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A seal assembly and method of forming a seal assembly provides a seal body having reduced strain during use, thereby increasing service life. The seal body may be formed within certain parameters, such as ranges of height-to-thickness and offset-to-height ratios, which have been found to reduce stra

A seal assembly and method of forming a seal assembly provides a seal body having reduced strain during use, thereby increasing service life. The seal body may be formed within certain parameters, such as ranges of height-to-thickness and offset-to-height ratios, which have been found to reduce strain. Additionally or alternatively, the seal body may be modified from an initial configuration to a pre-strained configuration by axially displacing an inner section of the seal with respect to an outer section of the seal, which also reduces strain.

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1. A spherical joint connecting a first component to a second component, comprising: a pin coupled to the first component, the pin defining a central axis;a spherical bearing assembly coupled to the pin and to the second component and defining a center of rotation, the spherical bearing assembly all

1. A spherical joint connecting a first component to a second component, comprising: a pin coupled to the first component, the pin defining a central axis;a spherical bearing assembly coupled to the pin and to the second component and defining a center of rotation, the spherical bearing assembly allowing relative movement between the first component and the second component;an inner mounting ring mounted on the pin and engaged by an inner surface stop of the spherical bearing assembly;an outer mounting ring operatively coupled to the second component and engaged by an outer surface stop of the second component;a seal body having an inner surface coupled to the inner mounting ring and defining an inner contact face and an outer surface coupled to the outer mounting ring and defining an outer contact face a body inner section extending outwardly from the inner surface, a body outer section extending inwardly from the outer surface, and a body center section extending between the body inner section and the body outer section, the seal body defining a generally S-shaped cross-section and a height H equal to a radial distance between the inner surface and the outer surface, and including a reference point A proximate the inner surface, and the seal body having an initial configuration in which the inner contact face is spaced from the outer contact face by an initial offset distance I when the inner surface and the outer surface are not coupled to the inner mounting ring and the outer mounting ring, respectively, wherein the initial offset distance I along a seal assembly axis is approximately 3 to 22 mm,wherein the spherical joint is installed with the seal body in a pre-strained configuration when the inner surface and the outer surface are coupled to the inner mounting ring and the outer mounting ring, respectively, the inner mounting ring is mounted on the pin, and the outer mounting ring is coupled to the second component, wherein the reference point A is displaced in an axial direction relative to the outer surface by an offset distance O such that the seal body has an offset-to-height ratio O/H within the range of 0.05 to 0.4 in the pre-strained configuration. 2. The spherical joint of claim 1, in which: the seal body defines a thickness T equal to an average thickness of the body center section; andthe seal body has a height-to-thickness ratio H/T of approximately 3 to 9. 3. The spherical joint of claim 2, in which the height-to-thickness ratio H/T is approximately 5 to 8. 4. The spherical joint of claim 2, in which the thickness T is approximately 6 to 19 mm. 5. The spherical joint of claim 1, in which the initial offset distance I is approximately 5 to 16 mm. 6. A spherical joint connecting a first component to a second component, comprising: a pin coupled to the first component, the pin defining a central axis;a spherical bearing assembly coupled to the pin and to the second component and defining a center of rotation, the spherical bearing assembly allowing relative movement between the first component and the second component;an inner mounting ring mounted on the pin and engaged by an inner surface stop of the spherical bearing assembly;an outer mounting ring operatively coupled to the second component and engaged by an outer surface stop of the second component;a seal body having an inner surface defining a seal assembly and coupled to the inner mounting ring and an outer surface coupled to the outer mounting ring, the seal body including a body inner section extending outwardly from the inner surface, a body outer section extending inwardly from the outer surface, and a body center section extending between the body inner section and the body outer section, the seal body defining a generally S-shaped cross-section;the seal body defining a height H equal to a radial distance between the inner surface and the outer surface;the body inner section including a reference point A;the seal body having an initial configuration with the reference point A disposed at an initial position and a pre-strained configuration, wherein the body inner section is offset axially with respect to the body outer section so that the reference point A is displaced by an offset distance O between the initial configuration when the inner surface and the outer surface are not coupled to the inner mounting ring and the outer mounting ring, respectively, and the pre-strained configuration when the inner surface and the outer surface are coupled to the inner mounting ring and the outer mounting ring, respectively, the inner mounting ring is mounted on the pin, and the outer mounting ring is coupled to the second component; andthe seal body having an offset-to-height ratio O/H in the installed configuration wherein the offset-to-height ratio is 0.05 to 0.4. 7. The spherical joint of claim 6, in which the offset-to-height ratio O/H is approximately 0.1 to 0.3. 8. The spherical joint of claim 6, in which the offset-to-height ratio O/H is approximately 0.2. 9. The spherical joint of claim 6, in which the offset distance O is in a positive axial direction. 10. The spherical joint of claim 6, in which the offset distance O is in a negative axial direction. 11. A connection joint connecting a first component to a second component, comprising: a pin coupled to the first component, the pin defining a central axis;a spherical bearing assembly coupled to the pin and to the second component and defining a center of rotation, the spherical bearing assembly allowing relative movement between the first component and the second component;a seal assembly for sealing between the first component and the second component, the seal assembly including:an inner mounting ring mounted on the pin and engaged by an inner surface stop of the spherical bearing assembly;an outer mounting ring operatively coupled to the second component and engaged by an outer surface stop of the second component;a seal body having an inner surface coupled to the inner mounting ring, an outer surface coupled to the outer mounting ring a body inner section extending outwardly from the inner surface, a body outer section extending inwardly from the outer surface, and a body center section extending between the body inner section and the body outer section, the seal body defining a generally S-shaped cross-section and a height H equal to a radial distance between the inner surface and the outer surface, wherein the seal assembly is installed with the seal body in a pre-strained configuration when the inner surface and the outer surface are coupled to the inner mounting ring and the outer mounting ring, respectively, the inner mounting ring is mounted on the pin, and the outer mounting ring is coupled to the second component, wherein a reference point A proximate the inner surface is displaced in an axial direction relative to the outer surface by an offset distance O relative to an initial configuration of the seal body when the inner surface and the outer surface are not coupled to the inner mounting ring and the outer mounting ring, respectively;the body center section defining a centroid C substantially located at a geometric center point of the body center section, the centroid C being disposed along a angular reference line L that intersects the central axis of the pin at the center of rotation of the spherical bearing assembly, the angular reference line L being disposed at an angle α with respect to the central axis of the pin; andthe centroid C further being located at a radial distance Y from the central axis of the pin;wherein the angle α is approximately 51 to 61 degrees and a height-to-radial distance ratio H/Y is approximately 0.4. 12. The connection joint of claim 11, in which the angle α is approximately 56 degrees. 13. The connection joint of claim 11, in which the seal body defines a thickness T equal to an average thickness of the body center section, and in which the thickness T is approximately 6 to 19 mm. 14. The connection joint of claim 11, in which the seal body defines a thickness T equal to an average thickness of the body center section, and in which the seal body has a height-to-thickness ratio H/T of approximately 3 to 9. 15. A method of forming a seal assembly for sealing lubricant within a spherical joint having a in and a spherical bearing assembly coupled to the pin connecting a first component and a second component and allowing relative movement between the first component and the second component, the method comprising: molding a seal body from a resilient material to have an initial configuration, the seal body including:an inner surface defining a seal assembly axis;an outer surface;a body inner section extending outwardly from the inner surface;a body outer section extending inwardly from the outer surface; anda body center section extending between the body inner section and the body outer section;wherein the body outer section, body center section, and body inner section have a generally S-shaped configuration,wherein the seal body defines a height H equal to a radial distance between the inner surface and the outer surface, andcoupling the outer surface of the seal body to an outer mounting ring;coupling the inner surface of the seal body to an inner mounting ring;wherein a reference point A proximate the inner surface is disposed at a first axial position along the seal assembly axis relative to the outer surface in the initial configuration when the inner surface and the outer surface are not coupled to the inner mounting ring and the outer mounting ring, respectively;mounting the inner mounting ring on the pin with the inner mounting ring being engaged by an inner surface stop of the spherical bearing assembly; andcoupling the outer mounting ring to the second component with the inner mounting ring being engaged by an outer surface stop of the second component, and thereby placing the seal body in a pre-strained configuration by displacing the reference point A axially along the seal assembly axis to a second axial position relative to the outer surface when the inner surface and the outer surface are coupled to the inner mounting ring and the outer mounting ring, respectively, the inner mounting ring is mounted on the pin, and the outer mounting ring is coupled to the second component, wherein the second axial position is offset from the first axial position by an offset distance O, and wherein the seal body has an offset-to-height ratio O/H that is approximately 0.05 to 0.4 in the second axial position. 16. The method of claim 15, in which the offset distance O is approximately 3 to 22 mm. 17. The method of claim 15, in which the offset distance O is in a positive axial direction. 18. The method of claim 15, in which the offset distance O is in a negative axial direction. 19. The method of claim 15, in which the offset distance O is approximately 11 mm. 20. The method of claim 15, in which the seal body defines a thickness T equal to an average thickness of the body center section, and in which the thickness T is approximately 6 to 19 mm.