AU665105B2

AU665105B2 - Variable size seal for universal joints

Info

Publication number: AU665105B2
Application number: AU44309/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Thomas L. Elberson; Philip J. Mazziotti
Original assignee: Zeller Corp
Current assignee: Zeller Corp
Priority date: 1993-06-03
Filing date: 1993-07-29
Publication date: 1995-12-14
Anticipated expiration: 2013-07-29
Also published as: CA2104207A1; AU4430993A; NZ248317A

Description

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Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: The Zeller Corporation Fort Wayne Road Defiance Ohio 43512 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Philip J. Mazziotti and Thomas L. Elberson Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Variable Size Seal for Universal Joints The following statement is a full description best method of performing it known to me/us:of khis invention, including the 5845/4 4 -2- This invention relates to variable size seals for universal joints.

A universal joint seal in accordance with the invention may be generally of the type shown in Mazziotti U.S. Patent No. 4,530,675, issued July 23, 1985. A universal joint of the Cardan type includes two yokes, each having two arms. A universal joint cross with four trunnions are rotatably received in bearing cups which are held in the yoke arms. A sealing ring is located between the base of each trunnion and an open end of the cup in which it is received. Each of the cups has an integral shoulder and a recess at the open end with the sealing ring held between the recess and the base of the trunnion at the body of the cross. The sealing ring has thin lips engaging the trunnion base and a side wall of the cup recess, as well as additional thin lips engaging a S' shoulder of the body of the trunnion and the internal shoulder of the cup.

Sealing rings for higher production universal joints in which the trunnions are usually less than one inch in diameter are commonly made in multiple cavity molds.

However, larger universal joints, and those having trunnions with odd diameters, are made in limited quantities. The high costs of such molds are not warranted for such limited production.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate a t C the above disadvantages.

Stt SThere is disclosed herein a method of making a universal joint seal adapted to S t 20 be used between a trunnion and a cup, with the cup having an open end and a closed end, I vi EN:\Iibtt]O0al3:BFD -3said method comprising molding an annular member of resilient material having a circumference exceeding a circumference of the open end of the cup, said member having a cross-sectional shape equal to the cross-sectional shape of the universal joint seal, cutting a segment from said member so that the circumference of said member is substantially equal to the circumference of the cup, inserting the cut i member into the open end of the universal joint cup, and assembling the cup and the trunnion.

There is further disclosed herein a method of making a universal joint seal adapted to be used between a trunnion and a cup, with the cup having an open end and a closed end, t C t said method comprising molding an annular member of resilient material r c ,c having a circumference less than a circumference of the open end of the cup, said member having a cross-sectional shape equal to the cross-sectional shape of the "tct, universal joint seal, cutting a segment from said member, replacing the cut segment with a longer segment, inserting the cut member and longer segment into the open end of the universal joint cup, and assembling the cup and the trunnion.

There is still further disclosed herein a universal joint comprising a cross having four trunnions and annular shoulders around said trunnions, a bearing cup for each of said trunnions, said bearing cup having an open end which receives the trunnion, said bearing cup having a first interior portion of circular cross section of one r0-V S. [N:\IibttIOO513:BFD 3Adiameter adjacent the open end, said cup having a second, cylindrical interior portion of a smaller diameter away from said open end, with an, internal shoulder formed between said portions, a universal joint seal for each of said beat-hg cups, said seal comprising a resilient sealing member having a first lip engaging the associated trunnion shoulder and at least two lips engaging the associated trunnion along narrow, annular areas, said sealing member having a second lip extending in a direction generally opposite to said first lip and engaging the shoulder of the associated bearing cup along a narrow, annular area, said sealing member having at least two additional lips engaging said first interior portion of the associated cup along narrow, annular areas, said resilient sealing t member having two diagonal ends cut on a line diagonal to an axis of the member and which are in contact when the sealing member is between said trunnions and said cup.

The ends of the sealing ring are preferably slit at an angle to provide better contact when assemble Lubricant can escape between the cut ends when under c sufficient pressure ij- ihe cup. This eliminates the need for a groove to be molded into the seal for this purpose.

Many other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a universal joint cross and bearing cups assembled therewith, with one bearing cup and seal shown in cross section; t [N 0bttlOO53 Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary view in cross section of a trunnion of a universal joint cross, a bearing cup and a universal joint seal according to the invention, in assembled retationship; Fig. 3 is a further enlarged, fragmentary view in transverse cross section of the universal joint seal of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a top view of a universal joint seal in accordance with the invention; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with a segment of the seal removed and the cut ends joined to form a seal of smaller diameter; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but with a larger segment of a seal replacing the segment of the seal shown in i Fig. 4 to produce a seal of larger diameter; Fig. 7 is a schematic view of an extruder for producing another universal joint seal; and Fig. 8 is a somewhat schematic view in perspective of a universal joint seal of spiral form produced with tKh extruder 1 'ct*t of Fig. 7.

I Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a universal joint cross includes a cross body 22 with shoulders 24 from which extend Strunnions 26. The body 22 and the trunnions 26 are provided a' with lubrication passages 28 which communicate with a supply S, passage 30 and a lubricant fitting 32. The passages 28 direct lubricant to the ends of the trunnions 26 which have cross passages 34 to supply the lubricant to the needle bearings 36 located between bearing cups 38 and the trunnions 26. With this arrangement, the needle bearings 36 can be lubricated periodically through the fitting 32 to minimize the possibility of the bearings drying out and the universal joint freezing. Permanent lubrication can also be achieved by using lubricant reservoirs in the ends of the trunnions without the passages 28 and 30 and the lubricant fitting 32.

The universal joint cross can also be of the type shown in U.S. Patent No.

5,324,240 filed on Aug. 20, 1990. This joint employs two rows of needle or roller bearings and a washer at the outer ends of the bearings.

Each of the bearing cups 38 has an open end 40 to receive the trunnion 26 with the cup having a first cylindrical internal portion 42 of one diameter adjacent the open end of the cup and a second cylindrical internal portion 44 of smaller diameter away from the open end. An internal shoulder 16 is formed between the two portions 42 and 44 and faces the open end of the cup.

A universal joint seal 48 in accordance with the invention is provided to effectively seal off the nular space between the bearing cup and the cross. This seal, 48 comprises a resilient sealing ring or member 50 made entirely of resilient material, preferably synthetic rubber with a typical hardness of eighty to ninety-five durometers.

The sealing member 50 has inwardly-extending circular lips 52 which engage the trunnion 26 near the cross body 22. The circular lips 52 are narrow and engage the 0t trunnion along narrow, annular areas to provide three seals, in this instance, between It 20 the sealing member 50 and the cross t "t -v i St 1 t I IN:\libtt]00513:BFD L i I i The sealing member 50 also has three outwardly-extending circularl lips 54, in this instance, which engage the surface of the first cylindrical internal portion 42 of the bearing cup 38. These engage the surface along narrow, annular areas to provide three seals between the sealing member 50 and the cup 38.

The sealing member 50 further has upwardly-extending narrow circular lips 56 between the inner lips 52 and the outer lips 54 which engage the shoulder 24 of the cross body 22 to engage the shoulder 24 along narrow, annular areas to provide additional seals between the sealing member 50 and the cross 20. The sealing member 50 also has a downwardly-extending lips between the inner and outer lips 52 and 54. The lip 58 engages the f internal shoulder 46 along a narrow, annular area to provide a fourth seal between the sealing member 50 and the cup 38. The multiple lips, through their engagement with the cross body and cup, also retain the seal 48 in its proper sealing position.

The thin lips of the seal also accommodate dimensional variations in the cup and trunnion.

The lips 52 and 56 primarily inhibit ingress of water and other contaminants into the cup 38 while 'he lips 54 and 58 B primarily retain lubricant in the bearings and can relieve Hn lubricant pressure in the cup 38 when lubricant is again supplied j to the fitting 32, In addition, the sealing member 50 also has a thicker, downwardly-extending lip 60 which engages the upper ends of the needle bearings 36 to retain them in place when the cup 38 is separated from the trunnion 26. The lip 60 also tends 'eln mebe5 als ha donady-xedn lip i

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to direct lubricant out of the cup between the sealing member and the cylindrical portion 42 of the cup when lubricant is supplied.

The sealing ring or member 50 is shown in a top view in Fig. 4. The ring can be molded in'a single cavity mold.which is much less expensive than the multiple cavity molds used for higher production universal joints. The ring 50 preferably is molded in a diameter between the largest and smallest seals to be made. For example, the sealing ring 50 can be made in a one and one-half inch diameter to fit cross trunnions from one inch to two inches in diameter. The sealing rings shown in Figs. 4-6 are of double scale.

The ring 50 is Fig. 4 can be used with a cross having approx imately one and one-half inch diameter trunnions without modifi- I cation. A sealing ring indicated at 62 in Fig. 5 is a modification of the sealing ring 50 to fit a cross having approximately one inch diameter trunnions. In this instance, the sealing ring 50 of Fig. 4 is diagonally slit or cut at 64 and 66 with a segmenA 68 therebetween then being removed. The slit ends are then placec in contact at 70 in Fig. 5 to produce a ring of the'desired diameter.

A sealing ring 72 of a larger diameter to fit a trunnion of approximately two inch diameter is shown in Fig. 6. In this instance, the segment 68 of Fig. 4 is again removed and then re- 4 placed with a longer segment 74 between the cut ends 64 and 66 of the ring 50. For trunnion of odd sizes between one inch and two inches in diameter, the seg ent 68 or 74 can be modified in length accordingly. S-7- L 1 1 1 i The slit ends of the ring preferably are cut at a forty-five degree angle to the radius. These are placed in contact during assembly of the ring and the bearing cup to provide an effective seal for lubricant. At the same time, with sufficient pressure of the lubricant in the bearing cup, excess lubricant can escape between the cut ends. This eliminates the need for a groove to be molded into the ring which is otherwise often done to enable lubricant to escape during the lubricant of the universal joint.

If necessary, the sealing ring 50 can be molded in other, j larger diameters, for still larger universal joints. There is a limit to the diameter that the ring can accommodate since if tha ring j5 made in an excessively small diameter, the inner lips 52 can tend to wave or buckle. At the same time, if the Isealing ring is expanded excessively, with longer segments employed, the outer lips 54 can tend or wave or buckle.

SSi tt A sealing member 76 is shown in a spiral in Fig. 8. This sealing merber can be cut to a length to accommodate the circumference of a particular universal joint with which it is to be used.

The sealing member 76 can be made with a commerciallyavailable extruder indicated at 78 in Fig. 7. The extruder 78 includes a barrel 80 having an auger therein which forces -8a rubber or thermoplastic material supplied to a hopper 82 through a suitable nozzle 84 at the end of the barrel. The nozzle 84 can he designed to produce the sealing member 76 in any particular size to accommodate a range of sizes of universal joints.

Various modifications of the above-described embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to be understood that such modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, if they are withir the spirit and the tenor of the accompanying claims.

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Claims

1. A method of making a universal joint seal adapted to be used between a trunnion and a cup, with the cup having an open end and a closed end, said method comprising molding an annular member of resilient material having a circumference exceedcing a circumference of the open end of the cup, said member having a cross-sectional shape equal to the cross-sectional shape of the universal joint seal, cutting a segment from said member so that the circumference of said member is substantially equal to the circumference of the cup, inserting the cut member into the open end of the universal joint cup, and assembling the cup and the trunnion. m

2. A method of making a universal joint seal adapted to bt used between a trunnion and a cup, with the cup having an open end and a closed end, said method comprising molding an annular member of resilient material c c, having a circumference less than a circumference of the open end of the cup, said member having a cross-sectional shape equal to the cross-sectional shape of the universal joint seal, cutting a segment from said member, replacing the cut segment S't with a longer segment, inserting the cut member and longer segment into the open end tt of the universal joint cup, and assemnbling the cup and the trunnion.

3. A method according to claim 1 and 2 wherein the member is cut at an angle to the radius of the member.

4. A universal joint comprising a cross having four trunnions and annular HF *i •shoulders around said trunmions, a bearing cup for each of said trunnions, said bearing cup having an open end which receives the trunnion, said bearing cup having a first interior portion of circular cross section of one diameter adjacent the open end, said cu) having a second, cylindrical interior portion of a smaller diameter away from said open end, with an internal shoulder formed between said portions, a universal joint seal for each of said bearing cups, said seal comprising a resilient sealing member having a first lip engaging the associated trunnion shoulder and at least two lips engaging the ,J i i Nt11 O O667BFFfl 1 S1 I associated trunnion along narrow, annular areas, said scaling member having a second lip extending in a direction generally opposite to said first lip and engaging the shoulder of the associated bearing cup along a narrow, annular area, said sealing member having at least two additional lips engaging said first interior portion of the associated cup along narrow, annular areas, said resilient sealing member having two diagonal ends cut on a line diagonal to an axis of the member and which are in contact when the sealing member is between, said trunnions and said cup.

The universal joint according to claim 5 wherein said sealing member is segmented so as to define two additional diagonal ends cut on a line diagonal to an axis of the member and which are in contact when the sealing memNtr is between said trunnions and said cup.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A method as claimed in claim 2 substantially as herein described with 1s reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A universal joint seal formed by the method of any one of claims 1 to

9. A universal joint seal substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A universal joint incorporating a universal joint seal according to claim 8 or claim 9. DATED this Fifth Day of October 1995 The Zeller Corporation Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON L! SIi IbttIOO667:BFD L I VARIABLE SIZE SEAL FOR UNIVERSAL JOINTS ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A universal joint seal (48) can be made in varying sizes to 1 accommodate trunnions of universal joint crosses (20) and cups of various diameters. The seal comprises a sealing member (50) having multiple thin lips (52, 54, 56) which engage an open end portion of the cup (38) and the trunnion (26) adjacent its base (22) with the seal being confined by the cup (38) and trunnion The sealing member can be molded and then a segment removed to make a sealing member of smaller diameter or a longer segment can be added to make a sealing member of larger diameter. The sealing member can also be extruded and then cut into length to fit a particular trunnion and bearing cup. Figs. 2 and 3 Rt 1 RLF/04811 L