US1281418A

US1281418A - Drive for cream-separator.

Info

Publication number: US1281418A
Application number: US17889617A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter E Rathburn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1917-07-06
Filing date: 1917-07-06
Publication date: 1918-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 1935-10-15

Description

W. E. RATHBUN.

DRIVE ron CREAM SEPARATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. I911.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. E. RATHBUN.

DRIVE FOR CREAM SEPARATORS.

APPLICATION mu) JULY 6. 1917.

Patented 0015.15, 1918;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MUN

, Milan,

also be usefully appli 'tions per sizes of separators.

WALTER E RATHBUN, F MILAN, ILLINOIS.

nmvn non. cum-summons.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct, 1918,

Application filed July 8, 1917. Serial No. 178,896.

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER E. Rn'rrmun', a citizen of the United States, resldmg-at county of Rock Island, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drives for Cream-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

tain improvements in mechanisms or devices for driving cream separators and the like, although it will presengliy appear that it may for the drivin of other devices than cream separators. owever. I have shown the features of the present invention as applied to the driving of a cream separator as a matter of convenience, and also because the said features. are pcculiarly adapted to this particular class of service.

The bowls of a. cream separator are driven at a very high rate of speed ranging ordinarily from s'xor seven thousand revoluminute to twenty or thirty thousand revolutions per minute. This makes it necessary to use a very high ratio of multiplication of speed in the gearssmce the drivmg crank or shaft will ordinarily run at from fifty to one hundred revolutions per minute.

The use of power drives for this class of work is coming rapidly into favor and particularly so in connection with the larger Where the driving torque 1s perfectly uniform as in the case of an electric motor or the like, there is no 'dificulty encountered in the operation of the speed multiplication earing, and where electric motors or the li e are used power drives can be very satisfactorily applied. This has not been true, however, as regards the application of power from a gas engine or similar prime mover in which there is a considerable variation of torque in different portions of the operating cycle. If the gas engines were to be direct y connected to the main driving shaft of a cream separator, the gears of the separator would in all probability be stripped or damaged, because it would be impossible for the bowl to follow the tremendous changes of speed corresponding to the fluctuations in the speed of the gas engine multiplied by the gear ratio.

The present invention has to do with a construction of driving mechanism whereby the variations in the torque of the motor The present inventionhas to do with cerand can be instantly'taken up by a spring or other resilient element, so that a practically constant drivin eifort is applied to the mam shaft of t e separator. Another feature of the invention has to do with the pro- VlSlOll of a construction such that not only can the foregoing result be attained, but also the device may be used as an ordinary hand drive, when desired.

The torque or force which must be applied tothe main shaft is generally an indication' of the mechanical condition of the separator and its gearing. If the torque be abnormally large, there is an indication of undue friction or resistance either in the bowls or in the gears. This should be a danger signal to the operator and should cause him to investigate in order to locate the sourceof the trouble. Another feature of the invention has to do with the provision of a suitable indicator for showing momentarily and instantly the exact relative amount of torquebeing applied from time to time so that the operator has always before-him an indication of the relative mechanical condition of the machine.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts herei-nafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings Figure lshows in perspective a view of a simple form of cream separator having applied thereto a power drive embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a back facegview of the power driving arm and associated parts;

. Fig. 3 shows a cross section partly in elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a detail section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows. I

Referrin first to Fig. 1, the separator therein in icated is designated in its entirety by the numeral 5. It includes a main shaft 6 which communicates with the rotating bowls through a train of gearing contalned in the stand 7. Inasmuch as I am not particularly concerned with the construction of a separator or this train of gearing, 1 will not further describe these features. Sufiice it to state that the shaft 6 is the main shaft on which the power is to be applied.

is rotated .driven forward, but whereby when the stub Ordinarily a crank is applied to the main "shaft 6 when the machine is to be driven by hand power. In order to permit of the use of the present device either by hand or crank is provided on its inner end with'a hub 10 mounted on a stub shaft 11. This stub shaft in turn has a socket 12 at its inner end to receive the protruding ortron of the main'shaft 6, to which the s aft 11 may be keyed as by means of a pin 13. On the extreme end of the stub shaft 11 1s a neck 14 onto which may be slid a collar 15 which may be pinned to the neck by means of a pin lfi soaS to hold the hub 10 in place on'the stub shaft.

Means are provided. whereby when the crank8 is rotated, the stub shaft will be shaft rotates under power'drive, the crank remaining stationary, the stub shaft may run-ahead of the crank. The particular means illustrated for accomplishing this result includes a cam notch 17 formed in. the.

stub shaft 11 receiving a pin 18 working in a recess of the hub 10 under the influence of a spring-19. The pin engages the abrupt side of the cam notch, so that when thehub the stub shaft will be driven, but the stub shaft can run ahead of the hub 10. Agear 20 is keyed or otherwise secured to the-stub shaft and rotates with the same. A jack shaft 21 extends through a suitable journal in the crank 8, and a pinion 22 on the inner end of the said jack shaft meshes with the gear 20. On the outer end of the jack shaft is a pulley'or other driving device 23 by which the power drive is applied when desired. By rotating the pulley 23 in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 2and 3,

the main gear 20 will be driven in the forward direction as shown by its arrows. Now when ower is applied through the medium of t e pulley 23 and jack shaft 21,

there is a tendency for the pinion '22 to climb backward around the gear 20. This will create a tendency for the crank 8 to rotate in the back direction, as shown by the arrow 24 in Fig. 2. This tendency of the crank to rotate must be resisted. Such resistance is secured through the medium of .a spring in a scale 25, one end of which scale is connected to a 111 26 on the crank 8, and'the' other end of w ich scale is connected to a stationary part 27 on the frame of the separator. The spring constitutes a yielding element which permits the crank arm 8 to fluctuateor vibrate back and forth in order to take up momentary variations or changes in the driving torque, and the scale itself gives an indication as to the exact amount of torque being exerted. Ordinarily the indication of the scale will be relative is greater or less than normal, If desired,

the scale may give the reading directly in pounds or other units of force.

When the 'machine is being driven by power a belt. 28 may be convemently passed over the pulley 23, or any other suitable driving connection may be eflected, as bymeans' of a chain or the like.

A cover or pan 29 having a peripheral flange 30 is .illustrated, the same covering the gears and serving to that extent to eliminate danger of accidents.

While I have herein shown .and described only a single embodiment of my invention, still it will be understood that I do not limit myself to the said embodiment except I .as I may do so in the claims.

on the said stub-shaft, means for drivingly locking the crank to the stub shaft when the crank tends to run ahead of the stub shaft,

and for permitting the stub shaft to run ahead of the crank, a gear secured to the stub shaft, a jack shaft journaled in the crank,

a pinion on the jack shaft meshing with the gear, a driving connection on the jack shaft,- a yieldable connection from the crank to a stationary part permitting the crank to-yield resiliently when power is applied to the power drive connection, and an indicator in said yieldable connection for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with the main driving shaft of a cream separator, of a crank,

a riving connection from the crank to the driving shaft for drivin said shaft when the crank tends to run a ead of the shaft, and for permitting the shaftto run ahead of the crank, a main gear drivingly connected to the shaft, a jack shaft journaled in the crank, a pinion on the jack shaft meshing with the main gear, a driving connection on the jack shaft, and a resilient connection from the crank to a stationaryjpart permitting the crank to yield under variations of torque for the purpose specified.

' '3. The combination with the operating mechanism of a cream separator, of a crank, a driving connection from the crank to said operatin mechanism for transmitting a driving orce from the crank to the operating mechanism when the crank tends-to run ahead of the operatin mechanism and for permitting the operatlng mechanism to run ahead of the crank, a gear, an operative connection from said gear to the operating mechanism, a jack shaft on the crank, a pinion on the jack shaft meshing with the gear, a iving connection on the jack shaft, and a resilient connection from the crank to a stationary part permitting the crank to yield under-Variations of driving force, for

the purpose specified.

4. The combination with the operating mechanism of a cream separator, of a swing- 5 ing arm, a driving connection from said arm to the operating mechanism ,for transmitting a-driving force from the arm to the op 'era'ting mechanism when the arm tends to run ahead of the operating mechanism, and

10 for permitting the operating mechanism to rim ahead of the arm, a gear drivinglyhon- 'nected' to the operating mechanism, a pinion carried by the arm and meshing with the gear, a driving connection for said pinion, andayieldable connection from the arm to a stationary part permitting the arm to-swing under variations pf drivmg force, for the purpose specified.

WALTER E. RATHBUN.