Device for immobilizing an element of a kinematic system

Details Device for immobilizing an element of a kinematic system Device for immobilizing an element of a kinematic system

2000-01-21

2001-10-09

Kastler, Scott (Department: 1742)

Metallurgical apparatus

Means for melting or vaporizing metal or treating liquefied...

Bessemer-type treating vessel

C266S275000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06299829

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention consists in a device for immobilizing an element of a kinematic system, for example, an element of a gear transmission.
The invention also consists in an installation for controlling the tilting of a steelmaking converter ladle equipped with an immobilizing device of this kind.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In various industrial sectors, for example the manufacture of iron and steel, sugar, cement, foodstuffs, etc. the manufacturing processes require a shaft, tubes or tanks with large dimensions and which are often subject to external mechanical, thermal or vibrational loads to be driven in rotation and immobilized in particular positions.
They are usually driven via a gear ring or wheel of large diameter mounted on the element to be driven.
In some applications, the operating cycle requires energetic immobilization in a stopped position of the receiving machine, which is subject to various loads.
This is the case, for example, when injecting gaseous fluids into a converter or any other similar tank during the production of steel or any other product, with the consequent presence of high vibrational stresses on the kinematic system. The injection of gaseous fluids under pressure into converter ladles generates vibrational stresses and high stresses likely to lead to fatigue damage of the gear transmission units and this makes it essential to oversize certain elements of the transmission units by a safety factor greater than two or even three.
These stresses occur either continuously, with varying intensity, or with violent intensities during the blowing of gases at periods of a few minutes.
In new converter designs, the center of gravity of the ladle is at a greater or lesser distance from its pivot axis. The proximity of the center of gravity to the axis occasions very high vibrational intensities and causes dynamic instability of the converter.
The element of the kinematic system, i.e. the toothed ring in the case of a converter, must be immobilized with total safety in a precise angular position and without any backlash.
Devices for immobilizing an element by eliminating the backlash of gears in the kinematic system of a reduction gear by contact with the opposite flanks of the same mobile member are well known in the art.
In this case, the reduction gears comprise a ring connected to the element to be immobilized and driven by two gears. A tilting primary reduction gear is mounted on each gear, the forces being balanced by a compression or tension bar connecting the two primary reduction gears.
Contact without clearance is obtained by means of a hydraulic ram which tilts the two primary reduction gears in opposite directions to prestress the opposite flanks of the teeth.
Another device well known in the art for immobilizing an element, consisting of a gear ring, for example, by means of a split torque reduction gear is made up of two autonomous casings each carrying a gear driving the gear ring.
The tangential forces are balanced between the two casings by means of a torsion bar. The contact between the opposite flanks and the immobilizing of the ring are obtained by the forced displacement of the two casings in the same direction, generally the downward direction, to effect the required prestressing.
This movement is obtained with one or two hydraulic rams which swing the torsion bar.
In the case of a single ram, the device is positioned directly on the torsion bar, and in the case of two rams the device applies the force directly to each of the two casings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is a device for immobilizing an element of a kinematic system which has the advantage of being particularly compact and robust and capable of strongly mobilizing said element to be immobilized despite high external mechanical, thermal or vibrational loads.
The invention therefore consists in a device for immobilizing an element of a kinematic system, the element carrying a succession of upstanding parts and recessed parts, and including:
a member having at; its periphery upstanding parts and recessed parts of complementary profile to the upstanding parts and recessed parts of the element to be immobilized and mounted at the end of an arm whose opposite end is articulated about a pivot shaft,
a unit for moving the member between a passive position disengaged from the element to be immobilized and an active position in which the upstanding parts and the recessed parts, respectively, of the element and the member interpenetrate to immobilize that element in a particular position,
means for indexing the position of the element in the particular position to place the upstanding parts facing the recessed parts, respectively, of the element and the member, and
means for sensing the position of the arm.
According to other features of the invention:
the member is fixed to the corresponding end of the arm to form a one-piece assembly,
the member is articulated to the corresponding end of the arm by means of a shaft carried by the arm,
the unit for moving the member is a ram with a piston rod whose free end bears on a face of the member opposite the face with the upstanding parts and recessed parts,
the bearing surface of contact between the free end of the piston rod of the ram and the member is spherical,
the indexing means include a track formed on the element and including a succession of projections and
the sensing unit is formed by a proximity sensor cooperating with a rod that can move in translation and carries at one end a roller rolling on the track,
the device includes means for positioning in translation the arm carrying the member,
the means for positioning the arm in translation are formed by a cam formed on the pivot shaft of the arm,
the means for sensing the position of the arm are formed by a sensor mounted on the pivot shaft of the arm,
the element to be immobilized is disposed in a casing,
the assembly formed of the member, the arm and the unit for displacing the member is inside or outside the casing, and
the casing has an anti-torque reaction bar including means for adjusting the position of the element to be immobilized relative to a reference marker of the installation by modifying the length of the reaction bar.
The invention also consists in an installation for controlling the tilting of a steelmaking converter ladle, the installation including a toothed ring attached to a pivot shaft of the ladle and driven in rotation by at least one gear, wherein the ring includes at least one immobilizing device as mentioned above.


REFERENCES:
patent: 257898 (1882-05-01), Smith
patent: 804080 (1905-11-01), Wills
patent: 1033062 (1912-07-01), Collin
patent: 3219322 (1965-11-01), Murer
patent: 4310081 (1982-01-01), Kolacz
patent: 0 544 116 A2 (1993-02-01), None
patent: 0 544 116 A3 (1993-02-01), None
patent: 0 267 348 A1 (1994-07-01), None

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