Caterpillar Tractor Co.

Reginald K Ringel

Gene B Easterling

Egon E Wolff

Joel M Beckham

Harold L Reinsma

Kevin G Forster

William Porter Sly

A liquid-filled radial seal (12) includes an annular seal portion (36) and an annular body portion (34) connected thereto and defining an internal chamber (44) with an incompressible liquid (56) therein. The seal portion (36) has a sealing surface (64) and a cross sectional configuration tapering divergingly away from the sealing surface (64) to a cylindrical reference boundary (38) located between the portions (34,36). The chamber is spaced radially away from the reference boundary (38) and the free radial distance between the chamber (44) and the sealing surface (64) is preferably a preselected proportion of the overall radial height of the seal.

Liquid-filled radial seal

A work vehicle and method for assembling the vehicle with a ring gear that is rotatably supported by a frame of the vehicle through contact only with bearing strips which maintain the ring gear against movement in any direction other than rotationally about the ring gear axis. The bearing strips may be made of organic plastic or metal.

Work vehicle and ring bearing arrangement therefor

A shaft seal assembly has an elastomer load ring seated in an annular groove provided in an organic plastic sealing ring. The sealing ring is constructed to provide greater unit loading at the outer edges of the sealing surface than at the remainder of the sealing surface. The end faces of the sealing ring are free from contact with adjacent structure.

Shaft seal

A ring gear bearing arrangement for motorgraders and method for assembling the vehicle with a ring gear that is rotatably supported by a frame of the vehicle through contact only with organic plastic bearing strips which maintain the ring gear against movement in any direction other than rotationally about the ring gear axis.

Work vehicle and ring gear bearing arrangement therefor

The invention is concerned with novel sealing means for a differential-final drive arrangement and with an assembly method therefore. In a differential-final drive arrangement for a vehicle comprising an axle extending from a differential through a first housing and out a hole therein removed from said differential; a final drive within a second housing having gear means driven by spline means on said axle, said second housing being rotatably supported by said first housing; and a wheel integral with said second housing and rotated by said gear means, the invention provides an improved slidable seal between a first compartment defined by said differential and said first housing and a second compartment defined by said second housing. The improved slidable seal comprises a sleeve thrust bearing about the axle within the second housing having a first end in slidable sealing abutting relation with a respective one of the first housing and the gear means and a second end extending towards a respective other of the first housing and the gear means. The improved slidable seal further includes a sleeve thrust member about the axle within the second housing having a first end abutting a respective other of the first housing and the gear means and a second end fitting within the second end of the bearing. Also a part of the improved slidable seal are compression means biasing the bearing axially away from the member and resilient toroidal sealing means compressed between the axle and the bearing.

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Decatur, IL, United States of America

Reginald K Ringel