US2987051A - Water-operated oscillator - Google Patents

Description

June 6, 1961 Filed Oct. 22, 1958 F. H. GOYETTE ET AL WATER-OPERATED OSCILLATOR 22 FIG.|

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS E HENRY GOYETTE ROGER E. BEDARD ATTORNEY Junefi, 1961 F. H. GOYETTE ETAL 2,987,051

WATER-OPERATED OSCILLATOR Filed Oct. 22, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTORS F. HENRY GOYETTE ROGE R E. BEDARD ATTORNEY Patgnt :2

2,987,051 WATER-OPERATED OSCILLATOR Francis Henry Goyette, Worcester, and Roger E. Bedard,

West Boylston, Mass., assignors to Lodding Engineering Corporation, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Oct. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 768,924

'5 Claims. (Cl. 121-123) This invention relates to a new and improved reciprocating power means in the form of a water, or similar fluid, operated oscillating device which is particularly adapted for use in the paper-making industry where water is available and in fact machinery is often operated in a moist atmosphere which is deleterious to the use of electric motors and mechanical reciprocators and oscillators; and one of the advantages of the present invention resides in the fact that the present device continues in operation for long periods of time, without any failure and Without any attention whatsoever on the part of the operator; it is easily controlled as to speed of reciprocation merely by adjusting a hand valve controlling the water pressure directed thereto and it is so sturdy and rugged that it may itself carry the shower pipes for paper-making machinery or the doctors therefor, and furthermore, as in head box showers, the oscillator may be provided with a support which allows the same to rock as well as reciprocate.

Other objects and advantages reside in the provision of a device of the class described which is particularly adapted to water usage under conditions of continuous moisture and wherein space requirements are at a premium; the whole assembly of the present device only has to be serviced about once a month if at all to be kept in continuous operation; the entire device is a unit; first cost, upkeep and failure are small; furthermore, a valve may be changed if need arises in five minutes or less by a simple actuation of the parts described hereinafter, and the power may be derived from an electric or other pump at a remote point for re-circulation and saving of the fluid, although the amount needed is relatively small and usually need not be recaptured.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear. hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating the device;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view therethrough;

FIG. 3 is an end view, looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section illustrating a modification;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating application to a shower pipe; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view illustrating how the valve rings are maintained firmly in position in their seats.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a base 10 providing a support for a yoke 'or the like 12, the latter having a pair of upstanding arms (see FIG. 3) journalling a pair of swivel-pins 14 thereon for mounting a housing 16 for a rocking action thereof. The housing 16 provides a support for the reciprocating piston rod assembly 18 which has an exhaust port or pipe 20 connectd thereto. At its opposite end in an enlargement as for instance at 22, the housing 16 provides a fixed support for a cylinder 24 which may be securely mounted thereon as for instance by the bolts 26 mounted in an end cap 28 so that the cylinder is firmly secured in fixed relation to the housing 16.

Housing 16 at the enlarged portion 22 thereof is provided with an inlet fixture at 30 to which is connected a water or other fluid supply pipe 32 having a valve 34 and also a pressure indicator if that is desired or convenient; and the water supply continuously provides fluid under pressure through fitting 30 into the interior of the cylinder 28. Preferably the piston rod assembly is slidably mounted in a bronze bushing or similar slide bearing 36 which itself may be provided with U-cup washers 38 at each end thereof as well as with retaining rings or the like as at 40. The piston rod assembly as shown in FIG. 2 may be closed by means of a piston rod cap 42 which in this case may mount by any desired means a clevis or the like 44 for connection to the element which is to be reciprocated as for instance as shown in FIG. 5, to be later described.

At its inner or opposite end, the piston rod assembly is closed by means of a piston cap 46 having mounted in this case centrally thereof a hollow piston screw 48, the same providing a water passage into the interior of the piston assembly for exhaust through the fitting 20.

The piston screw is conveniently mounted in a piston member which is generally indicated at St) and the piston screw 48 fixedly connects the piston member 50 to the piston cap 46 and hence to the piston assembly.

The piston element 50 is provided with an O-ring 52 which surrounds an opening at 54 forming a passage to the interior of the piston assembly, and this O-ring is actually a valve seat closed by a rear plate valve member 56 by being pressed against the O-ring by the rear valve spring at 58.

The accurate positioning and holding of the O-ring 52 is extremely important inasmuch as it will be seen that,

this valve is closed merely by the valve plate 56 coming to rest flatly against the O-ring, and this is achieved by peening or turning the material of the piston member 50 as illustrated at 58 in FIG. 6 to firmly grip the O-ring at a point above the diameter thereof, whereby the O-ring is firmly held in a very accurate co-planar position so that the valve may be cleanly and positively closed off during the operation of the device.

There is also provided a front platevalve member 60 which is centrally apertured at 62 and surrounds a boss 64 at the forward end of piston member 5 0 (see FIG. 2). This front plate valve is mounted on a plurality ofpins 66 which extend through the piston member 50 and are connected to the rear. valve plate 56. Each pin 66 is provided with a separator bushing 68 which serves to space the front and rear valve plates 56 and 60 and they are held together by the pins 66 which may be threaded and screwed into the front valve plate 60 as clearly shown in FIG. 2.

The pins 66 extend through relatively enlarged through openings 70 in piston member 50 which are surrounded at the front face thereof by smaller O-rings 72 which may be held in position as for instance as above described with respect to the Q-ring 52.

It will be noted that the front and rear valve plates 56 and 60 are spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the valve seats provided by the respective O- rings 52 and 72 and that therefore when one Valve is closed, the other valve is open. In FIG 2, the front valve is shown open and the rear valve is shown as closed. Surrounding the piston assembly there is a spring 74 this being the front valve-closing spring, spring 58 being the rear valve-closing spring.

The operation of the actuator is as follows: The water or fluid under controlled pressure being received through fitting 30, flows into the cylinder 24 surrounding the piston assembly 18 but not entering the same by reason of the fact that spring 58 maintains rear valve plate 56 in closed condition with respect to O-ring 52, and this forms the only possible passage for the fluid into the interior of the piston assembly. On the other hand, however, the fluid passes into and through the passages 70, front valve plate 60 being open, and the water pressure therefore is exerted at the rear of the piston member 50, moving the entire piston assembly to the right in FIG. 2.

When the rear end of spring 74 is encountered by plate 60, the latter is moved relatively rearwardly with respect to piston member 50, closing valves as indicated by ring 72 and opening the valve of which O-ring 52 is the seat, and therefore the fluid pressure is directed against the forward surface of the piston member '50, moving the entire piston rod assembly back to the left again, until once more the spring 58 contacts rear valve plate 56 and closes the same against the O-ring 52, again opening the valves at 72. During the rearward travel, the fluid passes through the piston member 50 into the piston rod and is discharged at 20, but during the forward travel, i.e., to the right in FIG. 2, there is no fluid discharge.

Referring now again to FIG. 5, there is shown a device of the class described set up to oscillate a shower pipe at 76 on a pair of slide bearings 78' or the like. The reference numeral 80 indicates the nozzles and the pipe at 82 is the supply for the water for the shower head. The oscillator, depending upon the fluid pressure at fitting 30 slowly and continuously oscillates the shower pipe and provides for a very eflicient spray as will be clear to those skilled in the art, the clevis '44 providing for connection to the fitting at 84 on the shower head assembly.

A modification of the device is shown as in FIG. 4 wherein the housing at 86 is mounted on a yoke 88 without the use of any swivel pins and the same maintains the housing in position by reason of the reduced portion thereof as defined by shoulders 90 and 92. In construction and operation, the showing in FIG. 4 is substantially the same as that described above with respect to FIG. 2, but in this case the piston rod assembly being indicated at 94 is made very much more solid and stronger, being a solid bar except for the central passage 96 for the escape of the exhaust fluid.

The same reference numerals have therefore been used in large part to illustrate the invention in FIG. 4 but in this case there is no clevis on the piston rod, but instead there is a fixed, firm, integral bracket member 98 to which may be bolted as at 100 a heavy weight such as a doctor 102. These doctors weight from 75 to 2,000 pounds and are supported directly by the piston rod assembly as shown in the present case; the doctors however. are provided with slide bearings at the opposite ends thereof so that the piston rod 94 bears one-half of the weight of the reciprocating doctor.

It will be seen that this invention provides a very eflicient, inexpensively operated oscillator which is extremely rugged in construction and long-lasting in operation. It may be made to oscillate anything desired but is particularly adapted to the paper-making industry for the reciprocation of parts such as shower-heads, pipes, and doctors. as above described, and it is particularly useful where there is a supply of water and where directly poweroperated cams, yokes, etc., and other mechanical devices taking up a greater space are apt to become rusted and easily thrown out of operation due to the moisture in the atmosphere, etc.

If valves or springs should fail they may be quickly and easily changed in a very few minues merely by removing plate 28 in FIG. 2 or the cap 104 in FIG. 4. This cap serves as a cylinder but is completely removable if desired.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

l. A device of the class described comprising a housing, a cylinder secured thereto, a piston-rod assembly slidably mounted in said housing and extending into said cylinder, a fluid communication passage from the bottom of the cylinder into the interior of the piston-rod assembly, the latter being hollow, a compressible valve ring surrounding the orifice of the passage, a single piston fixed to the piston-rod assembly, said valve ring being mounted in said piston, a rear valve-closing plate for contacting the ring and closing the valve opening, a series of smaller valve openings passing completely through said piston, a ring surrounding each said last-named openings, and a single annular front valve-closing plate for contacting said lastnamed rings simultaneously closing the same, said valve plates being rigidly connected, means for shifting said valve plate assembly for closing one valve and opening the series of valves, a source of fluid under pressure entering said cylinder and applying pressure to one side of the piston for moving the entire piston-rod assembly in one direction and upon actuation of said valve assembly for closing the valves at the front plate and opening the valves at the rear plate, applying pressure to the other side of the piston to force the piston-rod assembly in the opposite direction, and means carried by said piston rod assembly to be oscillated thereby.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a base, a housing swivelly mounted thereon, a slidable pistonrod assembly slidably guided in said housing, a cylinder connected to said housing, said piston-rod assembly extending into said cylinder, an apertured piston-plate member on the piston-rod assembly located in the cylinder at the lower end thereof, a spring in the bottom of the cylinder and another spring in the top of the cylinder, the latter spring surrounding the piston-rod assembly. the piston-rod assembly, the piston-rod being hollow, a passage between the bottom end of the cylinder and the in terior of the piston rod, a valve plate closing said passage under influence of the spring in the bottom of the cylinder, a second valve plate at the opposite side of said piston plate member, the last-named valve plate serving to close the apertures, means rigidly connecting the valve plates and extending through the piston-plate member from one side thereof to the other, said valve plates being rigidly connected for operation by the respective springs for opening and closing the same alternately to apply pressure at opposite sides of the piston alternately in order to reciprocate the piston rod under influence of fluid pressure entering the cylinder, and means at the opposite end of the piston rod for carrying a member to be oscillated thereby, said opposite piston rod end being exposed and extending from the cylinder.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the member to be carried comprises a doctor of considerable weight, said weight being supported one-half by said piston rod, and a slide bearing cylindrical in form located in said housing and closely engaging the exterior surface of the piston rod and supporting the same.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each valve opening is surrounded by an O-ring of compressible nature, an annular groove receiving the O-rings, and means firmly anchoring said O-rings in position so that the exterior surfaces thereof are co-plauar and parallel to the respective valve plates adapted to contact the same.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each valve opening is surrounded by an O-ring of compressible nature, an annular groove receiving the O-rings, and means firmly anchoring said O-rings in position so that the exterior the bottom of their grooves, said O-rings extending how- 5 ever partly outwardly of the grooves for fiatwise co-planar contact by their respective valve plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Knecht Oct. 14, 1879 Coflield Dec. 12, 1905' Forman Aug. 31, 1937 Gardner Sept. 2, 1952 Schmitt Dec. 16, 1952 Alfieri Dec. 8, 1953

Images