Caterpillar Inc.

Blair A Maust

Richard E Livesay

Robert J Purcell

Thomas M Dennison

An end face seal assembly is disclosed for use in severe service applications, such as for use in sealing a track joint. The seal assembly includes a rubber load ring, an L-shaped metal seal ring and a polyurethane seal ring. The polyurethane seal ring is mounted in a groove provided in the end face of the track bushing and has a seal lip which dynamically seals against a radial sealing surface of the metal seal ring. The load ring mounts the metal ring in the counterbore of the outer track link and provides the axial force for urging the metal seal ring into axial sealing engagement against the seal lip. The seal assembly eliminates grooving of the bushing end face which occurs with the use of prior art seals which use such end face as a dynamic sealing surface. The metal seal ring of the present seal assembly is made of an extremely hard and corrosion resistant material so as to virtually eliminate such grooving.

End face seal assembly

A master track chain connection for use on track chains of crawler tractors is disclosed. The master connection includes apparatus for independently securing the track shoe to the split master link thereof and for retaining or clamping the half-links of the split master links together. Separating the track shoe retention function from the half-link clamping function maintains clamping integrity in the event of bolt-loosening as the result of load induced slippage of the track shoe relative the link. The apparatus includes a first bolt threaded into a first threaded aperture for solely fastening the track shoe to the link and a second bolt threaded into a second threaded aperture for solely retaining the half-links together. A third bolt is preferably provided for jointly securing the track shoe to the link and for clamping the half-links together.

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Dunlap, IL, United States of America

Blair A Maust