Rotary union for tire inflation system

1. A rotary union for communicating pressurized fluid to and from at least one tire of a wheel end rotatably mounted to an axle of a vehicle, the rotary union comprising:

a housing;

a shaft rotatably disposed within the housing;

a tee body removably and non-rotatably coupled to the housing so as to be non-rotatable with respect to the housing when the wheel end rotates with respect to the axle;

a tubular member having a first end sealingly disposed in the shaft and a second end sealingly disposed in the tee body, the tubular member configured to provide sealed fluid communication between the shaft and the tee body;

the entire rotary union being configured to be disposed of and mounted externally to the wheel end and to receive the pressurized fluid from a pressure source provided externally to the vehicle wheel end and to communicate the pressurized fluid sequentially through the shaft and the tubular member and the tee body or reversely through the tee body, the tubular member and through the shaft.

2. The rotary union of claim 1 , further comprising:

a radial bushing or radial bearing disposed within the housing about the shaft; and

a thrust bushing or thrust bearing disposed between a first end of the shaft and an interior surface of the housing.

3. The rotary union of claim 1 , further comprising a first annular seal disposed between the shaft and the first end of the tubular member; and a second annular seal disposed between the tee body and the second end of the tubular member.

4. The rotary union of claim 3 , wherein the housing further comprises a vent hole.

5. The rotary union of claim 3 , wherein the first annular seal and the second annular seal each comprise either an o-ring or a lip seal.

6. The rotary union of claim 4 , further comprising a seal closing the vent hole and configured to allow pressurized fluid to escape the rotary union if one or both of the first annular seal and the second annular seal fail.

7. The rotary union of claim 2 , further comprising:

an annular seal disposed within the housing about the shaft adjacent the radial bushing or bearing; and

a shield disposed about the shaft adjacent the housing so as to shield the annular seal from environmental hazards.

8. The rotary union of claim 1 , wherein the tee body further comprises at least one hose fitting.

9. The rotary union of claim 1 , wherein the tubular member is rotatable with respect to either or both of the shaft and tee body when the wheel end rotates with respect to the axle.

10. The rotary union of claim 1 , the rotary union configured for mounting to a bracket attached to the wheel end.

11. The rotary union of claim 1 , the rotary union configured for mounting to a fairing attached to the vehicle near the wheel end.

12. A rotary union being configured to communicate pressurized fluid to and from at least one tire of a wheel end rotatably mounted to an axle of a vehicle, the rotary union comprising:

a housing;

a shaft rotatably disposed within the housing; and

a tube having a first end sealingly disposed within the shaft and a second end sealingly coupled to the housing, the tube being rotatable with respect to either or both of the shaft and housing when the wheel end rotates with respect to the axle,

wherein the entire rotary union being configured to be disposed of and mounted externally to the wheel end and to receive the pressurized fluid from a pressure source provided externally to the vehicle wheel end and to communicate the pressurized fluid sequentially through the shaft and the tube or reversely from the tube and through the shaft.