Cylindrical Gear Housing With Annular Gaps for Lower Power Loss

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-speed spur gears experience power losses due to air-oil mixture turbulence and premature wear, with existing solutions focusing on complex and costly vacuum generation to minimize pressure losses, which are not optimized for lubrication and adjustability.

Innovation Solution

A spur gear design featuring two toothed spur gears enclosed by a two-part shell wall with merging annular gaps, allowing for adjustable sealing and lubrication, and incorporating elastic mounting and cooling features to minimize wear and power losses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If complex sealing measures and powerful vacuum pumps are used to generate strong vacuum, then power losses are reduced, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower lossesVSAvoidsealing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The transmission housing is divided into a working chamber and a return chamber by a partition wall. The return chamber is further segmented into an inner return chamber and an outer return chamber, allowing independent pressure control in each zone. This segmentation enables the invention to achieve effective lubrication oil return without requiring strong vacuum in the entire housing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A return oil guide is introduced as an intermediary component to transport lubrication oil from the working chamber to the return chamber. This guide provides a dedicated pathway for oil return, eliminating the need for strong vacuum to drive oil flow back to the sump.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of energy

If complex sealing measures and powerful vacuum pumps are used to generate strong vacuum, then power losses are reduced, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower lossesVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention replaces expensive vacuum pumps with simple, low-cost components such as partition walls, return oil guides, and adjustable sealing elements. These components are inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, significantly reducing the overall system cost while achieving the same energy loss reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the rotational motion of the spur gears themselves to drive the return oil guide, which in turn operates the adjustable sealing element to control pressure. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external vacuum pumps and their associated costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Loss of energy

If tight encapsulation with shell wall is used to generate negative pressure, then power losses are reduced, but adjustability and lubrication control are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower lossesVSAvoidadjustability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing element is made adjustable rather than fixed, allowing the pressure in the return chamber to be dynamically controlled. This adjustability enables optimization of lubrication conditions and adaptation to different operating conditions while still maintaining the pressure differential needed to reduce power losses.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The return chamber serves multiple functions: it collects lubrication oil from the working chamber, provides a pressure control zone for optimizing lubrication, and enables adjustable sealing without compromising the overall encapsulation effectiveness for power loss reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design effectively reduces power losses and wear while being cost-effective and easily adjustable, with precise control over annular gaps and lubrication, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of high-speed spur gear operations.

Implementation Method 1

The shell wall is elastically mounted in the transmission housing, so that thermal expansion or different thermal expansions between the shell wall and the transmission housing can be compensated

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

by means of which a lubricating oil flow can be introduced or injected into the teeth of the spur gears

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLubrication: Lubrication

Implementation Method 3

a flow of coolant can advantageously be passed over the shell wall and/or through the shell wall

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP3464951B1Cylindrical-gear transmission
Publication Date: 2022.04.06 VOITH PATENT GMBH
  • EP3464951B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3464951B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3464951B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a cylindrical-gear transmission having at least two toothed cylindrical gears, the sets of teeth of which mesh with each other and which can be rotated about respective axes of rotation; having an enveloping wall, which encloses the two cylindrical gears in the circumferential direction and in the direction of the axes of rotation; wherein the enveloping wall has an internal contour that is matched to the outside diameters of the cylindrical gears in such a way that two annular gaps result between the enveloping wall and the cylindrical gears, which annular gaps merge into each other, wherein the annular gaps are arranged at least substantially concentric to the respective axes of rotation; characterized in that the enveloping wall is formed by a two-part housing, which is closed along a joint and which has an upper part and a lower part, wherein the joint extends partially or completely substantially within a plane in which one of the two axes of rotation extends or the two axes of rotation extend; wherein at least the upper part of the enveloping wall or the upper part and the lower part of the enveloping wall are designed as a welded construction.