JPH08246505A - Underwater turntable - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent a leak of water into a turntable of an underwater working machine and maintain the function of such a sealed structure. CONSTITUTION: The bearing portion of a turntable provided between a lower frame 50 and an upper frame 51 and a swing operating room 13 are formed into a sealed structure via seals 20, 22, 23. Pressure synchronizing cylinders 26, 27 to feed a lublicating oil into the sealed structure are made up of a bag member whose inside volume is changeable with outside pressure. The pressure harmonizing cylinders 26, 27 are provided at a position, equal to or lower than that of the sealed structure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an underwater working machine having a swivel base sealing structure for a swivel working chamber, which is mainly used on land and has a swivel function and which includes a swivel bearing portion and a swivel gear portion. The present invention relates to an underwater swivel improved so that it can be applied.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a civil engineering machine has a turning function,
A hydraulic excavator as shown in FIG. 3 is one of the work machines that is widely used. In this hydraulic excavator, a swivel base 5 including a swivel work chamber including a swivel bearing and a swivel gear is provided.
2, the swivel base 52 includes a lower frame 50 serving as a base having a traveling function, and an upper frame 5 having an arm and a boom having a bucket or the like attached to the tip thereof.
It is provided between 1 and 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, for example, this swivel base has a rolling element 3 between an inner race 1 and an outer race 2 of a bearing portion provided therein, and the inner race 1 is a lower frame 5.
The outer race 2 is fixed to the upper frame 51 with bolts 5. Further, a ring gear 6 is provided on the back surface of the inner race 1 for performing a turning operation, and a turning power hydraulic motor 53 is fixed to the upper frame 51. A ring gear is provided at the tip of the output shaft of the turning power hydraulic motor 53. A sliding gear 7 for transmitting power along 6 is attached so as to slide on a circumferential orbit.

Next, the sealing structure of the swivel base 52 will be described. In the bearing portion, rainwater or splashed water intrudes into the gap 8 between the inner race 1 and the outer race 2 from the outside, and the rolling element 3 is lubricated with grease as grease. In order to prevent the lubricating oil supplied through the nipple 9 from leaking to the outside, an upper seal 10 and a lower seal 11 are provided in the grooves provided in the inner race 1 and the outer race 2.

Further, the sealing mechanism of the ring gear 6 which performs the turning operation and the sliding gear 7 portion which transmits the power has a lower frame 50 below the ring gear 6 and the sliding gear 7 in which the entire outer circumference of the steel cover 12 is provided. It is fixed by welding, and a swivel joint 54 is fixed to the steel cover 12 by a bolt at the center of rotation, and forms a lower sealing wall of the rotation working chamber 13.

The sealing mechanism on the side of the upper upper frame 51 has a swivel joint 54 and an upper frame 5.
The rubber seal 14 between the upper frame 51
It consists of a simple structure that is fixed to the bolt with. As described above, the conventional seal structure of the swivel part of the working machine is
It is a sealed structure of a general working machine manufactured on the premise of working at an external pressure of 1 atm on land, and is waterproof to the extent of splashed water,
It has a sealed structure that can prevent dust such as dust generated during work.

Therefore, when the machine having the above-mentioned sealed structure is used as an underwater working machine, the seal 14 provided between the upper frame 51 and the swivel joint 54 is deformed by high water pressure and the seal portion is There is a problem that a gap is formed and the hermeticity is remarkably deteriorated, and the swirl working chamber 13 is flooded with water. Further, under the high water pressure, the lower seal 11 and the upper seal 10 of the bearing portion also generate a large resistance on the seal sliding surfaces thereof, so that these seals are deformed during the swiveling operation, and the inside of the rolling element 3 of the bearing portion is deformed. It is expected that there will be a problem of flooding the gap 8.

That is, in the above-mentioned hermetically sealed structure, it is difficult to prevent the infiltration of water as described above in the underwater environment in which a change of about 1 atmospheric pressure occurs at a water depth of 10 meters. Furthermore, it is conceivable to cover the sealing structure with a steel outer shell that can withstand high external pressure, reduce the gap in the sliding part, and install multiple rows of seals to seal, but this method has a complicated structure. However, there is a problem that the sealability is deteriorated earlier due to corrosion of the sliding part in seawater.

In addition, the swivel joint, including the swivel power motor above the upper frame of the swivel base, the upper frame is covered with a steel cover so that the swivel joint, the bearing and the swivel working chamber form a series of spaces, and gas such as compressed air is used. There is also a method to eliminate water that is flooded by sending air into the steel cover, but since the volume of the gas in the liquid changes greatly,
The pressure of the air applied to the upper part of the bearing part is not constant, and at the same time as the discharge of the internal air, the lubricating oil of the bearing part may flow out from the lower seal part.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. In the inside of the bearing part and the turning operation part of the swivel base of the working machine for working underwater, The purpose of the present invention is to provide an underwater swivel that can prevent the infiltration of water to these parts by sending the lubricating oil at the same pressure as the external pressure or at a higher pressure and maintain the function of the sealed structure. It is a thing.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the underwater swivel base of the present invention is a swivel base bearing and swivel operation provided between a lower frame and an upper frame which swivels with respect to the lower frame. The chamber and the chamber are formed into a hermetically sealed structure through a sealing member, and a pressure tuning cylinder for sending lubricating oil to the inside of the hermetically sealing structure is formed of a bag-shaped member whose internal volume can be changed by external pressure, and the pressure tuning cylinder is It is characterized in that it is provided at a position equal to or lower than the portion of the above-mentioned sealing structure.

The submersible swivel base having the above-mentioned structure has a hermetically sealed structure in which the bearing portion and the swivel working chamber are sealed between the lower frame and the upper frame with respect to the internal and external pressures via the sealing members. The internal structure is such that the lubricating oil inside does not leak to the outside and water does not enter the inside, and the pressure tuning cylinder that sends the lubricating oil to the inside is equivalent to that of the sealed structure part. Alternatively, since the bag-shaped member is provided at a low position and the internal volume of which can be changed by the external water pressure, the lubricating oil filled in the bag-shaped member is sealed from the bag-shaped member according to the water pressure of the water depth. It is sent to the inside of the structure so as to be extruded, and as a result, the lubricating oil inside the sealed structure is subjected to a pressure equal to or higher than the external pressure at the water depth, and the lubricating oil to the bearing part and the swing working chamber is applied. Water is prevented.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part of an underwater swivel base of an underwater working machine according to the embodiment. The swivel base of the conventional underwater working machine shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has substantially the same function and configuration, and the same parts in FIGS. 1 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

First, in this embodiment, as a seal member for forming the bearing portion of the swivel base 52 provided between the lower frame 50 and the upper frame 51 that swivels with respect to the lower frame 50 and the swirl working chamber 13 in a sealed structure, There are the following three locations. First, one is the seal 20 fixed to the lower part of the bearing portion fixed by the bolts 4 and 5 between the lower frame 50 and the upper frame 51, and the second is the seal 20 attached to the upper part of the bearing portion. At 22, the third is a seal 23 for sealing the swirl working chamber 13 between the iron cover 12 attached to the lower frame 50 and the swiveling upper frame 51.

Next, the pressure tuning cylinders 26 and 27 for sending the lubricating oil into the inside of the above-mentioned sealing structure are provided at positions equal to or lower than those of the above-mentioned sealing structure. That is, the pressure tuning tube 26 is attached to the lower part of the swivel joint 54, and the pressure tuning tube 27 is attached to the steel cover 12. In addition, the bearing portion precisely processes the distance between the contact surfaces of the inner race 1 and the outer race 2 and the rolling element 3, and also the gap between the upper and lower portions of the inner race 1 and the outer race 2 that sandwich the rolling element 3 therebetween. 8 is set at an appropriate interval so that both races do not contact each other when turning.

In order to prevent water from entering the gap 8 above and below the bearing portion from the outside, the upper frame 51 and the outer race 2
An adhesive agent is applied to the contact surface 15 with and is in a completely sealed state. In addition, a groove for fixing the seal 20 to the inner race 1 is provided in the seal 20 below the bearing portion, and the seal 20 is fixed by inserting the inner surface fixing side of the seal 20 into the groove. A pressing ring 21 is provided on the back surface of the seal 20 to prevent leakage from the inside and water from the outside by pressing the lower portion of the outer race 2 with a constant pressing force.

Further, the inner race 1 is provided with a groove having a structure for fixing the seal 22 and also for preventing floating.
Since this seal 22 is a face-to-face slide between the upper frame 51 and the inner race 1, the portion that comes into contact with the sliding surface of the upper frame 51 and slides has a structure having a plurality of contact surfaces, It has a structure that enhances the hermeticity when pressure is applied from the outside.

Therefore, the pressure tuning cylinder 26 is connected via a pipe 28 to the oil supply port 16 for supplying oil to the rolling elements 3 on the side surface of the outer race 2 of the bearing portion. This pressure tuning cylinder 26
As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the expandable bag-like member 40 is filled with lubricating oil 46 and whose internal volume can be changed by external pressure.
A block 44 having a supply port 42 for the lubricating oil 46 and an oil supply port 43 for feeding the lubricating oil 46 to the bearing portion, and a protective case 45 for the bag-shaped member 40.

Since the pressure tuning cylinder 26 is provided at a position equal to or lower than the sealing structure of the bearing portion, a pressure equal to or slightly higher than the external pressure applied to the inside of the bearing portion is applied to the bag-like member 40. Will be received from the underwater pressure around it, and the lubricating oil 46 will be sent to the inside of the bearing portion via the pipe 28 at a pressure equal to or higher than the external pressure thereof. Can be prevented from flooding.

Next, the sealing structure of the orbiting working chamber 13 in which the ring gear 6 and the sliding gear 7 slide will be described. The ring gear 6 provided on the back surface of the inner race 1 of the bearing and the hydraulic motor 53 will be described. The upper part of the sliding gear 7 which transmits the turning power to the ring gear 6 at the tip is covered with the upper frame 51, and the steel cover 12 has a space necessary for sliding the sliding gear 7 at the lower part thereof. The sliding portion facing the upper frame 51 is formed with a narrow space 47 in order to reduce the pressure applied to the contact surface of the seal 23 installed to block the pressure from the outside.

Further, the sealing of the swirl working chamber 13 on the outer peripheral side of the upper frame 51 is, as described in the seal portion of the bearing portion, the seal 2 having a plurality of contact surfaces for facing sliding.
2 is sealed and 1 is sealed on the upper frame 51.
4 is fixed with bolts. Further, the outer peripheral side of the steel cover 12 is welded all around with the lower frame 50, and the mounting surface 1 of the inner race 1 is fixed to the lower frame 50 with bolts 4.
Reference numeral 8 is an adhesive, which is completely sealed.

The seal 23 on the inner ring side of the swirl working chamber 13 is fixed by a mounting base 19 provided on the steel cover 12, and the fixed seal 23 is pressed against the upper frame 51 with a constant pressing force, and from the inside. In order to prevent the leakage of the lubricating oil and the infiltration of water from the outside, the sliding portion of the seal 23 that contacts the sliding surface of the upper frame 51 has a structure having a plurality of contact surfaces, and when the pressure from the outside is received, I try to improve the airtightness.

Further, the pressure tuning cylinder 27 having the function of sending the lubricating oil 46 into the inside of the above-mentioned sealing structure of the swirl working chamber 13 at a pressure equal to or slightly higher than the external pressure applied to the seal 23 is provided on the steel cover 12. The oil supply port 17 provided and the pipe 29 are connected to each other. The pressure tuning cylinder 27 has the same structure and function as shown in FIG. 4 similarly to the pressure tuning cylinder 26, and makes the internal and external pressures of the swirl working chamber 13 equal to prevent water infiltration.

As described above, the bearing portion of the submersible swivel base and the swirl working chamber 13 of this embodiment have respective seals 20,
When the working machine is installed on a deep water bottom, water pressure corresponding to the water depth is applied to the work structure and the seal 20 shown in FIG. 1 is formed. Naturally, water pressure according to the water depth is also applied to the members such as 22, 22, 23 on the sealing surface in contact with the water, but at the same time, the bag-like member 40 inside the pressure tuning tubes 26, 27 also depends on the water depth. The pressure is applied, the bag-shaped member 40 is compressed, the lubricating oil 46 filled inside is sent to the inside of the sealed structure of the bearing portion and the swirl working chamber 13, and the internal pressure and the external pressure are equalized. Water is prevented from entering the inside of the sealing structure, the pressure on the seal sliding portion is reduced, and the wear of the seal is reduced.

In this embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the underwater swivel has been described. However, with respect to the portion of the sealing structure such as the operating portion of the feeding device of the underwater working machine provided under the swivel. Also, the same configuration and operation can be effectively applied.

[0026]

According to the underwater swivel base of the present invention described above, no matter what water pressure is applied to the hermetically sealed portion, the pressure is applied uniformly from the inside in accordance with the pressure from the outside. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sealed part from being flooded, reduce the pressure applied to the sealing surface due to external pressure, and maintain the original performance of the seal.

Further, since the interiors of the bearing and the swivel chamber and the interior of the bag-shaped member of the pressure tuning cylinder are filled with the lubricating oil which is a liquid in communication with each other, even when the water pressure changes, the gas There is no volume change like that, and pressure can be transmitted evenly. Further, since it is possible to prevent water from entering the bearing portion and the swivel work chamber, it is possible to prevent damage to each component due to corrosion.

It should be noted that the present invention can be applied to a conventional machine having a swivel base by improvement without a large change in specifications, and is economical.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of essential parts of an underwater swivel base of an underwater work machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure tuning cylinder of FIG. 1 in the AA direction.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a conventional hydraulic excavator.

4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a swivel base of the hydraulic excavator of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

13 swirl working chamber 20 seal 22 seal 23 seal 26 pressure tuning cylinder 27 pressure tuning cylinder 40 bag-like member 46 lubricating oil 50 lower frame 51 upper frame 52 swivel base

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bearing part of a swivel base provided between a lower frame and an upper frame that swivels relative to the lower frame and a swirl working chamber are formed in a sealed structure via a seal member, and the inside of the sealed structure is formed. A submersible swivel in which a pressure tuning cylinder for sending lubricating oil to is formed from a bag-shaped member whose internal volume can be changed by external pressure, and the pressure tuning cylinder is provided at a position equal to or lower than the portion of the above-mentioned sealing structure.