US1604078A - Centrifugal machine - Google Patents

Description

1 9 1141 26 C. A. SCHNEIDER CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed May '7, 1924 V zajlqflh Y .95 n? 74 y if 0/1- 9 Illlllllllll Q0 A.,SQEENEEIDER CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed May '7, 1924 2 Sheeus- Sheet 2 3mm m Patented Oct. 19, 1926.

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Application filed 7, 1924. Serial No. 711,714.

This invention relates to machines in which materials in a container rotated at high speed are separated or treated, and it is adaptable for use in cream-se arators and '5 various other types of centri ugal liquidseparators, in centrifugal machines for separating solids from li uids, in centrifugal 1drieirs, and in other mac ines of the gyratory It is an object of the invention so to mount a rotor, for supportin a bowl or other container, that it automatically may balance and adjust itself and its load and rotate steadily and thereby compensate forchanges in the center of gravity resulting from irregular deposits of solid matter on walls 'or other unequal disposition of load.

Another object of the invention is to provide drive means for the rotor that will not interfere with automatic balancing or adjustment, the rotor and drive means being so formed and associated that the free gyration of each is permitted without disturbing the concentric relation of the other to fixed parts.

Among other ob'ects of the invention are so to form, coor 'nate, and associate the parts that there is a minimum of frictional resistance to operation of the machine; to

make the parts easy to disassemble for cleaning, repair, replacement, etc.', and to provid ade uate lubrication.

en considered in connection with the description herein, the characteristics of the invention are 'apparent from the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, wherein parts of a centrifugal machine of the creamseparator type are disclosed, for purposes of illustration. I

Although the disclosures herein exemplify what now is considered to be a preferable embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that it is not the intention to be limited necessarily thereto in inter retation of the claims, as modifications an adaptationswithin the limits of the claims can be made without'departing from the nature of the invention.

Like reference characters refer to corre-' spondlng parts in the views of the drawings, of whichv a Fig. -1 is a bottom view of the rotor, with the retaining-ring removed;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the rotor with the retaining-ring in place;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the rotor and of the upper portions of the spindle and drive-sha t;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section of the drive-shaft and associated parts;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section illustrative of a modification; and

Fig. 8 is a view of the retaining-ring.

In the drawings, which disclose only such parts of the machine as are necessary for ex emplification of the invention, A designates a base member and B, C, and D gear-case walls. I

A vertical s indle and rotor-support 9 is mounted fixe y by havin its lower end portion screw threaded an turned into a threaded opening in the base member A. The spindle may be adjusted upwardly and downwardly by turning in the base member. The spindle is formed witha spiral lubricant groove 10 extending from the base to its top.

It has in its upper end an inverted coneshaped bearing-depression or seat 11. In order to avoid undue wear, the entire spindle or the up er portion thereof may be of hardened steeij or it may have in its upper end a hard insert 11, as shown b Fi 4.

A ball or other suitable earmg 12 on the base member A has a drive element resting thereon. That element is of two separable v parts. One of these parts includes a 001: 13, which .rests on the bearing, and a sleeve 14 integrally formed with a pinion 15. The sleeve is locked, by set-screws 16 or in any other suitable manner, to a tubular driveshaft 17 therein, which is the other part of the drive element. The drive-shaft 1s rotatable on the fixed spindle, it extends to or slightly beyond the upper end of the spindle,

' tion on the spindle.

and it has on its upper portion radiallyextending projections or lugs 18.

A rotor 19, formed with a cavity 20 extending upwardly thereinto from its bottom, has in its upper portion a. concentricallydisposed pointed bearing member 21, of hardened steel or other suitable material. The bearing member rests in the terminal seat 11 of the spindle. The rotor-cavity is of sufiicient size to ermit the upper portion of the drive-shaft 1 to extend thereinto with considerable clearance between its wall and the shaft, in order that the rotor'may be free to adjust itself automatically during rota- The rotor is formed with internal substantially vertical slots or recesses 22 extending upwardly thereinto from its bottom and open to the cavity, and

into which the projections 18 of the drive shaft extend and by which rotary motion is imparted to the rotor. In an annular seat 23 in the bottom of the rotor there is held by tastenings 24 a ring 25, which closes the lower ends of the slots 22 and by contact with the projections 18 prevents the rotor from being lifted 0d from the drive-shaft. The ring has a depending outwardly-flaring annular flange 26.

If desired, the bearing-point and its seat may be reversed; that is: the spindle may be equipped with a bearing point 21, and the rotor may have a depression or seat 11*, as shown by F g 7.

The exterior contour of the rotor is such as to' permit a bowl or other container to be hung thereon and by frictional action to receive rotary motion therefrom. For example, there is shown by Fig. 3 a liquidseparator bowl 27 hung on the rotor.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the bearing-point should be above the center of gravity of the rotor, in order that the rotor may hang in freely balancing state on the fixed spindle, and the major portion of the container and its contents should be below the center of gravity for the same reason. However, the gravitational position of the bearing-point with respect to the rotor alone is immaterial, so long as the major portion of the total weight of rotor, con- :tainer, and contents of the latter is therebe- The projections 18 of the drive-shaft fit loosely into the slots 22 of the rotor, so that no restraint is afiorded thereby to the self balancing of the rotor on its pivot-bearing, and the mass carried by that bearing, whether itbe the rotor alone or the rotor, bowl, and the contents of the latter, is free at all times to balance itself, both while in motion and at rest, without interference by the driving instrumentality.

Bolts or other suitable removable fasteners 28 hold on an upper wall B of the gearcase a casing 29, and the bowl 27 depends into this casing. The drive-shaft is sur= rounded by an annular wall 30 spaced therefrom and extending upwardly from the bottom of the casing 29 and from an opening in the upper wall B to a point sli htly above the lower edge of the annular; flange 26 or the ring 25. An annular extension 31 of the bottom of the casing 29 projects inwardly to a osition in alineinent with the upper end of t e sleeve 14. That end of the sleeve affords an annular shoulder. It is contactable with the annular extension 31, which constitutes a stop to prevent undue upward movement of the sleeve and the drive-shaft therein, as when the bowl is lifted 0E from the rotor. -;.;;The extension 31 also acts as an arrester-fiange that prevents upward splash of lubricant into the space within the arena lar wall 30.

The drive-shaft and rotor, and thereby the container on the latter, are driven at high speed by a gear 32 in mesh with the pinion 15, that gear being one oi a train of gearing of the drive mechanism of the machine.

The gear-case contains lubricant, some of which is worked up the spindle by the ceac tion of the rotating dr1ve-shaft with the groove 10. Lubricant by that means is supplied to the pivot-bearing, it is thrown outwardly by centrifugal action against the inner wall of the rotor and into the slots 22, and it returns downwardly therefrom inside of the wall 30 to the gear-case and onto the pinion 15 and gear 32. The depending flan e 26, which extends downwardly inside of t e wall 30, prevents any lubricant from being thrown outside of that wall into the casing in which the bowl rotates.

The parts of the machine may be dis assembled easil for cleaning, repair, or re placement. A ter looseningthe set-screws 16, the drive-shaft with the rotor thereon may be withdrawn upwardly from the spin= dle, and the rotor may be removed from the shaft after removal of the ring-fasteners 24-. The sleeve 14 may be withdrawn upwardly from the spindle after removal of the easmg 29 with its sleeve-retain ng flange 31. The spindle may be turned out of the base, when it is necessary to remove it. The

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parts may be assembled in a manner sub= stantially the reverse of that described for disassembly.

Having thus described my invention, what i I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let: ters Patent, is V 1. In a centrifugal machine, an upright fixed spindle, a cavitied rotor ivotally mounted on the upper end of sai spindle and having a slot extending upwardly thereinto, a tubular drive-shaft on said spindle, a proyection extending from said shaft into said slot, and a removable closing member at the lower end of said slot. I

2. In a centrifugal machine, an upright fixed spindle, a cavitied rotor pivotally mounted on the upper end of said spindle having a slot extending upwardly thereinto and having also an annular seat in its bottom, a tubular drive-shaft on, said spindle, a projection extending from said shaft into said slot, and a ring in said annular seat closing the lower end of said slot.

3. In a centrifugal machine, an upright fixed spindle, a rotor on the upper portion of W said spindle, a tuloular drive-shaft on said spindle arranged to operate said rotor, a

casing having a Wall snaeed from and disposed around said shaft, and an annular flange depending from said rotor into the

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