Patent Publication Number: US-8522433-B2

Title: Method of installing a seal

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/420,417, filed Dec. 7, 2010. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a low cost seal installation device and a simple and effective method of installing a seal. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
     Automotive transmissions, engines, vehicle drivetrains and other industrial machinery often utilize seals for maintaining lubricant in a defined space and/or for excluding dirt and debris from entering the machinery. The seals are often disposed in a narrow space between a bore and a shaft and can be difficult to assemble properly. High cost tools are often utilized for installing a seal in a transmission or other environment. The cost of these tools is justified in a manufacturing assembly process where the tool is used numerous times in a single shift and the reliable installation process must take place at a rapid pace. However, a low cost alternative is needed for use with transmission overhaul kits where the cost of a conventional installation tool can far exceed the cost of the seals being replaced. 
     SUMMARY 
     This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
     A low cost and simple installation tool is designed to ease the installation of bonded pistons and lip seals in an automatic transmission or other industrial machine. The installation tool is in the form of a flexible circular disc that can be a few inches in diameter and up to several inches depending upon the diameter of the seal being installed. The seal lip can be assembled within an interior wall of a bore or can be assembled to an outer wall of a shaft or piston received in the bore. If a shaft is used, the shaft can be a rotating or reciprocating shaft, or both. Once the shaft or piston is initially inserted into the bore, the seal lip can be flipped backward away from its intended orientation. The flexible circular disc, having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the gap between the bore and the shaft is then inserted into the gap and pressed against the seal lip to flip the seal lip to its desired orientation while the disc is rolled around the circumference of the gap to orientate the entire seal in its proper position. 
     Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a housing defining a bore and a shaft received in the bore with a seal lip assembled to the shaft according to an exemplary seal arrangement; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating the use of an installation tool according to the principles of the present disclosure to properly orient the seal lip between the shaft and the bore; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view showing a seal lip flipped from its proper orientation during the assembly of a shaft within a bore and having the installation tool inserted therebetween to properly orient the seal lip; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3 , with the seal lip being partially correctly oriented by rotation of the installation tool around the circumference of the seal; and 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3  with the seal lip being correctly oriented after use of the installation tool according to the principles of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a housing  10  is provided that defines a bore  12  for receiving a shaft or piston  14  therein. The shaft or piston  14  can be provided with a lip seal  16  on an exterior surface thereof that is designed to engage the interior surface of the bore  12 . Alternatively, it should be understood that the lip seal could be disposed on the interior surface of the bore  12  so as to engage an exterior surface of the shaft or piston  14 . Furthermore, the shaft or piston can be a rotating shaft, or a reciprocating piston or rod as is known in the art. The seal lip  16  is generally received in a groove  18  provided in the exterior surface of the shaft  14  and is designed to engage the bore  12  extending axially in the direction of insertion of the shaft  14  as illustrated by arrow A in  FIG. 1 . Upon insertion of the shaft  14  into the bore  12 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the seal lip  16  can become inverted or flipped backward from its desired orientation due to frictional engagement of the seal lip  16  with the interior surface of the bore  12 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the installation tool  20  in the form of a circular thin flexible disc can be inserted in the gap between the shaft  14  and the bore  12 , and a downward force is applied thereto to cause the seal lip  16  to flip back to its intended orientation. The circular disc  20  can then be rotated as illustrated by arrow B in  FIG. 2  so that the rotation of the circular disc  20  is moved in the direction of arrow C around the circumference of the seal lip  16  so as to cause the seal lip to be pressed into its desired orientation, as shown in  FIG. 5 . It should be understood that during the assembly process, a lubricating oil can be applied to the interior surface of the bore  12  as well as to the lip seal  16  in order to facilitate the sliding of the lip seal  16  from its inverted orientation to its desired orientation. 
     The flexible circular disc  20  can be provided with an appropriate diameter so as to allow a user to manipulate the disc around the circumference of the seal  16 . The circular disc  20  is preferably flexible to allow the disc to be curved generally as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , so as to match the curvature of the bore  12  as the disc  20  is rotated around the circumference of the seal lip  16 . The disc  20  preferably has a thickness that is narrower than the gap disposed between the bore  12  and shaft  14  so as to easily allow the disc  20  to be inserted therebetween. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the disc can have a diameter of approximately five inches, although the disc diameter can range from between two inches and up to eight inches, depending upon the size of the seal being installed. The flexible circular disc can be made of a high density polypropylene material while other plastic, elastomeric, polymeric, or other materials such as paper board could also be used. The flexible disc preferably does not have any sharp edges that can cause scratching of the lip seal during installation. The flexible disc, when used as an installation tool, is a very low cost device that ensures proper seal installation as it is flexibly rotated around the seal circumference. 
     The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.