Universal load device

Abstract

A universal load device (100) comprising an adapter ring (10), a core ring (20) and an add-on ring (30), a sum of weights of the three being utilized to construct a load required by a rotating apparatus (2) in an application. Wherein said adapter ring is used to reliably connect the core ring on a slewing member (21) of the rotating apparatus, and said core ring is provided to carry the add-on ring. Said adapter ring, said core ring and said add-on ring each form their own series of individual rings, and the series of individual rings of the three are capable of being combined to form a series of loads required to satisfy different applications. The three series of individual rings are capable of achieving the purpose of "one machine, multiple uses" by being combined into multiple forms with few components, enabling said universal load device to replace a traditional load device of "one machine, one use", thereby providing high cost-effectiveness and practical value. In addition, said universal load device is easy to use, not only flexible in assembly but also has a high freedom of adjustment.

Description

[0001] 1 202400189

[0002] Description

[0003] Title: Universal Load Device

[0004] Technical field of the invention

[0005] The present invention relates to a universal load device, especially a load device that provides the required load for a rotating apparatus.

[0006] Prior art

[0007] A bearing needs to be tested under a specific load. Figs. 1A and IB show schematic views of an assembly of existing bearing load device on a test bench. It can be seen from Figs. 1A and IB, the load device 1 comprises an adapter ring 10, a first counterweight disc 11, and a second counterweight disc 12, a sum of weights of the three provides a load required by a bearing application, and thus they are collectively referred to as "counterweight components". Wherein, as an interface component between the load device 1 and the bearing 2, the adapter ring 10 is used to reliably connect the first counterweight disc 11 on a bearing inner ring 21 as a rotatable ring of the bearing, while the second counterweight disc 12 is fixedly connected on the first counterweight disc 11. In the above solution, the counterweight components 10, 11, and 12 are connected to each other by means of bolt fastening.

[0008] The reason for using two counterweight discs is that, compared to a single heavier counterweight disc, two lighter counterweight discs have more options of blank, so that excess material needs to be removed (waste) during blank processing is less, thereby improving the processing utilization rate of the counterweight blanks. Here, the combination of two counterweight discs is intended to meet the load requirements of a single application, rather than to meet the different load requirements across multiple applications. By the way, the term "application" described herein refers to a specific use for which the apparatus is put into use, meaning that it must bear a corresponding load. This includes a scenario of "one machine, one use", i.e., where one rotating apparatus is used for only one type of use and thus bears only one type of load, as well as a scenario of "one machine, multiple use", i.e., where one apparatus is suitable for multiple types of uses 2 202400189 and thus must bear two or more types of different loads. Taking a slewing bearing used in the medical field as an example, the currently known applications have already reached several dozen. To meet the requirements of all applications, the manufacturers must build the corresponding load for each application, which is not only costly but also results in low apparatus utilization rate.

[0009] In addition, the axial superposition of the two counterweight discs also results that the distance (abbreviated as "distance of center of gravity") between the center of gravity of the load (the center of mass of all the counterweight components) and the slewing centre of the rotatable ring of the bearing cannot be adjusted, which cannot meet the application's requirement for an adjustable overturning moment (i.e., the product of the weight of the load and the distance of center of gravity). In an ideal case, the required load should include radial load, axial load, moment load, and moment of inertia.

[0010] Even more serious is that, the axial superposition of the counterweight discs also makes the adjustments on dynamic balance quite difficult. Said dynamic balance refers to the process of adjusting the mass distribution of a rotor so that its center of mass returns to the rotating center. The centrifugal forces from dynamic unbalance and the couple from static unbalance will cause shocks and vibrations to the apparatus operation, affecting the working performance and the service life of the apparatus. Therefore, operators have to carry out the following steps of the dynamic balance operation after the counterweight discs are assembled.

[0011] Step l):the load device 1 is raised so that an axial direction of the counterweight discs 11 and 12 are approximately horizontal, then the counterweight discs 11 and 12 are rotated to observe if there is any dynamic unbalance, and to determine the position and magnitude of the unbalanced weight; Step 2):the load device 1 is flatted so that the axial direction of the counterweight discs 11 and 12 are approximately vertical to the ground, then all the fastening bolts of the second counterweight disc 12 are loosen, adjusting the radial position of the second counterweight disc 12 relative to the first counterweight disc 11, and then all the fastening bolts are retighten. Even as experienced operators, they need to repeat the above steps multiple times, which is not only time-consuming and labour-intensive, but also does not guarantee success. Essentially, the dynamic / static 3 202400189 unbalance limits the possibility of using more counterweight discs to construct the load by axial superposition.

[0012] Reality calls for a universal load device capable of providing the loads required by different applications.

[0013] Summary of the invention

[0014] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a universal load device comprising an adapter ring, a core ring and an add-on ring, a sum of weights of the three being utilized to construct a load required by a rotating apparatus in an application. Wherein said adapter ring is used to reliably connect the core ring on a slewing member of the rotating apparatus, and said core ring is provided to carry the add-on ring. Said adapter ring, said core ring and said add-on ring each form their own series of individual rings, and the series of individual rings of the three are capable of being combined to form a series of loads required to satisfy different applications.

[0015] The three series of individual rings are capable of achieving the purpose of "one machine, multiple uses" by being combined into multiple forms with few components, enabling said universal load device to replace a traditional load device of "one machine, one use", thereby providing high cost-effectiveness and practical value. In addition, said universal load device is easy to use, not only flexible in assembly but also has a high freedom of adjustment.

[0016] Various embodiments and beneficial technical effects of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Brief description of the figures

[0018] Figs. 1A and IB show schematic views of an assembly of a conventional bearing load device on a test bench;

[0019] Fig. 2A shows a three-dimensional perspective view of a universal load device of the present invention; 4 202400189

[0020] Figs. 2B and 2C show cross-sectional schematic views of the universal load device from different perspectives;

[0021] Fig. 3 shows an enlarged cross-sectional schematic view of an adapter ring;

[0022] Fig. 4A shows a cross-sectional schematic view of a locking groove from an axial perspective; and

[0023] Fig. 4B shows an enlarged cross-sectional schematic view of bolts fastening a counterweight ring by pulling an insert.

[0024] Detailed description of the invention

[0025] In the following description, identical or similar reference numerals are always used to denote the same or similar components. In addition, terms denoting directions, for example, "axial", "radial" and "circumferential (direction)", each refer to the axial, radial and circumferential (direction) of the component being described, unless otherwise defined or specified.

[0026] Figs. 2A to 2C show schematic views of the structure of the universal load device of the present invention from different perspectives. As shown in the figures, the universal load device 100 comprises an adapter ring 10, a core counterweight ring (hereinafter abbreviated as "core ring") 20, and an add-on counterweight ring (hereinafter abbreviated as "add-on ring") 30, a sum of weights of the three provides a load required for a bearing application, and thus they are also collectively referred to as "counterweight components." Generally, compared to the adapter ring 10, the core ring 20 and the add-on ring 30 account for the largest proportion of the load, and thus are also referred to as "counterweight rings" in the present invention.

[0027] Fig. 3 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the adapter ring. As an interface component between the bearing 2 and the universal load device 100, the adapter ring 10 is connected to a rotatable ring 21 (in the figure, taking an inner ring as an example) of a bearing through a set of bolts 13, and is connected to the core ring 20 through another set of bolts 14, thereby reliably connecting the universal load device 100 on the bearing 2. Figs. 2B to 2C show cross-sectional schematic views of the universal load device from different perspectives. It can be seen from the figures, the core ring 20 is 5 202400189 provided to carry the add-on ring 30, or in other words, the add-on ring 30 is provided to be fixedly assembled on the core ring 20.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the add-on ring 30 comprises an addon inner ring 31 and an add-on outer ring 32, which are assembled on the core ring 20 from a radially inner side and a radially outer side, respectively. As most clearly shown in Figs. 2B and 2C, the core ring 20 has internal threads 22 and external threads 23 formed on radially inner side and radially outer side thereof, respectively, which form threaded engagements with external threads (not indicated) formed on the add-on inner ring 31 and internal threads (not indicated) formed on the add-on outer ring 32 respectively. By means of said threaded engagements, the add-on inner ring 31 and the add-on outer ring 32 are capable of being assembled on the core ring 20 by screwing. More importantly, the above threaded engagements also allow the position of the add-on inner ring 31 and / or the add-on outer ring 32 relative to the core ring 20 to be adjusted axially. This feature enables both of a distance of center of gravity and an overturning moment of said load to be adjusted.

[0029] In addition, the counterweight rings (the core ring and the add-on ring) are also positioned by the bolts. After the add-on ring 30 is assembled on the core ring 20 by means of the threaded engagement, bolts 26 may pass radially through the add-on ring 30, for fastening the add-on ring 30 and the core ring 20 together, thereby preventing a relative movement from occurring between the latter two. Figs. 4A and 4B show cross-sectional schematic views of the bolts locking the add-on ring and the core ring together by pulling an insert, from different perspectives. In the illustrated embodiment, the core ring 20 is formed with at least one locking groove 24 extending axially on its inner and outer surfaces. The groove 24 formed in a converging cross-section (typically, such as, trapezoidal) with a wide groove bottom and a narrow groove opening, being suitable for accommodating an insert 25 of a corresponding cross-section, and allowing the insert 25 to slide axially therein. The insert 25 is formed with a threaded hole (not indicated) on its side facing the add-on ring 30, for being engaged with the bolts 26 passing through the add-on ring 30 from the front. The bolts 26 passing through the add-on ring 30 can fasten the core ring 20 and the add-on ring 30 together by pulling the insert 25. As one preferred embodiment, the locking groove 24 may also extend into the add-on ring 30, that is, enter 6 202400189 radially the add-on ring 30 by a certain depth. In this case, the insert 25 embedded in the add-on ring 30 can prevent the add-on ring 30 from rotating relative to the core ring 20.

[0030] It is not difficult to understand that, the locking grooves 24 are preferably to be distributed at equal intervals over the circumference, so as to create uniform circumferential restraints between the core ring 20 and the add-on ring 30. In this case, the greater (dense) the distribution density over the circumference of the grooves 24 is, the smaller the circumferential spacing / angle between the grooves is, allowing the add-on ring 30 to achieve the circumferential alignment between the bolt 26 and the insert 25 with a smaller rotation angle. Assuming the circumferential angle is provided to be 36° (equivalent to 1 / 10 of the circumference), then each rotation for 1 / 10 of the circumference of the add-on ring 30 means that the add-on ring 30 moves axially by 1 / 10 of a screw pitch relative to the core ring 20. From this, it can be seen that, the circumferential distribution density of the grooves 24 determines the positioning accuracy of the add-on ring 30 on the core ring 20, as well as the adjusting accuracy of the distance of center of gravity and the overturning moment.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the bolts fasten the core ring and the addon ring by pulling the inserts in the grooves. Alternatively, the inserts may not be provided, and the grooves may be only formed with threaded holes (not shown) at the groove bottom. In this case, the bolt passing through the add-on ring may be engaged with the threaded hole at the groove bottom to achieve fastening between the add-on ring and the core ring. In the simplest case, even said threaded engagement and locking grooves are not provided, the core ring and the add-on ring can also achieve the adjustment of the displacement there between by means of smooth cylindrical fitting. This solution does not prevent the radially inserted bolts from fastening and positioning between the core ring and the add-on ring, and still allows the distance of center of gravity and the overturning moment to be adjusted. During the implementation of this solution, a lubricant may be used to increase the convenience of the displacement between the core ring and the add-on ring. From this, it can be seen that, the fastening and positioning as well as the adjustment of displacement between the counterweight rings do not necessarily to be conditional on providing of said threaded engagement and locking grooves. 7 202400189

[0032] In order to characterize the circumferential rotation angle, the add-on ring may be formed with a circumferential scale (not shown). It is not difficult to understand that, each rotation for one circumference (360°) of the add-on ring means that the add-on ring advance or retreat axially by one screw pitch relative to the core ring. The providing of the circumferential scale allows the operator to read the rotation angle of the add-on ring and thus determine a non-integral screw pitch of the advancement or retreat of the add-on ring relative to the core ring. By adding it with the integer screw pitches, the operator can accurately determine the relative position of the add-on ring on the core ring. In practice, the correspondence between said relative position and the distance of center of gravity may be tabulated, making it convenient for the operator to look up the distance of center of gravity according to the relative position, and vice versa.

[0033] As shown most clearly in Fig. 2B, the core ring 20 and / or the add-on ring 30 are / is formed with mass-filling holes 27 distributed along the circumference, allowing mass-filling members (e.g., counterweight bolts) 28 to be embedded therein. In a case where there is dynamic / static unbalance, the operator may eliminate the unbalance by embedding the corresponding number of counterweight bolts 28 according to the position and magnitude of the unbalanced weight, so that the center of gravity of the load fully coincides with a slewing center of the bearing. As one preferred embodiment, the counterweight bolts 28 may be formed in different series. Each series has a specific length and / or weight for embedding on the corresponding core ring 20 and / or add-on ring 30 to meet the requirements of different loads. The mass filling solution is not only convenient to operate but also accurate and efficient, completely overcoming the difficulties of achieving dynamic / static balance through radial displacement between traditional counterweight discs.

[0034] Incidentally, the various bolts (including fastening bolts and counterweight bolts) described herein refer to metal rods or metal pins for fastening objects together, usually formed with a head at one end and formed with threads at the other end. Said threads are used to achieve the purpose of fastening by engaging with threaded holes or nuts. In this sense, said "bolts" include many structural forms, including bolts, studs, screws, and screw rods, and are not limited to its literal meaning. 8 202400189

[0035] As the core technical feature of the present invention, the adapter ring 10, the core ring 20, and the add-on ring 30 each form their own series of individual rings. The series of individual rings of the three are capable of being combined to form a series of loads required to satisfy different applications. In a typical case, the series of individual rings of the adapter ring 10 may be formed to have four adapter rings ARI to AR4, whose weights are substantially uniform or may be ignored, the series of individual rings of the core ring 20 may be formed to have only one core ring CR, and the series of individual rings of the add-on ring 30 may be formed to have only one add-on inner ring IR and one add-on outer ring OR. The above number of counterweight components may be combined to form a total of four kinds of loads of different weights: (1) the adapter ring ARI + the core ring CR; (2) the adapter ring AR2+the core ring CR + the add-on inner ring IR; (3) the adapter ring AR3 + the core ring CR + the add-on outer ring OR; and (4) the adapter ring AR4 + the core ring CR + the add-on inner ring IR + the add-on outer ring OR.

[0036] In a simpler case, the series of individual rings of the add-on ring 30 may be formed to have only one add-on inner ring IR or one add-on outer ring OR, thus can only form two kinds of loads of different weights with other counterweight components: (1) the adapter ring ARI + the core ring CR; (2) the adapter ring AR2 + the core ring CR + the add-on inner ring IR / the add-on outer ring OR.

[0037] The following further describes a specific embodiment of how the universal load device 100 of the present invention utilizes the combinations of the series of individual rings to form more types of loads. Assuming that the series of individual rings of the adapter rings 10 is formed to have ten adapter rings ARI to AR10, the series of individual rings of the core rings 20 is formed to have only one core ring CR1, and the series of individual rings of the add-on rings 30 is formed to have one add-on outer ring OR1 and four add-on inner rings IR1 to IR4. For simplicity, the series of individual rings ARI to AR10 of the adapter ring are each constructed to have a substantially uniform weight, for example, 100 kg; the one core ring CR1 is constructed to have a weight of 500 kg; the one add-on outer ring OR1 is constructed to have a weight of 500 kg; and the four add-on inner rings IR1 to IR4 are constructed to have weights of 100 kg, 200 kg, 300 kg, and 400 kg, respectively. The above number of counterweight components may be 9 202400189 combined to form a total of 10 kinds of loads of different weights ranging from 600 kg to 1500 kg, as specifically shown in Table 1 below.

[0038] Table 1

[0039] It can be seen from Table 1, in the case where the series of individual rings ARI to AR10 of the adapter ring 10 have a substantially uniform weight (each 100 kg), the one core ring CR1, the one add-on outer ring OR1, and the four add-on inner rings IR1 to IR4 (a total of six counterweight rings) maybe combined to form 10 kinds of different loads continuously distributed in a stepped manner within a specific range (600 kg to 1500 kg). Wherein, the combination of the adapter ring 10 and the core ring 20 determines the lower limit (600 kg) of the load range, and is thus referred to as "base load". In addition to the base load, the variation in load (700kg to 1500 kg) is determined by the combination of the add-on rings 30 (the add-on inner ring 31 and the add-on outer ring 32), and is thus referred to as "add-on load".

[0040] In the embodiment shown in Table 1, the series of individual rings ARI to AR10 of the adapter ring are formed to have a substantially uniform weight, each 100 kg. Alternatively, the series of individual rings ARI to AR10 of the adapter ring may also be formed to have different weights for different applications, for example, weights ranging from 10kg to 50 kg, so that they can make "fine tuning" for different loads.

[0041] In the embodiment shown in Table 1, the series of individual rings of the core ring 20 comprises only one core ring CR1. If the series of individual 10 202400189 rings of the core ring also comprises a second core ring CR2, for example, with a weight of 1500 kg, this second core ring CR.2 can also be combined with the above series of individual rings (including one add-on outer ring OR1 and four add-on inner rings IR1 to IR4) of the add-on ring 30 to form 10 kinds of different loads in the range of 1600kg to 2500 kg, as specifically shown in Table 2 below. Then, the series of individual rings CR1 and CR2 of the core ring, comprising two core rings, can be combined with the above series individual rings of the add-on ring to form a total of 20 kinds of different loads in the range of 600kg to 2500 kg, covering all the cases listed in Tables 1 and 2. Similarly, if a third core ring CR3 is included, the series of individual rings CR1, CR2, and CR3 of the core ring, comprising three core rings, can be combined with the above series of individual rings of the addon ring to form a total of 30 kinds of different loads, so on and so forth, which will not be further repeated here.

[0042] Table 2

[0043] From this, it can be seen that, through the combination of a small number (for example, 6 to 10) of counterweight rings, the universal load device 100 may form 10 to 50 kinds of different loads. Moreover, the more types of loads there are, the more advantageous the present invention becomes. This is because that the counterweight rings of the present invention have radially relatively larger aperture diameter and relatively smaller wall thicknesses, compared with the traditional counterweight discs. This structure allows the counterweight rings to be combined by means of 11 202400189 radial nesting, and also gives the counterweight rings with the freedom of axial extension and / or distribution, thereby giving the present invention more combination possibilities and adjustment flexibility.

[0044] Utilizing the above structure, the counterweight components (the adapter ring and the counterweight ring) each form their own series of individual rings, which are combined to form a series of different loads required to satisfy any number of applications, for maximizing the utilization of the counterweight components (resources). The resulted series of loads may be distributed concentratedly within a larger range, or be distributed discretely over several smaller ranges, and they may either be distributed continuously in a stepped manner, or be distributed irregularly in a jump manner.

[0045] In the specific embodiments shown in Tables 1 and 2, the series of individual rings of the adapter ring 10 comprises a total of 20 kinds of different adapter rings ARI to AR20, which are each suitable for 20 different bearing applications, that is, one adapter ring is suitable for only one bearing application (one ring, one use). Alternatively, the series of individual rings of the adapter ring may comprise fewer than 20 adapter rings, but still suitable for 20 different bearing applications, that is, at least some of the adapter rings can be used for two or more bearing applications (one ring, multiple uses).

[0046] Taking the slewing bearing as an example, the various embodiments in which said universal load device form a series of different loads by utilizing combinations of counterweight components are described above. It is not difficult to understand that said universal load device is also suitable for other types of rotating apparatuses, including but not limited to pumps, motors, compressors, turbines, mixers, and the like. Similar to the rotatable ring of the bearing, these rotating apparatuses each have their own slewing components. By connecting with the slewing components, said universal load device can apply load required by any application to different types of rotating apparatus.

[0047] The universal load device described above is not limited by the specific embodiments and more general technical solutions will be subject to the limitations of the accompanying claims. Any modifications and improvements to the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present 12 202400189 invention, provided they conform to the limitations of the accompanying claims.

Claims

13 202400189Claims1. A universal load device (100) comprising an adapter ring (10), a core ring (20) and an add-on ring (30), a sum of weights of the three being utilized to construct a load required by a rotating apparatus (2) in an application, wherein said adapter ring (10) is used to reliably connect the core ring (20) on a slewing member (21) of the rotating apparatus (2), and said core ring (20) is provided to carry the add-on ring (30), characterized in that said adapter ring (10), said core ring (20) and said add-on ring (30) each form their own series of individual rings, and that the series of individual rings of the three are capable of being combined to form a series of loads required to satisfy different applications.

2. The universal load device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that said series of loads comprises 4 or more kinds of loads of different weights.

3. The universal load device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the series of individual rings of said adapter ring (10) are formed so as to have a substantially uniform weight, or are formed with different weights for different applications.

4. The universal load device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said core ring (20) and said add-on ring (30) form a radially nested structure.

5. The universal load device (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that said add-on ring (30) comprises an add-on inner ring (31) capable of being fixedly assembled on the core ring (20) from a radially inner side and an add-on outer ring (32) capable of being fixedly assembled on the core ring (20) from a radially outer side.

6. The universal load device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that said fixed assembly is realized by radial bolts (26).

7. The universal load device (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that said core ring (20) is formed with at least one locking groove (24) extending axially on its side facing the add-on ring (30), said groove (24)14 202400189 being formed in a converging cross-section with a wide groove bottom and a narrow groove opening, allowing an insert (25) of a corresponding crosssection to fit therein, and said insert (25) having a threaded hole formed on its side facing the add-on ring (30), allowing the bolt (26) passing through the add-on ring (30) to be screwed therein for fastening the core ring (20) and the add-on ring (30) together.

8. The universal load device (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that said core ring (20) and add-on ring (30) are provided to be capable of adjusting an axial displacement therebetween by means of a threaded engagement.

9. The universal load device (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that said add-on ring (30) is formed with a circumferential scale showing its angle of rotation.

10. The universal load device (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that said core ring (20) and / or said add-on ring (30) are / is formed with mass-filling holes (27) distributed along a circumference, adjusting a dynamic / static balance of the load by means of embedded massfilling members (28).

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