FLEXIBLE SEAL

• US 3,773,338 A
• Filed: 03/23/1972
• Issued: 11/20/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Carl E. Fidler, John W. Yancey
• Inventors: Fidler, Carl E., Yancey, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ross, Herbert F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Robert I.
• Application Number:
  US05/237,352
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 49/490,491,498 277/95,85,88,226,34,34.3
• US Class Current: 277/370
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 23/84 Slewing gear anti-friction bearings F16C
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/32 with elastic sealings, e.g. O-rings

Abstract

A flexible seal for sealing between two members including a hollow body of resilient material which has a mounting wall portion formed therein which portion is securable to one of the members. A sealing wall portion is formed in the body which is disposed oppositely to the mounting wall portion and sealably engageable with the other member. A pair of spaced sidewalls are formed in the body which are readily deformable to permit installation of the seal with the sidewalls in a predetermined, deformed position so as to maintain biased sealing engagement during relative movement between the members.

Claims

1. A flexible seal, for sealing between relatively disposed movable members, comprising;

a hollow body means of resilient material, said body means having a mounting wall portion formed thereon for secure engagement with one of said members, said mounting wall portion including groove means formed therein for registry with one of said members, a sealing wall portion formed on said body means substantially oppositely disposed with respect to said mounting wall portion and sealably engageable with another of said members, and said body means including a pair of spaced sidewall means formed between said mounting wall portion and said sealing wall portion, said sidewall means being readily deformable for permitting the installation of said flexible seal between said members with said sidewall means in a predetermined deformed condition to maintain biased sealing contact during predetermined relative movement between said members in multiple directions, each of said sidewall means having a concave portion adjacent to said sealing wall portion and a convex portion adjacent to said mounting wall portion forming an undulatory shape for preshaping the sidewall means to control the direction of deformation thereof.

2. The flexible seal of claim 1 wherein said sealing wall portion includes a first pair of spaced flat sealing contact surfaces individually operatively associated with said sidewall means.

3. The flexible seal of claim 2 wherein said body means has a thicker cross-sectional configuration at said areas adjacent to said sealing contact surfaces than in said sidewall means.

4. The flexible seal of claim 2 wherein said sidewall means include a second pair of spaced sealing contact surfaces juxtaposed to said first pair of flat sealing contact surfaces.

5. The flexible seal of claim 1 wherein said mounting wall portion includes an annular projection which protrudes inwardly within said hollow body means.

6. The flexible seal of claim 1 wherein said groove means are wider at one end thereof than at the other.

7. A flexible seal, for sealing between relatively disposed movable members, comprising;

a hollow body means of resilient meaterial having a substantially rectangular cross section, mounting wall means formed on said body means and having mounting means thErein for engagement with one of said members, said mounting means including groove means, sealing wall means formed on said body means substantially oppositely disposed to said mounting wall means and sealably engageable with another of said members, and a pair of sidewall means formed on said body means, said sidewall means being disposed between and interconnecting said mounting wall means and said sealing wall means, said sidewall means being readily deformable and having an undulatory shape which causes inward deformation adjacent to said sealing wall means and outward deformation of said sidewall means adjacent said mounting wall means for readily deforming to permit installation of said seal between said members with said sidewall means in a predetermined deformed condition to maintain biased sealing contact with said members during multi-directional relative movement therebetween.

8. The flexible seal of claim 7 wherein said sealing wall means include in undeformed condition a centrally-disposed concave portion and a pair of flat sealing contact surfaces individually disposed on opposite sides of said concave portion.

9. The flexible seal of claim 8 wherein said mounting means include an annular groove formed in said mounting wall means for registry with one of said members.

10. The flexible seal of claim 9 wherein said undulatory shape of each of said sidewall means is formed by a concave portion adjacent to said sealing wall means and a convex portion adjacent to the mounting wall means to provide a predetermined direction of deformation of said sidewall means, and wherein said sidewall means are symmetrical to provide substantially equal resistance to deformation.