Worm Gear Reducer Cartridge for Torque Limiter Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gear reducers with a worm and crown-wheel assembly are difficult to disassemble, particularly when replacing a worn torque limiter, as the entire crown-wheel assembly must be disassembled from the worm.
Innovation Solution
A gear reducer design where the drive shaft and torque limiter are housed in a cartridge that can be axially extracted or inserted into the crown-wheel assembly without disassembling the worm, allowing for independent maintenance of the torque limiter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the crown-wheel assembly is integrated with the worm in a fixed structure, then the gear reducer has high structural stability, but the torque limiter becomes difficult to disassemble for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The crown-wheel assembly is segmented into modular components: the crown wheel, carrier hub, and drive shaft with torque limiter form a separable unit that can be independently removed from the worm assembly. This segmentation allows the torque limiter to be accessed and replaced without disassembling the entire gear reducer.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive shaft and torque limiter are extracted as a separate removable cartridge from the crown-wheel assembly. This extraction design enables maintenance personnel to remove and replace the torque limiter independently, solving the difficulty of accessing worn torque limiters in integrated structures.
2Productivity
If the torque limiter is integrated into the crown-wheel assembly, then the structure is compact, but replacing the torque limiter requires disassembling the entire crown-wheel assembly from the worm
Solution Approach 1:
The drive shaft and torque limiter are nested within the crown-wheel assembly as a removable cartridge. This nested design allows the inner components (torque limiter) to be accessed by simply removing the outer cartridge, eliminating the need to disassemble the entire crown-wheel assembly from the worm.
Solution Approach 2:
The cartridge is pre-configured as a complete removable unit containing the drive shaft and torque limiter. This preliminary preparation of modular components enables quick replacement of the torque limiter without requiring complex disassembly procedures during maintenance operations.
3Ease of repair
If the drive shaft and torque limiter are fixed in place, then the structure is stable, but maintenance requires complete disassembly of the gear reducer
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the crown-wheel assembly and the drive shaft cartridge is designed to be dynamically changeable - firmly fixed during operation for stability, but easily separable during maintenance. This is achieved through removable mounting features that provide structural integrity during use but allow quick extraction when needed.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A gear reducer comprising a worm and a worm gear assembly, in turn comprising a worm gear, which is connected/disconnected to/from a drive shaft by means of a torque limiter mounted on this latter. The gear reducer is characterized in that the drive shaft and the torque limiter are comprised in a cartridge which can be extracted/inserted from/in a cavity obtained in the worm gear assembly according to an axial direction and in accordance with two opposite senses, without the need to disassemble the worm.