JP7492322B2 - Rotating device seal structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seal structure for a rotating device.

A seal structure for sealing a rotating device that includes a shaft member that rotates relative to one another and an annular member that surrounds the shaft member is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a seal structure for sealing a gap between a case and a shaft member in a rotating machine that includes the case and the shaft member. This seal structure prevents leakage of lubricant from a lubricant storage space in the rotating machine. This seal structure has a seal forming part that is connected to one of the case and the shaft member, and a seal member that is positioned outside the seal forming part. This seal member has an annular support part that faces the seal forming part, and a lip that forms a seal between the seal forming part and the seal forming part.

JP 2018-119681 A

The present inventors have come to the following realization regarding the seal structure of a rotating device.
It was found that the seal structure described in Patent Document 1 has a tendency for the axial accuracy of the mounting position of the seal member relative to the case and shaft member to be low, resulting in large variations in sealing performance. This is because the surface of the seal member is covered with soft rubber or the like, and when the seal member is assembled, it is positioned based on the rubber or the like, making the mounting position unstable. If the mounting position of the seal member changes, the contact state between the main lip and the mating member also changes, resulting in large variations in the sealing performance between them.

Based on these findings, the inventors recognized that there is room for improvement in the sealing structure described in Patent Document 1 in terms of reducing the variation in sealing performance.

The object of the present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and is to provide a seal structure for a rotating device that can reduce variation in sealing performance.

In order to solve the above problem, a seal structure of one aspect of the present invention is a seal structure for a rotating device that seals between a shaft member and a support member that is arranged to be rotatable relative to the shaft member, and includes a seal member that seals a gap formed between the shaft member and the support member, and a seal forming portion located between the shaft member and the support member. The seal forming portion is connected to one of the shaft member and the support member, and the seal member is attached to the other member, and the seal member has a lip portion that forms a seal between the support member and the seal forming portion and a lip support portion that supports the lip portion. The lip support portion has an elastic portion and a rigid portion that has a greater rigidity than the elastic portion. The seal member is positioned by the rigid portion abutting directly or via a specified member against a positioning portion provided on the other member.

In addition, any combination of the above components, or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, systems, etc., are also valid aspects of the present invention.

The present invention provides a seal structure for a rotating device that can reduce variation in sealing performance.

1 is a side cross-sectional view that illustrates an example of a rotating device equipped with a seal structure according to a first embodiment. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a first example of a seal structure according to a first embodiment. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing a second example of the seal structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a third example of the seal structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a fourth example of the seal structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a fifth example of the seal structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a sixth example of the seal structure according to the first embodiment. A side cross-sectional view showing a seventh example of the seal structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view showing an eighth example of the seal structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a first example of a seal structure according to a second embodiment. 10A to 10C are explanatory views showing a process for manufacturing the first example of the seal structure according to the second embodiment. 10A to 10C are explanatory views showing a process for manufacturing the second example of the seal structure according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a third example of the seal structure according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a fourth example of the seal structure according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a seal structure according to a comparative example.

The present invention will be described below based on a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment and the modified examples, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations are omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the dimensions of the parts in each drawing are shown enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Furthermore, some of the parts that are not important for explaining the embodiment are omitted in each drawing.

In addition, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components, but these terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another and do not limit the components.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, the configuration of the seal structure 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a rotating device 100 to which the seal structure 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The rotating device 100 includes a shaft member 28, a support member 30, and a bearing 40. As an example, the rotating device 100 may be a reducer or an eccentric oscillating reducer. In this case, the shaft member 28 corresponds to the carrier, the support member 30 corresponds to a cylindrical casing that covers the outer periphery of the carrier, and the bearing 40 corresponds to a main bearing.

Hereinafter, the direction along the central axis La of the shaft member 28 of the rotating device 100 will be referred to as the "axial direction," and the circumferential direction and radial direction of a circle centered on the central axis La will be referred to as the "circumferential direction" and "radial direction," respectively. The central axis La in this example coincides with the rotation axis of the shaft member 28. A bearing 40 is provided between the support member 30 and the shaft member 28. The shaft member 28 is disposed within the support member 30 and is supported so as to be rotatable relative to the support member 30.

The bearing 40 is disposed on one side and the other side of the axial direction of the support member 30 and the shaft member 28. The bearing 40 has a plurality of rolling elements 42 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the example of FIG. 1, the inner ring raceway surface 40a of the bearing 40 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 28, and the outer ring raceway surface 40b is formed on an outer ring 40c fitted on the inner peripheral surface of the support member 30. In other words, the outer ring 40c of the bearing 40 is formed separately from the support member 30. A lubricant is held in the bearing 40.

In the space between the support member 30 and the shaft member 28, the area in which the bearings 40 that hold the lubricant are arranged and sealed by the seal structure 10 is called the "lubricant retention space J." In addition, in the axial direction, the direction away from the lubricant retention space J is called the "outer" or "outside," and the opposite direction is called the "inner" or "inner" side. The inner and outer ends of the member are called the "inner end" and "outer end." In addition, in the ventilation path from the lubricant retention space J to the external space of the rotating device 100, the side approaching the lubricant retention space J is called the "inner side," and the opposite side is called the "external side."

Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a first example of the seal structure 10 of this embodiment. This figure shows a cross section cut along the radial direction. The seal structure 10 seals between the shaft member 28 and the support member 30 arranged so as to be rotatable relative to the shaft member 28. The seal structure 10 includes a seal member 12 and a seal forming portion 16. The seal member 12 seals the gap formed between the shaft member 28 and the support member 30. In particular, the seal structure 10 seals the gap between the support member 30 and the shaft member 28 by the seal member 12 coming into contact with the seal forming portion 16.

The support member 30 and the shaft member 28 to which the seal forming portion 16 is connected may be referred to as "one member," and the support member 30 and the shaft member 28 to which the seal forming portion 16 is not connected may be referred to as "the other member." In this example, the one member is the shaft member 28, and the other member is the support member 30.

(Seal forming part)
The seal forming portion 16 is connected to one of the support member 30 and the shaft member 28, and is located between the shaft member 28 and the support member 30. The seal forming portion 16 in this embodiment is connected to the shaft member 28. In this case, the seal forming portion 16 can be formed on the outer periphery side of the shaft member 28, making processing easier. Specifically, the seal forming portion 16 is an annular member extending radially toward the support member 30, and is provided on the shaft member 28. The seal forming portion 16 in this example is integrally formed from the same material as the shaft member 28. A radial gap is formed between the outer periphery surface 16g of the seal forming portion 16 and the inner periphery surface 30n of the support member 30. One end face 16m of the seal forming portion 16 faces the end face 12m of the seal member 12 in the axial direction.

(Sealing member)
The seal member 12 is attached to either the support member 30 or the shaft member 28, whichever member is not connected to the seal forming portion 16. The seal member 12 of this embodiment is detachably attached to the support member 30 on the axially outer side of the seal forming portion 16. The seal member 12 has a lip portion 14 and a lip support portion 20 that supports the lip portion 14. The lip portion 14 contacts the seal forming portion 16 to form a seal between the support member 30 and the seal forming portion 16.

(Lip part)
The lip portion 14 may include a plurality of elastically deformable lip portions. The lip portion 14 of this embodiment includes a first lip portion 14m for contacting the end surface 16m of the seal forming portion 16 and a second lip portion 14g for contacting the outer circumferential surface 28g of the shaft member 28. The first lip portion 14m functions as a main lip capable of suppressing leakage of the lubricant in the lubricant retention space J to the outside. The second lip portion 14g suppresses leakage of the lubricant in the lubricant retention space J to the outside and suppresses the intrusion of foreign matter into the lubricant retention space J from the outside. In other words, the second lip portion 14g functions as a dust lip that suppresses the intrusion of foreign matter.

The first lip portion 14m extends in the axial direction toward the end surface 16m of the seal forming portion 16 and is inclined in the axial and radial directions. The first lip portion 14m extends in the radial direction from the base end side toward the tip end side so as to approach the support member 30. In other words, the first lip portion 14m is formed in a tapered cylindrical shape that tapers toward the inside in the axial direction.

The second lip portion 14g is provided at the end portion on the inner circumference side of the lip support portion 20. The second lip portion 14g extends from the base end toward the outer circumference surface 28g of the shaft member 28 and is inclined in the axial and radial directions. The second lip portion 14g is formed in a tapered cylindrical shape that tapers toward the inside in the axial direction. The lip portion 14 is formed integrally with the elastic portion 18 of the lip support portion 20, which will be described later.

(Lip support part)
The lip support portion 20 has an elastic portion 18, a rigid portion 22, and a skeletal member 24. In this example, the lip support portion 20 is a portion that does not contact the shaft member 28 by itself. The skeletal member 24 functions as a core material that maintains the shape of the elastic portion 18 within a certain range. For this reason, the skeletal member 24 has a higher rigidity than the elastic portion 18, and in particular, a higher rigidity than the lip portion 14. In this specification, "rigidity" refers to the difficulty of deformation due to an external force, and can be expressed, for example, by Young's modulus. In other words, when the Young's modulus is large, the rigidity is also large. The skeletal member 24 has a hollow disk-shaped disk portion 24b and a hollow cylindrical portion 24c that extends axially inward from the outer periphery of the disk portion 24b. In other words, the skeletal member 24 is an annular member whose cross section cut along the radial direction is L-shaped. The skeletal member 24 and the rigid portion 22 can be made of a metal material such as an iron-based metal, a nonmetallic material such as a hard plastic, or a composite material thereof.

(Elastic part)
The elastic portion 18 of this embodiment covers the entire skeletal member 24, and has a disk portion 18b that covers the disk portion 24b, and a cylindrical portion 18c that covers the cylindrical portion 24c. A part of the skeletal member 24 may be exposed from the elastic portion 18. The first lip portion 14m extends integrally from the end of the disk portion 18b. The second lip portion 14g extends integrally from the outer periphery of the disk portion 18b. The elastic portion 18 is made of a soft resin material such as rubber, and has greater elasticity than a rigid portion 22 described later.

Comparative Example
Before describing the rigid portion 22, a seal structure 510 according to a comparative example will be described. FIG. 15 is a side cross-sectional view showing the seal structure 510 according to the comparative example, and corresponds to FIG. 2. The comparative example differs from the present embodiment in that the seal member 12 does not have a rigid portion, and the other configurations are similar. In the example of FIG. 15, the outer peripheral surface 18n of the cylindrical portion 18c is fitted into the inner peripheral surface 30n of the support member 30. A tapered portion 30t that becomes smaller in diameter toward the inside is provided in the middle of the inner peripheral surface 30n, and the axial position of the seal member 12 is regulated by a part of the outer peripheral surface 18n being in close contact with the tapered portion 30t by elastic force.

In the comparative example, the seal member 12 is positioned based on the outer peripheral surface 18n of the elastic portion 18, which has low rigidity, so the mounting position varies greatly. As a result, the contact state between the lip portion 14 and the mating member becomes inconsistent, and the sealing performance varies greatly.

(Rigidity part)
The rigid portion 22 will be described based on the description of the comparative example. In the example of Fig. 2, when the seal member 12 is attached to the support member 30, the rigid portion 22 abuts against a positioning portion 30f provided on the support member 30 and functions as a reference portion for determining the axial position of the seal member 12. The positioning portion 30f will be described later. The rigid portion 22 has a greater rigidity than the elastic portion 18. By positioning the seal member 12 in the axial direction using the rigid portion 22 as a reference, variation in the mounting position of the seal member 12 is reduced, the contact state between the lip portion 14 and the mating member is stabilized, and variation in sealing performance is reduced.

The rigid portion 22 can be made of a metal material such as an iron-based metal, a non-metallic material such as a hard plastic, or a composite material of these. The rigid portion 22 may be formed separately from the skeletal member 24 and directly abut against the skeletal member 24, or may be formed integrally with the skeletal member 24. In the example of FIG. 2, the rigid portion 22 is integrally provided on the inner end of the cylindrical portion 24c, and protrudes from the inner end of the cylindrical portion 18c and extends axially inward.

(Positioning part)
The positioning portion 30f will be described. The positioning portion 30f is provided on the other of the support member 30 and the shaft member 28. The positioning portion 30f in this embodiment is an annular end surface perpendicular to the axial direction, and is provided integrally with the support member 30. In the example of FIG. 2, the positioning portion 30f is an outer end surface of a step extending radially inward from the inner circumferential surface 30n of the support member 30. Since the positioning portion 30f is formed on the support member 30, the machining allowance for providing the positioning portion 30f can be reduced, and the machining time for cutting or the like can be shortened.

Another example of the elastic portion 18 will be described. Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a second example of the seal structure 10 of this embodiment. The example in Figure 3 differs from the example in Figure 2 in that the inner end of the cylindrical portion 18c is located on the same plane as the inner end of the rigid portion 22 in the axial direction, but the other configurations are the same.

Another example of the positioning portion 30f will be described. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing a third example of the seal structure 10 of this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 4, the positioning portion 30f is provided on the outer ring 40c of the bearing 40 provided between the shaft member 28 and the support member 30, which is different from the example of FIG. 2, but the other configurations are similar. That is, the rigid portion 22 of the seal member 12 abuts on the positioning portion 30f provided on the other member directly or via a predetermined member (e.g., a washer, spacer, etc.). In this example, the positioning portion 30f is the outer end surface of the outer ring 40c, and the rigid portion 22 abuts directly. In this case, the shape of the inner peripheral surface 30n of the support member 30 is simplified, and the number of processing steps can be reduced.

Another example of the rigid portion 22 will be described. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a fourth example of the seal structure 10 of this embodiment. If the cross-sectional area of the rigid portion 22 as viewed from the axial direction is small, the rigid portion 22 is easily deformed, and the mounting position of the seal member 12 becomes unstable. For this reason, it is desirable that the cross-sectional area of the rigid portion 22 as viewed from the axial direction is large. In the seal member 12 of FIG. 5, the area of the region overlapping with the positioning portion 30f of the rigid portion 22 as viewed from the axial direction from the positioning portion 30f is configured to be larger than the area of the region overlapping with the positioning portion 30f of the skeletal member 24.

The example in FIG. 5 differs from the example in FIG. 2 in that the shape of the rigid portion 22 is different, but the other configurations are similar. In this example, the rigid portion 22 has an expanded portion 22h that is expanded radially at the inner end of the cylindrical portion 24c. The expanded portion 22h protrudes to at least one of the inner and outer circumferential sides. In this case, the rigid portion 22 is less likely to deform, so the mounting position of the seal member 12 is stable. The expanded portion 22h may be formed integrally with the skeletal member 24.

Another example of the rigid portion 22 will be described. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a fifth example of the seal structure 10 of this embodiment. The example of FIG. 6 differs from the example of FIG. 5 in that the rigid portion 22 is configured separately from the skeletal member 24, but the other configurations are similar. In this example, the rigid portion 22 includes a hollow disk-shaped ring portion 22b coaxial with the skeletal member 24. When viewed in the axial direction, the area of the region of the ring portion 22b that overlaps with the positioning portion 30f is larger than the area of the region of the ring portion 22b that overlaps with the positioning portion 30f of the skeletal member 24. The ring portion 22b may be formed by processing from a metallic material or a non-metallic material. In this case, the ring portion 22b can be formed by simple processing. The ring portion 22b may be formed by coating with a metallic material or a non-metallic material. In this case, the axial dimension (thickness) of the ring portion 22b can be reduced.

Between the skeletal member 24 and the rigid portion 22, an intermediate layer 18d made of a material different from that of the rigid portion 22 and the skeletal member 24 may be interposed. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a sixth example of the seal structure 10 of this embodiment. The example of FIG. 7 differs from the example of FIG. 6 in that it has an intermediate layer 18d, but the other configurations are similar. In this case, the inner end of the skeletal member 24 can be covered by the intermediate layer 18d. The intermediate layer 18d may be formed of a material different from that of the elastic portion 18, or may be formed integrally with the elastic portion 18 using the same material.

Note that parameters such as the axial dimension (thickness) and rigidity of the intervening layer 18d may affect the positional accuracy of the sealing member 12 when pressed. In other words, the desired positional accuracy can be obtained by adjusting the parameters of the intervening layer 18d.

The seal forming portion 16 will be further described. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing a seventh example of the seal structure 10 of this embodiment. The example of FIG. 8 differs from the example of FIG. 2 in that the seal forming portion 16 is formed separately from the shaft member 28 and the support member 30, but the other configurations are similar. The seal forming portion 16 in this example includes a hollow disk-shaped forming portion main body 16h and a hollow cylindrical annular portion 16j that extends axially outward from the outer edge of the forming portion main body 16h. In other words, the seal forming portion 16 is an annular member whose cross section cut along the radial direction is L-shaped.

By making the seal forming portion 16 separate from the shaft member 28 and the support member 30, the seal forming portion 16 can be formed in a separate process from the shaft member 28. As a result, a processing method suitable for each shape can be used. For example, the seal forming portion 16 in this example may be formed by pressing.

The seal forming portion 16 is restricted from moving to either the shaft member 28 or the support member 30. A movement restricting portion 32 that restricts the axial movement of the seal forming portion 16 is provided in the portion of the shaft member 28 or the support member 30 where the seal forming portion 16 is disposed. In this example, the movement restricting portion 32 is a circumferential protrusion that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface 28g of the shaft member 28. The annular portion 16j of the seal forming portion 16 is fitted into the outer circumferential surface 28g, and the movement inward in the axial direction is restricted by the movement restricting portion 32. The movement restricting portion 32 also functions as a positioning portion for the seal forming portion 16.

The lip portion 14 will be further described. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing an eighth example of the seal structure 10 of this embodiment. The lip portion 14 may include a plurality of lip portions that form a seal with the seal forming portion 16. In the example of FIG. 9, the lip portion 14 differs from the example of FIG. 2 in that it includes a third lip portion 14p that forms a seal with the seal forming portion 16 in addition to the first lip portion 14m and the second lip portion 14g, but the other configurations are the same. In other words, the lip portion 14 includes three lip portions that form a seal with the seal forming portion 16. The third lip portion 14p suppresses leakage of the lubricant from the lubricant retaining space J to the outside, separately from the first lip portion 14m and the second lip portion 14g. In the example of FIG. 9, the third lip portion 14p is arranged on the inner side of the first lip portion 14m.

The third lip portion 14p extends radially toward the outer circumferential surface 16g of the seal forming portion 16 and is inclined in the axial and radial directions. The third lip portion 14p is formed in a tapered cylindrical shape that tapers toward the outside in the axial direction. The third lip portion 14p extends integrally from the cylindrical portion 18c. By having the third lip portion 14p, leakage of the lubricant from the lubricant retaining space J to the outside can be further suppressed.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the drawings and description of the second embodiment, the same or equivalent components and members as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on the configurations that differ from the first embodiment.

The second embodiment of the present invention is also a seal structure. Figure 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a first example of the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment, and corresponds to Figure 2. The seal structure 10 according to this embodiment differs from the example of Figure 2 in that the shape of the rigid portion 22 is different, and in particular, the rigid portion 22 has an exposed portion 22e that is exposed axially outward. The example of Figure 10 also differs from the example of Figure 2 in that the rigid portion 22 does not have a portion that abuts against the positioning portion 30f, and therefore the support member 30 does not have a positioning portion 30f, but the other configurations are generally similar. The axially outer surface of the disc portion 24b of the skeleton member 24 is exposed from the disc portion 18b of the elastic portion 18, and constitutes the exposed portion 22e of the rigid portion 22.

In the seal structure 10 of this embodiment, the rigid portion 22 has an exposed portion 22e, so the seal member 12 can be positioned in the axial direction based on the exposed portion 22e. In this case, the variation in the mounting position of the seal member 12 is reduced, the contact state between the lip portion 14 and the mating member is stabilized, and the variation in sealing performance is reduced. In addition, because the exposed portion 22e faces outward in the axial direction, the seal member 12 can be easily pushed into a predetermined position by pressing the exposed portion 22e with a jig.

Next, a method for manufacturing the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the manufacturing process of the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment. This method includes a step S60 in which the seal member 12 is pressed into the inner circumferential surface 30n of the support member 30 using a pressing jig 50. FIG. 11(a) shows an intermediate state in which the seal member 12 is pressed into the support member 30, and FIG. 11(b) shows the final state after the seal member 12 has been pressed into the predetermined position.

The jig 50 includes a first surface 50p for contacting the exposed portion 22e and a second surface 50s for contacting the axially outer end surface 30b of the support member 30. In the example of FIG. 11, the first surface 50p and the second surface 50s are formed on the same plane in the axial direction.

Step S60 includes the following steps.
(1) First, as shown in FIG. 11(a), with the axially inner first surface 50p of the jig 50 abutting against the exposed portion 22e, the jig 50 is moved axially inward as indicated by arrow F to press the sealing member 12 into the support member 30.
(2) Next, from that state, the jig 50 is moved axially inward until the axially inner second surface 50s of the jig 50 abuts against the axially outer end surface 30b of the support member 30.
11B, when the second surface 50s abuts against the end surface 30b, the sealing member 12 is pressed into a predetermined position in the support member 30, and step S60 is completed. In the state shown in FIG. 11B, the exposed portion 22e is located on the same plane as the end surface 30b in the axial direction.

According to this manufacturing method, by including step S60, the seal member 12 can be precisely pressed into the specified position. As a result, the variation in the mounting position of the seal member 12 is reduced, the contact state between the lip portion 14 and the mating member is stabilized, and the variation in the sealing performance is reduced.

Next, a second example of the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the manufacturing process of the second example of the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment. The seal structure 10 in FIG. 12 differs from the seal structure 10 in FIG. 11 in that the position of the exposed portion 22e in the axial direction is different from the position of the end face 30b, but the other configurations are similar. As shown in FIG. 12, the exposed portion 22e is located axially inward from the end face 30b. In this case, this can be addressed by providing a difference between the position of the first surface 50p and the position of the second surface 50s of the jig 50. The first surface 50p of the jig 50 is formed axially inward from the second surface 50s.

Figure 12(a) shows an intermediate state in which the seal member 12 is pressed into the support member 30, and Figure 12(b) shows the final state after the seal member 12 has been pressed into a predetermined position. The seal structure 10 in Figure 12 can be manufactured by step S60.

Next, a third example of the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a third example of the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 10. In the example of FIG. 10, the entire surface of the disk portion 24b on the axial outer side is exposed, but in the example of FIG. 13, only a part of the surface is exposed, which is different. In the example of FIG. 13, the disk portion 24b has a protrusion 24p that protrudes outward in the axial direction. The surface of the outer end of the protrusion 24p is exposed from the disk portion 18b of the elastic portion 18, and constitutes the exposed portion 22e of the rigid portion 22. The exposed portion 22e may be flush with the end surface 30b in the axial direction. The seal structure 10 of FIG. 13 can be manufactured by step S60.

Next, a fourth example of the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a fourth example of the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 10. The example of FIG. 14 differs from the example of FIG. 10 in that the rigid portion 22 is configured separately from the skeletal member 24, but the other configurations are similar. The rigid portion 22 in this example includes a hollow disk-shaped annular portion 22f that is coaxial with the skeletal member 24. The annular portion 22f is connected to the axial outside of the seal member 12. The radial range of the annular portion 22f is approximately the same as the radial range of the disk portion 24b of the skeletal member 24.

The annular portion 22f can be formed by processing a metallic or non-metallic material. In this case, the annular portion 22f can be formed by simple processing. The annular portion 22f may be formed by coating a metallic or non-metallic material. In this case, the axial dimension (thickness) of the annular portion 22f can be reduced.

Between the disk portion 24b and the annular portion 22f, an intermediate layer 18g made of a material different from that of the annular portion 22f and the disk portion 24b may be interposed. In this case, the disk portion 24b can be covered by the intermediate layer 18g. The intermediate layer 18g may be made of a material different from that of the elastic portion 18, or may be made integrally with the elastic portion 18 using the same material.

Parameters such as the axial dimension (thickness) and rigidity of the intervening layer 18g may affect the positional accuracy of the sealing member 12 when pressed. In other words, the desired positional accuracy can be obtained by adjusting the parameters of the intervening layer 18g.

The exposed portion 22e may be flush with the end face 30b in the axial direction. The seal structure 10 in FIG. 14 can be manufactured by process S60.

The seal structure 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to the examples shown in Figs. 10 to 14, and various modifications are possible. For example, the seal structure 10 according to this embodiment may have a seal forming portion 16 separate from the shaft member 28 and the support member 30 as shown in Fig. 8, or may have a lip portion 14 including multiple lip portions that form a seal with the seal forming portion 16 as shown in Fig. 9. This embodiment provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

Above, examples of the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. All of the above-mentioned embodiments merely show specific examples of how to put the present invention into practice. The contents of the embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes such as changing, adding, or deleting components are possible within the scope of the idea of the invention defined in the claims. In the above-mentioned embodiments, the contents for which such design changes are possible are explained with notations such as "in the embodiment" and "in the embodiment", but this does not mean that design changes are not permitted for contents without such notations. Furthermore, hatching in the drawings does not limit the material of the object to which the hatching is applied.

[Modification]
The following describes the modified examples. In the drawings and description of the modified examples, the same or equivalent components and members as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Descriptions that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on configurations that differ from the embodiment.

In the description of the embodiment, an example is shown in which the seal forming part 16 is connected to the shaft member 28 and the seal member 12 is attached to the support member 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. The seal forming part 16 may be connected to the support member 30 and the seal member 12 may be attached to the shaft member 28.

In the description of the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the seal structure 10 is provided on one side of the rotating device 100 in the axial direction, but the seal structure 10 may be provided on both sides of the rotating device 100 in the axial direction.

In the embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the inner ring raceway surface 40a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 28, but an inner ring separate from the shaft member 28 may also be provided, and the inner ring raceway surface may be formed on the inner ring.

In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the positioning portion 30f was formed integrally with the support member 30, but the positioning portion 30f may be formed separately from the support member 30 and connected to the support member 30. In addition, the positioning portion 30f may be provided on a member that also has another function.

In the embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the third lip portion 14p is provided on the inner side of the first lip portion 14m, but the third lip portion 14p may also be provided on the outer side of the first lip portion 14m.

The above-mentioned modified examples have the same functions and effects as the embodiment.

Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. The new embodiment resulting from the combination has the combined effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications.

10 seal structure, 12 seal member, 14 lip portion, 16 seal forming portion, 18 elastic portion, 20 lip support portion, 22 rigid portion, 18d intervening layer, 22e exposed portion, 24 skeletal member, 28 shaft member, 30 support member, 30f positioning portion, 32 movement restriction portion, 40 bearing, 40c outer ring, 50 jig, S60 process, 100 rotating device.

Claims (6)

A seal structure for a rotating device that seals between a shaft member and a support member that is arranged to be rotatable relative to the shaft member,
a seal member that seals a gap formed between the shaft member and the support member;
a seal forming portion located between the shaft member and the support member;
Equipped with
The seal forming portion is connected to one of the shaft member and the support member, and the seal member is attached to the other member,
the seal member has a lip portion that forms a seal between itself and the seal forming portion and a lip support portion that supports the lip portion,
The lip support portion has an elastic portion and a rigid portion having a rigidity greater than that of the elastic portion,
the seal member is positioned by the rigid portion abutting against a positioning portion provided on the other member directly or via a predetermined member having a rigidity greater than that of the elastic portion;
When the seal member is positioned by the positioning portion, a direction of the rigid portion side relative to the positioning portion is the same as a direction of the lip portion side relative to the seal forming portion,
A seal structure , characterized in that the positioning portion is provided on an outer ring of a bearing provided between the shaft member and the support member . The seal member has a skeleton member having a greater rigidity than the lip portion,
2. The seal structure according to claim 1, wherein the rigid portion is integral with the skeletal member or is in direct contact with the skeletal member. A seal structure for a rotating device that seals between a shaft member and a support member that is arranged to be rotatable relative to the shaft member,
a seal member that seals a gap formed between the shaft member and the support member;
a seal forming portion located between the shaft member and the support member;
Equipped with
The seal forming portion is connected to one of the shaft member and the support member, and the seal member is attached to the other member,
the seal member has a lip portion that forms a seal between itself and the seal forming portion and a lip support portion that supports the lip portion,
The lip support portion has an elastic portion and a rigid portion having a rigidity greater than that of the elastic portion,
the seal member is positioned by the rigid portion abutting against a positioning portion provided on the other member directly or via a predetermined member having a rigidity greater than that of the elastic portion;
The seal member has a skeleton member having a greater rigidity than the lip portion,
the rigid portion is integrally formed with the skeletal member or is in direct contact with the skeletal member;
A seal structure, characterized in that, when viewed in the axial direction, an area of a region of the rigid portion that overlaps with the positioning portion is larger than an area of a region of the skeletal member that overlaps with the positioning portion. an outer ring provided between the shaft member and the support member is formed separately from the support member,
The positioning portion is formed on the support member,
The seal structure according to claim 1 , wherein the seal forming portion is connected to the shaft member. The seal forming portion is formed separately from the shaft member and the support member,
5. The seal structure according to claim 1, wherein the seal forming portion is restricted in movement to one of the shaft member and the support member. 5. The seal structure according to claim 1, wherein the lip portion includes a plurality of lip portions that are spaced apart from each other and form a seal between the lip portion and the seal forming portion.

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