Shaft seal in the shape of an elliptical funnel

摘要

A seal for a shaft rotatably mounted in a housing. The seal is fabricated of a resilient material and includes a generally hollow elliptical attachment and an annular lip-shaped element which extends outwardly at an angle from a top side of the attachment. The lip-shaped element has a terminal free end which rests against the housing in a plane perpendicular to the shaft axis. When the seal is slidably positioned on the shaft the elliptical attachment deforms into a cylindrical shape in sealing relation with the shaft. This deformation causes the lip-shaped element to assume an elliptical configuration. Rotation of the shaft relative to the housing causes the free end of the lip-shaped element to move back and forth in a radial direction affecting removal of dirt particles from the housing.