US1535558A - Machine support - Google Patents

Description

F. A. ADAMS MACHINE SUPPORT April 28, 1 925.

3 SheetShet 1 Filed May 27. 1922 v v ,FrafikAAdama.

April 28, 1925. 1,535,558

- F. A. ADAMS MACHI NE SUPPORT Filed May 27. 1922 5 Sheets' She'et 2 x fez April 28, 1925. 1,535,558

.. v F. A. ADAMS momma: SUPPORT Filgd May 27, 1922 5 Sh'e'etsESQefet s v gnwvfloz Eran/5AA dama.

li etented Apr. 28, 192.5,

nnrrs stares FRANK A. ADAMS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOE TO GEORGE E. :MERBELL, INCORPORATED, O'F ROGHESIEE, NEW YORK, 15. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MACHINE SUPPORT.

Application rues May 27, 1922. serial No. 564,233.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. AnAMs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe. and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machine Supports; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descr1p tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machine supports and more particularly to supports for machines that comprise a centrifuge or other member adapted to rotate at high speed.

Objects of the invention are to provide a convenient portable support adapted to be moved with themachine;to resiliently support a machine in such manner as to absorb vibrations in any direction and components of such vibrations; to absorb the whip of a centrifuge caused by unequal distribution of weight about its axis of rotation in such manner as not to obstruct its coming up to speed; and in general to improve the construction andmode of operation of machine supports as more particularly described and explained hereinafter, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

1 is a side elevation of the improved support associated with a machine;

ll 1g. 1 is a sectional view of a detail;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a supporting stand forming a portion of the improved supporting means;

Fig. 3 1s a vertical section takcncentrally through the supporting stand on "line 3 8,

of Fig. 2;

. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section through a fragment of-the supporting stand;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through a resilient column forming an important ele ment of the improved supporting means;

place.

ne ates PATENT orri cn.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of one of the studs adapted to secure the resilient columns to the machine frame and to the supporting stand; y

Fig.7 is a top plan view of a modified construction for detachably connecting the leg to the supporting stand; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the parts shown in Fig. 7. y

In Fig. 1 the improved support is shown in the position in whichit is used, with a machine mounted on it. Although the support is particularly designed for-use with combined washing machines and centrifugal extractors, yet it is obviously adapted for other types of machines in which strains and vibrations, of a character similar to those produced in said type, are set up during operation. i P

I Fig. 1, S represents the edge of a sink by which one sideof a supporting stand is sustained, said supporting stand comprises 7 a top supporting member 1, which may be of any suitable shape but is preferably of general triangular form. having an open center 2. Said supporting top member 1 may be pressed from sheet material such as 7 steel and strengthened by flanges 3 and 4. At opposite sides of the top 1 adjacent the rear edge 1 are secured hooks 5. Said hooks project rearward parallel to each other be yond the rear edge 1? of the top and are so formed as to enable them to engage over and bear upon the edge of an ordinary sink S or the like and prevent movement transversely of the sink edge Said hooks 5 may be secured. to the top 1 in any suitable man 35 ner. As a convenient means of seeming them, a socket member 6 may be formed integral with the top 1 on each side thereof and the. shanks 7 of the hooks inserted in them and riveted or otherwise fastened in The socket member 6 is preferably formed of a tongue, integral with the flange 3 of the top member, rolled or curled into a tube. As shown in the drawing, rivets 8 and '8 pass through the socket member 6 95. and shank 7 of the hook' 5 retaining the socket in shape as well as securing the shank therein. In order that the hooks may be frietionally engaged with the edge of the sink it is preferred to cover them with antislipping cushioning material and for this purpose rubber tubing 9 is applied over the sink-edge-engaging portions thereof.

In order to cooperate with the hooks, which rest upon the edge of a sink or the like, and sustain one side of the top 1, a leg is detachably secured to the opposite side. A preferred construction for detachably con necting this leg comprises a portion that may be a separate plate 10, secured to the flange 3 of the top member or may be a part of said flange. The plate 10, illustrated, is widened between its ends so as to project both above and below said flange as at 11 and 12. To this plate is detachably jointed a bracket as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The said plate 10 has symmetrically disposed lugs 13 at opposite sides of the vertical center line and adjacent its upper edge. Said lugs 13 may be formed by punching portions of the metal outward from the plate forming lugs integrally connected at their upper ends with the plate. The lower edge of the part 12 of the plate is notched on a vertical line substantially midway of the said lugs as at 1-1;. The detachable leg bracket comprises a socket member 15 formed preferably of sheet metal, having lateral flanges 16 so shaped as to fit snugly in contact with the exterior of plate 10, the upper edge of said flanges fitting beneath the lugs 13. In the construction shown in Figs. 3' and 4c a T-h-eaded bolt 17 engages the bracket, the head thereof passing tran versely through the bracket between the socket 1'5 and the flanges 16 while the shank of the bolt engages in the vertical notch l t in the lower portion 12 of said plate 10. Any suitable tightening member, as a wing nut 18, may be utilized to tighten the bolt and fix the leg bracket in place. Upon loosening the wing nut it will be obvious that the braeket nia-y be detached by pulling it downward. In attaching it the tops of the flange 16 ar inserted beneath the lugs 13, and the bracket: move-d upward, whereupon the shank of the bolt enters the notch and the nut may be tightened.

Secured in the socket member 15 of the leg bracket is a supporting leg adapted to rest upon a floor or other foundation and cooperate with the hooks 5 resting upon the edge of sink or the like to sustain the top member at the necessary height in a sub: stantially level position. In order to adapt the support to sinks of different heights, it is preferred" to make the leg adjustable in length. A convenient adjustable leg coinprises a tubular section 19 secured inthe socket by any suitable iii-cans such as a trans verse pin 19. lVit-hin said tubular section 19 is telescoped a second section 20 preferably provided with a rubber or other cushioning foot member 21. The said section 20 fits within and is adapted to slide with respect to the tubular section 19 so that the two sections may be relatively adjusted within such range as may be required. Said section 20 may be secured to section 19 in adjusted position by a divided clamp 22 surrounding the lower end of the tubular section 19, which is split vertically, as at 23, said clamp having parallel protruding ears 21 adapted to be forced toward each other y means such as a bolt provided with. a wing nut as indicated at 25.

A preferred form of means for detachably connecting the leg with the top member 1 is illustrated in' Figs. 7 and S. In this form plate 10 is die cut or otherwise formed with tongues integral with the edge of the plate, said tongues being subsequently folded over so as to form lugs 13 extending diagonally downward toward each other spaced fromthe outer face of the plate a sufficient distance to allow the upper edge of the flanges 16 of the socketed leg brack t to enter beneath them. In the preferreo form of the invention the head 17* of the clamping bolt 17 (preferably of carriage bolt type) engages the inside of the plate 10, the squared part of the shank thereof fitting in the notch l f The shank of bolt 1'? passes completely through socket memb-er 15 and tubular leg section 19, the outer end of said bolt protruding from the front of the socket member being engaged by a nut 18 whereby the bracket may be tightened in place. In this preferred construction the nut for securing or rel-easing the leg bracket is brought into more convenient position; the tightening bolt also has the added function of securing the tubular section 19 of the leg in the socket member avoiding the necessity of other means for securing said section to the bracket. This construction also utilizes a standard bolt and eliminates the cost of special parts.

An important part of this invention is the means for securing the machine frame to the top of the supportin stand. In the embodiment shown the machine frame consists of a tub or receptacle 30 within which may be nioui'itcd washing and moisture c1;- tracting means not necessary for the purposes of this invention to be disclosed further than to state that the moisture extracting means consists of a centrifugal basket indicated at 31 by dotted lines, said basket rotating in hearings in the said receptacle or frame 30 so that all stresses and vibrations resulting from the moven'ients of said basket are transmitted tosaid frame. Beneath the frame 30' there' is shown, in Fig. 1, a housing which. it win be understood, may incase, for the purposes of this ferentially as indicated at 38.

application any means adaiiited to rotate the basket 31 at high speed. The said frame is supported on top of a plurality of resilient columns 33, the upper ends of which desired thereby to distinguish from resilient supports in the nature of metallic springs, in which the effective resilience is due to the form of the resilient member, those resilient supports in which elasticity is inherent in the material permitting it to yield to forces exerted in every direction and to energetically recover its original position and shape after these forces have ceased to act. The material of which these columns are made is rubber. They are secured immovably to the top supporting member 1 ofthe stand and immovably to the bottom or under side of the frame 30 as stated. A preferred means for so securing the columns comprises studs 34, riveted to supporting member 1 and frame 30, and entcring the upper and lower ends of the columns 33. These studs 3 1 are adapted to have their tubular reduced ends 35 inserted within holes 36 made in the said top member 1 and in similar holes formed in the bottom of the frame 30. The shoulder 37 of each stud 34 rests against the upper surface of topl or the under surface of frame 30 (as the case may be) and the annular end is expanded or flanged in a well known manner against the opposite surface of the top or frame so as to secure the stud rigidly. The sides of said stud are grooved circum- S ockets 39 extendlng in an axial directlon are molded or otherwise formed in the upperand lower ends of saidcolumns 33 for the reception of the studs 34:. lVhen a column is firmly seated over a stud on. the supporting member l and the frame is firn'lly seated on top of the column with a stud extending into said column a suitable binder such as wire Lil-.001 any available hose clamping device may be tightened ,cireumferentially around the top and bottom of each column in such manner as to compress the resilient material thereof into the grooves 38 of the studs and securesaid columns at top and bottom to the under surface of said frame 30 and the upper surface of the supporting stand,

respectively. The columns are of suiiir cient'height or longitudinal. extent to permit ready lateral flexure thereof between their ends of considerable amplitude. By preference colui'nns 33 are of greater diameter at their bases than at points above their bases. Preferably they taper from the zone 11 to the zone i2 and then expand suffi ciently to afford firm anchorage for the stud to which it is bound. It is preferred, at the present time, to make these columns of conical'or conoidal form; but it will be understood that the particular form of the columns is not material to my invention provided said columns are of suflicient length and resilience properly to respond to the stresses applied and to achieve the results desired.

It will be understood that when a centrifugal basket, containing clothing, for example, is rotated, the clothing may not be even ly distributed about the center of the basket so that the axis of rotation of the basket,

when loaded, does not pass through the center of gravity of the mass consisting of the basket and its contents. As a consequence of the eccentricity of the center of gravity of the mass with respect to the axis of rotation of the basket, the mass, when in rotation, tends to assume a position of balance in which the center of gravity coincides with a point in the axis of rotation. Inasmuch as the mass under consideration is not rotating freely in space but is necessarily mounted in bearings on some support, said rotating mass, in its efforts to assume a position of balance, applies force to the support tending to move it. If it is attempted to prevent all movement of the support in response to the action of the force referred to, severe vibrations are imparted to the support which are injurious to the machine and support. It is therefore desirable to support the frame or member in or on which the basket rotates, by yielding means that will permit some movement of the kind referred to but will exercise a restraining action tending to restore the frame to its normal position which it occupies when at rest. The resilient columns herein described, secured immovably at top and bottomto the machine frame and a supporting member, respectively, ea pable of yielding elastically to forces ap plied in all dirtuitions and quickly resun'iing their original form, not only accomplishes the desirable result just mentioned, but ab sorbs effectively all lateral and vertical vibrations and all components thereof.

Having described my invention, whatl claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: a

1. In a supporting stand, the combination of a top member comprising a piece of sheet I metal having a central opening and a downllii wzirdh' extending peripheral flange therea-round, the member sloping from its outer periphery toward said flange, said member at its outer periphery having a downward-1y extei'idin'g flange, a pair of horizontally dis"-' posed eyes at oppris'iie sides of said member; hook members received within said eyes" for supporting said member and additional $1113

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