The Torrington Company

Cameron G Gardella

James A Hilby

John M Grillo

Vern Van Fleet

Gary J Hill

Leo Stella

An antifriction bearing assembly has rolling elements and a magnetic encoder ring housed in an outer ring with two portions which can have different diameters. A sensor is removably attached to the outer ring in alignment with the encoder ring. Various seal assembly configurations may be used to seal the bearing while accommodating the sensor.

Antifriction bearing with a clip-on sensor

Antifriction bearing with a clip-on sensor cooperating with a shaft

The thrust bearing fits on a rotatable shaft having an annular groove or in a rotatable housing with an annular groove. One of the thrust bearing races has an axially extending flange with deflective tabs projecting from the flange. The deflective tabs deflect radially when the race is pushed over the end of the rotatable shaft or into a rotatable housing. The deflected tabs spring back into the annular groove when the thrust bearing is fully seated.

Thrust bearing assembly

The inner periphery or the outer periphery, or both, of one thrust race is radially spaced from the corresponding outer periphery or inner periphery, or both, of the other thrust race. A resilient seal is positioned in the radial space thus provided between the corresponding peripheries of the two thrust races. The sealing member includes a metal portion and an annular elastomeric portion adapted to seal the radial space between the peripheries of the thrust races.

Sealed thrust bearing with resilient seal having a metal portion

An annular seal is located in the annular space between a housing and a relatively rotatable shaft mounted in the housing. The annular seal includes a plurality of axially spaced annular lips. An opening is provided through the annular lip facing the annular bearing space which contains lubricant and preferably an opening is provided through each of the other axially spaced annular lips. Also, preferably the opening through each annular lip is circumferentially spaced approximately 180.degree. from the opening through each adjacent lip in order to have a longer labyrinth passageway and to assure complete filling of the seal space between the sealing lips with lubricant.

Growing community of inventors

Woodbury, CT, United States of America

Cameron G Gardella