Sealing member with integrally formed ribs

1. A sealing assembly, comprising:

one or more sealing members having a seal casing having a substantially cylindrical portion with a first end portion, a second end portion, an inner surface and an outer surface;

wherein a decreased diameter portion having a first end portion and a second end portion extends radially inboard from at least a portion of said first end portion of said substantially cylindrical portion of said seal casing;

wherein an axially extending portion having a first end portion and a second end portion extends inboard from at least a portion of said second end portion of said decreased diameter portion of said seal casing;

wherein one or more first sealing portions having one or more static sealing ribs circumferentially extend from at least a portion of and are integrally connected to at least a portion of said outer surface of said substantially cylindrical portion of said seal case;

wherein one or more second sealing portions are integrally connected to at least a portion of said decreased diameter portion of said seal casing, said axially extending portion of said seal casing and/or said inner surface of said substantially cylindrical portion of said seal casing;

wherein said one or more second sealing portions of said one or more sealing members comprises a retaining member sealing surface having a first end portion, a second end portion and an outer surface;

wherein one or more sealing member retention ribs circumferentially extend from at least a portion of said outer surface of said retaining member sealing surface of said one or more second sealing portions;

one or more retaining members having an axially outboard surface and an axially inboard surface;

wherein one or more sealing member apertures extend from said axially inboard surface to said axially outboard surface of said one or more retaining members;

wherein said one or more sealing member apertures are oriented about a centerline C 1 of said one or more retaining members; and

wherein a surface defining said one or more sealing member apertures in said one or more retaining members elastically deforms at least a portion of said one or more sealing member retention ribs in order to retain at least a portion of said one or more sealing members within said one or more sealing member apertures.

2. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said one or more second sealing portions further comprises one or more first axially extending sealing lips having a first end portion and a second, end portion,

wherein said one or more first axially extending sealing lips circumferentially extend outboard from at least a portion of said first end portion of said retaining member sealing surface; and

wherein said one or more first axially extending sealing lips have an outermost diameter OD 2 that is larger than an outer diameter OD 1 of said first end portion of said retaining member sealing surface.

3. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said one or more second sealing portions further comprises one or more second axially extending sealing lips;

wherein said one or more second axially extending sealing lips circumferentially extend axially inboard from at least a portion of an inner surface of said one or more second sealing portions of said one or more sealing members;

wherein a spring groove circumferentially extends along at least a portion of an outer surface of said one or more second axially extending sealing lips; and

wherein said spring groove has a size and shape to receive and/or retain at least a portion of a spring member.

4. The sealing assembly of claim 3 , wherein said spring member is a garter spring.

5. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said one or more second sealing portions further comprises one or more radially extending sealing lips; and

wherein said one or more radially extending sealing lips circumferentially extend inboard from at least a portion of said inner surface of said one or more second sealing portions of said one or more sealing members.

6. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said seal casing has a substantially chair-shaped cross-sectional shape.

7. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said decreased diameter portion is substantially disk-shaped; and

wherein said decreased diameter portion extends radially inboard from and is substantially perpendicular to said substantially cylindrical portion of said seal casing.

8. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said axially extending portion of said seal casing has a diameter that decreases from said first end portion to said first end portion of said axially extending portion; and

wherein said diameter of said axially extending portion decreases at a substantially constant rate or a variable rate from said first end portion to said second end portion of said axially extending portion of said seal casing.

9. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a shaft and a housing;

wherein said housing has a first end portion, a second end portion, an inner surface and an outer surface;

wherein said inner surface and said outer surface of said housing defines a hollow portion therein;

wherein said shaft has a first end portion, a second end portion and an outer surface;

wherein at least a portion of said shaft is disposed within said hollow portion of said housing;

wherein at least a portion of one or more second axially extending sealing lips and/or one or more radially extending sealing lips are sealingly engaged with at least a portion of said outer surface of said shaft; and

wherein at least a portion of said one or more static sealing ribs are sealingly engaged with at least a portion of said inner surface of said first end portion of said housing.

10. The sealing assembly of claim 9 , wherein said shaft is an axle half shaft.

11. The sealing assembly of claim 1 ,

wherein at least a portion of said one or more retaining members are integrally connected to at least a portion of said first end portion of said housing.

12. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sealing member retention ribs have an outermost diameter OD 4 that is substantially equal to or larger than a diameter D 1 of said one or more sealing member apertures of said one or more retaining members; and

wherein a radially outboard surface of said one or more sealing member retention ribs has an under-cut portion.

13. The sealing assembly of claim 12 , wherein said under-cut portion of said one or more sealing member retention ribs have a substantially flat shape.

14. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sealing member retention ribs have an outermost surface having a substantially spherical shape with a radius of curvature R 1 ;

wherein said one or more sealing member retention ribs have an outermost diameter OD 5 that is substantially equal to or larger than said diameter D 1 of said one or more sealing member apertures of said one or more retaining members; and

wherein said surface defining said one or more sealing member apertures in said one or more retaining members elastically deforms at least a portion of said substantially spherical outermost surface of said one or more sealing member retention ribs in order to retain at least a portion of said one or more one or more sealing members within said one or more sealing member apertures.

15. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sealing member retention ribs have a retaining member groove;

wherein said retaining member groove circumferentially extends along at least a portion of a radially outboard surface of said one or more sealing member retention ribs;

wherein said retaining member groove has a size and shape to receive and/or retain at least a portion of said one or more retaining members;

wherein said surface defining said one or more sealing member apertures in said one or more retaining members elastically deforms at least a portion of a retention lip of said retaining member groove in said one or more sealing member retention ribs in order to retain at least a portion of said one or more retaining members within said retaining member groove of said one or more sealing member retention ribs.

16. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sealing member retention ribs have a radially outboard surface that is substantially flat or substantially cylindrical in shape;

wherein said substantially flat or substantially cylindrical radially outboard surface of said one or more sealing member retention ribs have an outermost diameter OD 7 that is substantially equal to or larger than said diameter D 1 of said one or more sealing member apertures of said one or more retaining members; and

wherein said surface defining said one or more sealing member apertures in said one or more retaining members elastically deforms at least a portion of said substantially flat or substantially cylindrical radially outboard surface of said one or more sealing member retention ribs in order to retain at least a portion of said one or more one or more sealing members within said one or more sealing member apertures.

17. The sealing assembly of claim 9 , further comprising a slinger having a substantially cylindrical portion with an inner surface and an outer surface;

wherein at least a portion of said inner surface of said substantially cylindrical portion of said slinger is integrally connected to at least a portion of said outer surface of said shaft;

wherein increased diameter portion having a first side and a second side circumferentially extends outboard from at least a portion of said outer surface of said substantially cylindrical portion of said slinger; and

wherein at least a portion of a first end portion of one or more first axially extending sealing lips of said one or more sealing members are in direct contact with and sealingly engaged with at least a portion of said second side of said increased diameter portion of said slinger.

18. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , further comprising one or more bearing assemblies having one or more sealing member contact portions;

wherein at least a portion of said second end portion of said substantially cylindrical portion of said seal casing of said one or more sealing members is in direct contact with at least a portion of said one or more sealing member contact portions of said one or more dealing assemblies; and

wherein said substantially cylindrical portion of said seal casing of said one or more sealing members apply a-an amount of pre-loading force onto said one or more bearing assemblies.