GB2313592A

GB2313592A - Flanged cable drum

Info

Publication number: GB2313592A
Application number: GB9709162A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hans Schaeff
Original assignee: Schaeff Karl & Co GmbH
Current assignee: Schaeff Karl & Co GmbH
Priority date: 1996-05-29
Filing date: 1997-05-06
Publication date: 1997-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2017-05-06
Also published as: DE19621490C1; GB2313592B; GB9709162D0; ITMI971184A0; ITMI971184A1; JPH1072164A; CN1170982A; IT1296773B1

Description

2313592 Title: FLANGABLE CABLE DRUM This invention relates to a flangable

lead or cable drum comprising a drum shell axially limited by lateral flange discs, a cable bushing arranged centrally and stationarily in the drum shell, a pivot bearing arranged to absorb all and radial forces of the drum and a rotary drive.

Plant which is capable of travelling to a limited extent and is driven by electric motors, for example cranes or mining machinery, is lied with power via known cable drums of the above-described type. Such cable drums have a drive which exerts a limited permitted pulling force on the cable during winding and therefore prevents lengths of cable which are not required from lying slackly and being destroyed by the running gear of the driven plant. The cable is also subjected to a defined limited pulling force during unwinding so that only a length of the cable corresponding to the path of travel of the plant is released. For this purpose, an electric motor drives, via an adjustable slipping clutch operating, for example, with permanent magnets, a reduction gear from which the drum is rotated m the winding or unwinding on by means of a chain drive. The drum centre is kept free for the egress of the cable for attachment to the plant to be driven.

The present invention aims to provide a cable drum of which the drive and of which the support and bearing projecting on one side require only a small amount of space in comparison with known designs so they can be flanged without the loss of space relatively tightly on a wall of mining machinery superstructures or any steel or concrete walls which do not allow or allow only a few apertures.

According to the invention, there is provided a cable or lead drum comprising a drum shell limited by lateral flange discs, a cable bushing arranged centrally and stationarily in the drum shell, a pivot bearing arranged to receive all axial and radial forces of the drum and a rotary drive, wherein the pivot bearing has a first race which is provided with external or internal teeth and which is connected directly or indirectly to one of the flange discs of the drum having a concentric orifice and a second race which is connected to a relatively immovable structure adjacent to the flange disc and wherein a rotary drive stationarily arranged widiin 5 the drum engages with the first race via a pinion.

The said relatively immovable structure may comprise a wall which can be fixed or consists of part of a movable structure such as a crane cab.

Owing to the arrangement of the driving motor in the interior of the drum and the use of a conventional commercial pivot bearing with internal or external teeth, by means of which the drum is both mounted and supported relative to pulling forces on the, for example, horizontal axis of rotation and which simultaneously forms a gear part of greater diameter whose engagement with the pinion reduces the driving speed, advantageous savings in space are achieved so that the cable drum can be flanged tightly to the wan of carrier plant in adaptation to specific mounting or fitting conditions and a space-saving unit is created. As the electric or hydraulic drive acts directly via the pinion on the pivot bearing teeth, no other mechanisms are required, at least in the case of a hydraulic motor. The pivot bearing can be flanged, for example, on a vertical wall directly or via an intermediate ring. The advantages of the compact pivot bearing attachment of the drum are retained regardless of whether the cable bushing extends behind the wall if there is adequate free space or is Laid in the spacing between wall and drum if there is inadequate free space. The advantages are that teeth and pinion are protected from contamination (particularly in tunnelling and mining) in the drum shell, that the pivot bearing is also protected from dirt by sealing lips and the gap seal created between the orifice of the drum flange disc and the stationary flange ring and that a completely assembled cable drum which has been tested for operation can easily be mounted on a wall or operator panel with few bolts.

3 It is preferable if one pivot bearing race is attached to the interior of one flange disc and the other pivot bearing race and the drive motor within the drum shell are connected to a radial plate which is rigidly connected to the central carrying part fixed on the wall and projecting through the orifice in the flange disc into the drum shell and having orifices for the cable bushing and engine supply lines. The circumference of the carrying part which is fixed on the wall and designed, in particular, as a flange ring can contain one or more recesses in the region between wall and flange disc so no wall apertures are required for laying the cable bushing and the motor cables. The pivot bearing can basically also be arranged on the exterior of the flange disc adjacent to the wall while the rotary drive remains in the drum shell and projects with its pinion from the orifice in the flange disc.

The invention will now be flirther described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a vertical section through one embodiment of a cable drum according to the invention on a fastening wall with cables guided between wall and drum; Fig. 2 is a vertical section, similar to Fig. 1, but showing a second embodiment of a cable drum according to the invention in which the fastening wall allows a central cable bushing and a rotor of the current bushing is mounted on a stator as a variation and is connected to the drum via a driver; and Fig. 3 shows a cable drum with a pivot bearing support modified in comparison with the embodiment shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows a flangable cable drum 20 according to the invention on a surface or wall 1 which cannot or may not be breached, for example the outer wall of a diesel or hydraulic fluid tank or a building wall. A flange ring 2 is welded (see bottom half of drawing) or bolted (see top half of drawing) on the wall 1. For fastening a bolt from the exterior, the flange ring 2 can also have several radial 4 arms, for example welded-on angle- or U-profiles through which screw- threaded bolts are guided into dowels or threaded bores in the wall.

The flange ring 2 extends through an orifice in a flange disc 21 of the drum 20 into a cylindrical drum shell 22 and has such a height that a recess 3 can be 5 arranged at one or more positions round its circumference, through which recess 3 cables 11, 12 for a hydraulic or electric motor 10 and electric cable conduits 33 are guided to a cable duct 4. The flatter the design of the cable duct 4, the smaller the distance 'a" between the drum 20 and the wall 1 and the less fitting space lost for the width of the drum, for example in the case of integrated installation in a vehicle. A conventional commercial pivot bearing 5 with an inner race 6 and a toothed outer race 7 and seals 8 forms a bearing for the cable drum and absorbs all weight and pulling forces.

A radial plate 9 together with the inner race 6 of the pivot bearing 5 is bolted on the flange ring 2. The motor 10 is flanged on a one-sided projection of the radial plate 9. A toothed pinion 13 on the shaft of the motor engages with the toothed outer race 7 of the pivot bearing which is bolted to the flange disc 21 of the drum 20 adjacent to the wall 1 close to its concentric orifice in the manner of a flange. The cylindrical drum shell 22 is welded to the flange disc 21 and to an outer flange disc 23. As the flange disc 21 transmits the weight of the drum with that of the cable or of the lead and the pulling forces onto the pivot bearing 5, the disc 21 is designed with a greater wall thickness than the disc 23.

The stator 15 of a conventional commercial current bushing 14 carrying a slip ring 16 is flanged on the radial plate 9 via a tubular insert 17, the individual cables 33 being attached to the slip rings 16. A rotor 19 rigidly connected to the drum shell 22 via several spokes 24 and provided with carbon brushes 18 is held in a fixed relationship with the stator.

For mounting of the drum and for maintenance of the current bushing 14, the motor 10 and the toothed gear parts, a cover 25 can be unbolted from an orifice in the outer flange disc 23. The orifice exposed by the cover 25 is greater than the diameter of the pivot bearing 5. Instead of a described cable 34, flexible lines can be wound and unwound on the cable drum, the electric current bushing being replaced by a gas or fluid bushing with correspondingly designed stator and rotor parts in such cases.

Fig. 2 shows a cable drum 20 according to the invention on a mounting wall 1 allowing at least one, for example, central penetration of the cables 33 through a tube issuing backwardly from the wall 1 and, in particular, attached there in a sealed manner. The distance a" and therefore the height of the flange ring 2 can therefore be minimised in comparison with the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. As a variation to a rotor of the current bushing held on the drum shell with several spokes 24, the rotor 19 is mounted here on the stator 15 and only needs to be connected to the drum 20 by a driver 26.

In order to arrange a largeeter pivot bearing 5 in the drum shell 22 and to meet other conditions, the toothed inner race 6 of the pivot bearing is bolted to the interior of the drum flange disc according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 while the outer race 7 and the motor 10 are fastened on the radial plate 9 which is connected to the flange ring 2 and has a greater diameter. The pinion 13 of the motor 10 engages in the internal teeth of the inner race 6. The cable bushing can correspond to that shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. A seal 34 resting on the exterior of the flange ring 2 is provided in or on the internal edge of the concentric orifice of the flange disc 2 1. An annular space 35 which is sealed inwardly by the radial plate 9 and can contain grease for lubricating teeth, pinion 13 and pivot bearing 5 is formed in this way.

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Claims

1. A cable or lead drum comprising a drum shell limited by lateral flange discs, a cable bushing arranged centrally and stationarily in the drum shell, a pivot bearing an-anged to receive all axial and radial forces of the drum and a rotary drive, wherein the pivot bearing has a first race which is provided with external or in teeth and which is connected directly or indirectly to one of the flange discs of the drum having a concentric orifice and a second race which is connected to a relatively immovable structure adjacent to the flange disc and wherein a rotary drive stationarily arranged within the drum engages with the first race via a pinion.

2. A cable or lead drum according to claim 1, wherein the rotary drive comprises an electric or hydraulic drive motor having power connections which extend into the drum over the same path as the cable bushing.

3. A cable drum according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the drive motor is mounted on a carrying part which is arranged within the drum shell and is supported via a covering part of the cable bushing fastened on the said relatively. movable structure, the motor leads and cables of the cable bushing being guided outwardly through the said structure.

4. A cable drum according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first pivot bearing race is attached to the interior of the said one flange disc and the second pivot bearing race and the rotary drive are mounted on a radial plate within the drum shell, said radial plate being connected to a generally centnal canying part secured to the said relatively immovable structure and projecting through the orifice in the flange disc into the drum shell and having orifices for the cable bushing and motor cables.

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5. A cable drum according to claim 4, wherein the circumference of the carrying part has one or more recesses in the region between said relatively immovable structure and the flange disc whereby cables can be led to the cable bushing and rotary drive without having to breach said structure.

6. A cable drum according to claim 4, wherein the cable bushing is continued via a wall aperture into a pipe or bushing which is attached in a sealed manner so the height of the carrying part can be minimised andlor the wall of a tank can be used for mounting the drum.

7. A cable drum according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein one end of a length of tube surrounding the cable bushing is fastened on a central orifice of the radial, plate, the other end of the length of tube carrying a stator of the cable bushing and a rotor attached to the cable end fixed on the drum is connected to the drum shell via supporting and driving means.

8. A cable drum according to claim 7, wherein the rotor is mounted on the said length of tube.

9. A cable drum according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flange disc connected to the pivot bearing has a greater wall thickness adapted to its carrying and bearing function than the other flange disc which is remote from the drum bearing.

10. A cable drum according to claim 9, wherein the other flange disc has a mounting and maintenance orifice which is closable by a cover and of which the diameter is greater than that of the pivot bearing.

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11. A cable drum according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, instead of an electric cable, the drum carries a flexible line which can be wound and unwound and wherein the electric current bushing is replaced by a gas and liquid current bushing with correspondingly designed rotor and stator.

12. A cable or load drum substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.