Spherical Bearing for Lock Gate Door Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lock gate doors face challenges in maintaining smooth and accurate opening and closing operations over a long period due to high loads from water pressure, leading to wear and potential misalignment, especially in non-powered types.
Innovation Solution
A spherical bearing system featuring a convex curved body with a spherical or toroidal surface and a concave curved seat with a toroidal surface, where the toroidal surface's center of curvature is offset from the spherical center, allowing controlled sliding contact and uniform wear distribution, combined with lubricating oil grooves and solid lubricants to reduce friction and prevent leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a non-powered type lock gate door is used to regulate waterway opening and closing, then the door body can operate smoothly initially, but it becomes difficult to maintain smooth and accurate operation for a long period due to large loads from water pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a spherical bearing system where the supporting shaft features a spherical surface and the bearing seat has a toroidal curved surface. This curved surface geometry allows for smooth relative motion while distributing loads evenly, maintaining operational accuracy over long periods despite large water pressure loads on the door body
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the bearing surfaces, specifically using a toroidal curved surface with its center of curvature offset from the spherical center by a predetermined distance. This parameter modification optimizes the contact area and stress distribution, enabling long-term reliable operation under heavy loads
2Reliability
If a supporting shaft is used for door body rotation, then the door can be supported, but local wear occurs in the concave curved seat due to concentrated contact, preventing long-term smooth operation
Solution Approach 1:
The toroidal curved surface geometry with its specific radius of curvature relationship (smaller than the spherical surface radius) creates a distributed contact area rather than a concentrated point contact. This curvature design ensures uniform wear across the entire bearing surface, preventing local degradation and maintaining long-term operational stability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different curvature characteristics to different surfaces: the spherical surface on the supporting shaft and the toroidal curved surface on the bearing seat. This local differentiation of surface properties optimizes the contact mechanics, ensuring uniform wear distribution and enhanced reliability
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 spherical bearing system ensures smooth and accurate operation of lock gate doors by limiting initial contact areas, promoting uniform wear and reducing friction, thereby maintaining long-term operational efficiency and preventing local wear.
Implementation Method 1
a concave curved seat having another one of the spherical surface and the toroidal curved surface which slidably contacts the one of the spherical surface and the toroidal curved surface of the convex curved body
Implementation Method 2
it is possible to allow the wear to occur uniformly over that entire toroidal curved surface
Implementation Method 3
combined with lubricating oil grooves and solid lubricants to reduce friction
Implementation Method 4
combined with lubricating oil grooves and solid lubricants to reduce friction
Data Source
AI summary
A lock gate door (1) includes a pair of door bodies (2, 3); a pair of spherical bearings (6) for a lock gate door for rotatably supporting lower corner portions (4) of the door bodies (2, 3), respectively; and a pair of supporting portions (7) for rotatably supporting upper corner portions (5) of the door bodies (2, 3), respectively. The spherical bearing (6) includes a convex curved body (22) having a spherical surface (21) and a concave curved seat (24) having a toroidal curved surface (23) which slidably contacts the convex curved body (22), and is disposed on a downstream (16) side of a waterway (9) with respect to the supporting portion (7) in such a manner as to incline a rotational axis (C).