Shaft-Mounted Slinger Blade Structure for Motor Liquid Diversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slingers for electric motors in wet or humid environments are inefficient in diverting liquids away from the shaft opening and prone to premature failure due to flexing or vibration.
Innovation Solution
A slinger design featuring a hub and wheel with radially extending blades forming passages, fixed to the output shaft, which rotates to divert liquids radially outward, preventing liquid ingress into the motor chamber and enhancing cooling through induced air flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional slingers with solid plate and blades are used, then liquid diversion function is provided, but liquid diversion efficiency is poor and premature failure occurs due to excessive flexing or vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The slinger is divided into a hub portion and a wheel portion that are selectively assembleable, allowing the wheel to be separated from the hub. This segmentation enables independent optimization of each component - the hub can be designed for secure shaft mounting while the wheel can be optimized for liquid diversion efficiency, reducing overall flexing and vibration
Solution Approach 2:
The blade configuration parameters are optimized with specific radial lengths, angles, and spacing to maximize liquid diversion efficiency while minimizing vibration. The passages between blades are designed with specific geometries to enhance liquid movement away from the shaft opening
2Reliability
If conventional slingers are mounted on the output shaft, then liquid diversion is attempted, but the slingers are prone to premature failure due to excessive flexing or vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The hub is designed with features that accommodate and cushion vibrations before they propagate to the wheel portion. The selective assembly design allows for pre-tensioning or alignment features that reduce excessive flexing during operation, preventing premature failure while maintaining effective liquid diversion
Solution Approach 2:
By separating the hub and wheel portions, the design isolates the vibration-prone wheel from the firmly mounted hub, preventing vibration transmission that would cause premature failure while maintaining the liquid diversion function
3Device complexity
If a solid plate slinger design is used, then liquid diversion is provided, but the design is complex and prone to vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The slinger is segmented into hub and wheel portions that can be manufactured separately with simpler geometries and then assembled. This reduces manufacturing complexity compared to forming a single complex solid plate structure, while the segmented design inherently reduces vibration through decoupling
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
Effectively restricts liquid migration into the motor chamber, enhances cooling by promoting turbulent air flow and convection heat transfer, and improves the durability of the slinger by reducing the impact of vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
The slinger is rotatable with the output shaft to divert liquid radially away from the output shaft and the shaft opening
Implementation Method 2
enhances cooling by promoting turbulent air flow and convection heat transfer
Data Source
AI summary
A slinger for an electric motor broadly includes a hub and a wheel. The motor includes a housing in which a stator and rotor are at least partly housed. The motor also includes a rotatable output shaft projecting upwardly through a shaft opening in the housing. The hub is fixedly attachable to the output shaft of the motor so that the slinger rotates with the output shaft. The wheel is configured to divert liquid radially away from the shaft opening. The wheel includes a wheel plate and a plurality of radially extending blades cooperatively forming a series of passages extending radially outward relative to the shaft opening, when the hub is attached to the output shaft. The wheel plate is supported by the hub so as to be positioned above the housing when the hub is attached to the output shaft. The blades present radially inboard ends intersecting the hub.