Patent Application
20130067710
In a principal aspect, the present invention relates to a tool for installation of shaft seals and, more particularly, to an installation tool useful for effecting installation of annular seals that may be fitted over or onto a shaft.
Motor vehicles and other machinery incorporate various shafts associated with the drive train and other mechanical parts of such equipment. These shafts are generally mounted with the support of bearings and seals. A typical seal may have an annular configuration. The seal is fitted about the shaft.
Often it is necessary to remove and replace a seal in such an assembly and the task of a mechanic to effect removal and replacement of a seal can be challenging because of the tightness of the fit of the seal and the location of the seal. Further, seals are made in a multiplicity of sizes. Thus, often a mechanic must use means that will enable the installation of seals having different sizes thereby necessitating multiple tools or a tool kit.
A further complication may result because of the location of the seal. Access for a mechanic to effect replacement is often very limited. That is, the disassembly of a particular item of machinery or vehicle is preferably minimized in order to enable efficient and timely replacement of seals. However, restricted space available for access to a shaft assembly may necessitate undesirable disassembly of shaft mounting arrangements in order to adequately secure access to the seal which is to be replaced.
Yet another problem encountered occurs with respect to replacement of pinion shaft seals because the pinion of the shaft typically projects through and beyond the seal. Removal and replacement of a seal in this circumstance may be especially challenging, particularly when contrasted with seal replacement when there is no pinion shaft projection extending beyond the seal.
To address these issues, various tools have been proposed and made available to assist the replacement of a seal on a shaft including a pinion shaft. By way of example, Kent Moore makes a shaft seal installation tool which comprises a molded plastic assembly having a generally cylindrical shape and onto which a seal may be fitted for driving into a housing for the seal. Such a product is illustrated in
While such tools are useful, they may not resolve the issues and problems described. Thus, there has remained the desire for an improved pinion shaft seal driver tool or tool kit.
Briefly the present invention comprises a shaft seal driver tool or assembly for installing pinion shaft seals and other similar seals into position on or over a shaft. The seal driver tool or assembly comprises two principal component parts; namely, a unitary driver and a separate handle which is designed to cooperatively engage the driver so that a seal retained by the driver may be driven into place, for example, over or onto a shaft such as a pinion shaft. The driver is typically comprised of a cylindrical housing or body having an array of concentric passages including a counterbore passage for receipt of the handle at least at one end of the body and a face and counterbore for receipt or placement of a seal on the opposite end. The seal is held in place on the face by magnetic force, e.g. magnets embedded in the driver body. Thus, magnets incorporated into an end face of the driver hold a seal in place for ultimate positioning about a pinion shaft and into a seal housing. The driver is a unitary element and can support different sizes of seals.
The separate handle is insertable into a counterbore of the driver on the end of the driver body opposite the seal support face. In one embodiment the handle may be engaged with the driver body from either end thereof and the opposite ends of the driver body are each capable of magnetically holding a seal. Thus, the driver may be reversible enabling the driver to accommodate seals of multiple or various sizes and driven from either end. The tool may be used to effect replacement of pinion shaft seals as well as seals which are inserted into a recessed opening or seal housing.
As a further aspect of the invention the driver comprises a unitary element or body member with multiple, coaxial counterbores which, in combination, form a passage through the body member so that a pinion shaft may fit into the driver body member and a seal may be positioned about or around and over the pinion shaft and into a seal housing by the tool.
As another aspect of the invention, the separate handle is hollow and slidably insertable into either end of the unitary driver or body member.
As another aspect of the invention, the handle includes a driven end with a cap that may be engaged by a hammer or driving tool to facilitate the insertion of a seal by the driver or body member.
As a further aspect of the invention, the unitary driver or body member and separate handle may be formed from a non-magnetic material such as aluminum and the magnetic feature of the tool may be provided by small magnets fitted or embedded in the ends of the unitary driver. The magnets may be, for example, neodymium magnets and may be arrayed in a circumferential pattern around the periphery at the opposite ends of the driver body to thereby provide a balanced magnetic field or force to retain a seal in position prior to insertion over or on a shaft.
A single driver having opposite ends each of which can serve to receive and mount a seal provides a tool wherein multiple sizes of seals can be positioned using the tool. However, multiple sizes of drivers may be constructed with variable sizes of counterbores for installing multiple sizes of seals. Thus a kit may be provided with multiple driver body sizes having configurations cooperative with a single handle size to enable the use of the tool with a wide variety of seal sizes.
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an inexpensive yet essentially universal seal driver tool which is rugged and versatile.
Another object of the invention is to provide a seal driver tool which is easy to use and capable of a wide range of applications for situations such as pinion shaft seal replacement as well as replacement of seals in a flat seal housing or groove.
These and other aspects, objectives and features of the invention will be set forth in greater detail in the description which follows.
In the detailed description which follows reference will be made to the drawing comprised of the following figures:
The present invention is depicted in
Referring first to the construction of the handle 28 and
An outer peripheral circular rim 60 of driver 26 extends around the central axis 52. The circular rim 60, includes at least one, but preferably a plurality of three counter sunk bores or holes 62, 63 and 64. Each bore 62, 63, 64 includes a small cylindrical magnet such as a neodymium magnet 65 which is retained therein by epoxy or some other retention or adhesive means. The passages or holes 62, 63 and 64 are arranged at spaced, equal angular positions about axis 52 and in the rim 60 and at equal radial distances from axis 52. The magnets 65 within the passages 62, 63, 64 provide magnetic force to magnetically attract and hold a seal on face 54 surrounding the first counterbore 56. Since most seal housings are made from material which is magnetically attracted, the magnets 65 will retain a seal in a substantially fixed position on and in body member 56. Also, if the seal housing has a configuration that does not incorporate a flange as depicted, the described construction is nonetheless useful for maintaining a seal assembly in position.
The body member 26 further includes an opposite, second end or face 68 which is also transverse or perpendicular to the axis 52. A second counterbore 70 is recessed within the opposite end of the body member 26 and has a diameter or profile of lesser dimension than the profile or diameter of the first counterbore 56. Typically the second counterbore 70 is a co-axial, cylindrical counterbore, but this is not necessarily a limiting feature of the invention inasmuch as other non-cylindrical profiles may be adopted which are compatible with the drive end 32 of handle 28. Thus the second counterbore 70 has a shape and size that may receive the drive end 32 of the handle 28. The axial depth of counterbore 70 is sufficient for the outer O ring 46 to fit into the second counterbore 70 and, as described hereinafter, to accommodate a third, coaxial, pinion shaft seal counterbore or counterbore recess 72.
The second face 68 thus has a construction similar to the first face 54. The second face 68 includes the generally cylindrical co-axial third, annular counterbore recess 72 and typically has a diameter which is distinct from the diameter of the first counterbore 56. The third counterbore 72 also defines an annular or circular outer rim 74 which surrounds the periphery of the counterbore 72 and includes passages 75, 76, 77 that receive embedded magnets 65. The third counterbore 72 has an internal profile which is lesser than the profile of the second counterbore 70. That is, the diameter of the third counterbore 72 is lesser than that of the first counterbore 56.
In the embodiment shown there is a fourth axial counterbore 80 which also has a profile and depth compatible with drive end 32 of handle 28. Further, the counterbores 70 and 80 are coaxial and delimited by an internal, intermediate, typically annular rib 82. The outer end or rim 33 of the drive end 32 will engage against the rib 82 inasmuch as the profile of the counterbores 70 and 80 are each compatible with drive end 32 of the handle 28. Thus, the handle 28 may be inserted into either end of the body member 26, extended into either the second counterbore 70 or fourth counterbore 80, and engaged against respectively either outer rib surface 83 or outer rib surface 85 to thereby effect driving of a pinion shaft seal assembly onto a shaft.
The coaxial counterbores and passage through the annular rib 82 define a throughbore in the body member 26. The first and third counterbores 56, 72 define recesses for a pinion shaft seal. The second and fourth counterbores 70, 80 are each adapted and configured to receive the drive end 32 of handle 28. The throughbore comprised of the counterbores 56, 70, 72, 80 and passage through the annular rib 82 in combination with the throughbore 38 of the handle 28 provide an access opening or passage for a pinion at the end of a shaft.
The magnets 65 retain a seal or seal assembly 49 in position on a face 54, 68 so that the seal assembly 49 may be positioned over or on the pinion shaft in a manner which will enable a hammer or similar tool to strike the cap 48 against the handle 28 inserted into second or fourth counterbores 70, 80 of the body member 26 and thereby drive the seal assembly 49 into position over or around a shaft.
The dimensions of the body member 26 may be altered or changed to support or receive and install various sizes of seals. Thus, the body member 26 depicted in
The axial dimensions of the various counterbores 56, 70, 72, 80 and the presence of the passage through the annular rib 82 become a factor and desirably are chosen to enable a pinion 100 or shaft extension 102 to project into the body member 26 an adequate distance for proper engagement, placement and driving of the seal assembly 49. In this regard, the handle 28 includes the bores 40 and 42 also designed to accommodate a pinion 100 and/or shaft extension 102 as necessary.
The invention thus comprises the combination of a handle 28 and a separate, typically cylindrically shaped body member 26. The body member 26 is designed to receive and hold a seal on either end face. The opposite end face of the body member 26 is designed to receive the handle 28 in an axial counterbore. The profile of the handle 28 and the receiving counterbores 70, 80 of the body member 26 are compatible. Further the body member 26 is designed to magnetically retain a seal or seal assembly. It should be noted that seals and seal assemblies are available in a myriad of configurations. The drawing thereof is only illustrative of the general construction of a seal or seal assembly. That is such assemblies typically include a flange such as described and an elastomeric seal, but the structure of the seal or seal assembly is not a limiting feature of the invention.
Alternations, changes and variations of the construction may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The shape, depth and size of the counterbores described may be altered e.g., they need not be annular or cylindrical. The outer configuration of the body member 26 may be altered as may the shape and structure of the separate handle 28. The invention is therefore limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.
