US3156189A - Pump - Google Patents

Description

1964 P. s. GIOVAGNOLI 3,156,139

PUMP

Filed July 23, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Paul S. iovagflo/i United States Patent 3,156,189 PUMP Paul S. Giovagnoii, 4200 Birmingham Road, Kansas City 17, M0. Filed July 23, 1962, Ser. No. 211,544 1 (Ilairn. (Cl. 103-47) The invention relates to pumping apparatus, and more particularly, to a piston pump for pressurizing liquids.

It is the most important object of this invention to provide pumping apparatus capable of effective operation against a high head of liquid pressure so that the apparatus may be utilized to impart relatively high pressure to liquids.

Another important object of the invention and in the accomplishment of the foregoing object, is the provision of pumping apparatus driven through an eccentric for imparting a very short stroke to the pump piston so that extremely high pressure may be imparted to the liquid by a single pumping operation.

Still a further object of the instant invention is the provision of pumping apparatus having a minimum of moving parts and constructed of durable materials so that effective operation for long periods is possible with maintenance and repair kept to a minimum.

Another highly important object of this invention is the provision of such apparatus constructed of readily and commercially available parts so that the apparatus may be quickly and easily fabricated with a bare minimum of costly machining operations.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of pumping apparatus embodying the principles of the instant invention, the cylinder inlet filter having been removed to reveal details of construction and parts broken away for clearness;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, cross-sectional view of the pumping apparatus showing the cylinder, piston means and base block;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, plan view of the base block of FIG. 4 with the cylinder and base plate removed to reveal the exhaust valve and spring;

HG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a front elevational View of the pressure control switch utilized with the apparatus of this invention, a portion of the housing thereof being broken away to reveal details of construction.

Briefly, this invention relates to a pump comprising a piston reciprocated through short stroke at relatively high speed in a cylinder by a prime mover operably coupled to the piston through an eccentric. The cylinder is provided with a fluid inlet and an outlet which communicates into the chamber of a thick walled base block opening into a pressure tank. Suitable check valves are provided in the piston and across the outlet to cause a fluid flow through the chamber and into the tank, A compressible bladder in the tank serves as a buffer to absorb the impact and pulsations of the fluid as it enters the tank.

Manually controlled fluid discharge means permits the removal of pressurized fluid from the tank. A pressure relief switch operates when the pressure in the tank reaches a predetermined value to discontinue operation of the pump until the pressure drops a predetermined amount, at which time it operates to resume the pumping operation. The switch is adjustaole to permit operation at selected pressures to maintain a substantially uniform pressure in the tank. 1

, 3,156,189 Patented Nov. 10, 1964:

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The pumping apparatus designated 10 in FIG. 1, includes a tubular, upright pressure tank 12; which may be constructed from a section of pipe or the like closed at its upper end by a cap 14, and having a prime mover such as an electric motor 16 bolted thereto through a bracket 18 secured to motor 16 and attached to a mounting plate 2%) which may be rigidly secured to the outer wall of upright tank 12 by welding or the like. A tubular housing 22 containing bearings (not shown) journaling shaft 24, is secured to tank 12 by means of a brace member 26 extending between plate 249 and housing 22 and also by means of a metallic strap 28 passing around housing 22 and having the ends thereof secured to the outer wall of tank 12 as by welding.

A pulley wheel 39 is rigidly secured to one end of shaft 24 which projects outwardly from housing 22, and a pulley wheel 32 on the shaft of motor lti is alignable with wheel 39 with a V-belt 34 providing driving connection between motor 16 and shaft 24. An eccentric, broadly des ignated 36, is secured to the opposite end of shaft 24 and comprises a driving member 38 having an offset boss ill operably coupled with a driven member 42 so that rotation of shaft 24 provides a vertical component of motion to driven member 42. It will be noted that boss 4t) is spaced radially from the axis of rotation of shaft 24, but such spacing is a relatively short distance so that the vertical component of motion of driven member 42 is relatively short.

An elongated drive shaft 44 has the upper end thereof secured to driven member 42 and is bifurcated at its lower end to present a pair of spaced, parallel legs 46 receiving therebetween the upper end of a piston 48 best shown in FIG. 6.

Piston 43 includes an elongated bar of durable material such as a synthetic resin which may be nylon, and has an aperture 59 passing through the upper end thereof to receive a pin 52 which has its ends secured in legs 46 for pivotally coupling piston 48 to shaft 44. A portion of piston 43 is of reduced diameter and is slidably received within a cylinder 54 having its lower end closed by a base plate 56. Two pairs of aligned openings 58 in the outer wall of cylinder 54 provide inlet means for permitting fluid to flow into cylinder 54, and to facilitate such flow the piston 48 is provided with four circumferentially spaced grooves 60 having generally arcuate bottom surfaces 62.

The lower end of piston 48 is provided with a bore '64 which accommodates a check valve broadly designated 66, and comprising a tubular, flanged mounting element 68 externally threaded for threaded engagement in the outer portion of bore 64. Element 68 has an annular rim 7t) on the outer face thereof which provides a seat for a flat, disc-like member 74 which is normally secured in its seated position by a helical spring 74 engaging the inner end of element 68 and a nut 76 threadably engaged on a bolt 78 passing through member 72 and spring 74. A second nut 8h may be provided to lock nut 76 in place and permit the inadvertent disengagement thereof from bolt 78.. A guide broadly designated 82, comprising a plurality of upwardly extending legs 84 disposed to engage the inner and annular surface of element 68, is

secured to member 72 to insure that the latter shifts into and out of its position on seat 70. An aperture 36 is provided through the surface d2 of each groove 60 in piston 48 and communicates with bore 64 to permit fluid to flow therethrough.

It should be noted that the outer surface of piston 48 is spaced slightly inwardly from the inner surface of cylinder 54 and a cup $8 of relatively flexible material is secured to the bottom end of piston 48 by a Washer 9% held in placeby the outwardly extending flange of element 63 and spans the distance across cylinder 54- in sliding fluid sealing relationship with the latter. A hole 92 passes through base plate as beneatn check valve 66 and communicates the inner cavity of cylinder 54 with a chamber 94- formed in a relatively large block 96 of material such as steel or the like.

It Will be noted that chamber 94 is spaced inwardly from the outer surfaces of block 96 to provide Walls of relatively great thickness for chamber 94. A bore 98 extending downwardly from the upper surface of block 96 beneath hole 92, receives a generally flat, disc-like exhaust valve member tilt) therein and the latter is provided with outwardly extending ears 102 projecting from the outer peripheral edge of member 1% to relatively close proximity to the iner surface of bore 98. It will be noted that the inner, generally circular portion of member 1% is of substantially lesser diameter than bore 93 to provide means for permitting the flow of fluid past memher 160. A downwardly projecting rim 104 on the under surface of base plate 56 provides a seat for member tilt? which is held in its normally seated position on rim 1% by a helical spring 1% engaging the lower surface of chamber 94. One end of chamber 94 is closed by a plug 168 threadahly engaged in block 96, and the other end of chamber 94- turns upwardly and opens into tank 12 which is secured to the upper surface of block 96 as by Welding. It should be noted that base plate 56 is secured to block 96 by means of bolts 110 extending through holes 112 in block 96 and threadably engaged in suitable openings therefor in plate 56.

A tubular neck 114 extends outwardly from tank 12 around an aperture (not shown) in the outer wall of tank 12 and receives a nipple 116 which is threadably engaged in a T fitting 125 to which is coupled a flexible hose 12 3 having a manual valve broadly designated 122 operably coupled with nozzle means broadly designated 124, which provides means for discharging fluid from within tank 12 through nozzle means 124.

Pressure control means broadly designated 126, is operably coupled to the other opening of T 118 and comprises an electrical switching structure 128 operably coupled with a flexible diaphragm 139 for operation of electrical contacts (not shown) upon the condition of deformation of the diaphragm under the influence of the fluid pressure within tank 12. To this end, the fluid inlet 132 of pressure control means 126 is placed in fluid communication with T 118 by pipe 134.

Pressure control means 126 comprises any of a number of commercially available, adjustable electrical switching devices, forms no part of the instant invention per se, and will not be described in detail. It suflices to say that control means 126 may be adjusted to operate to open the electrical contacts thereof upon the attainment of a predetermined amount of fluid pressure within tank 12 and to operate to close the contacts when the fluid pressure in tank 12 has dropped to another predetermined pressure value. The electrical power lines (not shown), supplying motor 16 with electrical energy are connected through switch 128 by terminals 136, 138, 140 and 142. Thus, when the fluid pressure within tank 12 reaches the predetermined value which causes switch 128 to open its contacts, motor 16 is de-energized to halt the pumping operation. As soon as the fluid pressure within tank 12 drops to the predetermined pressure permitting switch 128 to close its contacts, the motor is again energized to resume the pumping operation to maintain the fluid pressure within tank 12 at the desired value. Dcsirably, pressure control means 126 is adjusted to provide a differential between the pressure values at which switch 128 is operated to open and close its contacts respectively. It has been found that 625 psi. is a suitable pressure for de-energizing motor 16, and 400 psi. is a suitable pressure value to resume the pumping operation to maintain an efflcicnt spraying pressure value within tank 12.

In FIG. 2, cylinder 54 is shown with a filter screen 192 disposed in surrounding relationship thereto to per- 4t mit the flow of fluid into cylinder 54, through openings 58, but to prevent the ingress of foreign material.

A bracket 1% is rigidly secured to tank 12 and anchors one end of a pair of springs 198, while the other end thereof is anchored to a bracket 200 rigidly secured to shaft 44. Springs 193 exert a force on shaft 44, tending to bias the latter toward the position thereof shown in FIG. 1, with piston 48 at the bottom of its stroke in cylinder 54.

Preferably, a pressure gauge 202 is mounted On cap I and communicates with tank 12 through a nipple 204 to permit ready reading of the pressure within tank 12. Bracket means broadly designated 2% and including a generally flat plate 208 secured to tank 12 by any suitable means such as U-bolt 216, and a pair of integral, generally outwardly flared extensions 212 having generally U-shaped notches 214- opening in the bottom edges thereof, provide means for mounting tank 12 in an upright position in a gallon drum or the like with the rim of the drum disposed in notches 214-. If desired, auxiliary clamping apparatus (not shown) may be provided to releasably secure apparatus it} in the drum. It will be readily understood that apparatus 10 may similarly be disposed in any vessel containing fluid.

An elongated, tubular bladder 216 of flexible material such as a rubber hose or the like, is disposed within tank 12. Bladder 216 is closed at one end and the other end communicates with a valve stem 218 through nipple 2M and a T 2&5 to permit bladder 2E6 to be filled with air for a purpose to be made clear hereinafter.

In operation, apparatus 10 is disposed in a source of liquid with openings 53 immersed in the liquid and motor 16 is operably coupled with a source of electrical energy (not shown) for operating the motor and driving shaft 24 through V-belt 34. The rotation of shaft 24 operates eccentric 36 to impart a relatively short, vertical stroke to shaft 44- and thus to piston 4-8 in cylinder 54. Preferably, motor 16 operates at a speed to provide a relatively high speed to the stroke of piston 48.

On the up-stroke of piston 4-8, the fluid which has entered through openings 58 into grooves and thence into bore 64 through apertures 86, is permitted to flow past check valve 66 inasmuch as helical spring 74 permits valve member '72 to shift from its normally seated position on this stroke. It should be noted that valve member 1% is seated in sealing relationship on rim 104 to prevent the flow of fluid from within chamber 94 and into cylinder 54. After piston 48 reaches its uppermost position, its direction is reversed and valve member 72 returns to its normally seated position with cup 88 sealing against flow of the liquid between the cylinder 54 and piston 48. Thus, as the piston 48 proceeds downwardly, the fluid is forced through hole 92 to unseat valve member 1%. The fluid then flows into chamber 94. As the pumping operation continues, the fluid in chamber 94 is in turn forced upwardly into tank 12 Where it is pressurized by the continued operation of the pumping apparatus.

As the fluid from each stroke of piston 43 is forced into tank 12, the impact of such fluid entering the tank is absorbed by bladder 216 to prevent damage to the tank and to prevent pulsations of the fluid. The rapid, elatively short strokes of piston 48 permit the operation of the piston against an extremely high head of pressure and it is possible to elevate the pressure of the liquid within tank 12 to relatively high values through one pumping operation. As piston 48 continues to operate to elevate the pressure Within tank 12 to a value approaching the predetermined shut-ofl pressure, diaphragm 132 is shifted under the influence of the pressur in tank 12 to operate switch 128 and tie-energize motor 16.

If valve means 122 is opened to permit fluid to spray through nozzle 12%, the pressure in tank 12 may drop to a value that is below the pressure at which switch 128 operates to close its contacts and re-energize motor 16 to resume the pumping operation.

The thick walled construction of block 96 prevents damage to apparatus immediately below piston 48 Where the impact of the compression imparted by the piston is the most severe. The high speed, relatively short stroke of piston 48 permits the achievement of extremely high pressure values with apparatus 10, and the construction of piston 48 from durable thermoplastic synthetic resin material permits reciprocation of the piston at high speed without damage thereto caused by the high pressures. The water acts as a lubricant and coolant medium so that the piston may move at a very high velocity without being darn-aged. Pistons constructed of nylon or Delrin have been found to give the best results.

It should be noted that the construction of apparatus 10 is largely from relatively inexpensive materials which are readily commercially available, and the necessity for costly machine operations has been kept to a minimum. This permits the provision of pumping apparatus for providing high pressure liquid for uses such as spraying operations in establishments Where cost of the apparatus must be kept to a minimum. Specifically, the apparatus is ideally suited for utilization for spraying operations in filling stations where high pressure is required for the cleaning of motors by liquid containing detergents. Also, other Washing operations at filling stations may be advantageously performed with apparatus constructed according to the principles of this invention.

It Will be readily understood that the utility of apparatus 10 is by no means limited to use with filling stations and that the apparatus will have a wide range of applicability.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

Pumping apparatus for pressurizing liquid comprising:

a cylinder provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, said inlet comprising a series of openings communicating with the interior of the cylinder and spaced circumferentially therearound;

piston means reciprocable in the cylinder for forcing liquid from the cylinder through the outlet, said piston means including an elongated body of synthetic resin rna-teral having a plurality of circumferen-tially spaced, longitudinally arcuate grooves adjacent the openings of said cylinder, there being a groove for each opening respectively, there being a longitudinaly extending bore in the body communicating with one end of the latter, said body having an aperture for each groove communicating the respective grooves with said bore, and a valve carried by the body permitting flow of liquid in the bore only in the direction of said outlet; 7

a massive block of rigid material secured to said cylinder adjacent the end of the latter proximal said outlet there being a chamber in said block communicating with the outlet;

a pressure tank in communication with the chamber for receiving liquid therefrom;

a check valve in the chamber for permitting flow of fluid therethrough only in the direction from the outlet to the tank;

an eccentric operably coupled with said body for reciprocating the latter, said eccentric having :a driving element and a driven element, the latter being rotatable on an axis relatively closely spaced to the axis of rotation of the driving element for imparting short strokes to said body; and

prime mover means operably coupled with the eccentric for operating the latter to drive the piston.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 833,457 Hammond Oct. 16, 1906 2,794,344 Boren June 4, 1957 2,915,986 Sisson Dec. 8, 1959 3,006,282 Sisson Oct. 31, 1961 3,008,421 Bayer Nov. 14, 1961 3,059,586 Brailsford Oct. 23, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,218,349 France May 10, 1960

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