| 摘要 |
A two-component seal for the spin tub of a washing machine. The two-component seal is disposed about the tub opening and a metal shroud seal to prevent water in the washer from entering a motor and bearing space. The top seal includes a metal case with multiple sealing surfaces. The presence of multiple sealing surfaces provides a sealing force against the shaft shroud seal to seal during operation and compensate for seal wear over time, extending the seal life. The top seal has a stiffener made of metal. A resilient elastomeric cover encloses the stiffener, except for top and bottom tabs. A bottom tab prevents slipping between the tub seal and bottom assembly. The bottom tabs additionally have a lip which engages the shroud seal made from materials which allow sealing lips to seal on a softer metal shaft. The bottom seal also has a resilient metallic stiffener enclosed by a resilient bottom cover. The bottom seal further has a vertical wall and a horizontal flange. Annular wedges on the bottom seal bias the bottom seal vertical wall inwardly, forming a resiliently expansible annular hub. The resilient biasing of the hub make the two-component seal self aligning because any forces acting on the bearings to cause misalignment are counteracted and dampened by reactive resilient biasing forces of the two-component seal.
|
