Marine propulsion – Screw propeller – Self-clearing
Patent
1995-05-26
1996-08-20
Sotelo, Jesus D.
Marine propulsion
Screw propeller
Self-clearing
416146R, B63H 128
Patent
active
055474080
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a compression washer assembly, for mounting on a boat propeller shaft between an abutment surface on the shaft and an end surface on a propeller hub, comprising an inner hub portion with a cross section conforming to the shaft and a cup with a line cutting edge.
A compression washer assembly with a line cutter of the type described above is intended firstly to distribute the axial load between the abutment surface of the shaft and the end surface of the hub over a greater area to reduce the axial surface pressure on the end surface of the hub and secondly to cut lines, e.g. fishing lines or nets, caught by the rotating propeller and which might otherwise be wound up and become jammed tightly between the propeller hub and the adjacent wall of the propeller housing, for example in an outboard drive unit.
In a known compression washer assembly with line cutter, the hub portion is a turned and pull broached element which is pressed into and glued into an opening in a cup of pressed sheet metal.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a compression washer assembly with a line cutter, which, without affecting its function, can be manufactured more simply and at a lower cost than those previously known.
This is achieved according to the invention by means of the fact that the hub portion comprises a number of axially stacked continuous washers, which are fixed in an opening at the bottom of the cup.
Such a hub portion can be built up of a suitable number of washers, which can be thin enough to be punched from sheet metal. For example, a 4.5 mm long hub portion can consist of three washers punched from 1.5 mm thick sheet metal. The invention eliminates the need for machining the hub portion. The use of the same starting material, i.e. sheet metal, for the cup and the hub portion makes it possible to manufacture the cup and the hub portion at the same location, and with similar equipment.
The invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples shown in the accompanying drawings, where
FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through portions of a pair of propeller hubs carried by counter-rotating propeller shafts, with forward and aft compression washer assemblies with line cutters,
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a first embodiment of a compression washer assembly with line cutter,
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through the compression washer assembly in FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section corresponding to FIG. 3 through a second embodiment, and
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section corresponding to FIGS. 3 and 4 through a third embodiment.
In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 1 designates a first propeller shaft in the form of a hollow shaft and 2 designates a second propeller shaft belonging to an outboard type propeller drive unit, for example an Aquamatic.RTM. drive unit, which is not shown in more detail here. The shaft 1 supports a propeller hub 3 which is fixed rotationally by means of external splines 4 on the shaft and internal splines 5 on the hub 3. The shaft 2 supports a hub 6 which is fixed rotationally by means of corresponding splines which are not shown in more detail here.
The hubs 3 and 6 have circular grooves 7 and 8, respectively, in their forwardly facing end surfaces. The hub portion 9 of a compression washer assembly with a line cutter, generally designated 10, lies in the groove 7. One end surface of the hub portion 9 is held pressed against a shoulder 11 on the shaft 1 by the hub 3, which presses with the bottom of the groove 7 against the opposing end surfaces of the hub portion 9 under the influence of a propeller lock nut 12. A corresponding compression washer assembly with line cutter, generally designated 13, has a hub portion 14 which is housed in the groove 8 and presses against a shoulder 15 of the propeller shaft 2.
The compression washer assembly 10 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. It comprises, in addition to the hub portion 9, a cup 16 of pressed sheet metal, the edge 17 of which forms a rotating cutting edge intended to
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patent: 4911663 (1990-03-01), Meier
patent: 5007867 (1991-04-01), Kelley
AB Volvo Penta
Sotelo Jesus D.
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