Stemco Inc

Stemco Products, Inc.

Other

Pursuit Llp

Equalaire Systems, Inc.

Pressure Systems International, LLC

Mark N Gold

Daniel Trejo Jimenez

Laurence B Winn

Herman E Goins, Jr

Charles Robin Hood

Lucia Santamaria

Donald G Wells

James LeClaire

Christopher A Nelson

David W Bell

Mark J Kranz

Richard Borowski

Michael James Massey

Monte Pearson

Paul S Perry

Barry E Braun

James C Steph

Herman Goins, Jr

C Leon Lovett

Jon A Cox

Larry Seeds

Daniel T Jimenez

Monte L Pearson

Jr Goins Herman

A torque-limiting nut is provided. The torque-limiting nut has a washer, a threaded component, and a tool interface. The threaded component has a plurality of detents and the tool interface has a corresponding plurality of recesses and a spring groove. A plurality of engagement members are sized and shaped to fit within the plurality of detents and recesses. An elastic member in the spring grooves provides a compressive force to seat the pins in the corresponding detents to frictionally couple the threaded component and tool interface. When a torque required to rotate the tool interface exceeds a predetermined value, the pin moves against the spring and unseats from the detent such that the tool interface rotates without rotating the threaded component.

Torque-limiting nut

A vent plug for a hub cap is provided. The vent plug includes a cover and base forming a chamber. A vent plug body extends from the base and forms a cavity. A shield is coupled to the vent plug body. The shield comprises an annularly extending disc that traverses the cavity. The shield includes a connecting surface to connect the shield to the vent plug body. The shield provides a lubrication/liquid barrier to inhibit lubrication (or other liquid) from entering the cavity formed by the vent plug body and the chamber. The connection between the shield and the vent plug body allows a gas (typically air) to vent past the shield into the cavity and, when pressure is sufficiently high, to the chamber and eventually atmosphere.

Hub cap vent shield

A wheelend is provided. The wheelend includes a spacer having a plurality of perforations to place a hub sump in fluid communication with a cavity between the spacer and a spindle to facilitate lubricant flow.

Spacer to enhance lubrication for wheelend assembly

A wheelend assembly seal between the hub of a wheelend and a spindle shaft is provided. The wheelend assembly seal is a seal device having at least a static seal structure, a wear ring, and a dynamic seal structure. The dynamic seal structure comprises a resilient member that is biased such that in an uninstalled state, the resilient member diverges from an axially extending portion of the dynamic seal structure. When installed, the resilient member is compressed to be approximately parallel the axially extending portion and forms a seal between the surface of the resilient member and the outer surface of the spindle shaft.

Wheelend assembly seal

A central tire inflation system for maintaining tire inflation on a vehicle is provided. The central tire inflation system includes a rotary union assembly having a housing that is coupled to and rotates with the hubcap. The housing is rotationally coupled to a stationary shaft. A flexible torque transfer shaft is connected to the stationary shaft on one end and to an axle plug on the other end. The axle plug has a hub forming a bore where the hub is movable on a web of material. The flexible torque transfer shaft and hub have cooperative non-circular shapes to resist rotation. An air vent is provided in the rotary union assembly that is isolated from the lubrication area, which inhibits the pressurized air from the central tire inflation system from pressurizing the lubrication area.

Central tire inflation system rotary air union

A central tire inflation system for maintaining tire inflation on a vehicle is provided. The central tire inflation system includes a rotary union assembly having a housing that is coupled to and rotates with the hubcap. The housing is rotationally coupled to a stationary shaft. A flexible torque transfer shaft is connected to the stationary shaft on one end and to an axle plug on the other end. The axle plug has a hub forming, a bore where the hub is movable on a web of material. The flexible torque transfer shaft and hub have cooperative non-circular shapes to resist rotation. An air vent is provided in the rotary union assembly that is isolated from the lubrication area, which inhibits the pressurized air from the central tire inflation system from pressurizing the lubrication area.

A flow indication system for a central tire inflation system is provided. The flow indication system provides a venturi in fluid communication with the conduit providing air to a tire. A pressure reading is taken at the inlet and throat of the venturi and the air flowing through the venturi is calculated based on the pressure differential. According to some embodiments, the pressure readings are provided to a microcontroller that uses a table and interpolation algorithms to calculate the flow of the air flowing through the venturi, such as the mass of air in a given unit of time (grams/second for example). In one embodiment, two separate pressure sensors are coupled to different ends of a narrowed orifice that causes a pressure change in the flow as flow rate increases in the throat of the sensor. This pressure change is then used to calculate a proportional flow that can then be broadcast to various parties instead of an on/off reading.

Wireless proportional flow indication for a tire inflation system

A unitized seal assembly for use with roller or ball bearing assemblies is disclosed. The unitized seal assembly includes, among other things, a radially outer ring and a radially inner deflector ring. The outer ring includes a first shield element which defines a first sealing face. The radially inner deflector ring includes a second shield element which defines a second sealing face. The second sealing face is dimensioned and configured so as to correspond to the first sealing face such that when the first shield element is positioned in non-contacting proximity to the second shield element, a circuitous sealing labyrinth is formed between the first sealing face and the second sealing face.

Low torque seal assembly

Disclosed is a labyrinth seal assembly for sealing an annular gap defined between a bore of a housing and an outer surface of a cylindrical shaft, wherein the housing and shaft are relatively movable. The seal assembly includes radially inner and radially outer shield rings. The radially inner shield ring has an inner surface which is adapted and configured for support by the shaft. The radially outer shield ring is partially disposed within the sealing channel of the inner shield ring. The outer shield ring includes a casing member, foam seal elements, and a shield element retainer. The foam seal elements depend radially inward into the sealing channel so as to form a circuitous sealing labyrinth therein. The seal elements are formed preferably from polyurethane. A highly viscous fluid is disposed within the circuitous sealing labyrinth.

Low torque seal assembly with open cell filter media

A hub seal for installation on the wheel end of a heavy duty trailer or truck is disclosed which includes an annular casing, an elastomeric sealing ring supported within the annular casing and including an axially extending sealing lip, an annular sleeve mounted coaxial with the annular casing, the annular sleeve having an axially extending sealing surface, and a spring for biasing the axially extending sealing lip against the axially extending sealing surface such that a substantial portion of the sealing lip is in sealing engagement with the sealing surface over a substantial contact area.

Hub seal with machinable thrust ring and lay-down sealing lip

A hub seal for installation on the wheel end of a heavy duty trailer or truck is disclosed which includes an annular casing defining a radially outer circumferential canal, a thrust ring defined by a ring of polymeric material disposed within the circumferential canal, and an annular sleeve mounted coaxial with the annular casing. The annular sleeve includes a deflector ring configured to mechanically remove at least a portion of the thrust ring upon relative rotation of the casing and sleeve to create a minimal running clearance between the deflector ring and the thrust ring. A method of fabricating a hub seal having a machinable thrust ring is also disclosed.

Hub seal with machinable thrust ring

A hubcap attached to a wheel hub wherein a chamber is formed between the hubcap and the wheel hub for housing a lubricating fluid for the associated wheel bearings. A vent passage extending through the hubcap is provided for relieving the pressure formed therein. A porous material is positioned to cover the vent passage for allowing a flow of gases to enter and exit the vent passage while preventing liquids and other contaminants from traveling therethrough. The porous material is held in a compressive abutting relationship to the hubcap surface by an enclosure which surrounds the vent passage and encases the porous material to shield the outer surface of the porous material from exposure to external grit and other contaminants. The enclosure further has at least one port to accommodate air flow to the porous material. The enclosure may further include a filter device positioned adjacent to the port which prevents the passage of grit and other contaminants therethrough to prevent the accumulation of external contaminants on the porous material covering the vent passage thereby maintaining the air flow vent path.

Vented hubcap

A unitized wheel hub and bearing assembly for use on the ends of stationary axles and particularly on tractor and trailer axles. A wheel hub, a pair of bearings and at least one seal are assembled with a mounting sleeve which is sized to be fitted on an axle end. The inclusion of a custom designed mounting sleeve permits the building of unitized assemblies to be used with existing axles as well as with new ones. The unitized construction allows pre-adjustment of the bearings and when two seals are employed, the bearings can also be pre-lubricated.

Growing community of inventors

Hallsville, TX, United States of America

Mark N Gold