Rotary shafts – gudgeons – housings – and flexible couplings for ro – Housing – Flexible housing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-14
2001-10-23
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Rotary shafts, gudgeons, housings, and flexible couplings for ro
Housing
Flexible housing
C277S636000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306046
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sleeve for sealing a jointed connection.
2. The Prior Art
A protective sleeve for a jointed or hinged connection is discussed in German Patent No. DE 38 13 782 A1. This sleeve has a bellows and ring flanges, which adjoin the bellows and widen outwardly in a step-like way. The stepped annular flanges permit the sleeve to be used on fastening flanges with different diameters. The protruding and excessively large part of the step-like ring flange is cut off from the sleeve. A T-shaped flange is molded on the outer end of each ring flange, and limits a clamping hoop groove on the outer side and abuts the fastening flange on the inner side.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a sleeve of the type described above that has an improved sealing effect.
This and other objects of the invention are accomplished by a sleeve for sealing a jointed connection, comprising an elastically deformable bellows having two ends, and a plurality of axially aligned and differently sized ring flanges lined up between the two ends. The ring flanges fix the sleeve on a cylindrically shaped fastening flange, and on a shaft via a muzzle. The ring flanges are arranged step-wise with increasing diameters from one end of the bellows to the other end to accommodate differently sized fastening flanges. There is a radially inwardly drawn rib having an inside diameter and associated with at least one of the ring flanges. The rib is shaped by molding on an inner end on the ring flange and sealingly abuts a face side of the fastening flange. The inside diameter of the rib is smaller than or equal to an inside diameter of the next-smaller ring flange.
Designing the abutting surface in the form of an inwardly drawn, annular rib on the inner end of the ring flange permits a large surface area of the abutting surface to contact the face side of the fastening flange when the sleeve is fixed on the fastening flange. Since the rib is fixed on the ring flange on the inner side, the rib will not pose an obstacle when the sleeve is attached to the fastening flange, so that the rib can extend inwardly to achieve the desired sealing effect. This means that the abutting surface area will already seal the sleeve correspondingly well, so that grease within the sleeve for lubricating the jointed connection cannot exit. Finally, the abutting surface prevents dirt, which could impair the efficiency of the jointed connection, from penetrating the jointed connection.
Furthermore, the inwardly drawn rib provides stiffness for the cylindrically shaped ring flange, so that the sealing effect of the ring flange in association with the rib versus the fastening flange will be improved as well. Finally, the ribs of the ring flanges not used will provide the sleeve with increased stiffness, so that changes in the diameter of the rotating sleeve will remain small even at higher rates of revolution. This prevents the sleeve from beating or rubbing against stationary parts of the vehicle. In order to obtain adequately high stability of the ring flange, the inside diameter of the rib is smaller than or equal to the inside diameter of the next-smaller ring flange.
In case the ring flanges not used are separated, including the adjoining ribs, before the sleeve is installed, the inside rib diameter can be selected relatively small without taking into account the flange diameter. The inside rib diameter is limited only by the required freedom of movement of a shaft of the jointed connection. If the ring flanges not needed are to be separated only after the sleeve has been mounted, it is preferable if the inside diameter of the rib is dimensioned equal to or only slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the next-smaller ring flange in order to ensure unobstructed mounting of the sleeve on the flange of the jointed connection, and to nonetheless achieve an adequate sealing effect.
Because of the step-like design of the ring flanges, the sleeve has a length that varies with the flange diameter of the jointed connection. However, the deformability requirements of the sleeve increase as the length of the sleeve grows. In order to satisfy this requirement, it is proposed that the sleeve is turned inside out between the annular flanges to create bulgings. Such annular bulgings effect additional elastic deformability, which is more effective the more bulgings are present, and the greater the bulgings are selected. Therefore, the elastic deformability of the sleeve grows with the increase in the ring flange diameter.
So that the ring flanges not used can be easily separated from the sleeve with a knife, it is preferable if the sleeve has small U- or V-shaped grooves on the outer side. The knife can be correctly guided in the grooves, so that a clean cut is obtained without any other auxiliary means. It is necessary to cut off ring flanges only if a ring flange with a small diameter is needed for fixing the sleeve, and if a ring flange with a larger diameter is present on the end of sleeve and is not used and is disturbing.
It is possible to shape the groove by molding it into the sleeve, so that a weakening of the material is obtained within the groove. However, this may have an adverse effect on the useful life of the sleeve, so that it is more favorable if the groove is limited by a lip shaped by molding on the sleeve, as well as by the bulging. This results in adequate marking and safe guidance of the knife without weakening the material of the sleeve. The protruding lip on the end of the ring flange offers safe holding and positioning for the muzzle hoop (or clip) to be fixed.
Preferably, at least one bulging of the bellows is reinforced near the edge. The reinforced bulging will consequently have increased dimensional stability without impairing the swivel motion of the jointed connection. The interior of the reinforced bulging can then be used as a supply space for grease for lubricating the jointed connection.
The dome or prominence of the outer and/or inner fold is preferably flattened. The increased accumulation of material remains in the region of the bend and thus provides the part turned inside out with greater strength and dimensional stability in the right place without losing elasticity, and ease of bending in the ascending and descending wall portions of the bulging.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3623340 (1971-11-01), Maas
patent: 3866950 (1975-02-01), Skoch et al.
patent: 4210002 (1980-07-01), Dore
patent: 4559025 (1985-12-01), Dore
patent: 4702483 (1987-10-01), Ukai
patent: 4730834 (1988-03-01), Ukai et al.
patent: 4878389 (1989-11-01), Boge
patent: 5027665 (1991-07-01), Hayward
patent: 5311912 (1994-05-01), Hayward
patent: 5765837 (1998-06-01), Schwarzler
patent: 23 36 967 (1973-07-01), None
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patent: 35 00 429 (1985-01-01), None
patent: 86 32 511 (1986-12-01), None
patent: 3813782 A1 (1988-04-01), None
patent: 196 01 (1996-01-01), None
patent: 360 U1 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 297 13 709 U1 (1997-08-01), None
patent: 0157 559 (1989-07-01), None
patent: 0157 559 B1 (1989-07-01), None
patent: 0 794 347 A1 (1997-09-01), None
Browne Lynne H.
Collard & Roe, PC.
Thompson Kenn
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