Garlock, Inc.

Stemco Inc

George Fedorovich

Martin E Benjamin

Dean R Bainard

Dennis N Denton

Edward J Messenger

William P Lutts

Jim F McGraw

Kenneth C Kirkland

Thomas A Diefenbaker

A unitized seal includes a unitizing joint which is remotely spaced from a seal lip. The seal requires only two stampings with one elastomeric element bonded to one of the stampings. The remaining stamping forms a one piece wear sleeve having a first section with a wear surface which is engaged by a seal lip formed on the elastomeric element to provide a seal. A second section of this stamping extends angularly away from the wear surface and includes a terminal end which cooperates with the elastomeric element bearing stamping to form the unitizing joint.

Unitized seal with unitizing joint remote from seal lip

A hubodometer (10) for attachment to a vehicle's wheel structure for sensing a rotation of the wheel structure and for converting the sensed rotation to a distance travelled. The hubodometer comprises an outer housing (12) having a permanent magnet (28) affixed thereto for generating a magnetic field and a coupler (14) for coupling the housing to the wheel structure such that the outer housing rotates therewith. The hubodometer further comprises an anti-rotation mechanism (16) rotatably coupled within the outer housing, the mechanism having a plurality of components (18,20,22,24,30) coupled thereto, the components being stabilized against rotation thereby. The components include an electronic controller (20) and a plurality of magnetic field sensors (30). The plurality of sensors are disposed relative to the housing such that as the magnet rotates thereabout all of the plurality of magnetic field sensors do not simultaneously sense the magnetic field. In one embodiment the hubodometer is programmed via the plurality of sensors with calibration related data after the hubodometer is sealed. In another embodiment the display is powered by an output of an illumination-to-current conversion device (40 ), the device output also being coupled to the electronic controller such that illumination modulated in accordance with information is read and interpreted by the controller.

Electronic hubodometer

A one-piece hub seal sleeve is slip fit onto a cooperating element to properly locate and orient that sleeve prior to affixing the sleeve to the cooperating element. A flange on a trailing portion of the sleeve can abut a bearing race of a wheel assembly during installation of the sleeve to keep the sleeve properly oriented and located during assembly.

Hub seal and axle assembly and method for its assembly

An annular scraper and a shaft seal including a scraper and a method for making the same. The seal and scraper are of bonded construction. The seal includes an outer shell such as a stainless steel capsule, a polytetrafluoroethylene sealing element, a brass scraper, and a bonded elastomeric ring behind the scraper to allow deflection and return of the scraper. The scraper is preferably a single member having a continuous, uniform scraping edge without any slits. A bushing can be included for guiding a reciprocating shaft (a cable or rod) in near perfect alignment. The process preferably includes the step of forming the scraping edge by pinching or piercing a brass member in the mold simultaneously with the steps of molding the elastomeric ring and bonding the elastomeric ring to the scraper. The process of making the seal includes the step of simultaneously forming the ring of polytetrafluoroethylene into a sealing element. The piercing step eliminates the need for a separate piercing step and provides improved concentricity of the annular scraping edge.

Shaft seal with scraper

A method for making an annular shaft seal of the type having an elastomeric sealing element bonded to a metal shell having a guard or scraper portion having a sharp I.D. edge, in which the sharp I.D. edge is formed or 'pierced' during the molding process simultaneously with the elastomeric sealing element being molded and bonded to the shell.

Growing community of inventors

Longview, TX, United States of America

George Fedorovich