US3022740A - Centrifugal pump case alignment mounting - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 27, 1962 E. R. WlLFLEY ETAL CENTRIFUGAL PUMP CASE ALIGNMENT MOUNTING Filed July 28, 1959 l I iijws 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORJ' Elmer R.Wilf|ey BYWiHiGm E.Geer

Feb. 27, 1962 E. R. WILFLEY ETAL 3,022,740

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP CASE ALIGNMENT MOUNTING Filed July 28, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORJ' Elmer R.Wilfley BY WilliumE.Geer

. WmLM M A TV Feb. 27, 1962 E. R. WILFLEY ETAL 3,022,740

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP CASE ALIGNMENT MOUNTING Filed July 28, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 43\\ 44 at 36 FIG.3 5

FIG.4

IINVENTORJ Elmer Rqwilf ley BYWiHi Gm E. Geer Unite This invention relates generally to the class of centrifugal pumps and pertains more particularly to pumps of this type, of heavy construction, such as are used in pumping sand loaded liquids and chemical solutions.

Centrifugal sand pumps of the large and heavy type with which the present invention deals, embody a circular case portion which is fitted across its diameter to a follower plate and intake chamber. The case is set or rested through feet on the bottom thereof upon a supporting base. In these heavy pump structures the cases have in some instances been fitted to or on a back plate and held in place by case bolts. Due to the heavy weight of the case, however, the preferred, and what is thought to be the best, mounting is through the case feet.

The pump case must at times be detached from the follower plate and intake chamber either for complete removal and replacement or for the inspection of the wear parts and the presently employed manner of mounting the case presents certain disadvantages and problems particularly with respect to the replacement of the case, as it is difficult to realign the parts of the case, follower plate and intake chamber. In the mounting of the case by feet upon the base different methods are employed to obtain the proper positioning of the case upon the base with respect to the other parts of the pump with which it must be joined or connected. The handling of the case, either in putting it into position or in removing it, is effected by means of a suitable crane or by the employment of a lift truck and in order that the case will be accurately set, one practice is to machine the bottom of the case feet. Since the'case metal is either of cast iron, cast steel, or some machinable metal such machining is time consuming and, therefore, becomes a costly operation and furthermore each case must be so treated or have its supporting feet machined to fit it with respect to the supporting base so that it may be properly aligned with the other parts of the pump on the base.

Another practice is to form the case feet rough cast and then effect desired alignment of the case with the follower plate and intake chamber by means of shims of various thicknesses inserted between the case feet and the base. In this practice the shims have to be changed when a new case is put on the pump.

In still another method the bottom of the case feet are machined and also the supporting base and the individual shims. such as manganese steel, alloy steel or even white iron, the machining of these metals is slow and costly.

A particular object of the present invention, in view of the foregoing, is to solve the problems and overcome the present difficulties associated with the proper placement and alignment of such a case'by providing the case with a foot construction or formation whereby the case is of exactly the correct height from the bottom of the feet to the center line thereof Without having to machine the feet or employ shims or similar devices to accomplish the proper alignment of the case when it is set up on the base with the follower plate and intake chamber.

Where the casing may be of a very hard steel Another object of the invention is to provide a case in on pumps in use in the field, thereby making itpossible 3,622,74h Patented Feb. 27, 1%2

to replace any case with a new one without having to make on-the-spot adjustments in its positioning in order to properly align it with adjacent parts of the pump.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved case placement and alignment means embodying shim bars associated with'the pump supporting base together with a new and novel case foot construction by means of which the pump case may be readily moved from operative position with respect to the other parts of the pump and replaced in such position without requiring the services of a crane or lift truck.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in association with a centrifugal pump structure of the character stated a new and novel case placement and alignment means employing in a cooperative relationship an improved form of supporting feet for the case with supporting shim bars upon which such supporting feet are adapted to slide, together with means forming a part of the base between the shim bars for facilitating the shifting of the case on the shim bars into and out of operative relationship with the other parts of the pump with which it is aligned by the novel foot construction by which it is supported.

In centrifugal pumps of the type with which the present invention is concerned, after the pump has been operating for some time, solids pack in around the case fit on the follower plate, causing the members to stick so that difficulty is experienced in breaking the case away from the follower plate when it becomes necessary to make an inspection of the interior of the pump. It is accordingly another object of the invention to provide a means whereby pressure may be applied to the case in a manner to effect the separation of the latter from the follower plate;

The invention broadly contemplates the provision of shim bar extensions for the portions of the base upon which the feet of the case rest. The feet of the case are formed or cast a prescribed amount short of the usual height. The feet are then filled out on the underside with a cast metal sole the thickness of which is accurately controlled so that each case having the feet so extended will be exactly the same height from the bottom of the feet to the center line of the case. The cast metal sole for each foot rests upon the top of the extended shim bar and in addition to supporting the case in proper alignment with the follower plate, such soles facilitate the movement of the case with respect to the follower plate by acting as runners for sliding movement along the surfaces of the shim bars.

The case is guided on the shim bars and held against lateral movement by lateral guards forming portions of the inner sides of the supporting feet. Also the base between the shim bars is formed with a longitudinal line of short transversely extending spaced cleats by means of which and the use of a pry bar in engagement therewith, movement of the case along the shim bars is readily effected so that separation of the case from the follower plate is readily accomplished without the necessity of using a crane or lift truck.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms Without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or th at form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

In the drawings:

Flihl is a view in perspective of a centrifugal sand pump of the type with which the present invention is concerned, showing in association therewith features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective and on a smaller scale of the pump structure shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the opposite side or that side where the power is delivered to the pump and showing the jack screws employed for breaking the case away from the follower plate;

FIG. 3 is a view in top plan of the: pump showing the extended shim bars and the pry bar cleats;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation ofthe pump structure and illustrates the action of the jack screws in breaking the case from the follower plate;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken in a vertical plane approximately on the line 55 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the metal sole for the foot which rests upon the shim bar;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken in a vertical plane transversely of the foot approximately upon the line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 and illustrating a modification of the metal sole plate for a foot of the case.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 14) generally designates a centrifugal sand pump of a heavy construction and in connection with which the present invention is used, While the numeral 12 generally designates the base upon which the pump is mounted.

The pump structure comprises broadly th pump case which is generally designated 14, the intake chamber to which the case is secured and which is generally designated 16 and which has located or positioned between it and the case 14 the follower plate 18.

The intake chamber comprises the conventional housing 20 to the rear side of which is secured in the usual or a known manner the bearing housing 22 through which extends the shaft, not shown, which is connected to a drive motor for operating the pump.

The numeral 2 2 designates the intake connections at opposite sides of the intake chamber with which are connected the pipelines through which material is delivered to the pump for discharge by Way of the case 14 through the case discharge outlet 26.

The case discharge 26 is here illustrated as extending vertically and has coupled therewith the adjustable discharge sleeve which is generally designated 28 and by means of which connection is made with a delivery pipe, not shown.

This discharge sleeve forms the subject matter of pending application Serial No. 812,916, filed May 13, 1959, and accordingly is here only generally referred to as it is not believed that a detailed descripiton of the same is required since it forms no part of the invention of this application;

The case 14 is fitted to the intake chamber housing 20 by means of the follower plate 18 and it is drawn tightly into operative position by means of the stud bolt 30 which are fixed to lugs carried by and positioned around the periphery of the intake chamber housing as most clearly shown in FIG. 2. In this figure there are shown l a pair of upwardly extending lugs 31 to which the uppermost stud bolts are fixed and which are here shown as being relatively short but which may be extended, or made longer, if necessary. At the sides of the casing 20 longer lugs 32 extend outwardly as illustrated and each of which carries a stud bolt 30.

The pump case 14 has cast integral therewith and around the periphery or outer circular portion thereof the apertured lugs 33 and 34. These lugs are positioned so that when the case is moved into position. against the intake chamber housing the threaded ends of the stud bolts will extend therethrough to receive the nuts 35.

The numeral 36 designates an additional lug on the top of the pump case 14 for connection with the case of a suitable crane or hoisting mechanism when it becomes fiecessaryto lift the case entirely elf of the supporting ase.

As hereinbefore stated, the pump case stands upon feet which rest upon the pump supporting base 12. This base, in presently known pump structures or conventional structures, extends only sufiiciently far beyond the intake chamber housing to provide the proper surface upon which the case feet may rest. These case feet which are cast integral with the pump case are here designated 37 and 38 and as has been previously set forth, the presentpractice for aligning the case with the intake chamber and follower-plate consists either in machining the bottom faces of the supporting feet as may be necessary, or by placing shims between the case feet and the underlying portion of the base upon which the feet rest.

The intake chamber casing in also is cast with sup porting feet 39, shown in FIG. 2, and these feet rest upon flat tops of upstanding portions of the base 12 lying beneath the case 2%, one only of such portions being shown in FIG. 2 and designated 40, such upstanding portions being cast with the base 12.

In accordance with the present invention the frame base 12 is extended from the portions 40 forwardly beyond the pump case 14, as is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. This extended portion of the base comprises the upstanding side rails 41 and 42. which constitute continuations of the portions 46. The bottom or floor of the base between these rails 41 and 42 is designated 43 and this floor portion of the base between the rails carries in a longitudinal array upon its top surface the series of short transversely directed lugs 44 which are designed to be used in association with a suitable pry bar, as hereinafter described.

The rails 41 and 42 forming the forward extensions of the pump base have mounted longitudinally thereon the shim bars 45 and 46. The top surfaces 47 and 48 re spectively are smooth to facilitate the sliding of the specially formed feet 37 and 38 thereon in the operation of shifting the pump case with respect to the intake chamber and follower plate.

To avoid the hereinbefore described tedious and costly methods employed for aligning the case, the following procedure is carried out in connection with the cast feet. In the casting of the casing and the feet integral therewith the feet are cast approximately /2 inch short of the usual height. The holes conventionally formed in the feet are as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 enlarged at their upper ends. Referring to FIG. 5, the foot 38 which as shown in FIG. 1, is cast on the side of the pump case beneath the discharge 26, has the two bores 49 thereof upwardly flared as indicated at 50. The under face 51 of the foot is formed with a shallow recess 52. This recess extends through the major portion or" the length of the foot and across the major portion ofthe width, as shown in FIG. 6.

Also in the formation of the feet 37 and 38 there is provided at the inner side of each foot the downwardly extending shoulder 53 and the space between these shoulders is approximately equal to the space between the inner sides of the top portions of the shim bars 46 and 4.7 so that when the case is located in position on the shim bars, these shoulders 53 will engage or be in close proximity to the inner surfaces or inner portions of the shim bars and will function to prevent any lateral movement or twisting or turning of the case as it is being moved into operative position.

The recesses 52 formed in the undersides of the case feet are filled with a suitable low melting metal, metal alloy, plastic or cement and this filling forms a sole portion on the bottom of the foot which is of a thickness to project-beyond the lower face 51 of the foot as is clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and these sole portions which are designated 54 rest and are adapted to slide upon the smooth top surfaces 47 and 48 of the shim bars.

The formation of the soles or sole portions 54 beneath thev feet is effected by enclosing or encasing the foot in a suitable form and the sole forming material is then introduced through the holes 49. By reason of the flaring of the upper portions of the holes, it will be seen that a locking of the soles in position is obtained and, therefore, the possibility of the soles coming out or falling from position is effectively prevented.

While any number of different metals or other materials may be employed for forming the supporting soles 54, bah-bit metal is one material which has been found to be entirely satisfactory for use.

The extent to which the sole 54 projects below the under face 51 of the foot is controlled or regulated by the form employed for casting the sole in the recess 52 so that all of the cases which are manufactured or produced for a particular size or type of pump are exactly the same height from the bottom of the sole of the feet to the center line of the case. Thus all cases constructed in this manner will be completely interchangeable with other cases on users pumps in the field.

FIG. 7 illustrates the slightly modified form or construction for the bearing sole for the case feet. In this construction a low friction metal plate 55 is provided which forms the sole plate and which sole plate rests and slides upon the smoothed top surfaces 47 and 48 of the shim bars 45 and 46. This plate has secured to the top surface thereof in a suitable manner as by welding, the wire mesh 56 and a low melting point metal or other suitable bonding material is introduced through the bore 49 of the foot body while the sole plate and wire mesh are in the position illustrated in FIG. 7 to establish a secure bond between the plate and the bottom of the case foot. The bonding material between the bottom of the case foot and the sole plate 55 is designated 57. The low melting point metal may be lead, babbit or tin or, if desired, the bonding material may comprise a plastic, resin, or any suitable type of cement. By employing the wire mesh, which is preliminarily bonded by Welding or other means to the top of the soleplate, a good bond is obtained between the sole plate and the material 57 which is cast onto the top of the plate through the bore 49'. The sole plate 55 may be cold rolled steel, brass or aluminum.

When the case is set in position the flat bottom faces of the soles, or sole plates 54 or 55, of the feet will rest upon the smooth top surfaces of the shim bars and due to the manner of casting or shaping the soles so that the cases will be of the required height from the bottom of the feet to the center line, the case can be accurately aligned with the follower plate and slid into position. The rails 41 and 42 together with the shim bars 47 and 48 mounted thereon will be of standard height and this, together with the standardization of the case supporting feet, will facilitate the accurate alignment of the case, as stated.

After placing the case on the shim bars with the lateral guide shoulders 53 in engagement with the inner edges of the top portions of the shim bars, the sliding of the case on the shim bars can be easily effected by using a pry bar such as is illustrated in FIG. 4 and designated 58, by engaging the lower end of the bar between two of the base cleats 44 and prizing the case forwardly. As the case is moved forwardly in this manner, the case stud bolts will pass through the apertured lugs 33 and 34 and the securing nuts can then be placed on the bolts and the case drawn tightly in position.

The adjustable discharge sleeve 28 will then be properly located to have the lower section thereof moved down into coupling relation with the top end of the case outlet 26.

The adjustable discharge sleeve comprises, as is set forth in the copending application hereinbefore referred to, the upper and lower portions 28a and 28b. The lower portion 28b is slidably engaged in the lower end of the larger upper portion 28a and when it is moved downwardly, after the placement of the pump case in position, it may be joined to the flanged top end of the pump case discharge 26 by the coupling bolts 59. The upper end of the upper section 28:: of the discharge sleeve is'flanged' as indicated at 60 for connection with a standpipe.

After the pump has been in operation for a period of time solids become packed in around the portion of the case which is fitted to the follower plate, which tends to cause the members to stick tightly together. This is true also in cases where rubber parts are embodied in the coupling between the case and the follower plate. Thus when it becomes necessary to shift the case for inspection of parts to determine the extent of wear or for any other reason, some difliculty is experienced in moving the case away from the follower plate. To facilitate such separation of the case from the follower plate there are provided upon the casing forming the intake chambenat opposite sides thereof, the additional lugs 61 which project laterally from the casing and are threaded to receive jack screws 62. These jack screws are suitablyheaded on the ends thereof remote from the case 14 to facilitate the connection of a wrench therewith while the opposite ends of the jack screws engage against the adjacent wall of the case 14 so that when the jack screws are rotated in the proper direction they will impose pressure or thrust against the case and break the same away from the follower plate 48 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4. When the case has thus been loosened, it can be readily slid on the shim bars away from the follower plate without the necessity of using a hoist or crane and after the necessary inspection has been madeor the case has been replaced, if required, it can be readily slid back into connection with the follower plate in perfect alignment therewith due to the manner in which the case feet have been fitted with the proper thickness of elevating sole.

The shim bars upon which the feet slide may be made of any suitable length. In some installations there bars may be extended to a length which would permit the case to be moved or slid far enough away from the follower plate so that a worn runner and follower plate might be replaced if necessary. Such an extension of the shim bar would, however, only be necessary in situations where there may not be an overhead crane or a lift truck could not get to the pump to engage the apertured lift lug 36. Even in this case it is, of course, obvious that the case must be slid out sufficiently far to clear the stud bolts and the pump runner before it could be lifted from the base.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that there is provided by the present invention a new and novel case foot construction which will enable the case to be set in position and in proper alignment with the follower plate without having to precede this operation with a grinding or finishing in any way of the bottoms of the case feet or without having to employ shims, as is the present practice, to get the case properly lined up with the other parts of the pump with which it is to be connected.

Also in addition to the foregoing, the present invention provides a novel base structure which facilitates the movement of the case back and forth with respect to the follower plate while maintaining it in proper alignment with the follower plate at all times and the invention also pro-'- vides novel means by which the case can be easily broken away from the follower plate so as to permit it to be shifted away therefrom with a minimum of effort.

In addition to providing a means for the smooth movement of the case on'the shim bars, by the sliding of the soles for the cast feet on the top surfaces of the bars, the case will be held effectively against any lateral movement or twisting movement on the shim bars through the sliding engagement of the shoulder portions 53 at the inner sides of the feet with the adjacent inner sides of the shim bars.

In the preceding description of the structure of the base for supporting the pump, whereas a distinction has been made in the terminology employed between the parts 41 and 42, termed rails and the parts 47 and 48, termed shim bars, the term rails as used in the claims,

7, is used in a generic sense as defining the base parts upon which the. case feet soles rest in supporting the case.

By the provision of the shim bars 45 and 46 which are mounted upon the base side rails 41 and 42, different positionings of the case discharge are made possible.

In pumps of the type here disclosed, the case may be cast with the feet 37 and 38 in different locations so that the case discharge can be set in as many as six different discharge positions. As will be apparent, the volute of the case increases in size from the part where the apertured lug 36 is located to the discharge. Since the feet 37 and 38 must always be on the bottom of the case, they will vary in height as the case is turned. Because of this volute slope, one foot is higher than the other and thus shim bars of difierent heights are required. It will accordingly be seen that by forming the base extension rails 41 and 42 with the shim bars as separate units mounted and secured thereon, these different heights or different positions of the case feet can be taken care of to set the case in the required position for directing the discharge either upwardly or laterally to the right or to the left. As stated, with this type of pump, at least six possible discharge positions are available which are: bottom horizontal to the right; 45 to the right; top vertical; top 45; top horizontal to the left; left 45. Thus the user of the pump can obtain a case designed to be set in any one of the different discharge positions or the discharge position can be changed later, without requiring a new case, shim bars and intake chamber. In any of the positions in which the case may be set, the adjustable discharge sleeve can be used since the adjustability is useful regardless of the discharge position.

We claim:

1. In a centrifugal pump structure an intake housing, a case detachably secured thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, the case having supporting feet andthe base including spaced portions supporting the feet and extending in a direction paralleling the axis of the pump, means for aligning the center of the case with the center of the said housing comprising sole forming bodies covering the major portions of the undersides of the feet and adapted to bear upon said spaced portions of the base and said sole forming bodies being so joined to the feet that the bottoms of the bodies are at the correct vertical distance from the centerline of the case whereby the case will be exactly aligned with the said housing when the sole forming bodies are resting on said portions of the base and the case may be shifted on the base for separation from the housing and the alignment of the centers of the case and housing maintained to facilitate accurate reverse shifting and rejoining of the case and housing.

2. In a centrifugal pump structure, an intake housing, a case removably joined thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, said base having a substantial length and extending from beneath the case to a substantial distance beyond the side of the case remote from the housing, spaced parallel bars extending lengthwise of the base in a direction paralleling the axis of the pump, and feetcarried by the case and supported upon said bars and adapted for sliding movement on and longitudinally of the bars in the operation of separating the case from the housing whereby axial alignment of the housing and case is maintained to facilitate rejoining the same.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the said sole forming bodies are embedded in part in the base feet.

4. In a centrifugal pump structure, an intake housing, a case removably joined thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, said base having a substantial length and extending from beneath the case to a substantial dis tance beyond the side of the case remote from the housing, spaced parallel bars extending lengthwise of the base, and feet carried by the case and supported upon said bars and adapted for sliding movement on the bars in the operation of separating the case from the housing, said bars comprising members of dilferent heights detachabiy secured to the base so that similar and other car members of differing heights may be substituted for the support of a substitute case having feet located diiierently thereon from the feet on the original case.

5. In a centrifugal pump structure, an intake housing, a case removably joined thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, said base having a substantial length and extending from beneath the case to a substantial distance beyond the side of the case remote from the housing, spaced parallel bars extending lengthwise of the base, and feet carried by the case and supported upon said bars and adapted for sliding movement on the bars in the operation of separating the case from the housing, and means carried by the intake housing for applying a thrust to the case in a direction to move the case on the said bars away from the housing.

6. The invention according to claim 5, wherein the said means comprises jack screws directed toward and having ends in engagement with the case.

7. In a centrifugal pump structure, an intake housing, a case removably joined thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, said base having a substantial length and extending from beneath the case to a substantial distance beyond the side of the case remote from the housing, spaced parallel bars extending lengthwise of the base, and feet carried by the case and supported upon said bars and adapted for sliding movement on the bars in the operation of separating the case from the housing, the base including'a floor portion lying between said rails with means spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the base forming fulcrums against which to engage a pry bar for operation in moving the case on said rails.

8. The invention according to claim 7, wherein said fulcrum forming means comprises a number of upstanding lugs integral with the base floor. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS 427,060 Edwards et al May 6, 1890 830,383 Wilkinson Sept. 4, 1906 1,025,425 Robeson et al. May 1, 1912 1,471,559 Knauf Oct. 23, 1923 1,475,676 Bell et a1 Nov. 27, 1923 1,533,156 Baum-sun Apr. 14, 1925 1,791,657 Brown Feb. 10, 1931 2,128,805 Doran Aug. 30, 1938 2,443,747 Ray June 22, 1948 2,885,773 Molinaro May 12, 1959 2,900,711 Wilson Aug. 25, 1959

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