US2858177A - Mounting means for rotatable drums - Google Patents

Description

41 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 15, 1957 ll cllu Oct. 28, 1958 R. N. BIRDSALL MOUNTING MEANS FOR ROTATABLE DRUMS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 1957 Oct. 28, 1958 R. N. BIRDSALL MOUNTING MEANS FOR ROTATABLE DRUMS 4 Shets-Sheet :5

Filed April 15, 1957 1958 R. N. BIRDSALL 2,35

MOUNTING MEANS FOR ROTATABLE DRUMS Filed April 15, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .AJL Hllji I111 a2 5:

United States Patent O 'MOUN TIN G MEANS FORROTATABLE DRUMS Robert N Birdsall, Elyiia, hio, assignor to Link-Belt Company, a .corporationuflllinois Application April 15, 1957, Sei'ial'No.652,908

l Clair'n. (Cl. 308-203) This invention relates to new and .useful improve- :ments in apparatus for rotatably supporting generally *horizontally arranged cylindrical drums .or kilns and deals more "particularly with antifriction .trunnions1for rotatably mounting such bodies.

Trunnionsfor supporting drums of all typesrforrrotation about horizontal or substantially horizontal axes "should provideaminimumof frictional resistancetorotation of'the drum. Further, the weight of each drum and its contents should be distributed as uniformly as possible on the trunnions to minimize wear, vibration and maintenance problems. An additional design feature to be considered-is theability'to adjust'the'trunnions't-o quickly and-easily align the drum intits desired position.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide apparatus for supporting a drum, or the like, for .ro-

tation about -a-substantially horizontal'axis withza minimum "of'frictional resistance between the supporting apparatus and the drum. t

A further important objechof the inventionvis to provide apparatus for rotatably supporting a "drum, or-the like, with the weight of the drum and its contents soIdistribute'd as to prevent excessively'large loads on any partof the support apparatus.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide apparatus for supporting a rotatable drum by rolling frictional engagement therewith, the apparatus being quickly and easily adjustable int-o properirelation- '2-'2 of Fig. 1 and illustratingone of the supporting assemblies for the drum,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2 and showing the supporting assembly in top plan,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 2, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 7--7 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shownthe prefered embodiment of the invention, and first particularly referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a cylindrical drum 8 that is supported for rotation about a slightly inclined axis by two longitudinally spaced trunnion assemblies 9 and 11 which engage circumferentially extending tires 12 and 13 mounted on the drum.

Rotation is imparted to the drum 8 by a drive motor =tioned-with a tire :12 'res'tington its rollers r32,ntheouter 114 which acts through a gearitypecspeed reduction unit 15 and drive chain 16. .Thedrive chain :16 is supported for movement in meshing relationship with .the teeth of arsegmental ring gear .17 thatextends .circumferen tially around the cylindricaldrum :8.

Referring now to Figs..2 and 3irfor. adetailfdescription of one of the trunnion assemblies,.ittwill be seen that the base thereof includes'apair of spaced: parallel beams .18 and .19 which are arranged .to extend beneath and transversely of the drum 8. The opposite ends .ofthe beams 18 and 19-are connected to the longitudinally extending stringers 20 which.lie'heneathandnn opposite side portions ofthe .drum 8. .Atxthe opposite end portions of each'beam 18 and '19, therecarerprovided hearing blocks 21 which rest upon .the upperzsurfaceof their associated beam and are Lsecured :thereto .by bolts .22 which extendthrough mountingpads 23 ofthe bearing blocks and throughslots 24inttheiuppefflanges .ofzthe beam. The bearing blocks 21 at corresponding ends of the two beams 18 and .19tareaxially #aligned andtheir positions may be adjusted longitudinally of the beams 18 and 19 to the extent permitted by movement .of the bolts 22 in the slots 24. ...Adjustmentof the blocks-21 longitudinally of the beams :18and 1-91isiaccomplished by first loosening the bolts 22.1.for movementinithe slots 24 and bythen rotating the take+up :bolts 25, which .are threaded through abutments 126, into engagement with the outer sides of the .bearingblocks. The vbolts 22are thereafter tightened to retain :theblocks 121-in their positions of adjustment.

Journaled in the aligned bearingiblocks .21 :atcorrespon'ding end portions of thebeamsr18 and19 are shafts 27 whichspan thespace between their associated bearingblocks, as illustrated in Figs. 5 :and 6. Each shaft 27 has mounted thereon a guide member 28 for pivotal movement about an axis parallelingxthatof the drum 8. Each .of the two guide members "28 (has an arcuately formed upper guide surface 29, the'radiusofcurvature of which exceeds that Of thetire 12 by a predetermined amount, as will be later described. The two guide. surfaces 29 lie beneathand on opposite :sidesof the axis ofthe drum 8 and extend circumferentiallyiof the'tire 12. At each edge portionof eachtguide surface29 there is provided a-guide flange .31 as lillustrate'din Figs 3, 5 and 7. Each flange 31 is continuous .throughtamajor portion of the length of theassociated:guidesurface 29 'being interrupted only. at "the center .porti'on of the latter,

see Fig. 3.

Extending around each guide me'mber .28is .auseries of rollers 32 which are connected -by side 'bars 33 ;and

chain pins 33a to provide an endless chain. Each'. roller 32 has adiameter equal to 'thedifference'betweemthe radii' of curvature of its associated tire t12i'and guide surface 29. In other words, when the dtum;8 i iposisurface of the tire and the guide surface 29 will lie in spaced concentric relationship with each other and the rollers 32 will be arranged for movement between and in engagement with such opposed surfaces as the drum is rotated. Since the guide members 28 are free to partake of pivotal movement about the axes of their associated shafts 27, the limited adjustment of the bearing blocks 21 longitudinally of their associated beams 18 and 19 will not alter the concentric relationship between the guide surface 29 and the outer surface of the tire 12. Further, since the rollers 32 are not journaled for rotation about a fixed axis but are free to move through the space between the opposed guide surface 29 and tire 12, frictional forces tending to resist rotation of the drum 8 will be reduced to an absolute minimum.

On each chain pin 33a is rotatably mounted a roller 32 which has a bearing bore a few thousandths of an inch larger than its pin to have some tolerance or radial play thereon. There is also a similar tolerance allowed between the side bar openings and the chain pins and between the ends of the rollers and the adjacent faces of the inside side bars of the'links to allow for a substantial amount of transverse flexibility whereby, as seen in Figs. 1 and 6, the lower, or inactive, runs of these chains, during their free travel beneath their transversely tilted guide members, will flex into vertical planes. This affords greater flexibility and ease of adaptability .to surfaces contacted, without galling or gouging the 37 at one side of the beam 19. Further, the diameter of the roller 34 is such that it periphery will engage the side of the tire 12 when the tire is radially aligned with and supported by the rollers 32.

The thrust roller 35 is mounted for rotation on a stub shaft 38 carried by a bracket assembly 39 which rests upon and is connected to the transverse beam 18. The periphery of the thrust roller 35 is arranged so as to provide a small clearance between it and the side of the tire 12 opposite the point of engagement between the roller 34 and the tire. The tire 12, therefore, moves between the two thrust rollers 34 and 35 when the drum 8 is rotated and engagement between the thrust rollers and tire will prevent any substantial axial movement of the drum on the supporting trunnion assemblie 9 and Mounted on the stringer 20 adjacent the opposite ends of the beams 18 and 19 are a pair of housing members 41 which substantially enclose the outer ends of the two guide members 28 and their associated chains of rollers 32. By reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that one of the housing members 41 has mounted thereon a piece of flexible material 42 which is adjustable into engagement with the tire 12 for removing any foreign mapermit, the guide members to. adjust themselves to, any irregularities in the drum 8 or tire 12 so that at least two rollers 32 on each guide surface 29 will engage and support the tire 12. It will also be apparent that adjust ment of the two guide member 28 toward or away from each other in the manner described above, will permit very accurate distribution of the weight of the drum and its contents on the trunnion assemblies 9 and It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described'is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to wtihout departingvfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention I claim:

Apparatus for rotatably supporting a substantially horizontally arranged cylindrical drum, comprising an annular tire mounted on and extending circumferentially around said drum, a pair-.of elongated integral guide members radially aligned with said tire and disposed beneath said drum on opposite sides of the vertical plane passing through the drum axis so as to be spaced circumferentially of said drum, each of said guide members having the upper peripheral portion thereof formed to provide an arcuately curved guide surface with a radius of curvature greater than that of said tire and guide flanges extending upwardly from opposite sides of said guide surface, means supporting each of said guide members for pivotal movement in the plane of said tire, said means including a shaft passing through the middle portion of the guide member and protruding outwardly from the opposite sides thereof in parallel relationship with the drum axis, and a bearing mounted on each side of the guide member in journaled relationship vwith the outwardly protruding portions of said shaft, an endless roller chain trained around the periphery of each guide member and between the guide flanges thereof .for movement between the guide surface of said guide member and said tire, each roller of said chain having a diameter equal to the difference between the radii of curvature of said tire and said guide surface,

- means for adjusting the position of each bearing horiterial therefrom before the tire is moved into engagement wtih the rollers 32.

Considering now the manner in which the trunnion assemblies 9 and 11 support the drum 8 with a minimum of frictional resistance to rotation of the drum, it will be readily apparent that the use of freely movable rollers 32 will completely eliminate any sliding engagement between the drum and its supports and that the pure rolling friction between the rollers and drum will provide the least possible frictional resistance to the rotation of the drum. Further, pivotal mounting of the guide members 28 upon which the rollers 32 move will zontally transversely of the drum axis to enable vertical and lateral adjustment of said drum axis by positioning the guide members supportedby said bearings, and a pair of thrust rollers mounted for rotation on opposite sides of said tire to prevent substantial axial movement of the drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 750,051 Geiger Jan. 19, 1904 798,886 Dornfeld Sept. 5, 1905 2,336,417 Petersen Dec. 7,1943 2,793,920 Haaff May 28, 1957

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