Transmission housing arrangement comprising air conducting element

Abstract

The invention relates to a transmission housing arrangement (10) for an industrial transmission (50), comprising a housing element (12) forming a first central plane EM1, and an air conducting element (14) forming a second central plane EM2, wherein the air conducting element 14 at least partially houses the housing element (12), an electric fan (16) arranged at least partially within the air conducting element (14) in order to generate an air flow along the housing element (12) during operation of the electric fan (16), wherein the first central plane EM1 of the housing element (12) and the second central plane EM2 of the air conducting element (14) are at an angle of between 30° and 60° to one another.

Description

[0001] FLENDER GMBH

[0002] FLENDER INDUSTRIEGETRIEBE GMBH Düsseldorf, March 23, 2026 Our reference: FD45944 - 2025P04762WO

[0003] Flender GmbH

[0004] Alfred-Flender-Str. 77, 46395 Bocholt, Germany

[0005] and

[0006] Flender Industriegetriebe GmbH

[0007] Thierbacher Straße 24, 09322 Penig, Germany

[0008] Gearbox housing assembly with air guide element

[0009] Description

[0010] The invention relates to a gearbox housing arrangement for an industrial gearbox, comprising a housing element forming a first intermediate plane, a gearbox input shaft received in the housing element and arranged in the first intermediate plane, and an air guide element forming a second intermediate plane, wherein the air guide element at least partially encloses the housing element, and an electric fan arranged at least partially within the air guide element and in the second intermediate plane in order to generate an airflow along the housing element during operation of the electric fan.

[0011] Gearboxes have a thermal performance limit due to heat generation during operation. In some cases, the thermal performance limit is lower than the mechanical performance limit. In these cases, cooling is necessary to raise the thermal performance limit and ideally bring it in line with the mechanical performance limit. Cooling can be achieved in various ways. One option is air cooling. There are two main types of air cooling: the shaft fan, which is continuously driven by the drive shaft, and the electrically driven fan. Both fan types are located outside the gearbox and therefore result in accessible rotating parts that can pose a risk of injury. For this reason, a protective cover is required.In the context of air cooling, this protective cover becomes an air guide element to ensure better airflow in addition to protecting it from rotating parts (protective function) – cooling function. Each air guide element has a defined air inlet and outlet area. Air guide elements are available for spur and bevel helical gearboxes in various sizes, gear ratios, and numbers of gear stages. Mechanical air cooling becomes more complex, especially with a bevel helical gearbox with an attached adapter housing – also called a motor housing. This leads to a high degree of variety in order to provide a suitable gearbox housing arrangement for each gearbox variant, which presents a logistical challenge. WO 2021 / 180484 A1 discloses an air guide element for a gearbox housing. US 2016 / 312877 A1 shows a gearbox housing with an air guide element surrounding a fan driven by a gearbox shaft.CN 106438955 A shows a filter housing on which an electric fan and a filter element are mounted at an angle on the front, at the top. There is a constant need to reduce the variety of possible air guide elements for different gearbox types and sizes.

[0012] The purpose of the invention is to identify measures that make it possible to reduce the variety of possible air guide elements for different gearbox types and sizes.

[0013] The problem is solved by a gearbox housing arrangement having the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are specified in the dependent claims and the following description, each of which, individually or in combination, can represent an aspect of the invention.

[0014] One embodiment relates to a gearbox housing arrangement for an industrial gearbox, comprising a housing element forming a first median plane, a gearbox input shaft received in the housing element and arranged in the first median plane, and an air guide element forming a second median plane, wherein the air guide element at least partially encloses the housing element, and an electric fan arranged at least partially within the air guide element and in the second median plane to generate an airflow along the housing element during operation of the electric fan, wherein the first median plane of the housing element and the second median plane of the air guide element are at an angle between 20° and 80° to each other.

[0015] The proposed gearbox housing arrangement represents an optimal compromise between a vertical roof-mounted air guide element with a fan and a lateral arrangement, i.e., next to the gearbox housing. With this arrangement, the respective end face of the gearbox housing can be effectively cooled. High cooling efficiency is ensured, primarily because the cooling airflow reaches and cools multiple surfaces. The air guide element can therefore be made smaller, thus reducing the number of interfering contours of the gearbox housing and / or attached components that need to be considered in the design. Overall, this reduces the number of times the gearbox housing assembly needs to be removed from the gearbox housing for servicing.

[0016] A drive shaft is mounted within the housing element using suitable means. The drive shaft is connected to a drive motor and can be driven by it around a rotary axis as needed. The housing element typically contains an oil sump within it, providing lubrication for the transmission components such as gears and bearings. A temperature sensor for measuring the oil temperature may be located in the oil sump.

[0017] The gearbox housing arrangement ensures improved airflow to the gearbox surface and achieves a larger airflow area. The angled arrangement of the air guide element advantageously allows the cooling air to reach different surfaces of the housing element without requiring significant changes in direction through additional measures. Overall, this results in improved cooling of the gearbox temperature. This is particularly advantageous when the air guide element projects beyond an end face of the housing element in a direction lying in the first median plane of the housing element. It can be specifically provided that the air guide element projects beyond both the end face of the housing element and a longitudinal side perpendicular to the end face.It is particularly advantageous if the air guide element projects approximately halfway over the front face of the housing element on the one hand and over the longitudinal side orthogonal to it on the other.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the air guide element is multi-part, comprising at least one hood element and an adapter element attached to the hood element. The hood element is mounted opposite the housing element, and the electric fan is either held directly on the air guide plate or the adapter element accommodates the electric fan. The air guide element can be designed as a non-load-bearing component and merely serve as an enclosure for the electric fan. This is particularly advantageous when the electric fan is mounted opposite the housing element. This also allows the air guide element to be used as a retrofit component. The adapter element can form a cutout, at least approximately circular, to accommodate the electric fan.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the adapter element is pivotable relative to the hood element. The electric fan is mounted opposite the adapter element, and the angular adjustability ensures optimal airflow direction to the sides of the gearbox. In another preferred embodiment, the cutout is eccentric with respect to a center point of the adapter element. In a specific embodiment, the adapter element can have several predetermined breaking points created by laser perforation, allowing cutouts to be made as needed.

[0020] In a further preferred embodiment, several guide vanes are arranged within the air guide element for at least the lateral distribution of cooling air. This allows for even more targeted flow control, more effective cooling, and thus improved heat dissipation from the housing side walls.

[0021] In a further preferred embodiment, a transmission input shaft and an adapter housing connected to the housing element are provided for adapting a drive motor, and the air guide element is indirectly connected to the housing element via the adapter housing. This ensures that the transmission input area is cooled by a cooling airflow directed specifically to it. It is particularly preferred that an internal volume of the air guide element is connected to an internal volume of the adapter housing.

[0022] Preferably, the air guide element is held relative to the housing element by means of brackets whose position can be changed as required.

[0023] The problem can also be solved by a gearbox with a gearbox housing arrangement as described, which is a spur gear gearbox or a bevel gear gearbox.

[0024] The invention is explained below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. The drawings show:

[0025] Fig. 1: a schematic top view of a bevel-spur gear drive;

[0026] Fig. 2: an embodiment of a gearbox housing arrangement for a gearbox according to Figure 1; Fig. 3: an alternative to the arrangement shown in Figure 2;

[0027] Fig. 4: an embodiment of a gearbox housing arrangement for a spur gear transmission;

[0028] Fig. 5: an air guide element as a detail in exploded view;

[0029] Fig. 6: a variant of an air guide element as a detail in exploded view;

[0030] Fig. 7: a detail of an electric fan;

[0031] Fig. 8a) to 8c): different positions of the electric fan in the air guide element and Fig. 9: a schematic top view of the adapter element of an air guide element.

[0032] Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a gearbox 50 in the form of a bevel-spur gear unit. The gearbox 50 can also be designed as a spur gear unit. The gearbox 50 is illustrated with a housing element 12, a gearbox input shaft 56, and a gearbox output shaft 58. An air guide element 10 is also shown, which in this case is arranged on the side of the gearbox input shaft 56, partially enclosing the housing element 12. A drive motor 52 is connected to the gearbox input shaft 56 for driving it. A fan arranged within the air guide element 10 for generating a cooling airflow is not shown. Reference is made to the figures described below for this.

[0033] Figure 2 shows a partial view of a possible embodiment of the gearbox housing arrangement 10 for an industrial gearbox 50. The gearbox 50 is a bevel-spur gearbox. A drive motor 52 is shown, connected to the gearbox 50 via a coupling 34. A housing element 12 of the gearbox 50 is provided, and a first intermediate plane EMI can be defined for this housing element 12. An air guide element 14 is also provided, which partially encloses the housing element 12, and a second intermediate plane EM2 can be defined for this housing element 12. The planes EMI and EM2 are shown here with dashed lines. An electric fan 16 is provided, which is arranged here within the air guide element 14 to generate an airflow along the housing element 12 during operation of the electric fan 16.For the operation of the electric fan 16, a control and regulation unit, not shown and not described in detail, may be provided.

[0034] The arrangement of the air guide element 14 relative to the housing element 12 is such that the first median plane EMI of the housing element 12 and the second median plane EM2 of the air guide element 14 are at an angle between 20° and 80° to each other. The air guide element 14 projects beyond an end face 18 of the housing element 12 in a direction Ri lying in the first median plane EMI of the housing element 12. Furthermore, the air guide element 14 projects beyond a longitudinal side 20 of the housing element 12 that is at least largely orthogonal to the end face 18. The projection beyond the end face 18 on the one hand and beyond the longitudinal side 20 on the other hand can be approximately equal with respect to the air guide element 14.A cooling airflow generated by the electric fan 16 and guided through the air guide element 14 splits as a result of this angular positioning into a partial airflow 36 along the front face 18 and another partial flow 38 along the long side 20 of the housing element 12.

[0035] Figure 3 shows an alternative to the arrangement shown in Figure 2. An adapter housing 32 is provided, which surrounds the transmission input shaft 56 and connects the drive motor 52 to the housing element 12. An internal volume of the air guide element 14 is connected to an internal volume of the adapter housing 32, so that the airflow 36 deflected along the end face 18 is directed into the adapter housing 32. The adapter housing 32 has vertical openings 40 at the top and bottom through which the airflow can enter and exit the adapter housing 32.

[0036] Figure 4 shows a partial view of a possible embodiment of the gearbox housing assembly 10 for an industrial gearbox 50, which is a spur gear gearbox. A drive motor 52 and an adapter housing 32 are not shown. Figure 5 shows the air guide element 14 in exploded view. The air guide element 14 is a multi-part assembly consisting of a hood element 22 and an adapter element 24 attached to the hood element 22 at an angle from above. The electric fan 16, not shown here, is located in a cutout 26 of the adapter element 24 that is at least largely circular; see Figure 9. The air guide element 14 has supports 42, the position of which can be changed as needed, and which hold the air guide element 14 relative to the housing element 12.

[0037] Figure 6 shows a variant of the air guide element 14 in an exploded view. Here, the adapter element 24 is pivotable relative to the hood element 22. The figure shows that several guide vanes 30 are arranged within the air guide element 14. Reference numeral 44 indicates mounting points through which the air guide element 14 can be attached to the housing element 12. The pivotable adapter element 24 is attached to the hood element 22 by hinges 46 and a lock 48. The electric fan 16 (not shown) is attached to the adapter element 24. This allows for the attachment of different sized electric fans 16 using the same adapter element 24. Furthermore, the adapter element 24 can be pivoted and locked vertically in any position. For this purpose, a vertical slot 23 is provided, which is secured by the lock 48.

[0038] Figure 7 shows an electric fan 16 as a detail. The electric fan 16 is provided with a jet tube 17 on its downstream side. Reference numeral 35 denotes various airflow jets that can be achieved by pivoting the adapter element 24 relative to the hood element 22.

[0039] Figures 8a) to 8c) show three different pivot positions of the adapter element 24 relative to the hood element 22. Figure 9 shows a top view and schematic representation of an adapter element 24 and the possibility of arranging the cutout 26, into which the electric fan 16 is inserted, in various ways and adapting its size to the electric fan 16, which can vary in size depending on the application. The cutout 26 can be eccentric with respect to a center point of the adapter element 24. Several predetermined breaking points produced by laser perforation 28 can be present on the adapter element 24 to allow cutouts 26 to be broken out as needed. Reference numeral list

[0040] 10 Gearbox housing arrangement 12 Housing element

[0041] 14 Air guide element

[0042] 16 electric fans

[0043] 17 nozzle

[0044] 18 Front

[0045] 20 Long side

[0046] 22 Hood element

[0047] 24 adapter element

[0048] 23 Slotted groove

[0049] 26 Excerpt

[0050] 28 Laser perforation

[0051] 30 guide plate

[0052] 32 adapter housings

[0053] 34 Clutch

[0054] 35 Airflow jet

[0055] 36 Partial airflow

[0056] 38 Partial airflow

[0057] 40 Opening

[0058] 42 bracket

[0059] 44 attachment points

[0060] 46 hinge

[0061] 48 Castle

[0062] 50 gearboxes

[0063] 52 Drive motor

[0064] 56 Transmission input shaft 58 Transmission output shaft

Claims

Patent claims 1. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) for an industrial gearbox (50), comprising a housing element (12) forming a first intermediate plane (EMI), a transmission input shaft (56) received in the housing element (12) and arranged in the first intermediate plane (EMI) and an air guide element (14) forming a second intermediate plane (EM?), wherein the air guide element (14) at least partially encloses the housing element (12), an electric fan (16) arranged at least partially within the air guide element (14) and in the second intermediate plane (EM2) to generate an airflow along the housing element (12) during operation of the electric fan (16), characterized in that the first intermediate plane (EMI) of the housing element (12) and the second intermediate plane (EM2) of the air guide element (14) are at an angle between 30° and 60° to each other.

2. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the air guide element (14) projects beyond an end face (18) of the housing element (12) in a direction lying in the first intermediate plane (EMI) of the housing element (12).

3. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the air guide element (14) projects, in particular approximately halfway, over the end face (18) of the housing element (12) and over a longitudinal side (20) that is orthogonal to the end face (18).

4. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the air guide element (14) is designed in multiple parts with at least one hood element (22) and an adapter element (24) attached to the hood element (22), wherein the hood element (22) is attached to the housing element (12) and the adapter element (24) accommodates the electric fan (16).

5. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that the adapter element (24) is pivotable relative to the hood element (22).

6. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the adapter element (24) forms an at least largely round cutout (26) for receiving the electric fan (16).

7. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that the cutout (26) is eccentric with respect to a center point of the adapter element (24).

8. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that several predetermined breaking points produced by a laser perforation (28) are provided on the adapter element (24) in order to cut out sections (26) as required via the predetermined breaking points.

9. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the electric fan (16) is attached relative to the housing element (12).

10. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that several guide plates (30) are arranged within the air guide element (14) for at least lateral distribution of cooling air.

11. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a gearbox input shaft (56) and an adapter housing (32) connected to the housing element (12) and surrounding the gearbox input shaft (56) is provided for adapting a drive motor (52) and the air guide element (14) is indirectly connected to the housing element (12) via the adapter housing (32).

12. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to claim 11, characterized in that an internal volume of the air guide element (14) is connected to an internal volume of the adapter housing (32).

13. Gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the air guide element (14) is held relative to the housing element (12) by means of supports (42) which can be changed in their position as required.

14. Gearbox (50) with a gearbox housing arrangement (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is a spur gear gearbox or a bevel spur gear gearbox.

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