US2269729A - Pitman gearing - Google Patents

Description

Patented Jan. 13, 1942 UN IT'ED- STATE-S. PAT ENT OF FI=C E PITMAN GEARING Charles M. OLeary, Houston, Tex.

Application December 23, 1940,.Serial No. 371,427

7 Claims.

The. present invention relates; generally to gearing, and more particularly to improvements ingearing ofth nature disclosed andclaimed in. my copending' application; filed December 1940, under Serial Number 369,167, and under the title, Geared. pitmans;

Specifically, the present improvements are directed to. gearing, including a geared pitman, which, while capable of various uses, is-believed at present to find its most important advantages in connection with oil well pumping units for combining walking beam actuation with speed reduction in aamanner to so replace the separate andidistinct pitmans and speedreduction units of the usual walking beam type of pumping unit as to eliminate many of the costly parts and disadvantages of the common well pumper.

Thus, as; in my above application, the present invention follows the general object of'eliminating, in. its use in connection with the walking beam type of well pumpers, the usual gear reduction unit together with its necessarily widely spaced apart. crank arms, and double pitmans with their required: evener' or equalizing connectionto thebeam.

Over and above the gearing disclosed in my aboveapplication, it is one of the objects of'the present invention to provide a gearing of greater strength, durability and lasting effectiveness, as

well asone capable of more ready; eflicient manufacture and greater adaptability in use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gearing of this typecapable of ready conversion from. a single to a double gear reduction, and vice versa, so as to better serve its purposes in' practical use under varying well conditionsin the field.

With the above and various other objects in mind; the invention may be better understood and more thoroughly'appreciated in the course of" the following description in detail thereof, and by reference to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of thisspecification, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view illustrating the practical application of the invention in connection with a well pumper of the walking beam type.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in vertical transverse section through the gearing', taken substantially on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail section on a median line through thehigh speed shaft pinion and; an engagedportion of the ring gear, and,

Figure tie a vertical sectional view illustratingtheapplicatiomof asecond reduction unit'in accordance: with the; invention.-

Referring now to the above outlined figures of the drawing, and particularly to Figure 1,

I have, while fully recognizing other possible uses of the invention as, for instance, in con-- nection with the operation of slush pumps and the like; shown the same applied to a conventional well pumping unit including a Samson post- 1,. walking beam II, and. horse. head l2. Insuch aunit it is well known that the rocking of the-beam II: on its fulcrum l'3- atop the Samson post ID, alternately raises and lowers the horse head l2 at onev end of the beam,,and that the horse head: is connectedby suitable reins or other connections to the polish rod of a well pump to thus alternately raise and. lower the sucker rods.

The single pitman. I5 of the present invention is connected at one end by a pivotal connection at M, to the walking beam H,- and is rigidly connected at its other end". to a selected point peripherally of a shaftlessring gear l6. For this purpose gear It may have external, annular and laterally spaced ribs I7, forming an annular.

channel thcrebetween, within which the respective end of the pitman l5 may be seated, the latter and the ribsl1 havingregistering openings l8: through which bolts 19 serve to secure the connection.

In addition to its external ribs [1, ring gear It has aninternal, continuous, toothed gear ring 20 around its median portion, withlaterally outstanding, outwardly angular flanges 2I, whose inner annular surfaces form bearing faces, and whose outer side surfaces allow for effective oil sealing in a manner which will presently appear.

Ahigh speed shaft 22 is disposed through, and transversely of, the ring gear I6, with a pinion 23 thereon intermediate its ends in mesh with the internalgear ring 20 in a manner clearly apparent from acomparisonof Figures 2 and 3. The shaft 22 is-also extended through the eccentrically disposed. bearing portions 24 of a pair of side: supporting discs 25 of circular form, whos peripheral edgesv form bearing faces in close uniform bearing contact with the inner annular bearing faces of the ring gear flanges 2|, and whose outer faces may, as shown in Figure l, have thereon strengthening ribs radiating from the bearing portions 24.

Thus the discs 25,,which are rigidly connected by bolts 26 at spaced points through the open space within the ring gear I6, and rigidly spaced apart bythimbles 21 therebetween, and around said' bolts 26, serve torotatably'support the said ring gear in relation to' thehighspeed shaft 22 1 2 '7 in a manner adapting the former to crawl or walk around the latter in operation, as well as to maintain the pinion 23 and gear ring in uniformly engaged relation and desirable depth of mesh.

It will be noted that the bearing portions 24 of the supporting side discs 25 are laterally elongated at opposite sides of the ring gear IE to form, in the present instance, bearing sleeves 28 within which substantially side portions of the high speed shaft 22 may have anti-friction bearings 29 and 30 at lengthwise spaced points thereof.

The bearing sleeves 28, it will also be noted, are extended into, and have bearing support within, side journal boxes 3|, which are adjustably bolted, for alignment purposes, on supporting pedestal frames 32, one at least of said journal boxes 3| being open at its outer side to accommodate the extended end of shaft 22 on which a pulley 33 may be keyed or otherwise removably mounted for receiving power from any suitable source as, for instance, an electric motor or internal combustion engine.

Since the side supporting discs 25 effectively close the space within the ring gear IE to form an oil chamber or reservoir therein, whereby the pinion 23 and gear ring 20 operate in an oil bath, suitable oil seal rings 34 may be incorporated within the journa1 boxes 3| to prevent leakage of oil around the high speed shaft 22, and around the bearing sleeves 28 which have oil channels 35 therethrough feeding oil to the journal brasses 36. Furthermore, suitable oil seal rings 3'! may be disposed, to prevent oil leakage, between the outer side surfaces of the ring gear flanges 2|, and the coacting faces of the offset peripheral portions 38 of the discs 25, which abut said flange surfaces as plainly seen in Figure 2.

Thus the supporting discs 25 of the ring gear l6 are, in the present instance, directly supported by their sleeves 28 within the journal boxes 3|, so as to relieve their weight from the high speed shaft 22, and at the same time admit of ready removal of the journal box 3| at one side of the pitman along the extended end of shaft 22 after removal of pulley 33, for a purpose to be now set forth.

It is plain that in thus combining the action of gears with the eccentric throw of the pitman l5, to convert speedy rotation of shaft 22 into slow reciprocation as applied to the walking beam H, or other useful work, the cooperation of the pinion 23 and gear ring 20 constitutes but a single speed reduction. Since it may be highly desirable, under changing well conditions including varying well production, to change to a double speed reduction in a manner permitting single reduction to be resumed when desired, a double reduction unit is provided as a part of the invention, according to the disclosure of Figure l.

The double reduction gear unit, as clearly seen in Figure 4, includes a cylindrical casing 40, having a removable side plate 4|, and having its opposite side provided with a fixed journal box 42 which may be installed around one of the bearing sleeves 28, to replace the journal box 3| of Figure 2, after the latter and pulley 33 have Iii) been removed. The journal box 42, being in all relation so that a large gear 43 may be mounted on shaft 22 within casing 40.

In the above manner, high speed shaft 22, with gear 43 thereon after association of the double reduction unit in place as described, becomes an intermediate shaft, gear 43 being engaged by a high speed pinion 44 on a shaft 45 having bearings 45 in the two side walls of the casing 40. The extended end of shaft 45 projects beyond the removable side plate 4| for the reception of a pulley 41, and the speed at which thi shaft is driven is then reduced through pinion 44 to gear 43, and again through pinion 23 to ring gear l6, as long as the double reduction unit is employed.

Nothing in the foregoing, however, prevents detachment of the double reduction unit of Figure 4 where changing well conditions make it desirable to resume single reduction operation with the parts as in Figure 2, and it is thus obvious that the association of the double reduction unit with the single reduction gearing, and its disassociation therefrom, are equally simpl operations, and that with the above described construction and relation of parts, either operation may be easily carried out with little delay.

It will also be obvious that as the ring gear shifts up and down, the level of oil therein will be alternately raised and lowered, above and below the level of shaft 22 and journal boxes 3|. Thus the lubricating oil around the shaft and ring gear bearings will be alternately fed thereto and permitted to drain therefrom, providing for constant, effective change of the oil throughout the bearings by its mixture with the supply of oil in the ring gear.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow, internally toothed ring gear fixed at one end of the pitman around, and in mesh with, the shaft pinion, supporting side discs peripherally in bearing contact with said ring gear within and entirely around the same, eccentrically disposed andlaterally elongated hubs carried by said discs and through which the shaft is journalled, and stationary bearing supports'in which said disc hubs are journalled.

2. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow, internally toothed, circular ring gear fixed at one end of the pitman and disposed around, and in mesh with, the shaft pinion, to form a single reduction drive between the shaft and the ring gear, supporting side discs peripherally in bearing contact entirely around the ring gear and having eccentrically disposed bearing hubs journalled on the shaft to thus adapt the discs to swing around the shaft in accord with the shifting of the ring gear in its meshed relation with the shaft pinion, side journals in which the said bearing hubs are rotatably supported and through and beyond which the shaft extends, and a second reduction gear unit including a casing receiving said extended shaft end, a gear member within the casing on said shaft end, and a shaft journalled in the casing and projecting exteriorly thereof, having a pinion in mesh with the said shaft gear member.

3. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow, internally toothed ring gear in adjustably fixed relation at one end of the pitman, around and in mesh with said shaft pinion to form a single, speed reducing drive unit for the ring gear, side members eccentrically movable around the axis of the shaft and in radial bearing relation peripherally thereof uniformly around the ring gear, bearings for the shaft and side members, one of which bearings is removable, and a second speed reducing gear unit including mean detachably connective with the pinion shaft for connection therewith and disconnection therefrom as a unit and a bearing member for replacing said removable shaft bear- 4. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, gear supporting side members having eccentrically disposed hubs in bearing relation around said shaft at opposite sides of the pinion, a pitman, a ring gear fixed to said pitman in rotatable relation around the peripheral portions of said supporting members, and having an -internal toothed ring held by said members in uniform mesh with the shaft pinion, side journal boxes in which the hubs of said supporting members are journalled, one at least of which is removable, and a reducing gear unit detachably connectible with one end of said pinion shaft and including a casing having a journal box adapted to replace the said removable journal box, whereby said reducing unit may be bodily associated with, and disassociated from, the said pinion shaft.

5. In combination, a pitman, a shaftless, internally toothed ring gear at one end of the pitman, a shaft extending through the space within the ring gear and having a pinion in mesh with the teeth of the gear, side members swingable around the shaft and in peripheral bearing contact with the ring gear uniformly therearound for guiding the ring gear with respect to the shaft pinion and maintaining their meshed relation at all times, and supporting means in which portions of said guiding members have rotatable bearing, the pinion shaft having rotatable bearing in the bearing supported portions of the said guiding members.

6. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow, internally toothed ring gear fixed at one end of the pitman around, and in mesh with, the shaft pinion, supporting side discs peripherally in rotatable bearing contact with said ring gear within and entirely around the same, for supporting the ring gear and closing opposite sides thereof to form an oil reservoir therein, eccentrically disposed and laterally elongated hubs carried by said discs and through which the shaft is journalled, stationary bearing supports in which said disc hubs are journalled, said hubs having oil distributing channels Within the bearing supports and through which oil may flow alternately from, and to, the reservoir during movement of the gear ring around the shaft pinion, and oil seal means in said bearing supports and around the contacting portions of the ring gear and discs.

'7. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow, internally toothed ring gear fixed at one end of the pitman around, and in mesh with, the shaft pinion, supporting side discs peripherally in bearing contact with said ring gear entirely around the latter for guiding the same and maintaining the ring gear and pinion properly in mesh, hubs projecting laterally from said discs in coaxial relation with and around the pinion shaft, and stationary bearing supports in which said disc hubs are journalled for relieving the pinion shaft of the weight of the discs.

CHARLES M. OLEARY.

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