Development of Ultralight-contact RM Seal With Superior Sealing Capability(Pic)

JTEKT Corporation (president Kohshi Yoshida, headquartered in Chuo-ku, Osaka) has succeeded in developing and bringing to mass-production a bearing seal with excellent sealing capability and low torque for use in applications requiring high-speed rotation. JTEKT has already begun using this seal in bearings for automotive engine accessories, and because of its outstanding performance, JTEKT has begun studying the creation of a series for use in general-purpose bearings. Because bearings for automotive engine accessories must possess high-speed rotational capability, light-contact seals with low torque have conventionally been used. However, high-pressure washing, external environment changes, water immersion and other severe conditions have often led to water intrusion and subsequent rust generation and bearing failure. Consequently, there was an urgent need to develop a seal that, while maintaining the conventional low torque level, possessed improved sealing characteristics. To meet that need, JTEKT has developed an ¡°RM seal¡± by increasing and strengthening the interference between the lip and sliding surface in order to improve sealing capability, adopting a double-contact M-configuration for the seal lip area to secure long-term sealing capability, and adopting a double-protrusion type configuration for the lip exterior in order to improve waterproofing. The RM seal originally was developed for application on engine accessory bearings, but JTEKT is studying the expansion of this seal into a series for application on small and medium-sized general purpose bearings used in a wide range of industries to take advantage of the superior features described above. ¡¾Alternator bearings containing RM seals¡¿ ¡¾RM seal structure, features¡¿