Importance

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Abstract

A sealing boot for sealing a power transmitting mechanical joint, especially a mechanical joint which is subject to angular articulation between its input shaft and output shaft. The mechanical joint has an outer race which is a part of its output shaft, and the outer race has an external spherical surface. The sealing boot has a segment which is made up of concentric inner and outer non-flexible components which surrounds a portion of the outer race, and the inner component of the two-component segment sealingly engages the external spherical sealing surface of the outer race. The two-component non-flexible segment of the boot and the outer race of the joint can be articulated relative to one another without breaking the seal therebetween. In the preferred embodiment the remainder of the boot constitutes a non-pleated, funnel-shaped, non-flexible second boot segment, the enlarged end of which is generally spherically-shaped and is received in a spherical groove defined by the inner component and the outer component of the two-component non-flexible portion and the other end of which sealingly engages the input shaft of the mechanical joint. A portion of the articulation required during normal driving is obtained by the movement of the enlarged end of the second boot segment in the spherical groove defined by the inner and outer components of the two-component boot segment. Additional articulation is provided by the spherical sliding of the two-component boot segment on the spherical surface of the outer race after the second boot segment bottoms in the spherical groove of the two-component boot segment.

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First Claim