Clean-in-place Shaft Bushing with Longitudinal Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clean-in-place systems for food processing vats primarily focus on cleaning the interior and large mechanical components, leaving supports for rotating components, such as shaft bushings, to be manually cleaned and often inaccessible for thorough cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A clean-in-place system with a bushing support and spray system that allows for automatic delivery of cleaning fluid through longitudinal grooves in the bushing, enabling thorough cleaning of the bushing, shaft, and collar interfaces without manual intervention, using a bushing support with multiple legs for enhanced accessibility and a sprayer system to disperse cleaning fluid effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If clean-in-place systems are designed to clean interior walls and large mechanical components, then cleaning coverage of main vat surfaces is improved, but cleaning accessibility to bushing interfaces and support structures remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is segmented with multiple openings distributed around its circumference, allowing cleaning fluid to access multiple interfaces simultaneously. The bushing support structure is also segmented with multiple legs, creating accessible pathways for cleaning fluid to reach previously inaccessible bushing interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing support structure with multiple legs acts as an intermediary that provides pathways for cleaning fluid to reach the bushing interfaces. The support structure mediates between the cleaning fluid delivery system and the previously inaccessible bushing-shaft interfaces.
2Reliability
If bushing interfaces are made accessible for cleaning, then cleaning thoroughness is improved, but structural stability of the bushing support system may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing support structure is divided into multiple legs that are distributed around the bushing. This segmentation provides multiple stable support points while creating accessible pathways for cleaning fluid to reach the bushing interfaces from multiple directions.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing support structure serves multiple functions: it provides structural stability through its leg configuration while simultaneously providing cleaning access pathways. The same structural elements that provide stability also enable cleaning fluid delivery to previously inaccessible interfaces.
3Measurement precision
If manual cleaning of bushing interfaces is required, then cleaning precision at interfaces can be maintained, but labor time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The clean-in-place system enables the bushing and support structure to clean themselves automatically. The openings in the bushing and the multi-legged support structure work together to deliver cleaning fluid to all interfaces, allowing the system to maintain itself without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing and support structure are pre-configured with openings and pathways that enable automatic cleaning fluid delivery to all interfaces before contamination can occur. This preliminary design feature ensures that cleaning can be performed automatically without requiring subsequent manual cleaning operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
A shaft bushing (150) is provided that can be automatically cleaned in place, without requiring manual cleaning by a technician, and that can be used with food processing equipment. The shaft bushing has a body (155) with a circumferential sidewall (160), opposing ends, and an opening (182) in at least one of the ends that can accept cleaning fluid thereinto. The opening may be defined by ends of longitudinal grooves that extend along the bushing and that may direct the cleaning fluid between the bushing body and the support structure, and/or the bushing body and the shaft.