Bearings – Rotary bearing – Plain bearing
Patent
1995-03-14
1996-08-20
Hannon, Thomas R.
Bearings
Rotary bearing
Plain bearing
384192, F16C 2304
Patent
active
055472893
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bearing system for centrifugal or rotary pumps, consisting of a bearing seat or shell situated within the pump housing and of a centrifugal-pump impeller pivoting within the bearing shell on the intake port.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A bearing system is described in GB-PS 805 825. There, the bearing shell of a hydrostatic bearing is pressed into the pump housing, and an impeller having an elongated suction or intake port extends into, and pivots in, the shell. This is a complex and costly design in that it requires very precise machining of the inside of the housing in order to prevent misalignment in the assembly stage. A somewhat similar design is shown in DE-OS 30 11 380 in which a double-suction impeller, with both of its intake ports, is supported directly within corresponding bearing shells.
The intake port may be designed to also serve as the rotor of an electric motor as has been described in GB-PS 909 550.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is aimed at providing for centrifugal pumps in this general design category a bearing system that is easy to install and can be controlled with a minimum of effort and cost. The solution to the problem includes a bearing shell disposed within the pump housing of a centrifugal pump. A retaining unit, which may be manipulated from the outside, holds the bearing shell in position within the housing. The present invention permits the machining of the surfaces accepting the bearing-shell, and also permits the installation of the bearing shell itself, from the outside of the pump housing. Apart from easier accessibility, this translates into a substantially reduced machining process. It also permits easy checking of the condition of the bearing by simply disconnecting the attached pipe such as a suction pipe. In the past this inevitably involved a disassembly of the pump which has now become altogether unnecessary. The subclaims describe Additional enhancements and advantageous design features of this invention include, for example, that the contact surfaces between the retaining unit and the flange and housing, respectively, can be sealed by means of well-established methods using for instance O-rings, flat gaskets or the like. The type of seals and gaskets to be selected is determined by the nature of the operating conditions of the pump. Anti-twist locking elements prevent any possible rotation of the bearing shell. To compensate for dimensional tolerances in manufacturing and for shaft deflection and to attentuate vibration of the rotating unit, the bearing shell is mounted in tiltable fashion. By way of example, this can be accomplished by means of a narrow, outward rim or collar by which the bearing shell is kept centered in the housing. The bearing shell or the collar may be provided with two lugs or stubs which, while permitting a tilting movement, assure support of the bearing shell on the retaining unit. This configuration is useful in the case of pumps with high internal pressure levels which might attain magnitudes in excess of the level that car, be handled by an elastic tilt mount.
If there is wear and tear on the bearing shell, the design of the bearing system is such as to permit easy replacement. The shortest physical length of a pump is attained when the flange of a pipe conduit connected to the pump bears directly on a retaining unit. In this extremely simple fashion, the flange bolts, via the retaining unit, serve to fasten the pump bearing inside the housing. This approach is equally suitable for single-stage and multi-stage centrifugal pumps. A bearing system based on this design permits both a reduction of the overall physical length of the pump and a substantial improvement in the rigidity of the rotating assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A design example of this invention is illustrated in the diagrams and explained in more detail in the following description.
FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the first impeller of a pump;
FIG. 2 shows
REFERENCES:
patent: 2517477 (1950-08-01), Griffin
patent: 2892663 (1959-06-01), Nickerson
patent: 2956841 (1960-10-01), Cametti et al.
patent: 3388880 (1968-06-01), Knight, Jr.
patent: 3659910 (1972-05-01), Foster
patent: 4505637 (1985-03-01), Raczynski
patent: 5106262 (1992-04-01), Oklejas et al.
Hannon Thomas R.
KSB Aktiengesellschaft
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