Seal for a joint or juncture – Seal between relatively movable parts – Circumferential contact seal for other than piston
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-31
2004-08-31
Pickard, Alison K. (Department: 3676)
Seal for a joint or juncture
Seal between relatively movable parts
Circumferential contact seal for other than piston
C277S566000, C277S572000, C277S565000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06783131
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to rolling mill oil film bearings, and is concerned in particular with an improved neck seal employed to retain oil in and to exclude contaminants from such bearings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With reference initially to
FIG. 1
, a known oil film bearing assembly is partially shown as comprising a roll
10
having an end face
12
, and a tapered neck section
14
leading to a reduced diameter end section
16
surrounded by a sleeve
18
. The sleeve is keyed or otherwise fixed to the roll neck for rotation therewith within a bushing
20
fixed in a chock
22
.
A flexible neck seal
24
is received on the tapered neck section
14
for rotation therewith. The seal has a circular body with inboard and outboard lips
26
,
28
in contact with the neck surface. The outboard lip
28
is reinforced by a spring , and is separated from the seal body by a gap
30
. First and second axially spaced flanges
32
,
34
project radially outwardly from the seal body, and a third flinger
36
projects angularly towards the chock
22
.
The seal body is internally reinforced by an embedded steel cable
38
and coiled spring
40
, and is externally constrained by a metal retaining band
42
located between the flanges
32
,
34
.
The flanges
32
,
34
have oppositely directed lips arranged to frictionally contact the shoulders of a seal end plate
44
, the latter being fixed to the chock
22
and cooperating therewith to define a sump
46
. An inner seal ring
48
and a water guard
50
complete the seal assembly.
In operation, the roll
10
, neck seal
24
, inner seal ring
48
and sleeve
18
rotate together, while the bushing
20
, chock
22
, seal end plate
44
and water guard
50
remain stationary. Oil is supplied continuously between the sleeve
18
and bushing
20
. The thus supplied oil is hydrodynamically formed into a film at the bearing load zone before emerging from between the sleeve and bushing for collection in the sump
46
.
The lip seal
28
, flinger
36
and outboard flange
34
serve to retain oil in the bearing, whereas the water guard
50
, inner seal ring
48
and inboard flange
32
serve to exclude cooling water and entrained contaminants from penetrating into the bearing.
Proper seating and positioning of the neck seal
24
on the tapered roll neck section
14
is critical to the avoidance of leakage problems. However, because of the gap
30
, the outboard portion of the seal body under the outboard flange
34
lacks radial support, with the main contact between the seal body and the roll neck being at
52
under the inboard flange
32
. Thus, when the seal is mounted on the roll neck, friction at
54
between the end of the sleeve
20
and the unsupported portion of the seal body can cause the seal to seat in an offset position. The mispositioning is random, virtually impossible to detect, and can cause leakage.
The objective of the present invention is to eliminate or at least significantly minimize the above described problem by providing additional and strategically positioned radial support for the seal body, and by preferably coupling this additional support with a reduction in friction between the end of the sleeve and the seal body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the seal body is provided with axially spaced support ridges projecting inwardly into the seal bore for contact with the roll neck. The support ridges are respectively aligned radially with solid portions of the seal body and with the seal flanges and the outer metal retaining band, thus providing support and position control for these critical components, while also minimizing frictional resistance to axial movement of the seal body into its seated position on the tapered section of the roll neck.
Advantageously, additional compliance ridges are added to the seal body at its interface with the end of the sleeve. The compliance ridges are deformable to ease radial positioning of the seal body.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will now be described in greater detail with continued reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
REFERENCES:
patent: 3545774 (1970-12-01), Rickley
patent: 4099731 (1978-07-01), Salter, Jr.
patent: 4234196 (1980-11-01), Iida
patent: 4418922 (1983-12-01), Janzito
patent: 4421329 (1983-12-01), Jelinek
patent: 4586720 (1986-05-01), Simmons et al.
patent: 5316392 (1994-05-01), Innis, Jr.
patent: 5478090 (1995-12-01), Simmons et al.
patent: 6053501 (2000-04-01), Innis et al.
Martins Armando S.
Osgood Peter N.
Winslow Earl S.
Gauthier & Connors
Morgan Construction Company
Pickard Alison K.
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