Spx Corporation

General Signal Corporation

Robert A Blakley

Marlin D Schutte

Bernd Gigas

Ronald N Salzman

Keith T McDermott

Xiaobing Hu

Andrew Creathorn

Rory Heinlein

Donald G Schirtz

A hub mounting assembly for mounting a plurality of impellers onto a shaft has a first hub ring and a second hub ring. A first key piece is adapted to engage with the shaft and engage with at least one of the hub rings, and a first lock pin is adapted to engage with the shaft and engage with at least one of the hub rings. In the installed state, the first hub ring is adapted to be fastened to the second hub ring, to trap the key piece and lock pin in a position so that the hub rings together form a hub that is locked against rotation and axial movement with respect to the shaft.

Sanitary removable impeller hub and method

A sanitary steady bearing assembly and method provides for sanitary characteristics, easy cleanability, and easy replacement of wear parts without distributing the rest of the agitator, and can also support the agitator shaft during seal changes. The bearing assembly includes a bushing cup, a pedestal hub, a bushing shaft, and a bushing element.

Sanitary steady bearing and method

An agitator drive apparatus for agitating and injecting gas into a liquid in a mixing vessel. The apparatus includes a first and second housing coupled to one another along with a shaft having a first and second end that is rotatably coupled to the first housing and extends from the first housing into the second housing. The shaft includes an inner bore that extend from the second end at least partially to the first end. The shaft also includes a plurality of air ports in communication with the inner bore.

Agitator and drive apparatus and method

An apparatus and method is provided for connecting two shafts which may be of dissimilar materials from each other. A stub shaft of ceramic material is attached to an impeller shaft via a support hub and a steady bearing radially restrains the stub shaft.

Apparatus and method for connecting shafts

An apparatus for providing a secondary seal on mixers and similar rotating equipment that includes a stop assembly and a collar which cooperate to minimize translational movement of a mixer shaft during shutoff and to form a reversible seal between the vessel and the shaft. The apparatus provides a sealing engagement between the mixing vessel and the rotatable shaft of a mixer offering improved safety during mechanical seal replacement.

Seal shaft shutoff device and method

An apparatus for providing a secondary seal on mixers and other rotating equipment that includes a stop assembly and a collar which cooperate to minimize translational movement of a mixer shaft during shutoff and to form a reversible seal between the vessel and the shaft. The apparatus provides a sealing engagement between the mixing vessel and the rotatable shaft of a mixer offering improved safety during mechanical seal replacement.

An impeller assembly is mountable onto a rotatable shaft that has a flange extending radially from the shaft and rotating with the shaft. The impeller has at least one blade pair member having two opposed blades and central hub portion having a hole therethrough with an inner diameter at least as large as the outer diameter of the shaft, a plurality of corresponding mounting holes provided in each of the flange and the blade pairs, and a plurality of bolts for fastening the blade pair to the flange via the mounting hole.

Mixing impeller device and method

An improved flexible support for a steady bearing in rotational contact with the surface of a shaft allows the bearing and housing to substantially track the contact surface of an impeller shaft when the shaft is subject to elastic deflection during operation. The flexible support employs a flexible disc pack, which is comprised of a plurality of thin, flexible disc elements in a stacked arrangement. The disc pack is mounted to a support ring and is also mounted to the bearing housing such that the bearing housing and other bearing elements are capable of deflection to substantially align with the axis of the impeller shaft when the shaft deflects.

Flexible support and method for a steady bearing

An adjustable steady bearing support assembly and method provides support for a bearing in rotational contact with a shaft in a vessel such as a mixing vessel. The assembly and method allows axial movement of the bearing along the shaft in response to changes in the radial dimensions of the vessel while providing radial support of the bearing. The assembly employs strut assemblies having pivotally mounted strut pairs with an included angle between the struts in each pair to resist torsional forces on the bearing.

Support assembly for supporting a steady bearing

An adjustable steady bearing support assembly and method provides support for a bearing in rotational contact with a shaft in a vessel such as a mixing vessel. The assembly and method allows axial movement of the bearing along the shaft in response to changes in the radial dimensions of the vessel while providing radial support of the bearing. The assembly employs strut assemblies having pivotally mounted strut pairs with an included angle between the struts in each pair to resist torsional forces on the a bearing.

Support assembly and method for supporting a steady bearing

A steady bearing on a mixer shaft in a vessel supported from the walls of the vessel by a plurality of pairs of parallel struts which are pivotably mounted at their ends in fixed parallel clevises, the inner clevises being included in a bearing support subassembly and the outer clevises being attached to the vessel wall. The struts and clevises define a plurality of supportive parallelogram structures. The steady bearing is free to slide axially along the mixer shaft. As the vessel expands or contracts in response to changes in internal pressure or temperature as required by process conditions, the shape of the parallelogram structures is free to change to lengthen or shorten the parallelogram diagonals, and in response the steady bearing moves to a new position along the shaft. Radial support of the bearing is maintained at all axial positions assumed by the bearing. The inner clevises are mounted on a clevis carrier which is attached to the bearing holder only through rings at the top and bottom of the holder. The struts and clevises are provided with cooperating faces which can interfere in the event of mechanical failure of the pivot pins to arrest a loose strut and prevent it from catastrophically engaging the mixer impeller. In a similar fashion, this interference prevents the steady bearing assembly from dropping down the shaft, which due to the strut geometry, would cause the shaft to be pulled to the side causing failure of the shaft and/or its supporting components.

Self-adjusting steady bearing support assembly and suspension

Mixer apparatus including a high horsepower motor and transmission drive for an impeller, together with associated shafts, impellers and a bearing and seal assembly, are supported on a tank without excessive loading and vibration of the top head of the tank and without special construction to support the apparatus from the foundation. The support structure of the mixer apparatus is provided by a machine base having connected beams on which the motor and the transmission (gear box) are located. A noise containment enclosure on the base may be used to lower radiated noise levels. The impeller shaft and shaft extensions thereof are disposed in telescoping relationship with the transmission, aligned along the same axis. The machine base is parallel to the foundation and is supported on vertical columns, which depend from one end of the base and from opposite ends of a cross beam at the other end of the machine base. The columns distribute the load of the mixer on the side wall of the tank which has a high section modulus which provides the rigidity and stiffness to prevent vibration of the apparatus. A mechanism, including hydraulic cylinders is carried in a bearing member, which contains the bearings and seals. The cylinders lift the impeller, moving it upward through the transmission so as to enable detachment of the impeller shaft from the seal unit to facilitate seal replacement.

Mixer apparatus for high horse power mixer application where mixer

A method for making an end connection for a shaft made of composite material, which accommodates for differences in stiffness, thermal expansion, and chemical resistance between the shaft and the member connected thereto and operates under oscillating torque, thrust, and bending loads, and also provides for manufacturing flexibility in enabling the shaft and connection to be produced as separate parts which are formed when final assembly is to occur. The connection has a male insert which is inserted into the end of the composite shaft. Axial and circumferential grooves are cut in the surfaces of the male insert and the shaft. These grooves are aligned to form circumferential and axial keyways which intersect each other. Material is injected into the keyway and polymerizes to form structural keys which transmit the thrust and torque, while locking the insert member and the shaft permanently together. The bending loads are transmitted through the tight fit extending axially between the composite shaft, insert member and keys. The radial thickness of the end of the shaft, the amount and orientation of the reinforcing fibers therein and the insert are matched so that their stiffness index approximately match. The composite shaft may be connected to a mixing impeller to provide a reliable support and drive therefor.

Method for making an end connection for composite shafts

An end connection for a shaft made of composite material, which accommodates for differences in stiffness, thermal expansion, chemical resistance between the shaft and the member connected thereto and operates under oscillating torque, thrust, and bending loads, and also provides for manufacturing flexibility in enabling the shaft and connection to be produced as separate parts which are formed when final assembly is to occur. The connection has a male insert which is inserted into the end of the composite shaft. Axial and circumferential grooves in the surfaces of the male insert and the shaft. These grooves are aligned to form circumferential and axial keyways which intersect each other. Material is injected into the keyway and polymerizes to form structural keys which transmit the thrust and torque, while locking the insert member and the shaft permanently together. The bending loads are transmitted through the tight fit extending axially between the shaft, insert member and keys. The radial thickness of the end of the shaft, the amount and orientation of the reinforcing fibers therein and the insert are matched so that their stiffness index approximately match. The composite shaft may be connected to a mixing impeller to provide a reliable support and drive therefor.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

Robert A Blakley