GB1590582A

GB1590582A - Rotor driving arrangements for industrial washing machines

Info

Publication number: GB1590582A
Application number: GB4687076A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Cera International Ltd
Current assignee: Cera International Ltd
Priority date: 1978-02-10
Filing date: 1978-02-10
Publication date: 1981-06-03

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO ROTOR DRIVING ARRANGEMENTS FOR INDUSTRIAL WASHING MACHINES (71) \ We, CERA INTERNATIONAL LIM ITED, a British Company of Greenwood House, 4/7 Salisbury Court, London, England, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to a rotor driving arrangement for use to drive at least one rotor of an industrial washing machine, the driving arrangement comprising a rotor drive shaft, an index mechanism and driving means which are operable in combination with the index mechanism to index the drive shaft through a succession of steps each comprising a predetermined angular displacement. An industrial washing machine rotor is adapted to support a number of production components at equi-angularly spaced locations about its periphery so that each of those components is supported at a respective station of a washing or drying section of the machine. The rotor driving arrangement for a particular industrial washing machine rotor or rotors is designed so that the predetermined angular displacement through which the drive shaft is indexed is the angular displacement between adjacent stations so that production components supported by the rotor or rotors that are driven by the rotor driving arrangement are advanced to the next station of the washing machine with each step of the drive shaft.

Such a rotor driving arrangement comprises a spaced pair of main load bearing supports; a generally planar elongate support platform which is fixed at either end to a respective one of the supports and which spans the space between those supports; a bearing housing mounted upon the support platform between the ends thereof, the rotor drive shaft being journaled within the bear ing housing for rotation about its own axis, the index mechanism comprising an index plate which is fixed to the shaft; cranking means journaled for angular movement coaxially with the shaft and relative to the shaft and to the index plate; locking means which are operable to interlock the cranking means and the index plate for angular movement together with the shaft about the axis of the shaft; the driving means being coupled to the cranking means and operable to impart reciprocating angular movement to the cranking means; and control means for controlling operation of the locking means and of the driving means such that angular movement of the cranking means relative to the index plate is limited to the predetermined angular displacement and such that the locking means is actuated to interlock the cranking means and the index plate at one end of said angular displacement of the cranking means relative to the index plate for movement together of the cranking means and the index plate, and is actuated to release the cranking means at the other end of such angular displacement so that the index plate and the cranking means are moved together in one sense and are disconnected for return movement in the opposite sense relative to the index plate. A rotor driving arrangement which has the features set out above will be identified within the remainder of this specification as "a rotor driving arrangement of the kind referred to above".

The elongate support platform is loaded in bending by the reaction to the effort that is exerted by the driving means to initiate rotary movement of the cranking means, the index plate, the rotor or rotors and the various production components that are carried by the rotor or rotors when the driving arrangement is being used, if the driving means are mounted on the support platform.

The vertical dimensions of the generally planar elongate support platform are limited because of the need to allow clearance beneath it for production components that are being passed through the machine and it follows that the freedom to provide stiffeners to reinforce the elongate support platform, so that it can withstand the bending stresses induced by the shock loads, is limited. We have found that various welds are liable to fail when subjected to the bending stresses that are induced in the elongate support platform by the reaction to such loads.

An object of this invention is to reduce the bending loads to which the elongate support platform of a rotor driving arrangement of the kind referred to above is subjected in use.

According to this invention there is provided a rotor driving arrangement of the kind referred to above, wherein the driving means are mounted directly upon one of the main load bearing supports so that the reaction to the driving effort exerted by the driving means is taken directly by that support.

Preferably the driving means are mounted upon said spaced support substantially in horizontal alignment with their coupling to the cranking means.

A rotor driving arrangement of the kind referred to above usually includes stop means which are fixed in relation to the support platform and which have a stop surface with which an abutment surface formed on the cranking means co-operates to stop angular movement of the cranking means in said one sense.

The mass of the various components that rotate with the cranking means diving the limited angular movement of the cranking means in said one sense, when it is interlocked with the index plate, is substantial.

These components comprise the rotor or rotors to which the shaft is coupled in use, together with the production components mounted at each station on each of those rotors, in addition to the shaft, the index plate and the cranking means itself. Hence the rotating machinery has a considerable momentum when the abutment surface formed on the cranking means abuts the stop surface of the stop means to stop such angular movement of the rotating parts in said one sense. The magnitude of that momentum is such that considerable shock loads are generated by abutment of the cranking means abutment surface with the stop surface of the stop means. The shock loads are taken by the elongate support plate in bending if the stop means are carried by an upstanding pillar which is mounted upon the elongate support plate so that the stop surface is horizontal, is spaced above the upper surface of the elongate support plate and limits upward angular movement of the cranking means from a starting position adjacent the upper surface of the elongate support plate to a position vertically above that starting position where the abutment surface abuts the horizontal stop surface.

A subsidiary object of this invention is to reduce the tendency for the shock loads that are generated by abutment of the abutment surface with the stop surface of the stop means to stop joint angular movement of the cranking means, index plate, shaft and rotor or rotors that are connected to the shaft, to lead to structural failure of part of the support structure.

To this end in a rotor driving arrangement in which this invention is embodied which includes stop means which are fixed in relation to the support platform and which have a stop surface with which an abutment surface formed on the cranking means cooperate to stop angular movement of the cranking means in said one sense, the stop means are mounted on the elongate support platform and the stop surface is orientated with respect to the elongate support plarform such that the reaction to abutment of that stop surface by the abutment surface of the cranking means which stop joint movement of the cranking means, index plate and shaft in said one sense is transmitted to the elongate support platform along a line of action which is substantially in the plane of the elongate support platform.

Preferably the stop means comprise a cantilever projection arrangement which projects substantially horizontally from the elongate support platform, the stop surface being planar and being in a vertical plane which is normal to the plane of the elongate support platform.

Conveniently the driving means comprise a linear actuator which has a reciprocating actuator rod which is pin jointed to the cranking means, and an actuator body which is pivotally connected to the support structure. The linear actuator may be a fluid pressure operable ram.

Preferably the index plate has a circumferential array of similar equiangularly spaced formations located on it concentrically with the shaft, there being one such formation for each of the equiangularly spaced production component support locations that are arranged about the periphery of the rotor or of each of the rotors to which the shaft is to be connected for use, and the locking means includes a locking member which is carried by the cranking means for movement relative to the index plate to and from a locking location under control of the control means, the locking member being adapted to be positively interengaged with an aligned one of the formations when located at said locking location by the control means so as to interlock the cranking means and the index plate. The configuration of the locking member and the configuration of each of the formations is such that the locking member is adapted to be positively interengaged with an aligned one of the formations by the seating of one of them in the other in the manner of a plug in a correspondingly shaped socket.

The formations of a preferred embodiment of this invention are formed on a circumferential surface of the index plate and the locking member of that embodiment is guided for radial movement to and from said locking location. Conveniently each formation comprises a pin which projects radially outwardly from the circumferential surface of the index plate and the locking member comprises a cup-shaped plunger which is placed over an aligned one of the pins when located in the locking location.

The formations of another embodiment of this invention are formed on a radial face of the index plate on a pitch circle which is concentric with the shaft and the locking member of that embodiment is guided for movement to and from the locking location substantially parallel to the axis of the shaft.

Conveniently each formation comprises a pin hole and the locking member is a locking pin which is carried by the cranking means with its axis parallel to the axis of the shaft and intersecting the pitch circle of the pin holes, the control means being operable to engage the locking pin in the aligned one of the pin holes to interlock the cranking means and the index plate and to hold the locking pin disengaged from the aligned pin hole to allow angular movement of the cranking means relative to the index plate.

Conveniently the pivot connection between the actuator rod and the cranking means is diametrically opposite the locking member.

An industrial washing machine in which this invention is embodied will be described now by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Figure 2 is a plan view of one form of rotor driving arrangement for the machine shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section on the line III III of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a view on arrow A in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a partly sectioned fragment of Figure 4 taken on the line V-V in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a side elevation of another form of rotor driving arrangement for the machine shown in Figure 1; Figure 7 is a partly sectioned fragment of Figure 6 taken on the line VIl-VIl in Figure 6; and Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 3 which shows a modification of the rotor driving arrangement shown in Figures 2 to 5.

The industrial washing machine shown in Figure 1 has an input station 10 at which each of a continuous flow of engine blocks produced by a production line are deposited one after another. Each engine block would have been subjected to a number of different manufacturing operations as it progressed along the production line. The manufacturing operations may include milling, drilling, tapping, broaching, honing or other forming or machining operations which result in each engine block being soiled with mineral oils, core sand or swarf.

Engine blocks received at the input station 10 are conveyed in a stepwise manner one behind another to a washing section 11 of the machine. After passage through the washing section 11, the engine blocks are conveyed in a stepwise manner one behind another to a drying section 12 of the machine. After passage through the drying section 12, the cleaned and dried engine blocks are conveyed in a stepwise manner one behind another to a discharge station 13 of the machine from which they are collected one after another for conveyance to another part of the manufacturing operation.

Each of the washing and drying sections 11 and 12 comprises a respective rotor 14, 15 housed within a respective enclosure formed by the main housing of the machine. Each rotor 14, 15 carries supporting and locating means at a number, say 6, of equiangularly spaced points around its circumference. The supporting locating means at each such point on the circumference of the washing section rotor 14 and of the drying section rotor 15 are adapted to support and locate an engine block at each of a number of equiangularly spaced stations around its circumference.

The rotors 14 and 15 are mounted co-axially and each of them is driven by an appropriate index driving mechanism 16 by which it is indexed successively through angular steps which comprise the angular displacement between each adjacent pair of supporting and locating means so that each engine block is transported in a stepwise manner through each of the stations of the washing and drying sections 11 and 12. The index driving mechanism 16 incorporates a suitable dwell mechanism so that each engine block dwells at each station of the washing and drying sections 11 and 12 where it is washed or dried according to the section.

The index driving mechanism 16 is located in a space between the housings of the washing and drying sections 11 and 12 and is mounted upon a pair of similar elongate support platforms 17 and 18 which extend horizontally from side to side of that part of the machine over the conveyor mechanism by which engine blocks are conveyed in a stepwise manner one behind another from the washing section Il to the drying section 12.

Figures 2 to 5 illustrate one form of the index driving mechanism 16 in detail.

The support platforms 17 and 18 are fixed at either end to a respective one of a spaced pair of main load bearing beams 19 and 20 (see Figure 3) which form part of the main housing of the machine and which run along the length of the machine one on each side of the machine. The platform 17 comprises a parallel pair of beams 21 and 22 which span the space between a pair of upper support blocks 23 and 24, the beams 21 and 22 resting at one end upon the top of the support block 23, to which they are fixed, and resting at the other end upon the top of the support block 24 to which they are fixed as well. The platform 18 comprises a similar arrangement of parallel beams 21 and 22 and upper support blocks 23 and 24, the beams 21 and 22 of the platform 18 being parallel to the beams 21 and 22 of the platform 17. The upper support blocks 23 and 24 of each of the two support platforms 17 and 18 are located with precision upon a respective one of a pair of common lower support blocks 25 and 26 by shims which are placed between each upper support block 23. 24 and the respective lower support block 25, 26. The two upper support blocks 23 and the respective lower support block 25 are bolted together to the main beam 19 and the other two upper support blocks 24 and the other lower support block 26 are bolted to the other main beam 20. Each platform 17, 18 also includes a main support plate 27 which spans the gap between the respective pair of beams 21 and 22, being fixed at either side to the adjacent beam 21, 22 and being spaced at either end from the adjacent pair of upper support blocks 23, 24. Transverse gussets 28 extend between the beams 21 and 22 of each of the support platforms 17 and 18 below the support plate 27 of that platform 17, 18, and serve as structural reinforcement members.

Each main support plate 27 carries a respective plumber block bearing housing 29.

The rotors 14 and 15 are mounted at the ends of a common shaft 30 which passes through suitable openings in the adjacent walls of the housings of the washing and drying sections 11 and 12 and which is journaled in the two plumber block bearing housings 29. Hence the axis of the shaft 30 is substantially normal to each of the vertical planes that are midway between each of the pairs of beams 21 and 22 of each support platform 17, 18 and which therefore each contains the longitudinal axis of the respective support platform 17, 18.

An annular index plate 31 is carried by the shaft 30 between the two bearing housings 29. The index plate 31 is fixed co-axially to the shaft 30 so that it projects radially from that shaft 30, and has a right cylindrical circumferential, or outer surface.

Six blind holes 32 (see Figure 5) are formed in the cylindrical outer surface of the index plate 31 at equiangularly spaced locations. An index pin 33 is spigotted into each blind hole 32. Each pin 33 has an outwardly tapered end portion 34 which projects outwardly from the respective blind hole 32. An annular shoulder (not shown) is formed in each of the planar faces of the index plate 31 adjacent the outer periphery of that plate 31.

Each annular shoulder is substantially concentric with the shaft 30.

A crank assembly (see Figure 4) comprises a pair of annular side plates 35 and 36 which are journed each upon a respective one of the pair of annular shoulders that are formed on the index plate 31. A lug plate 37 is fixed between the two side plates 35 and 36 and has an outwardly projecting portion 38. The outer periphery of each side plate 35, 36 is spaced from the axis of the shaft 30 by a distance which is greater than the radius of the cylindrical outer surface of the annular index plate 31. Hence the outwardly projecting portion 38 of the lug plate 37 is at a greater radial distance from the axis of the shaft 30 than is the outer periphery of the annular index plate 31.

An hydraulic actuator 39 is carried by a bridge mounting 40 which bridges the outer edge of the two side plates 35 and 36 and which is located diametrically opposite the lug plate 37. The axis of the actuator rod 41 is radial to the shaft 30. A cup-shaped plunger 42 is fitted to the end of the actuator rod 41 and is engaged slidably within a bore 43 in the bridge mounting 40. The plunger 42 has an inwardly tapered recess which is adapted to receive the outwardly tapered portion 35 of any one of the index pins 33 with which it is aligned radially, each of the outwardly tapered pin portions 34 being a good fit within the recess of the cup-shaped plunger 42 in the manner of a plug in a correspondingly shaped socket.

The actuator rod 41 has a flange 44 at its end remote from the cup-shaped plunger 42.

The actuator 39 carries a juxtaposed pair of micro-switches 45 and 46 which are arranged so that a respective one of their actuator buttons 47 and 48 is engaged by the flange 44 at the respective end of the stroke of the acutator rod 41 of the hydraulic actuator 39 so that it is deflected by the flange 44 from the position it adopts normally under the influence of the internal bias of the respective micro-switch 45, 46. The actuator 39 carries a third micro-switch 49 and a spring loaded bell crank lever 50 between the microswitch 39 and the actuator rod 41. The bell crank lever 50 is adapted to be deflected from the location to which it is urged by its spring loading by engagement by the flange 44 with one of its lever arms at the radially inner end of the stroke of the actuator rod 41, the other arm of the bell crank lever 50 being adapted to trip the third microswitch 49 when the lever 50 is deflected from the location to which it is urged by its spring loading.

The crank assembly is orientated so that the outwardly projecting portion 38 of the lug plate 37 depends from the side plates 35 and 36 and so that the hydraulic actuator 39 projects upwardly from a location near the top. The projecting portion 38 of the lug plate 37 is pinned to a clevis 51 which is carried at the end of a ram rod 52 of a hydraulic ram 53. The body of the ram 53 is mounted pivotally on a fixed support bracket 54 which in turn is fixed to that part of the lower support block 25 that extends between the upper pair of support blocks 23.

A cantilever support arrangement 55 is mounted on the outer side face of the beam 22 of the elongate support platform 17 between the plumber block 29 that is carried by that support platform 17 and the upper support block 23 of that platform 17 and is spaced from that upper support block 23 by a distance which is greater than the distance between that support block 23 and the nearer edge of the support plate 27 of that platform 17. The support arrangement 55 comprises a pair of right angled triangular plates 56 and 57 and a mounting block 58, the mounting block 58 being mounted on the beam 22 and supporting the plates 56 and 57 that project from it substantially horizontally. The hypo tenuse of each of the two right angled triangular plates 56 and 57 is the edge of those plates that is nearer to the upper support block 23 of the support platform 17.

A vertical plate 59 is fixed to the edges of the two right angled triangular plates 56 and 57 that are nearer to the shaft 30 so that it bridges the space between those plates 56 and 57. A stop screw 60 is fixed adjustably within the vertical plate 59 with its axis horizontal and its head between the shaft 30 and the vertical plate 59. The vertical surface of the head of the screw 60 is a stop surface which limits angular movement of the crank assembly in the clockwise direction as seen in Figure 3 because, when the outwardly pro jecting portion 38 of the lug plate 37 is located as shown chain dotted in Figure 3, that stop surface is abutted by an abutment surface which is formed on a co-operating stop member 61 which projects outwardly, parallel to the axis of the shaft 30, from the side plate 35 by which it is carried. The stop screw 60 is adjusted to allow angular dis placement of the lug plate 37 beyond the vertical plane that includes the axis of the shaft 30 of up to 30 in the clockwise direction as seen in Figure 3. The hydraulic ram 53 is selected so that its stroke allows 60 angular movement of the crank assembly in the anticlockwise direction from the location in which the stop member 61 of the crank assembly abuts the stop screw 60.

The clevis 51 carries a microswitch actua tor arm 62 which projects laterally from it.

The path of reciprocating movement of the actuator arm 62 with reciprocating move ment of the ram rod 52 extends between the actuator buttons 63 and 64 of two micro switches 65 and 66 which are mounted upon the machine housing. The button 63 of the switch 65 is deflected by the actuator arm 62 from the position to which it is biassed by the internal bias of the microswitch 65 when the lug plate 37 of the crank assembly is at the end of its path of angular movement furthest from the stop screw 60 (as shown in full lines in Figure 3) and the actuator button 64 of the mircroswitch 66 is deflected by the actuator arm 62 from the position to which it is biassed by the internal bias of the microswitch 66 when the stop member 61 of the crank assembly abuts the stop screw 60.

The axis of the pivot connection between the clevis 51 and the outwardly projecting portion 38 of the lug plate 37 is in the same horizontal plane at each end of its path of reciprocating angular movement and the axis of the pivot connection between the body of the actuator 53 and the mounting bracket 54 is in substantially the same horizontal plane.

The machine includes an hydraulic control system for controlling operation of the ram 53 and the hydraulic actuator 39, that control system including the 5 microswitches 45, 46, 49, 65 and 66.

The control system is arranged so that the ram rod 52 holds the lug plate 37 of the crank assembly at the end of its path of angular movement remote from the stop screw 60 when the machine is inactive. One of the index pins 33 is aligned coaxially with the actuator 39, when the crank assembly is so positioned by the ram 53, and the actuator 39 is contracted so that that pin 33 is crowned by the plunger 42 which serves as a locking member and which is in a locking location as shown in Figure 5, so that the crank assembly and the index plate 31 are interlocked.

Since the actuator rod 41 of the actuator 39 is at the radially inner end of its stroke, the actuator button 47 of the microswitch 45 and the bell crank lever 50 are engaged by the flange 44 and deflected from the positions to which they are biassed. Hence the microswitch 49 is tripped. The microswitch 49 is part of a hydraulic safety interlock system which is arranged so that, when the switch 49 is tripped, the actuator 39 cannot be activated to withdraw the cup-shapped plunger 71 from engagement with the aligned index pin 33. Hence the index plate 31 is locked against angular movement.

When operation of the machine is initiated, the ram 53 is powered to draw the lug plate 37 of the crank assembly towards its body, the appropriate supply of working fluid under pressure to the ram 53 occurring because the actuator button 47 of the microswitch 45 is held deflected against the internal spring bias of that switch 45 by the flange 44. The index plate 31, together with the shaft 30 and the two rotors 14 and 15, rotate with such angular movement of the crank assembly through 60 . Such angular movement of the crank assembly, the index plate 31, the shaft 30 and the two rotors 14 and 15 is halted abruptly by abutment of the crank assembly stop member 61 with the head of the stop screw 60. The actuator button 64 of the microswitch 66 is deflected by the arrival of the actuator arm 62 at the position it adopts when the crank assembly stop member 61 abuts the head of the stop screw 60 and such actuation of the microswitch 66 operates the hydraulic actuator 39 to lift the cup-shaped plunger 42 from the tapered portion 34 of the index pin 33 upon which it was seated. The actuator button 48 of the microswitch 46 is deflected by the flange 44 when the plunger 42 is lifted clear of the index pin 33. Such deflection of the actuator button 48 and the microswitch 46 initiates operation of the ram 53 to urge the lug plate 37 away from its body. The index plate 31, the shaft 30 and the two rotors 14 and 15 remain stationary during such anti-clockwise movement of the crank assembly which is terminated by actuation of the microswitch 65, due to the deflection of its actuator button 63 by the actuator arm 62 because such operation of the microswitch 65 stops further extension of the overall length of the ram 53.

The hydraulic actuator 39 is now aligned coaxially with the next index pin 33 and, after a suitable dwell period which is determined by the control system, the cycle of operation is repeated to rotate the two rotors 14 and 15 through a further angular movement of 60 It will be recognised that the shock loads that are exerted upon the support structure when the rotating assembly that comprises the crank assembly, the index plate, the shaft, the two rotors and the various production components that are mounted upon those rotors, is arrested by abutment of the crank assembly stop member with the stop screw are applied to the generally planar support platform 17 in a direction which is substantially parallel to the plane of the main support plate 27 of that platform 17 and that those shock loads are transmitted to the main support beams 19 and 20 via the beams 21 and 22 of the platform 17. Also the reaction to operation of the ram 53 is transmitted directly to the main support beam 19 via the fixed support bracket 54 and the lower support block 25.

In addition to the stop screw 60, a second stop may be provided. Such a second stop would be fixed to suitable structure of the machine and located with respect to the stop screw 60 so that the cranking assembly stop member 61 extends between them. The cranking assembly stop member 61 would co-operate with the second stop to limit angular movement of the crank assembly in the anticlockwise direction as seen in Figure 3.

Figures 6 and 7 show an alternative form of index driving mechanism for use as the index driving mechanism 16 in the machine shown in Figure 1.

The index driving mechanism shown in Figures 6 and 7 is mounted upon a single support platform which is constructed and supported in a similar manner to the support platform 17 described above with reference to the Figures 2 to 5. Parts of the index driving mechanism installation shown in Figures 6 and 7 that are similar to corresponding parts of the index driving mechanism installation described above with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 2 to 5 of the accompanying will not be described again in detail and will be identified of the projection 75 that is remote from the index plate 70. The peripheral face portion of the projection 75 that is in face to face contact with the plate 78 is adjacent to the straight edge 77. The plate 78 projects outwardly from the radial projection 75 so that the apex of the triangle is at a greater radial distance from the axis of the shaft 30 than is the outer periphery of the index plate 70 and so that its projecting portion is spaced from the adjacent face of the index plate 70 by the thickness of the radial projection 75.

The other radial projection 76 has a bore 79 formed in it on the same pitch circle diameter as the pin hole 71. A locking pin 80 is engaged slidably within the bore 79 and has a frusto-conical end portion 81 at its end adjacent the index plate 70. The angle of taper of the frusto-conical end portion 81 of the locking pin 80 is such that that frustoconical portion 81 will engage in the corresponding tapered bore of an aligned one of the pin holes 71 in the index plate 70 in the manner of a plug in a correspondingly shaped socket to interlock the crank assembly and the index plate 70.

The locking pin 80 is carried by the hydraulic piston of the hydraulic actuator 39 at the end of its actuator rod 41 remote from the flange 44. The hydraulic actuator 39 is mounted upon the projection 76 of the crank assembly.

The index plate 70 overhangs the support platforms 67 at the side formed by the beam 22 which is the side to which the lower support block 69 projects outwardly beyond the upper support block 23. The crank assembly is orientated so that the generally triangular plate 78 is at the bottom and the other projection 76 is at the top. The plate 78 is pinned to the clevis 51.

The control system is arranged so that the ram rod 52 holds the plate 78 at the end of its path of angular movement remote from the stop screw 60 when the machine is inactive.

The locking pin 80 is engaged within one of the pin holes 71 and is adapted to be withdrawn from that pin hole 71 by the actuator 39 when angular movement of the index plate 70 with the cranking assembly towards the body of the ram 53 is stopped by abutment of the triangular plate 78 with the head of the stop screw 60.

Figure 8 shows a modified version of the index mechanism described above with reference to Figures 2 to 5. Parts of the mechanism shown in Figure 8 that are similar to corresponding parts of the index driving mechanism described above with reference to Figures 2 to 5 will not be described again in detail and will be identified by the same reference characters.

The two side plates 35 and 36 both have a radially outwardly projecting ear 73 near the top. The cranking assembly stop member 74 is mounted on a plate (not shown) which bridges the two ears 73 so that it projects circumferentially away from the actuator 39.

The fixed stop member 75 is mounted on the top of a pillar 76 which projects upwardly from a horizontal plate which bridges the two elongate support platforms 17 and 18.

The bending loads applied to the platforms 17 and 18 due to the impact of the cranking assembly stop member 74 with the fixed stop member 75 are tolerated in this construction but the mounting arrangement for the ram 53 is unaltered, as compared to the other embodiment described above, so that the significant reaction to the effort that is exerted by the driving means that comprise the ram 53 to initiate rotary movement of the cranking assembly, the index plate 31, the rotors 14 and 15 and the various production components that they carry is taken by the main beam 19 and is not taken by either of the elongate support platforms 17 and 18 in bending.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A rotor driving arrangement of the kind referred to above, wherein the driving means are mounted directly upon one of the main load bearing supports so that the reaction to the driving effort exerted by the driving means is taken directly by that support.

2. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim I, wherein the driving means are mounted upon said spaced support substantially in horizontal alignment with their coupling to the cranking means.

3. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, which includes stop means which are fixed in relation to the support platform and which have a stop surface with which an abutment surface formed on the cranking means co-operates to stop angular movement of the cranking means in said one sense, wherein the stop means are mounted on the elongate platform and the stop surface is orientated with respect to the elongate support platform such that the reaction to abutment of that stop surface by the abutment surface of the cranking means which stops joint angular movement of the cranking means, index plate and shaft in said one sense is transmitted to the elongate support platform along a line of action which is substantially in the plane of the elongate support platform.

4. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim 3, wherein the stop means comprise a cantilever projection arrangement which projects substantially horizontally from the elongate support platform, the stop surface being planar and being in a vertical plane which is normal to the plane of the elongate support platform.

5. A rotor driving arrangement accord

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. of the projection 75 that is remote from the index plate 70. The peripheral face portion of the projection 75 that is in face to face contact with the plate 78 is adjacent to the straight edge 77. The plate 78 projects outwardly from the radial projection 75 so that the apex of the triangle is at a greater radial distance from the axis of the shaft 30 than is the outer periphery of the index plate 70 and so that its projecting portion is spaced from the adjacent face of the index plate 70 by the thickness of the radial projection 75. The other radial projection 76 has a bore 79 formed in it on the same pitch circle diameter as the pin hole 71. A locking pin 80 is engaged slidably within the bore 79 and has a frusto-conical end portion 81 at its end adjacent the index plate 70. The angle of taper of the frusto-conical end portion 81 of the locking pin 80 is such that that frustoconical portion 81 will engage in the corresponding tapered bore of an aligned one of the pin holes 71 in the index plate 70 in the manner of a plug in a correspondingly shaped socket to interlock the crank assembly and the index plate 70. The locking pin 80 is carried by the hydraulic piston of the hydraulic actuator 39 at the end of its actuator rod 41 remote from the flange 44. The hydraulic actuator 39 is mounted upon the projection 76 of the crank assembly. The index plate 70 overhangs the support platforms 67 at the side formed by the beam 22 which is the side to which the lower support block 69 projects outwardly beyond the upper support block 23. The crank assembly is orientated so that the generally triangular plate 78 is at the bottom and the other projection 76 is at the top. The plate 78 is pinned to the clevis 51. The control system is arranged so that the ram rod 52 holds the plate 78 at the end of its path of angular movement remote from the stop screw 60 when the machine is inactive. The locking pin 80 is engaged within one of the pin holes 71 and is adapted to be withdrawn from that pin hole 71 by the actuator 39 when angular movement of the index plate 70 with the cranking assembly towards the body of the ram 53 is stopped by abutment of the triangular plate 78 with the head of the stop screw 60. Figure 8 shows a modified version of the index mechanism described above with reference to Figures 2 to 5. Parts of the mechanism shown in Figure 8 that are similar to corresponding parts of the index driving mechanism described above with reference to Figures 2 to 5 will not be described again in detail and will be identified by the same reference characters. The two side plates 35 and 36 both have a radially outwardly projecting ear 73 near the top. The cranking assembly stop member 74 is mounted on a plate (not shown) which bridges the two ears 73 so that it projects circumferentially away from the actuator 39. The fixed stop member 75 is mounted on the top of a pillar 76 which projects upwardly from a horizontal plate which bridges the two elongate support platforms 17 and 18. The bending loads applied to the platforms 17 and 18 due to the impact of the cranking assembly stop member 74 with the fixed stop member 75 are tolerated in this construction but the mounting arrangement for the ram 53 is unaltered, as compared to the other embodiment described above, so that the significant reaction to the effort that is exerted by the driving means that comprise the ram 53 to initiate rotary movement of the cranking assembly, the index plate 31, the rotors 14 and 15 and the various production components that they carry is taken by the main beam 19 and is not taken by either of the elongate support platforms 17 and 18 in bending. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A rotor driving arrangement of the kind referred to above, wherein the driving means are mounted directly upon one of the main load bearing supports so that the reaction to the driving effort exerted by the driving means is taken directly by that support.

5. A rotor driving arrangement accord

ing to any one of Claims I to 4, wherein the driving means comprise a linear actuator which has a reciprocating actuator rod which is pin jointed to the cranking means, and an actuator body which is pivotally connected to the support structure.

6. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim 5. wherein the linear actuator is a fluid pressure operable ram.

7. A rotor driving arrangement according to any one of Claims I to 5, wherein the index plate has a circumferential array of similar equiangularly spaced formations located on it concentrically with the shaft, there being one such formation for each of the equiangularly spaced production component support locations that are arranged about the periphery of the rotor or of each of the rotors to which the shaft is to be connected for use, and the locking means includes a locking member which is carried by the cranking means for movement relative to the index plate to and from a locking location under control of the control means, the locking member being adapted to be positively interengaged with an aligned one of the formations when located at said locking location by the control means so as to interlock the cranking means and the index plate.

8. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim 7, wherein the configuration of the locking member and the configuration of each of the formations is such that the locking member is adapted to be positively interengaged with an aligned one of the formations by the seating of one of them in the other in the manner of a plug in a correspondingly shaped socket.

9. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim 8, wherein the formations are formed on a circumferential surface of the index plate and the locking member is guided for radial movement to and from said locking location.

10. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim 9, wherein each formation comprises a pin which projects radially outwardly from the circumferential surface of the index plate and the locking member comprises a cup-shaped plunger which is placed over an aligned one of the pins when located in the locking location.

11. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim 8, wherein the formations are formed on a radial face of the index plate on a pitch circle which is concentric with the shaft and the locking member is guided for movement to and from the locking location substantially parallel to the axis of the shaft.

12. A rotor driving arrangement according to Claim 11, wherein each formation comprises a pin hole and the locking member is a locking pin which is carried by the cranking means with its axis parallel to the axis of the shaft and intersecting the pitch circle of the pin holes, the control means being operable to engage the locking pin in the aligned one of the pin holes to interlock the cranking means and the index plate and to hold the locking pin disengaged from the aligned pin hole to allow angular movement of the cranking means relative to the index plate.

13. A rotor driving arrangement according to any one of Claims 7 to 12, wherein the pivot connection between the actuator rod and the cranking means is diametrically opposite the locking member.

14. A rotor driving arrangement for an industrial washing machine substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings, or substantially as disclosed hereinbefore with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings and modified substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 or in Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.