of the constant velocity joint; and

wherein

the first sealing assembly comprises a first shield anchored to the inner ring by means of a sleeve portion thereof and provided with a flange portion on a first side of the joint, which radially extends so as to protrude from the sleeve portion and towards the outer ring of the wheel hub, externally carrying a signal generating element towards the joint, the signal generating element consisting in an annular insert; and

wherein

the annular insert is shaped so as to leave uncovered an annular radially inner area of the flange portion, the annular radially inner area being immediately adjacent to a radially outer lateral surface of the inner ring on which the sleeve portion of the first shield and a second end (27) of a tubular core of the second sealing assembly are fitted immediately adjacent to each other; and

wherein

the ring defines an annular seat frontally open towards the joint between itself, the uncovered annular area of the flange portion of the first shield, and the radially outer lateral surface of the inner ring; and

wherein

the first end of the tubular core of the second sealing assembly faces the opposite side of the joint and is provided radially on the outside with an L-shaped edge, shaped so as to be coupled within the annular seat (30) substantially flushed with a face of the annular insert facing towards the joint.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first end of the tubular core is fluid-tightly coupled to the radially outer lateral surface of the inner ring.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular core of the second sealing assembly axially extends so as to protrude from the inner ring towards the constant velocity joint;

and wherein

the second sealing assembly includes an annular seal carried by a second end of the tubular core opposite to the first and made of elastomeric material, and having at least a first elastically deformable, annular lip which radially extends so as to protrude from the second end of the tubular core, inwards the tubular core and from the side opposite to the L-shaped edge of the first end of the tubular core, up to intercept by interference a substantially cylindrical, outer lateral surface of the outer ring of the constant velocity joint, in order to make a sliding radial seal thereon.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the annular seal supported by the second end of the tubular core is made of elastomeric material further comprising a second annular lip, which radially extends in the oblique direction so as to protrude from the second end of the tubular core, substantially on the side opposite to the first annular lip and in a position axially retracted towards the first end of the tubular core with respect to the first lip, so as to delimit a frontal annular indentation in the seal and towards the first lip, which is adapted to allow the second lip to work as a centrifuging element with respect to possible contaminants approaching close to the first lip.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the second lip is shorter than the first lip and extends in the axial direction up to be flushed to an annular lateral surface frontally delimiting the first lip and facing the side opposite to the inner ring.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second end of the tubular core has a diameter smaller than that of the first end and is connected to the first end by means of an obliquely folded step portion of the core, so as to increase the axial rigidity of the tubular core;

the whole second end of the tubular core being embedded into the annular seal belonging to the second sealing assembly.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second end of the annular core is provided radially on the inside with an L-shaped edge, which extends in a direction opposite and parallel to the L-shaped edge of the first end and is embedded in said annular seal, parallel and in an immediately adjacent position to a root segment of the first, elastically deformable annular lip so as to flank it on the side facing the inner ring of the bearing.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the annular insert forming the signal generating element is made as an annular insert of predetermined thickness, measured in the axial direction, of a magnetizable elastomeric material, which has been chemically anchored to a first frontal surface of the flange portion of the first shield facing the constant velocity joint, so as to entirely cover it except for the uncovered annular area of the flange portion defining the seat for the L-shaped edge of the second end of the tubular core of the second sealing assembly.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the annular insert made of magnetizable elastomeric material extends in the radial direction immediately beyond a radially outer edge delimiting the flange portion of the first shield and, in the axial direction, over the whole thickness of the flange portion and up to a second frontal surface of the flange portion of the first shield, opposite to the first, so that the radially outer edge of the flange portion of the first shield is embedded in the insert.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the annular insert defining the signal generating element is delimited towards the L-shaped edge of the first end of the tubular core of the second sealing assembly by a radially inner lateral surface obliquely arranged and oriented so that the seat for the L-shaped edge, delimited by the ring, is radially externally flared on the side on which it is radially open.