US3358607A

US3358607A - Pump

Info

Publication number: US3358607A
Application number: US493024A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph F Seamans
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-10-05
Filing date: 1965-10-05
Publication date: 1967-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-19

Description

PUMP

vFiled Oct. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY mdf/m 77M '5 A ORNEYS Dec. 19, 1967 R. F. sEAMANs PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 5, 1965 INVENTOR RALPH E SEA/MANS w27/m, aand/MJL ATTORNEY5 United States Patent O 3,358,607 PUMP Ralph F. Seamans, P.O. Box 352, Swink, Colo. 81077 Filed Qct. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 493,024

' 2 Claims. (Cl. 10S-,104)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a pump for liquids, and in particular to one that is operable to pump a liquid which may include debris such as leaves, branches, twigs, grass, sand, mud and nuts or the like.

In the farming or range country it is frequently necessary to pump water from streams, lakes, reservoirs, etc. to obtain a supply for irrigation ditches or for illing tanks for watering livestock. Portable power driven pumps, generally of the centrifugal type are quite useful for such purposes and it is toward pumps of this nature that this invention is directed. Such pumps are also useful for removing Water from Hooded areas such as basements or man-holes and the like.

In pumping water from the above sources, which are named only for the purpose of example, the water is frequently. contaminated by foreign matter that is diiiicult to strain out from the inlet to the pump, since the strainer becomes clogged and has to be cleaned repeatedly.

The pump of this invention does not need a strainer in the inlet because it is constructed so as to receive and pump such foreign matter that is small enough to pass through its inlet and to reduce to a. smaller size other matter that may onlypartially enter the inlet.

The bearing for a pump of this type is subject to an abnormal amount of wear because of the debris in the water, as well as from rust that will ordinarily form on the pump shaft in the bearing, which'must necessarily be asv 'close as is reasonably possible to the pump impeller, and the invention contemplates a construction whereby vthe bearing is properly lubricated and water or other contaminants are prevented from entering the bearing.

It is accordingly the primary object of the invention to provide a newand improved pump for debris-laden liquids wherein debris that is small enough to enter the pump inlet will pass through the pump, and other debris that may only partially enter the inlet will be reduced in size by the action of the pump.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a novel centrifugal pump for debris-laden liquids wherein the dimensions of the pump outlet and of the passageway through the pump is large enough with respect to the dimensions of any pump inlet, so that any debris small enough to enter an inlet may pass through the pump and its outlet.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a novel pump for debris-laden liquids wherein the impeller shaft bearing is continuously supplied with lubricant and means are provided to reduce rusting and wear of the shaft or the bearing by preventing the entrance of water or debris into the bearing.

Another object will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with the appended drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a vertical sectional view through a pump embodying the invention, taken substantially along the 3,358,607 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 ice 2 line 1 1 of FIGURE 2. FIGURE 2 is a plan View ef the pump taken substantially along the line 2 2 of FIG-A URE 1.

Referring to the drawings, the pump includes a centrifugal impeller 5 mounted on a vertical shaft 6 which f is journaled at its lower end in Ian impeller shaft tube 7 that is affixed to a volute shaped impeller housing 8 as by three rigid equiangularly spaced connecting legs 9.-

The impeller housing 8 has a first inlet 10 in its upper wall 11 and a coaxially aligned second inlet 12 in its lower wall 14. The shaft 6 is driven directly or indirectly,"

by means such as an electric motor or internal combustion engine, not shown.

The liquid being pumped enters the inlets 10 and 12 and ows clockwise through the housing 8, as viewed in FIGURE`2 under the action of the impeller 5, and exits either through a horizontal discharge pipe 15 orthrough a vertical discharge pipe 16 indicated by dot-dash lines in the drawings. A exible hose or the like may be connected' to the

discharge pipe

15 or 16 to deliver the pumped Y liquid to any desired point.

" partially in the hub. A series of six equiangularly spaced -Vwall 14 of the impeller housing is detachable, being se` V The centrigual impeller comprises a solid cylindricaly hub 17 which has a force tit on the lower end of the shaft 6, to which it is further secured by a cap screw 18 threaded into blind tapped hole partially in the shaft and impeller blades 21 are secured as by welding to the outer cylindrical surface of the hub 17, in such position that they are tangential thereto as shown in FIGURE 2. Thev cured to the housing as by a series of screws 22.

Although the first and second inlets 10 and 12 to the housing are relatively large, they are reduced by the4 diameter of the impeller hub 17, and by the impeller blades 21. Thus the largest size spherical object that can enterthe housing is represented by the dot-dash circle; 23 in FIGURE 2 and it is apparent that it could pass-f through the impeller housing to the outlet. An irregu-l larly shaped object having a dimension larger than the circle 23 would also pass through the housing since it. is apparent that any object that will pass through` the opening defined by hub 17, inlet 16%y or 12 and a pair of adjoining impeller blades 21 will pass throughpthe housing 8 and its outlet.

Impeller shaft 6 is journaled adjacent the lower end of tube 7 in a bushing 24 which is ixed in place as by a screw 25. The lower end of the tube is closed as by a cap 26, threaded onto the lower end thereof, there being a central opening for the passage of the shaft 6. Between the lower end of bushing 24 and the cap 26 are a pair of rubber-

like seals

29 and 30 separated from each other by a metallic or other hard material spacing washer 31. Between the upper seal 29 and the bushing 24 is a hard material spacing Washer 32 and there is a similar spacing washer between the lower seal 30 and the closure cap 26.

At its lower end a grease supply tube 33 extends through tube 7 and spacing washer 31 to deliver a supply of rust preventative and water resistant grease to the space between the

seals

29 and 30. This grease is supplied under pressure so as to completely lill the aforesaid space, and its effect is to prevent the passage of Water and its contaminants up to the lower end of the bushing 24. A grease gun or grease cup not shown, at the upper end of the supply tube, may be used to feed the grease to the space between the

seals

29 and 30 and to 3 apply pressure to it at intervals, in a conventional man ner, or the pressure may be applied continuously. Tube 33 extends to a point adjoining the upper end of the impeller shaft tube 7.

The length of` the -tube 7 and the shaft 6 therein may be as long as desired, depending upon the depths of the bodies of water normally encountered when using the pump. The power supply for the drive shaft 6 and its method of attachment to the upper end of the tube 7, as Well as the bearings for the upper end of the shaft are not shown, since they do not form any part of the invention. Irrespective of the length of the tube 7 however, adjacent its upper end there is xedly attaching a lubricating oil reservoir 34 which communic ates with the interior of tube 7 through a passageway 37 adjacent the bottom of the reservoir. The reservoir 34 has a filler hole closed by a threaded closure 38, and lubricating oil is inserted through the filler hole until it reaches an oil level indicated at 39 in both the reservoir and the tube 7. Thus, the tube 7 is kept substantially full of lubricating oil for the bushing 24 at the bottom thereof, under a pressure head dependent upon the oil level in the reservoir 34. The upper end of the tube is Vclosed as by a cap 40 threaded thereunto and having a passageway for the Vertical impeller shaft 6.

In operation, the pump housing 8 is lowered into the body of water that is desired to be pumped away. While the pump is normally used in a vertical position it need not be truly vertical but the tube 7 may be inclined to some extent, which may be desirable in some cases, to allow water to enter the lower or second inlet 12 if the pump housing is resting on a horizontal surface. Any debris that is too large to enter either inlet 10 or 12 but which has a portion protruding therethrough into the path of the rotating impeller blades 21 Will have that protruding portion cut off by the blades and the cut off portion will pass through the housing and to the outlet. Water or debris cannot get to the lubricated bushing 24 to cause wear of the shaft 6 or bushing because ofthe

seals

29, 30 and the waterfand resistant grease between the seals.

The invention may be embodied ni other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embarced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a pump for pumping fluids which may include debris, an elongated impeller shaft having an impeller adjacent the lower end thereof, an impeller housing enclosing said impeller and having an inlet and an outlet, an impeller shaft tube surrounding said impeller shaft and rigidly connected to said impeller housing, a resilient seal within said tube at the lower end portion thereof, an anti-friction bearing for said shaft adjoining and above said seal; means for supplying a rust preventative and waterproof grease between said seal and said i bearing, and means for supplying a lubricating oil to said bearing and a lubricating oil reservoir affixed to said impeller shaft tube and having an outlet at its lower end connecting to the inside of said impeller shaft tube above said bearing whereby the level of lubricatingV oil in said tube will be the same as that in said reservoir. 2. In a pump for pumping uids which may include debris, an elongated impeller shaft having an impeller adjacent the lower end thereof, an impeller housing en-V closing said impeller and having an inlet and an outlet, an impeller shaft tube surrounding said impeller shaft and rigidly connected to said impeller housing, a resilient seal within said tube at the lower end portion thereof, an anti-friction bearing for said shaft adjoining and above said seal; means for supplying a rust preventative and waterproof grease between said seal and said bearing, and means for supplying a lubricating oil to said bearing, and a second resilient seal between said bearing and said first mentioned seal, said seals being spaced axially along said impeller shaft, said means for supplying a rust preventative and waterproof grease being connected to the space between said seals, and a lubricating oil reservoir affixed to said impeller shaft tube adjacent the top thereof and having an outlet at its lower end connecting to the inside of said impeller shaft tube above said bearing whereby the level of lubricating oil in said tube will be the same as that in said reservoir.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,652,877 12/ 1927 Rose et al. 103-87 1,707,613 4/ 1929 HollanderY 103-111 2,149,600 3/ 1939 Guinard 103--103 2,181,973 12/ 1939 Jasberg 103-87 2,228,906 1/ 1941 Bowen 103-87 2,368,962 2/ 1945 Blom 103--11 l 2,381,834 8/ 1945 Meredew et al 103--87 2,658,775 11/ 1953 Murphy 103-111 2,777,395 1/ 1957 Disbrow 103-111 3,155,046 11/ 1964 Vaughan 103-103 HENRY l?. RAPUAZO, Primary Examiner,

Claims

1. IN A PUMP FOR PUMPING FLUIDS WHICH MAY INCLUDE DEBRIS, AN ELONGATED IMPELLER SHAFT HAVING AN IMPELLER ADJACENT THE LOWER END THEREOF, AN IMPELLER HOUSING ENCLOSING THE IMPELLER AND HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET, AN IMPELLER SHAFT TUBE SURROUNDING SAID IMPELLER SHAFT AND RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID IMPELLER HOUSING, A RESILIENT SEAL WITHIN SAID TUBE AT THE LOWER END PORTION THEREOF, AN ANTI-FRICTION BEARING FOR SAID SHAFT ADJOINING AND ABOVE SAID SEAL; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A RUST PREVENT-