Off-highway machines operate in a variety of environments. Such machines can include a chassis having a frame component that is pivotably movable with respect to the chassis which supports one or more ground-engaging devices, such as wheels. The frame component can be pivotably attached to the main chassis by way of a joint assembly having a bearing. Should contaminants, such as mud, infiltrate the bearing, the bearing can become damaged or impaired. For example, should debris accumulate in the bearing, the operation of the bearing can be impaired such that it experiences increased mechanical loads that lead to early failure or damage the bearing. It is desirable to provide a robust seal that protects the bearing from the outside environment.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0203518 is entitled, “Elastomeric Shaft Seal Formed Without Oven Post Curing,” and is directed to an elastomeric seal (20), such as a shaft seal for automotive vehicle applications. The elastomeric seal (20) includes an elastomeric compound (22) chemically coupled to a metal sealing ring (24) and is formed without an oven post curing step. The elastomeric seal (20) has an elastic modulus of 6.0 MPa to 13.0 MPa and a tensile strength of 11.1 MPa to 14.8 MPa. The elastomeric compound (22) includes 52.0 to 68.0 wt. % fluoroelastomer, 20.0 to 35.0 wt. % calcium silicate, and 5.0 to 15.0 wt. % diatomite. The elastomeric compound (22) is fully cured and chemically coupled to the metal sealing ring (24) during the compression or injection molding step, and thus an oven post curing step is not required.
It will be appreciated that this background description has been created by the inventors to aid the reader, and is not to be taken as an indication that any of the indicated problems were themselves appreciated in the art. While the described principles can, in some respects and embodiments, alleviate the problems inherent in other systems, it will be appreciated that the scope of the protected innovation is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability of any disclosed feature to solve any specific problem noted herein.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds