US2857851A

US2857851A - Priming pump

Info

Publication number: US2857851A
Application number: US504943A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gerald L Fleharty
Original assignee: DEMPSTER MILL Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: DEMPSTER MILL Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1955-04-29
Filing date: 1955-04-29
Publication date: 1958-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 1975-10-28

Description

Oct. 28, 1958 4 e. L. FLEHARTY 2,857,

PRIMI NG PUMP Filed April 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

Oct. 28, 1958 G. Ll FLEHARTY PRIMING PUMP 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 29, 1955 INVENTOR. rczldl fie/207% L1 66 BY PRllVIlNG PUMP Gerald L. Fleharty, Beatrice, Nelm, assignor to Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Nebraska Application April 29, 1955, Serial No. 504,943

7 Claims. (Cl. 103-113) This invention relates to pumping apparatus and particularly to the priming of centrifugal pumps.

In the pumping of liquids with centrifugal pumps it is recognized that one of the most serious operational difficulties is presented by the loss of prime in the pump, and because of this many centrifugal pumps are provided with priming means of a fairly elaborate character. There are, however, many installations where non-priming centrifugal pumps are used, and manual priming is necessary in such instances. Such manual priming usually involves the use of hand pumps to exhaust air from the non-priming centrifugal pump, and the labor involved is of course objectionable. The primary object of the present invention is therefore to enable such nonpriming centrifugal pumps to be readily and easily primed. Other and related objects are to afford a priming pump that is of a simple and effective structure and which may be readily associated with almost any nn-priming centrifugal pump so as to be driven thereby; to afford such a priming pump that is capable of simple and convenient control by the user; and to construct such a priming pump as an attachment that it is compact in structure and effective in operation.

Other and further objects will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a priming pump embodying the features of the invention and operatively associated with a non-priming centrifugal pump;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end view showing the priming pump in its idle position; and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the priming pump.

For purposes of disclosure the invention is herein illus* trated as embodied in a priming pump that is constructed as an attachment and is shown mounted in an operative association with a known commercial form of non-priming centrifugal pump 11. The centrifugal pump 11 has a base 12 upon which a bearing housing 13 is supported, and at its right-hand end, as viewed in Fig. 1, the bearing housing 13 is enlarged to afford a bell shaped portion 14 terminating in a mounting flange 15. The mounting flange 15 serves to support the pump housing 16 in alignment with the bearing housing 13, and the housing 16 is secured in place on the flange 15 by cap screws 17. The pump housing 16 has an axial inlet or intake 18 to which an intake pipe 18P- may be connected, and an outlet 19 extends tangentially from the side of atent the housing 16 so that a discharge pipe 19F may be connected thereto. The pump 11 is driven by a main drive shaft 20 supported in the bearing housing 13 and extending through an axial bearing hub 16H into the pump housing 16, and in the pump 11 a portion of the drive shaft 20 is exposed through one or more access openings 14A formed in the bell shaped portion 14.

Under and in accordance with the present invention the priming pump 10 is so constructed and arranged that it may be readily and easily mounted on and operatively associated with a non-priming centrifugal pump of the aforesaid character for convenient and readily controllable operation of the priming pump 10 from the drive shaft 20 when the main pump 11 requires priming. Thus, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the priming pump 10 is of the diaphragm type and is supported by a mounting bracket 25 on the main pump frame for manual movement between two positions so that by such shifting movement of the priming pump 10 a simple and inexpensive driving connection between the main drive shaft 20 and the priming pump 10 may be rendered effective or ineffective as desired, and as will be described hereinafter. The bracket 25 is fixed in position on the pump 11 as by means of certain of the cap screws 17, as shown in Fig. 1.

The priming pump 10' is shown in detail in Fig. 3 and comprises a frame 30 affording a cylindrical head 31 at one end thereof with spaced parallel frame bars 32 extending from one end of the head 31 toward the left in Fig. 3. At their left ends the bars 32 are connected by a U-shaped yoke 33 having a lug 34 projecting upwardly therefrom in a central position so that the lug 34 may be supported on the bracket 25 by a pivot bolt 35 positioned in any one of several mounting holes 25H formed in the bracket 25. The yoke 33 provides space within which an actuating means such as an eccentric 36 may be mounted on a stub shaft 37 that is mounted in the bars 32, one end of the shaft 37 being extended to receive an actuating V-pulley 38, as shown in Fig. 1.

The cylindrical head 31 terminates at its right end in a flange 31F so that the border of a flexible diaphragm 40 may be clamped against the flange 31F by means of a matching cap 41 that is somewhat convex in form and which has an axially projecting handle 41H thereon for purposes that will appear hereinafter. The cap 41 is vented as at 41V. The head 31 has transverse wall portions 31W which define a pump chamber 310 within the head 31 to the left of the flange 31F, and the diaphragm 40 is flexed toward and away from the wall portions 31W by an operating rod 42'. The rod 42 is slidable longitudinally in a cross bar 32B and the wall portion 31W and. is connected to the central portions of the diaphragm 40 by clamp plates 43 that are disposed on the reduced right-hand end of the rod 42 and clamped on the diaphragm 40 by a nut 43N. On its left end the rod 42 carries a wearing head 42H that is engaged with the eccentric 36, an expansive coil spring 45 within the cap 41 acting axially of the rod 42 to maintain the head 42H engaged with the eccentric. A seal .such as an O-ring 142 is preferably provided about the rod 42 within the wall 31W.

The pump chamber 31C is provided with an inlet passage 50 and an outlet passage 51 extending through the wall portion 31W, and these passages are provided respectively with inlet and outlet valves 52 and 53. These valves are of similar construction and comprise threaded mounting sleeves 55 having cross bars 558 and seat flanges 55F. A resilient valve disk 55D is held against the seat flange 55F by a spring 558. This spring acts between thehead of a stud 56 and a pressure plate 57 disposed against the valve disk 55D, the stud 56 extending through the plate 57 and the disk 55D and being threaded into the cross bar 55B. The valve assemblies are threaded into the wall. portion 31W in reversed relation.

The inlet passage 50 of the priming pump 10 is internally threaded as at 513T so that an. intake connection may readily be established with the main pump chamber of the pump 11. Since the priming pump 10 is adapted for shifting movement as above mentioned, this connection is flexible in character and may be afforded by a heavy suction hose 58 connected at one end by a pipe 68F and an elbow 58E to the inlet and connected at its other end by a pipe 158P to the main pump inlet pipe 18P.

In establishing a driving connection for the priming pump 10, a split V-belt pulley 60 may be secured on the shaft 20.0f the pump 11, and a V-belt 61 encircling this pulley 60 may extend outwardly through the access opening14A and about the pulley 38 of; the priming pump 10. The priming pump fit) tends normally to rock clockwise about the pivot 35 to an inactive position of Fig. 2, such position being determined by engagement of a part of the frame 30 with the housing of the main pump 11, and in such ineffective or inactive position, the belt 61 is loose and may even be removed from the pulley 60 if desired.

When the pump 11 is to be primed, the belt 61 is tightened merely by grasping the handle 41H and lifting the pump about its pivot 35. This is easily done, and causes the belt to be tightened so that the priming pump 10 is driven by the main pump shaft 20 and withdraws air from the main pump housing, thus to prime the main pump 11.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the present invention provides an extremely simple priming pump attachment that may be readily and easily associated with most any non-priming centrifugalpump in such a manner that it may be driven from the main pump shaftv It will also be apparent that the priming pump of the present invention may be easily controlled to effect the desired pump priming action.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that variations may be made within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a, priming pump, a priming pump frame having a reciprocable, check-valved air-exhaust pumping means thereon and having a rotatable cross shaft mounted in said frame and operatively associated with said pumping means for operating the same upon rotation of said cross shaft, a pulley on said cross shaft adapted to be beltdriven from the main drive shaft of a centrifugal pump, a mounting bracket adapted to be secured in a fixed relation on such a centrifugal pump, means mounting said priming pump frame on said bracket on a pivotal axis parallel to and spaced laterally from said cross shaft for rocking movement between a belt-tightening position and a belt-loosening position, and a handle on said priming pump frame for moving said priming pump frame toward said belt-tightening position.

2. In a priming pump, a priming pump frame having a reciprocable, check-valved air-exhaust pumping means thereon and having a rotatable cross shaft mounted in said frame and operatively associated with said pumping means for operating the same upon rotation of said cross shaft, a pulley on said cross shaft adapted to be beltdriven from the main drive shaft of a centrifugal pump, a mounting bracket adapted to be secured in a fixed relation on such a centrifugal pump, means mounting said priming pump frame on said bracket on a pivotal axis parallel to and spaced laterally from said cross shaft for rocking movement between a belt-tightening position and av belt-loosening position, said axis being so located with respect to the center of gravity of said priming pump frame thatsaid priming pump frame is urged by gravity toward said belt-loosening position, and a handle on said priming pump frame for moving. said priming pump frame toward said belt tightening position.

3. In a priming pump adapted for association with a non-priming centrifugal pump, a priming pump frame having a diaphragm pump at one end thereof and a rota-,

table cross shaft at the other, check valved inlet and outlet passages for said diaphragm pump, means for flexing said diaphragm including an operative connection from said diaphragm to said cross shaft, a pulley on said cross shaft adapted to be belt-driven from the main drive shaft of such a centrifugal pump, means for mounting said priming pump frame on a centrifugal pump for movement of said cross shaft toward and away from the main' drive shaft thereof, and means including a handle for effecting such movement.

4. in a priming pump adapted for association with a non-priming centrifugal pump, a priming pump frame having a diaphragm pump at one end thereof and a rotatable cross shaft at the other, check valved inlet and outlet passages for said diaphragm pump, means for flexing said diaphragm including an operative connection from said diaphragm to said cross shaft, a pulley on said cross shaft adapted to be belt-driven from the main drive shaft of such a centrifugal pump, means for mounting said priming pump frame on such a centrifugal pump for gravity-induced movement of said cross shaft in one direction laterally toward the main drive shaft thereof, and a handle on said priming pump frame for imparting belt-tightening movement to said cross shaft in an opposite direction.

5. A priming pump attachment for a non-priming centrifugal pump to exhaust air therefrom, comprising a frame having a hollow head at one end and spaced frame bars extending outwardly from said head, a yoke interconnecting s'aid bars at their outer ends and having means thereon for pivoted connection to an associated centrifugal pump, a stub shaft journaled between said outer ends of the bars and having one end extending outwardly of said bars, an eccentric fixed to said stub shaft between said bars and a pulley fixed to the outboard portion of the shaft, an actuating rod disposed axially of said frame and longitudinally between said bars, said head having an internal wall provided with an aperture slidably receiving said rod, a transverse guide element fixed between saidbars and having a bore aligned with the aperture in said wall and slidably receiving said rod. and cooperating with the aperture in the wall to constrain the rod within a fixed reciprocating path, said rod having a head at one end bearing against said eccentric whereby rotation of said stub shaft will effect reciprocation of said rod, a diaphragm fixed to the opposite end of said rod and to said head, and said internal wall cooperating with said diaphragm to provide a chamber therewith, and check valve means in said internal wall for inducting and educting air into and from the chamber.

6. In a priming pump attachment for association with a centrifugal pump having a main pump housing and a main drive shaft, said attachment comprising a pump frame embodying two elongate side portions and having a shaft rotatably supported by said side portions transversely of one endthereof, apump head at the other end of the frame and connected to and across said side portions, a U-shaped yoke coupling said side portions in overlying relation with said shaft, said pump head including a movable pumping member and check valved inlet and outlet ports, an elongate pumping member actuating element reciprocably supported by and between said side portions, said element being perpendicular to said shaft and being operatively coupled at one end to the pumping member, the other end of said element terminating adjacent to and in opposed relation with the shaft, an eccentric Wheel on the shaft positioned for peripheral engagement against the said other end of the pumping member actuating element and adaptedto apply thrust in one direction to the element to move the latter in one direction, spring means operatively coupled with said element and constantly applying thrust thereto in opposition to thrust applied by the eccentric wheel, means connected to said yoke for suspending the frame from the main pump housing by said yoke for swinging movement on a pivot axis parallel to said rotatable shaft, a conduit for connecting said intake passage to said centrifugal pump, and a belt drive coupling between said rotatable shaft and the main drive shaft of the centrifugal pump.

7. In combination, a centrifugal pump having a base frame, a pump housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a main drive shaft; an elongate bracket secured on and extending laterally from said pump housing, a priming pump frame, a cross shaft rotatably supported on said priming pump frame, said priming pump frame being suspended at one end on the outer end of the bracket and extending laterally from said pump housing for gravitationally induced shifting movement of said cross shaft toward said main drive shaft, an air exhaust pump on the outer end of said priming pump frame operatively connected to and driven from said cross shaft, means providing a belt drive connection between said main drive shaft and said cross shaft, a handle at the outer end of the frame for shifting said priming pump frame to move said cross shaft in a direction to tighten said belt drive connection, said air exhaust pump having check-valved inlet and outlet passages, and a flexible conduit connecting the inlet of said centrifugal pump to said inlet pas sage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,691,128 Redmond Nov. 13, 1928 1,711,803 Munday May 7, 1929 2,612,844 Grise Oct. 7, 1952 2,675,762 Share Apr. 20, 1954 2,730,955 Share Jan. 17, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 435,557 France of 1911 522,117 Germany Mar. 31, 1931