US2798506A

US2798506A - Fluid conductor and take-off

Info

Publication number: US2798506A
Authority: US
Inventors: John J Baker; William G Benjey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-12-28
Filing date: 1953-12-28
Publication date: 1957-07-09
Anticipated expiration: 1974-07-09

Description

July 9, 1957 J. J. BAKER ET AL ,7

FLUID CONDUCTOR AND TAKE-OFF Filed Dec. 28, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY July 9, 1957 J. J. BAKER ET AL 2,798,506

FLUID CONDUCTOR AND TAKE-OFF Filed Dec. 28, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a? Z Z5 w a0 I; Z INVENTORS J0 hr; 0 146'? ATTORNEYS July 1957 J. J. BAKER ET AL 2,798,506

FLUID CONDUCTOR AND TAKE-OFF 3 SheetsSheet Filed Dec. 28, 1955 INVENTORIS fidkezz ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent This invention relates to fluid conductors or supply lines and fluid take-01f means therefor, and more particularly to a conductor and take-off assembly for supplying pressure fluid to operate mobile and stationary machines of various kinds in factories, machine shops and the like.

One of the prime objects of the invention is to design a fluid pressure conductor and take-01f means connected thereto which is movable along the conductor without losing contact with the supply of fluid in the conductor so that pressure-operated machines such as hoists, cranes and the like may be continuously supplied, at various desired locations in the factory without necessitating the provision of a plurality of fluid reservoirs or air compressors, or the employment of long lengths of hose which would obstruct floor space. i

A further object of the invention is to provide an assembly of. the type described which eliminates the time-consuming and costly necessity of tapping into an existing supply line or conductor at a plurality of points when pressure fluid supplied machines are moved from one location to another in the factory.

Another object of the invention is to design a conductor and fluid take-off assembly of simple and practical construction which is leak-proof, and will not permit the escape and consequent loss of the pressure fluid.

A still further object of the invention is to design a pressure fluid conductor and take-off unit assembly which can be economically manufactured, and readily assembled and installed with a minimum of difliculty and expense.

Briefly, the invention comprises a normally sealed, longitudinally split conductor line formed of a resilient, deformable material in combination with a radially ported, revolvable fluid take-01f wheel which is supported so as to be movable along the line, and extends into the line to spread the splitwall thereof and provide an outlet opening at any desired point intermediate the length of said line. Certain of the ports in the wheel are in communication with the outlet opening and a passage leading to a delivery line is provided in the stationary hub of the wheel in communication with only these designated ports.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportion, and minor details of construction, without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of our novel fluid con ductor and take-01f assembly.

Fig. 2 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional, plan view of our conductor, showing also the ported wheel, the wheel supporting hanger members, track and wheel being omitted.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view illustrating a modified embodiment of our invention.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the take-01f wheel only, a portion thereof being broken away to show the novel arrangement of the radially extending passages in the take-elf wheel.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings wherein we have shown the preferred embodiments of our invention, a letter C generally indicates our conductor which can be employed to supply any liquid or gaseous pressure medium as desired and includes an inverted, U-shaped, metallic conduit or casing 10, the free edges of which are turned inwardly as at 11 and thence terminate in spaced-apart, upwardly angled portions as at 12.

A resilient, deformable,extruded rubber liner 13 is fitted in the conduit 10 in any suitable manner, the liner having a longitudinally split lower wall including upwardly disposed, angled, converging portions 14, which extend beyond the free edges of the conduit 10 and are provided with normally abutting, enlarged sections 15 (see Fig. 2 of the drawings). Integral partitioning ribs 16 join the outer wall of the liner 13 and the outer corners of the substantially rectangular-shaped portions 15 to define a main air conducting passage 17 and side pressure equalizing chambers 18, the chambers 18 communicating with the passage 17 through ports 19 provided at longitudinally spaced intervals in the ribs 15. When the liner 13 is extruded, the sections 15 may be separated by the extrusion die or may, of course, be formed as one-piece and thence are later split to form the separable sealing sections. It is to be observed that a split depending bead 20 is provided as shown to increase the area of the sealing surfaces, and longitudinal openings 21 are provided in .the sections 15. Plugs 22 are provided for the ends of the conduit 10 and an air intake line I leads from a source of compressed air or other pressure fluid supply through the conduit into the chamber 17 asshown.

Provided at longitudinally spaced intervals on the con- Lduit 10 are reinforcing plates or brackets B which prevent .the conduit from spreading under the pressure of the fluid carried thereby and which may be employed to support the conductor 10 in a building in any suitable manner. Mounted on the sides of the brackets 22 are tracks 23, the angularly disposed legs 23a of which are slightly inclined as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the draw- ,ings. Hanger members 24 provided with rollers 25 on their upper ends, ride on the tracks 23, and support a take-off wheel 26 as will now be further described.

As clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the wheel 26, which is preferably of metallic construction, is removably mounted on a hub 27 formed with reduced ends 28 to which the lower end of the hangers 24 are connected, and nuts 29 are threaded on the ends of the hub 27 as shown, an outlet hose 30 leading from one end of the hub 27, all as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings.

The wheel 26 is of suflicient diameter to extend into the conduit 10 and spread the sections 15 of the liner 13 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, so that certain of the radially extending passages 31, provided in the wheel 26, are in communication with the supply chamber 17. The hub 27 of the wheel 26 is ported as at 32 to permit the passage of air from only those passages 31 which are in communication with the chamber 17 to the bore 33 which leads out the one end of the hub to the outlet line 30.

In operation, it will be seen (see Fig. 4) that a limited section of the peripheral outer rim of the wheel 26 extends into the casing 10 so that a limited number of passages 31 are open to the passage 17 in the conduit 10,

the lips of the conduit yieldingly and tightly engaging the outer periphery of the wheel to form a leak-proof joint therewith, permitting air to freely flow through the continuous passages formed by these passages 31, the port 32, and the bore33 to the outlet hose 30 without leaking to atmosphere. The pressure equalizing chambers 18 permit the remainder of the lining 13 to remain closed even under pressures of over 150 p. s. i. The ports 19 through the ribs 16 are virtually closed at the point where the lining is deformed by the wheel 26 as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 3 of the drawings.

It is to be understood that a plurality of the take -off units, which we have described, may be employed on a given conductor line 10 and as various pressure fluid powered machines are moved to various locations, the take-off units are moved on the line 10 to supply them. Further, of course, it may be desirable in some instances to provide a T or other multiple connector fitting in place of the fitting 30a which is connected to the hub 27 to supply several machines from a single take-off unit. In Figs. 5 and 6 we have shown a modified embodiment of my invention in which the construction of the take-01f wheel is different from that of the Wheel illustrated in Figs. 14. The longitudinally extending conduit 10 as before includes portions 11 and 12' and the liner 13 includes

portions

14, 15, and 16' to again form a main air conducting passage 17' and side pressure equalizing chambers 18'. Ports 19' connect the chambers 17' and 18 and plugs (not shown), of course, are provided for the ends of the conduit and a pressure fluid supply line (not shown) similarly leads into the chamber 17'. V Reinforcing plates B on the conduit 10 support tracks 23' which support the hangers 24', the latter members including rollers 25' which ride on the tracks 23'. The lower ends of the hangers 24 are formed with hearing housings 34 in which are roller bearings 35 for rotatably supporting the reduced ends 36 of the hub shaft 37 of the take-off wheel 26. Nuts 38 secure the bearings 35 in position and as will be seen, the hub 37 rotates with the wheel 26' and delivers the pressure medium through a bored passage 39 to a stationary fitting 40 which is connected toa supply hose (not shown). The wheel 26', of course, is of sufficient diameter to extend into the conduit 10 and spread the sections 15 of the liner 13 so that certain of the radially extending passages 41 provided in the wheel 26' are in communication with the supply chamber 17. The passages 41 are drilled in sufficient proximity one to the other that they intersect as shown at 4112 and at spaced intervals a passage 41 extends beyond the point of intersection as at 41b into communication with an enlarged annular header chamber 42 provided in the wheel. From the chamber 42 ports 43 extend through the hub 37 into the bored passage 39. As will be seen, check valve fittings 44 are provided in the outer end of each plassage 41 and these fittings include ball chambers 45 with balls 46 therein adapted to close the valve ports 47.

In operation, only a limited portion of the peripheral outer rim of the wheel 26' extends into the casing 10 so that only a limited number of passages 41 communicate with the supply passage 17 in the casing. The pressure of the fluid in the passage 17 forces the balls 46 in the fittings 44 in these passages off their seats to permit the passage of the fluid through the valve ports 47 into these passages, while the remaining passages 41 not in communication with the passage 17' remain tightly sealed. Since all of the passages 41 intersect the pressure fluid proceeding in through the piassages 41 which are in contact with the passage 17, forces the balls 46 in the check valves 44 in the other passages against their seats. Thus, there is no possibility of the pressure fluid leaking to atmosphere, the pressure fluid finding its way "through the annular passage 41a formed by the intersection of the passages 41 to the portions 41b of certain passages 41, thence to the chamber 42, the ports 43, and

the passage 39 to the joint or fitting 40. The one end of the hub shaft 37 extends into the fitting 40 and is rotatable therein so that the fitting may remain stationary when the wheel rotates as it is moved to a new location on the conduit 10'.

It will thus be applarent that we have perfected a pressure fluid conductor and take-01f unit assembly of novel and practical character which permits a pressure fluid powered machine to be moved to various locations in a factory or other building without losing contact with its supply source.

It is to be understood that the instant descriptive matter is intended las illustrative of the principles of the invention rather than limiting, and that various equivalent changes may be made in the various component elements of the device without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

For example, when the term split or longitudinally split is employed in the claims the term does not necessarily mean a line which is split from one end thereof to the other, but may also mean a line which has one or more splits therein at any location or locations in its length. Further, the term fluid has reference to any liquid, gas, or material in a fluid state.

What we claim is:

1. In a fluid conductor and take-off unit assembly, a conductor line having a normally sealed, longitudinally split wall formed of a resilient material, and fluid takeofl means movable along said line extending into said wall at any selected point in the length of the split portion thereof to spread said line and form an outlet opening at said point, said means covering the area around said opening to prevent the escape of fluid to the atmosphere.

2. In a fluid conductor and take-oft unit assembly, a conductor line having a normally sealed, longitudinally split wall formed of a resilient material, a fluid take-off wheel including nadially extending ports open to the periphery thereof extending into said wall at a point in the length of the split portion thereof to spread the respective sections of the wall and form an outlet opening at said point in communication with certain of said ports, said wheel being of sufficient width and diameter so that the peripheral surface in contact with the line seals the area surrounding said opening to prevent the escape offluid to atmosphere, and means connected to the ports in communication with said opening to deliver the fluid therefrom.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 in which longitudinally disposed track means is provided on said line and said wheel is supported therefrom.

4. In a pressure fluid conductor and take-off unit assembly, a hollow conductor line including a normally sealed, longitudinally split wall formed of a resilient material, said conductor being longitudinally partitioned to define a central fluid supply chamber, and pressure equalizing chambers adjacent the sides thereof, means for admitting pressure fluid to said chambers, said wall being shaped so that the latter chambers are at least partially opposite the abutting surfaces of said wall so that the fluid pressure in the central chamber tending to spread the split portions is balanced by the fluid pressure in the equalizing chambers tending to retain them in tightly sealed condition, and fluid take-off means extending into said wall at any point in the length of the split portion thereof to spread the split portions of said wall and form an outlet opening at said point communicating with said supply chamber.

5. In a pressure fluid conductor and take-0E unit assembly, a conductor line including a normally sealed, converging wall formed of a resilient material, longitudinally split at the convergence of the respective converging portions thereof, said conductor having partitions connecting the opposite walls of said conductor and the respective portions of said converging wall to define a central pressure .fluid supply chamber, and pressure equalizing chambers adjacent, the sides thereof within said conductor, the latter chambers being disposed at least partially opposite the normally abutting split portions of said wall, said partitions having ports connecting said central chamber and the pressure equalizing chambers so that fluid pressure in the central chamber tending to spread the split portion is offset by the pressure in the equalizing chambers which tends to retain them in tightly sealed condition, and fluid take-off means extending into said line at a selected point in the length of the split portion thereof to spread said line and form an outlet opening at said point.

6. In a pressure fluid conductor and take-01f unit assembly, a conduit substantially U-shaped in cross section, a lining formed of a resilient, deformable material for said conduit, said lining including a longitudinally split, normally sealed wall spanning the open side of said conduit, said lining being longitudinally partitioned to define a central fluid supply chamber, and pressure equalizing chambers adjacent the sides thereof, means for admitting pressure fluid to said fluid supply chamber and from said supply chamber to said pressure equalizing chambers, said wall being shaped so that the latter chambers are at least partially opposite the abutting surfaces of said split wall so that the fluid pressure in said supply chamber tending to spread the split portions is oifset by the fluid pressure in the equalizing chambers tending to retain them in tightly sealed condition, and a fluid take-off wheel movable along said conduit, said wheel having a portion of its periphery extending into the open side of said conduit to spread the split portions of said lining and form an outlet opening communicating with said supply chamber, said wheel being formed with radially extending passages open to the periphery thereof to deliver pressure fluid from said opening, and means communicating with said passages to deliver air therefrom.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 in which said Wheel is revolvably mounted on a stationary hub, said means communicating with said passages and including a passage in said hub in communication with only the radial passages in said wheel which are in communication with said opening, and a supply hose connected to the passage in said hub.

8. The combination defined in claim 7 in which tracks are provided on the side walls of said conduit, and spacedapart, depending hanger members movable along said tracks to support the hub of said wheel, said hanger members having rollers guided on said tracks.

9. In a fluid conductor and take-off unit assembly, a

conductor line including a normally sealed, longitudinal- 1y split under wall formed of a resilient, deformable material, longitudinally disposed track members including laterally extending, downwardly inclined legs supported on opposite sides of said conductor, inwardly inclined,

depending hanger members supported by said tracks, said hanger members having rollers journaled thereon guiding on said tracks for movement therealong, a fluid take-off wheel revolvably supported under said conductor by said hanger members, a portion of the periphery of said wheel extending into said line at a point intermediate the length thereof to spread the line and form an outlet opening at said point, spaced-apart ports in said wheel open to the periphery thereof to communicate with the opening thus provided, said wheel being of suflicient width and diameter so that the peripheral surface in contact with the the line covers the area surrounding said opening to prevent the escape of said fluid to atmosphere, and means connected only to the ports in said Wheel in communication with said opening to deliver fluid therefrom.

10. The combination defined in claim 9 in which said means includes a stationary hub for said wheel, said hub having a vertically disposed passage leading out of said hub in the plane of said ports, a bore in communication therewith opening out of one end of the hub, and a take- 6 off line in communication with said bore secured to said end of the hub.

11. In a pressure fluid conductor and take-off unit assembly, a conduit substantially U-shaped in cross section open along the lower face thereof, a lining formed of a resilient, deformable material for said conduit, said lining including a normally closed lower wall spanning the lower face of said conduit formed of converging Wall portions enlarged and vertically split along their line of convergence, longitudinally disposed, integral partitions within said lining connecting the respective split portions of said wall with the opposite wall of said lining to define a pressure fluid supply chamber above said split portions and pressure equalizing chambers adjacent said supply chamber on the sides thereof, means for admitting pressure fluid to the supply chamber and from the supply chamber to said pressure equalizing chambers, the latter chambers being disposed at least partially opposite the split, normally abutting portions of said wall so that the fluid pressure in said supply chamber tending to spread said abutting portions is balanced by the fluid pressure in the equalizing chambers tending to hold. the portions in tightly sealed abutting relation, laterally extending tracks supported on opposite sides of said conduit, spaced depending hanger members including rollers riding on said tracks and movable therealong, a stationary hub supported by said hanger members under said conduit, a fluid take-ofl wheel revolvably journaled on said hub with a portion of the periphery thereof extending into said conduit to spread the abutting portions of said lining to form a restricted outlet opening for said supply chamber, said wheel having radially extending ports through said wheel in the plane thereof open to the periphery thereof, said hub having a passage open only to the ports in communication with said outlet opening, and a delivery hose cornmunicating with the passage in said hub.

12. In a fluid conductor and take-01f assembly, a normally sealed, longitudinally split conductor line formed of a resilient, deformable material, a revolvable fluid takeoff wheel including radially extending, interconnected ports open to the periphery thereof extending into said line at a point interjacent the ends thereof to spread the line and form an outlet opening at said point in communication with certain of said ports, said wheel being of sufficient Width and diameter so that the peripheral surface in contact with the line seals the area surrounding said opening to prevent the escape of fluid to atmosphere, valve means in the outer portions of said ports normally closing said ports but opened by the pressure fluid in said line to permit passage of fluid into the ports in communication with said outlet opening, and means for receiving the fluid from said ports and delivering it from said wheel.

13. The combination defined in claim 12 in which said line is longitudinally partitioned to define a central fluid supply chamber and pressure equalizing chambers adjacent the sides thereof, said wheel extending into communication with said central chamber.

14. The combination defined in claim 12 in which a hub for said wheel projects laterally therefrom and is fixed thereto, a passage in said hub is in communication with said ports, and one end of said hub is rotatable in a fitting communicating with the passage in said hub.

15. The combination defined in claim 12 in which said ports are intersecting and an annular header chamber is provided in said wheel, certain of said passages extending into communication with said header chamber, said means for receiving the fluid from the ports including also a hub for the wheel with a passage therein in communication with said header chamber.

16. The combination defined in claim 2 in which tracks are provided on said conductor line and a laterally projecting hub is provided for said Wheel, hanger members including rollers riding on said tracks rotatably supporting said hub.

17. In a pressure fluid conductor and take-off unit assembly, a conductor line having a wall with at least a portion thereof formed of a resilient material, the said portion thereof being split, and fluid take-01f means movable on said line extending into said portion of the Wall at any selected point in the length of the split portion thereof to spread the respective sections of said portion of the wall and form an outlet opening at said point, said resilient Wall closing tightly against the portion of said takeof? means which extends into said Wall to prevent the escape of pressure fluid to atmosphere.

18. In a fluid conductor and take-off unit assembly, a conductor line, a fluid take-off Wheel including radially extending ports open to the periphery thereof rotatably movable along said line with its peripheral surface in engagement with the line, means for passing fluid in said 8 conductor into at least one port which opens to the surface of said Wheel which is in engagement with the line at points along the line Without permitting the escape of any fluid to atmosphere, and means in communication With only the ports in the engaged peripheral surface to deliver the fluid therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 637,333 Halsey Nov. 21, 1899 693,516 Halsey Feb. 18, 1902 700,224 McRae May 20, 1902 1,532,774 Page Apr. 7, 1925 2,455,334 Hill Nov. 30, 1948