Patent ID: RE42061

Claim:
A sealing device sealing off an opening between a shaft and a grease-lubricated split bearing housing comprised of an upper bearing housing half and a lower bearing housing half, the sealing device comprising: a sealing element arranged in a circumferential groove in the opening of the bearing housing, the sealing element being divided into two seal halves by a diametrical cut, with each seal half comprising a main body and each seal half being a one- piece seal half ; the main body of each seal half being provided with a pair of sealing lips spaced apart from each other, with an intermediate grease reservoir between the sealing lips; the main body of each seal half also comprising reinforcing portions arranged between the main body and the sealing lips to facilitate sealing engagement between the sealing lips and the shaft, with the reinforcing portions spaced from an outer surface of the shaft, when the upper bearing housing half provided with the upper seal half is mounted onto the shaft with the shaft resting in the lower bearing housing half provided with the lower seal half, the reinforcing portions projecting axially outside the sealing lips; and the main body of each seal half possessing shoulders on which bear a surface of the bearing housing adjacent the groove, the reinforcing portions being arranged at a distance from the shoulders so as to be spaced apart from the shoulders , the sealing device contacting the shaft only at the pair of sealing lips .