Rolling Mill Neck Seal With Impellers For Oil Pumping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large diameter drain lines are required in rolling mill oil film bearings to accommodate gravity flow of oil, occupying excessive space and requiring precise installation to prevent flooding, which is inefficient and cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A neck seal with an annular chamber and impellers is used to harness the kinetic energy of rotating bearing components, forcibly expelling oil, allowing for smaller drain lines and eliminating the need for gravity flow pitches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If gravity flow is used to remove oil from bearings, then oil removal is achieved, but large diameter drain lines are required occupying excessive space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the gravity-based mechanical flow system with a kinetic energy-based pumping system. Impellers mounted on the rotating neck seal generate centrifugal force to pump oil axially outward from the bearing, substituting passive gravity drainage with active mechanical pumping, thereby enabling smaller drain lines without sacrificing oil removal effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating neck seal itself serves dual functions: sealing and oil pumping. The impellers are integrated directly onto the neck seal, utilizing its rotational motion to generate the pumping action. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate pumping mechanisms while achieving the goal of reducing drain line size and simplifying installation
2Reliability
If gravity flow is used to remove oil from bearings, then oil removal is achieved, but precise installation pitches are required to prevent flooding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the gravity-based mechanical flow system with a kinetic energy-based pumping system. Impellers mounted on the rotating neck seal generate centrifugal force to pump oil axially outward from the bearing, substituting passive gravity drainage with active mechanical pumping, thereby enabling smaller drain lines without sacrificing oil removal effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static gravity-dependent flow to dynamic kinetic energy-driven pumping. The impellers on the rotating neck seal create a dynamic pumping action that actively propels oil outward, making the system adaptable to varying operating conditions and eliminating the need for precise installation pitches
3Volume of moving object
If kinetic energy of rotating components is used to pump oil, then smaller drain lines can be used, but additional components (impellers, annular chamber) are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function and oil pumping function into a single integrated component - the neck seal. The impellers are mounted directly on the neck seal, combining two previously separate functions (sealing and oil removal) into one unified structure, thereby minimizing additional components while achieving the goal of smaller drain lines
Solution Approach 2:
The impellers are nested within the annular chamber formed by the neck seal and bearing components. The entire pumping mechanism is contained within the existing bearing structure, with the impellers operating inside the annular space, thereby integrating the pumping function without significantly increasing external dimensions or structural complexity
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
This solution reduces the size of drain lines and simplifies their installation by using the kinetic energy of the rotating components to efficiently pump oil out of the bearing, maintaining efficient operation without the need for gravity-driven flow.
Implementation Method 1
The neck seal coacts with other bearing components to define an annular chamber arranged to receive the laminar flow of oil exiting from between the sleeve and bushing. The annular chamber has a tangential outlet, and the oil is rotatively driven around the chamber and out through the outlet by impellers carried by the neck seal.
Implementation Method 2
In an improved system described in a copending application, the kinetic energy of rotating bearing components is employed to pump oil out of the bearings. Because the oil is forcibly expelled, smaller drain lines may be employed to handle the exiting oil flow, without the need to maintain the drain pitches required to accommodate gravity flow.
Implementation Method 3
The sleeve and bushing are dimensioned to define a gap therebetween. During operation, oil is introduced continuously into the gap where it is rotatably urged into a hydrodynamically maintained film between the sleeve and bushing at the load zone of the bearing.
Data Source
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AI summary
A seal is disclosed for use in a rolling mill oil film bearing in which a sleeve (12) is mounted on a roll neck (14) for rotation therewith, the sleeve (12) is journalled for rotation in a fixed bushing (18), and a flow of oil exits from between the sleeve (12) and the bushing (18). The seal comprises a flexible circular seal body (25) adapted to be mounted on and to rotate with the roll neck (14). Circumferentially spaced impellers (42) project from the seal body (25). The impellers (42) are rotatable with the seal body (25) and serve to rotatively propel oil exiting from between the sleeve (12) and bushing (18).