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A boot for enclosing a flexible rotating joint. The boot body has a generally tubular shape with end openings and at least one longitudinal seam running from one end opening to the other. The seam is formed by two edges. One edge mates with the other edge to form a boot with an annular cross-section

A boot for enclosing a flexible rotating joint. The boot body has a generally tubular shape with end openings and at least one longitudinal seam running from one end opening to the other. The seam is formed by two edges. One edge mates with the other edge to form a boot with an annular cross-section. The edges of the seam are interbonded to one another by a thin, flexible bond extending along the contact surface between them. Adapter rings placed within the end openings permit a single boot size to be fitted to several different axle and housing sizes and shapes.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A boot for sealingly enclosing a flexible, rotating joint comprising: a boot body of flexible resilient material in the shape of a generally tubular bellows segment including a thin wall, first and second end openings and an external clamp groove encircling each end opening; at least one long

1. A boot for sealingly enclosing a flexible, rotating joint comprising: a boot body of flexible resilient material in the shape of a generally tubular bellows segment including a thin wall, first and second end openings and an external clamp groove encircling each end opening; at least one longitudinal seam in said thin wall, running from one end opening to the other and including: a first edge of said thin wall, and a second edge of said thin wall having thin-walled mating means thereon for mating with said first edge at a contact surface, such that the mating means and first and second edges of said thin wall are aligned to form a bellows segment having a substantially annular cross-section, said first edge and the mating means of said second edge being sealed and interbonded to one another by a thin, flexible, continuous, internal bond extending along the contact surface between them so that the seam has substantially the same flexing ability, thickness and weight as the rest of said thin wall; and clamping means cooperating with each of said external clamp grooves to encircle each said end opening and compress the interior surface of each end opening radially inward toward the portion of the joint encircled by each said end opening. 2. The boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the mating means of said second edge comprises a channel formed thereon, said channel being open toward said first edge and having sufficient space between its legs to receive said first edge. 3. The boot as recited in claim 2 wherein said channel is generally U-shaped and is symmetrically located on said second edge. 4. The boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the flexible resilient material is a thermoplastic ester-based polyurethane elastomer. 5. The boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the thin, flexible bond is a solvent weld. 6. The boot as recited in claim 5 wherein the solvent weld is a dimethyl-formamide solvent weld. 7. The boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the thin, flexible bond is a solvent-adhesive bond. 8. The boot as recited in claim 7 wherein the solvent-adhesive bond is a dimethyl-formamide solvent and plastic adhesive bond. 9. The boot as recited in claim 1, wherein the boot body comprises two substantially identical boot halves joined with each other at a first longitudinal seam and a second longitudinal seam said seams being located on opposite sides of the boot, substantially 180 degrees apart. 10. The boot as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one adapter ring cooperating with the interior surface of an end opening and encircling a portion of the joint beneath one of said clamp grooves. 11. The boot as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one grease fitting passage leading from the exterior of the boot adjacent an outer edge of one end opening, beneath the clamp groove adjacent the end opening, to the interior of the boot. 12. The boot as recited in claim 11, further comprising an additional grease fitting passage leading from the exterior of the boot adjacent an outer edge of the other end opening. 13. A method for sealingly enclosing a flexible, rotating joint comprising the steps of: placing around the joint a boot body of flexible, resilient material in the shape of a generally tubular bellows segment including a thin wall, first and second end openings and at least one longitudinal split seam in said wall running from one end opening to the other said seam having first and second edges, at least one edge having thin-walled mating means thereon; positioning the first edge of said seam in mating relationship with the second edge of said seam such that the mating means and edges are aligned to form a bellows segment having a substantially annular cross-section and simultaneously forming a thin, flexible, continuous, internal bond and seal between said first and second edges so that the seam has substantially the same flexing ability, thickness and weight as the rest of said thin wall; and clamping each said end opening with clamping means which encircle the end opening and compress the interior surface of each end opening radially inward toward the portion of the joint encircled by said end opening. 14. The method recited in claim 13 wherein the step of forming a thin, flexible bond comprises forming a solvent weld. 15. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the step of forming a thin, flexible bond comprises forming a dimethyl-formamide solvent weld. 16. The method recited in claim 13 wherein the step of forming a thin, flexible bond comprises forming a solvent-adhesive bond. 17. The method recited in claim 16 wherein the step of forming a thin, flexible bond comprises forming a dimethyl-formamide solvent and a plastic adhesive bond. 18. A method for sealingly enclosing a joint comprising the steps of: placing around the joint a boot body of flexible, resilient material in the shape of a generally tubular bellows segment including a thin wall, first and second end openings and at least one longitudinal split seam in said wall having first and second edges and running from one end opening to the other; positioning the first edge of said seam in mating relationship with the second edge of said seam such that the edges are aligned to form a bellows segment having a substantially annular cross-section and simultaneously forming a thin, flexible bond between said first and second edges with dimethyl-formamide solvent and plastic adhesive, using a methacrylate activator; and clamping each said end opening with clamping means which encircle the end opening and compress the interior surface of each end opening radially inward toward the portion of the joint encircled by said end opening. 19. A boot for sealingly enclosing a joint comprising: a boot body of flexible resilient material in the shape of a generally tubular bellows segment including a thin wall, first and second end openings and an external clamp groove encircling each end opening; at least one longitudinal seam in said thin wall, running from one end opening to the other and including: a first edge of said thin wall, a second edge of said thin wall having thin-walled mating means thereon for mating with said first edge at a contact surface, such that the mating means and first and second edges of said thin wall are aligned to form a bellows segment of substantially annular cross-section, and bonding means for forming a thin, flexible, continuous, internal bond and seal extending along the contact surface between the first edge and the mating means of said second edge so that the seam has substantially the same flexing ability, thickness and weight as the rest of said thin wall; and clamping means cooperating with each of said external clamp grooves to encircle each said end opening and compress the interior surface of each end opening radially inward toward the portion of the joint encircled by each said end opening. 20. A boot kit for sealingly enclosing a joint comprising: a boot body of flexible resilient material in the shape of a generally tubular bellows segment including a thin wall, first and second end openings, an external clamp groove encircling each end opening and at least one longitudinal split seam in said wall, running from one end opening to the other and including: a first edge of said thin wall, and a second edge of said thin wall having thin-walled mating means thereon for mating with said first edge at a contact surface, such that the mating means and first and second edges of said thin wall are aligned to form a bellows segment having a substantially annular cross-section; means for forming a thin, flexible, continuous, internal bond and seal extending along the contact surface between the first edge and the mating means of said second edge so that the seam has substantially the same flexing ability, thickness and weight as the rest of said thin wall; and clamping means cooperating with each of said external clamp grooves to encircle each said end opening and compress the interior surface of each end opening radially inward toward the portion of the joint encircled by each said end opening.