Force Control Industries, Inc.

Halsey W Cory

An electric motor has a shaft projecting from an end bearing bracket, and an annular hub member is clamped to the projecting portion of the motor shaft. The hub member supports a plurality of clutch discs and defines an impeller inlet for receiving a liquid coolant or oil which is pumped by the hub member through ports outwardly between the discs. A housing includes a section which mounts on the motor bearing bracket, and the housing has an intermediate section which supports a plurality of non-rotating brake plates. The brake plates interfit between the brake discs and are pressed together with the discs in response to axial movement of a non-rotating annular piston surrounding the hub member and supported by the intermediate section of the housing. The housing also has an end closure portion which directs the oil from the discs and plates to the inlet within the hub member and is effective to dissipate heat from the recirculating oil.

Liquid cooled brake unit

A rotary centrifuge basket or container is suspended from a center drive shaft depending from a part-spherical bearing assembly mounted on a frame whereby the rotating container may also gyrate about the center point of the bearing. An oil shear clutch-brake unit includes a housing mounted on the frame and has a vertical output shaft formed as an extension of the container drive shaft. An aligned vertical input shaft is rotatably supported by the housing and projects upwardly to connect with the vertical drive shaft of an electric motor supported by the housing. A clutch includes a series of annular clutch plates which rotate with the input shaft and interfit between a series of annular clutch discs which rotate with the output shaft. A brake includes a series of brake discs which also rotate with the output shaft and interfit between a series of brake plates connected to the housing. The gyratory center point of the suspended container is located within the center of the clutch plates, and cooling oil is supplied to the center of the clutch plates through an axial passage formed within the output shaft. Cooling oil is independently supplied to the center of the brake plates through an annular chamber surrounding the output shaft, and the clutch and brake are selectively operated by axial movement of a nonrotating concentric piston actuated by fluid supplied through passages formed within the base of the housing.

Clutch-brake unit

Centrifuge drive system

Power is transmitted from a motor to a pump or other device through a variable speed drive having a vertical input shaft disposed above a coaxial vertical output shaft. The shafts are rotatably supported by corresponding bearings retained within hub portions of a housing, and interfitting annular clutch plates and clutch discs are alternately connected to the input and output shafts. The clutch discs and plates are forced together by a fluid actuated piston, and the input shaft defines a passage for directing lubricating and cooling oil into the center of the clutch plates and discs so that the oil flows outwardly into an annular collecting chamber surrounding the clutch plates. The housing defines an annular oil reservoir chamber surrounding the oil collecting chamber, and heated oil is pumped from the collecting chamber through a heat exchanger and into the reservoir chamber. The top wall of the housing defines a horizontally extending passage through which oil is forced from the top of the reservoir chamber to the oil inlet passage within the input shaft.

Variable speed drive

An internal combustion engine has a projecting crankshaft on which a sleeve is mounted for supporting a set of annular clutch plates disposed in interfitting relation with a set of annular clutch discs. The clutch discs are mounted on a cooling fan support shaft which is aligned with the crankshaft and is rotatably supported by a clutch housing secured to an oil pump housing mounted on the engine block. The lubricating oil for the engine is also pumped axially through the sleeve and outwardly between the clutch plates and discs which are movable between a clamped position and a released position in response to axial movement of an air actuated non-rotating annular piston surrounding the crankshaft. The piston may also be actuated to engage an annular brake surrounding the crankshaft when it is desired to brake the output shaft and prevent rotation of the cooling fan.

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Fairfield, OH, United States of America

Halsey W Cory