Joints and connections – Flexible diaphragm or bellows – With additional connection or packing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-29
2001-01-09
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)
Joints and connections
Flexible diaphragm or bellows
With additional connection or packing
C403S344000, C277S634000, C277S635000, C277S636000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06171010
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boot to be assembled in split for sealing the slide portion of flexible coupling mounted to a shaft. This invention relates in particular to the boot which can be opened from its lateral side for its fitting with the shaft being interconnected to the flexible coupling.
2. Description of the Related Art
The boot shown in FIG.
26
and
FIG. 27
exists to the prior art relating to this invention.
FIG. 26
is an oblique view of the boot with its split face being opened.
FIG. 27
is a cross sectional view with its split face being coupled.
The bellows status split boot
51
in
FIG. 26
is split in the axial direction at one place, and the split face on one hand is not only formed on an insertion piece
52
and the split face on the other hand is formed to an annular concave
55
so that these split faces may be coupled mutually to each other.
FIG. 27
indicates the status where the insertion piece
52
is press-fitted for its coupling into this annular concave
55
.
In
FIG. 27
, the insertion piece
52
having the split face on one hand is formed into a sickle state from the split face and has an engaging stage portion
53
swollen out to both the sides. And, it is formed to a slope face
54
being throttled toward the tip from both the sides of engaging stage portion
53
. This insertion piece
52
is formed over the entire length in the axial direction along the bellows status split face.
Next, the annular concave portion
55
is formed to the split face on the other hand so that the insertion piece
52
can be inserted. This annular concave portion
55
opens with the protrusion piece
56
being provided on both the sides of split, and its interior is formed to the space of triangle shape in its cross section so that the tip side of insertion piece
52
can be engaged having an interval.
And, when the insertion piece
52
is press-fitted into the annular concave portion
55
, it can be fitted as shown in
FIG. 27
with the engaging stage portion being engaged to the protrusion piece and both the split faces tend to maintain the coupled status.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Because the above mentioned boot is formed into a bellows shape and is but also structured flexibly, it includes a significant amount of rubber material. Therefore, because the friction of rubber material is great when inserting and coupling the insertion piece
52
into the annular concave portion
55
, the insertion process is difficult. Moreover, because the boot is crooked in order to from a bellows, the insertion process becomes further difficult and the work efficiency decreases.
Further, for improving the above mentioned prior art, there exists another prior art where the reinforcing materials are buried inside the annular concave portion and inside the insertion piece of FIG.
13
. The reinforcing material is made of a wire which is bent to a bellows status into the formation of flat face, and this plate shape material is formed into a concave status and buried into the outside circumference side in the space of annular concave portion. Further, the reinforcing material of insertion piece is made of wire that is bent into a bellows status into the formation of plate status and is buried in such that it may be laid toward the tip direction with the insertion piece at its center.
However, even in this split boot, the wire can not be thickened because the flexibility of boot entirety aggravates, and it is difficult to solve the above mentioned defects. Moreover, if a strong force acts on the boot
51
, the split faces open resulting in the outflow of lubricating oil.
The present invention has been conceived in consideration of the above mentioned problematic points, and its object resides in not only facilitating the coupling of split faces but also strengthening the coupling force between the split faces.
Another object of this invention resides in strengthening the joint force of split faces and enhancing the sealing force of split faces. A further object resides in enabling the split coupling even if a diversity of materials such as rubber material, resin material, etc. should be adopted to the material of the boot.
The present invention has been conceived for solving the above mentioned themes, and its technical means is structured as follows.
A boot according to the present invention includes a mounting portion on both of the end sides of an annular body. The boot is formed attachable to the shaft coupling and is split in an axial direction having a first split portion on a split face side and a second split portion on the split face side. The first split portion has a fixed portion fixed inside the first split portion and an insertion portion protruding from the fixed portion and a male coupling portion having an engaging portion protrusive to the insertion portion. The second split portion has an acceptance portion into which the insertion portion is to be inserted and a female coupling portion having an engaging female portion which closely mates the split face of the first split portion and the split face of the second split portion mutually to the acceptance portion for engagement to the engaging portion.
The engaging portion only protrude out of the lateral face of insertion portion, and at least one of the acceptance and the engaging portion is elastically deformed by the mutual pressure.
The empty chamber of the acceptance portion may be formed to a larger size against the insertion portion for its idle fitting.
The boot may be made of rubber state elastic material, and the coupling portion may be made of a harder material than the rubber state elastic material and the engaging portion may be formed on a top shape outside face tapering to its tip, and a female coupling portion may be made of a harder material than the rubber state elastic material and may also be formed to a female hole mating with the engaging portion for its engagement.
The acceptance portion may be formed to an oval hole in the direction along the second split portion and the insertion portion mating to the acceptance portion may be formed to the long width corresponding to the oval hole of acceptance portion and have a concave portion formed toward the fixed portion from the tip face.
The fixed portion of male coupling portion may be integrally interconnected by an interconnection plate having a flexibility along the first split portion respectively and the female coupling portion may be integrally interconnected by an interconnection plate having a flexibility along the second split portion respectively.
The boot may be a male coinciding portion formed to a convex portion on one side of the first split portion and the second split portion and a female coinciding portion formed to a concave portion so that the other portion may mate to the male coinciding portion. The boot may have an engaging groove at the root of male coinciding portion and a hook portion coupling with the coinciding groove to the end portion of concave portion of female coinciding portion.
In the boot according to the present invention, when the engaging portions
8
and
108
a the first split portion should be elastically inserted into and coupled with the coinciding female portions
13
and
113
of acceptance portion of the second split portion, the respective split faces of the first split portion and second split portion get in close contact with each other to prevent the outflow or inflow of fluid into or out of the boot. At the same time, since the insertion portion and acceptance portion are coupled and engaged in one touch, the coupling of mutual split portions becomes facilitated. Because especially it is just all right to couple the male coupling portion with the female coupling portion even if the elasticity deformation should be large like the boot which is made of rubber material, the coupling can be made with no regard to the coupling handling due to the material of boot.
The acceptance portion may elastically open the space or the engaging portion
Aramaki Katsuhiko
Kitaura Mitsuru
Nagashima Atsushi
Taka Yoshiaki
Knight Anthony
NOK Corporation
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Pickard Alison K.
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