CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to, and claims priority from, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/161 ,140 filed on March 18, 2009, which is herein incorporated by reference. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is related generally to seal assemblies adapted to protect bearing components from external contaminates and to retain internal lubricants, and in particular, to a seal assembly and seal installation method for use with wide inner ring ball bearing housed units.

Wide inner ring (WIR) ball bearings are commonly utilized in housed units such as pillow blocks and 2/4 bolt flanges, wherein the outer ring remains stationary while the inner ring rotates. Typically, a wide inner ring ball bearing has very limited space in the outer ring compared to the diameter for mounting a seal.

Unlike deep groove ball bearings, WIR bearings incorporate the seal as part of the envelope of the entire assembly and are directly exposed to environmental conditions and contamination. These seals are secured to the stationary outer ring, with a seal lip rubbing over the inner ring as it rotates relative thereto.

Conventional seals are mounted to the outer ring in a pop-in or interference fit, with curling or crimping to retain the seal in an circumferential groove in the outer ring inner diameter. However, in harsh conditions such as experienced in agricultural and construction machinery where the seals are subjected to direct environmental exposure and hard particle impacts, these seal mounts have been found to fail, allowing the seal to rotate relative to the outer ring element.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a seal assembly for ball housed units such as wide inner ring ball bearings which improves the retention of the seal element within the outer ring element, increases the effective sealing of the seal element when exposed to harsh environmental conditions and direct impacts from hard particles, and which may be reliably and easily manufactured and assembled. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated, the present disclosure provides a modular seal for use with wide inner ring ball bearing housed units, which employs a combination locking, i.e. press-in design, with an interference fit between the modular seal and a mounting bore of a bearing outer ring. A radial bead present on the outer diameter of the modular seal facilitates axial containment of the modular seal within a seal retention groove. A heavy interference fit present between the seal case outer diameter and the bearing mounting bore provides for radial containment of the modular seal against rotational torque. A rubberized seal case is provided to seal the gap between the seal case outer diameter and the bearing outer ring mounting bore, and a close-gap rubber shield is employed in combination with a radial lip to provide sealing against the bearing inner ring outer surface.

A method for assembling a modular seal of the present disclosure utilizes a press-fit process to seat the modular seal within the mounting bore groove in the outer ring inner diameter surface.

The foregoing features, and advantages set forth in the present disclosure as well as presently preferred embodiments will become more apparent from the reading of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a wide inner ring ball bearing housed unit employing a seal assembly of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a sectional view illustrating a single-lip "R" seal configuration of the present disclosure; Figure 3 is a sectional view illustrating a first triple-lip combo seal configuration of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 is a sectional view illustrating a second triple-lip "R" seal configuration of the present disclosure; Figure 5 is a sectional view illustrating a porous (such as felt) seal configuration of the present disclosure;

Figure 6 is a sectional view illustrating a labyrinth seal configuration of the present disclosure; and

Figure 7 is a close sectional view illustrating a seal assembly of the present disclosure prior to insertion into the wide inner ring ball bearing housed unit.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings. It is to be understood that the drawings are for illustrating the concepts set forth in the present disclosure and are not to scale.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation. The description enables one skilled in the art to make and use the present disclosure, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives, and uses of the present disclosure, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the present disclosure.

Turning to the figures, and to Figure 1 in particular, a wide inner ring ball bearing housed unit assembly 10 incorporating a seal assembly 100 of the present disclosure is shown in sectional view mounted to a rotating shaft R. The radial and axial retention of the seal assembly 100 in the wide inner ring ball -A-

bearing housed unit assembly 10 is achieved by a combination of radial interference fit and axial containment developed through a radial bead 102 located at an inboard end of an axially directed seal face segment 104 of the seal assembly 100 as best seen in Figure 2 and Figure 7. The seal assembly 100 locking configuration consists of a formed seal face 105 having both radial and axial portions, and partially covered by a rubberized seal case 106 with an outer diameter which is greater than the inner diameter of the mounting bore 12 of the outer ring 14 in the assembly 10. When the seal assembly 100 is press-fitted into the mounting bore 12, a heavy duty, tight fit is achieved between the outer diameter of the seal case 106, defined by the axial extension portion 104 and the inner diameter of the mounting bore 12, thereby proving radial containment of the seal assembly 100 within the mounting bore 12 of the outer ring 14.

To resist displacement by hard particle impacts on the external surfaces of the seal assembly 100 and occasional over lubrication of the housed unit assembly 10 by the user at the field, the radial bead 102 is configured to have an outer diameter which is greater than that of the mounting bore 12 inner diameter. When pressed into the mounting bore 12, the radial bead 102 of the seal assembly 100 deflects radially inward until reaching a seal retention groove 18 disposed in the inner diameter surface of the outer ring 14, at which point the radial bead 102 springs into engagement with the seal retention groove 18.

As best seen in Figures 3-6, the radial portion of the seal assembly 100 seal face 105 may be covered with an elastomer envelope 106 or molding on both an inner surface and an outer surface to maintain a close gap G between a seal surface 20 of a rotating inner ring 22 and the inner diameter bore of the seal assembly 100. The elastomer envelope 106, consisting of a nitril, acrylic, Vitan or other suitable sealing material, may be configured as a labyrinth seal, and may incorporate one or more seal lips LI -Ln adjacent the seal surface 20 or an external shield 200, such as shown in Figure 3. Optionally, in place of, or in combination with the seal lips LI -Ln, a cap 200 consisting of an annular member 202 formed from a low torque porous material, such as felt, may be affixed to the axially inner surface of the seal assembly 100, adjacent to, and/or abutting the seal surface 20 of the inner ring 22. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the particular configuration of the seal face of the seal assembly 100, including any seal lips LI -Ln or caps 200 disposed thereon may be varied as needed based on the particular application for which the seal assembly 100 is intended without altering the seal retention mechanisms or installation methods of the present disclosure.

A method for assembling the seal assembly 100 of the present disclosure between an inner ring 22 and an outer ring 14 of a bearing assembly 10 requires initially providing an annular seal retention groove 18 in the seal mounting bore 12 (inner diameter surface) of the outer ring 14. The seal assembly 100 is then axially pressed into the seal mounting bore 12, such that the radial bead 102 defining the inboard edge of the outer diameter of the seal assembly 100 is deflected radially inward. The axial press is continued until the radial bead 102 reaches the annular seal retention groove 18 in the seal mounting bore 12, at which point the radial bead elastically returns to the initial non-deflected position, engaging the seal retention groove 18, while the axially directed annular segment 104 of the seal face, that is the rubberized seal case 106 outer diameter engages the seal mounting bore 12 with an interference fit. The seal assembly 100 extends from the axially directed segment 104 in a radially inward direction towards the seal surface 20 on the outer diameter of the inner ring 22, establishing a seal against external contaminates.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. For example, as shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, it will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art of seal design that a supplemental shield 200 may be secured to inner ring 22 to provide additional protection for the seal assembly 100 against damage from external impacts. The shield 200 may be formed from a durable material, such as low carbon sheet or stainless steel, configured in any suitable shape to extend axially inward along the seal surface 20 of the inner ring 22, and may include a supplemental sealing element, such as the low torque porous ring 202 to further facilitate the sealing function of the seal assembly 100.

It will further be recognized that the seal concepts of the present invention are not limited to use with ball bearing units, but rather, may be utilized with any type of bearing unit having an outer ring with a seal mounting bore and a seal retention groove, and an inner ring having a seal surface against which the seal assembly 100 can form a suitable seal.