GB1423334A - Centrifuge rotor - Google Patents

Abstract

1423334 Centrifuge with tubes AMERICAN HOSPITAL SUPPLY CORP 3 May 1974 19537/74 Heading B2P A moulded centrifuge rotor comprises a circular, horizontally extending central hub 11 adapted to be connected to a drive shaft and an annular tube-holding portion 22 extending outwardly from the hub and provided with a plurality of openings 23 extending likewise outwardly from the hub and each being adapted to receive an elongate tube 14 and being defined by a pair of opposed side walls 31, a bottom wall 32 extending between the side walls and being spaced as at 33 from the hub, and a top wall 20 spaced upwardly from the bottom wall to permit a tube to be inserted therebetween, the top wall extending between the side walls in vertical alignment with the spacing between the bottom wall and the hub, no portion of the top wall being in vertical alignment with any portion of the bottom wall whereby a tube may be secured against transverse movement within each opening and the rotor may be formed in one operation by moulding, e.g. from thermoplastic or thermosetting plastics or from metal. The top wall 20 is in the form of a inner cylindrical wall which is provided with spaced openings 21 which are in alignment with the openings 23 and with openings 25 in an outer cylindrical wall 24. The tube holding portion 22 in the form of a frusto-conical wall extends between the walls 20 and 24 adjacent the upper ends of the openings 21 and 25. The outer end 34 of the bottom wall 32 of each opening 23 terminates inwardly of the inner surface of cylindrical wall 24. A V-shaped end wall 27 is connected to the bottom of the outer cylindrical wall 24 and terminates outwardly as at 36 of the outer surface of that wall. The planar wall 15 of the hub terminates as at 35 inwardly of the inner surface of the wall 20 adjacent its openings 21. A tube containing material to be centrifuged is inserted in turn through openings 21, 23 and 25 until its closed end 14a engages the end wall 27, its open end projecting within the wall 20. Upward movement of the tube is restrained by walls 20 and 24, downward movement by the bottom wall 32, transverse movement of the side walls 31 and the sides of openings 21 and 25, and pivotal movement by the walls 20 and 24 in cooperation with the wall 32. Additional bottom support for the tube is provided by a bevelled portion 37 of the hub wall 15. In a modification, the retaining surfaces of the tubes, instead of being provided by the cylindrical walls 20, 24, may be provided by short cross ribs which extend only across the openings 23 in the frusto-conical wall 22 between the side walls 31. The wall 22 could then be joined directly to the outer wall 27.