Flexible impeller pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719508-B2
Application number	US-201313857963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2013
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A flexible impeller pump includes improved flexible impeller geometry, an impeller shaft having protruding portions that produce a stronger and more durable connection between the impeller shaft and the flexible impeller, a smoother housing cam surface, and wear resistant surfaces that are disposed between end faces of the flexible impeller and adjacent housing end walls.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible impeller pump, comprising:
a shaft configured to rotate about an axis thereof;
a rotor, coaxial with and attached to the shaft, configured to be rotated by the shaft, and including a plurality of vanes extending substantially radially there from, the rotor having a first end face and a second end face opposite to the first end face, the first and second end faces being perpendicular to the axis;
a housing defining an opening with the rotor disposed therein, and defining a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the opening including a cam surface operationally disposed between the outlet and the inlet, the cam surface being configured to interfere with the vanes to bend the vanes toward the outlet, the housing including a first end wall and a second end wall that bound the opening in an axial direction thereof, wherein the shaft and the rotor are configured to rotate relative to the housing; and
a first wear resistant insert made from food grade material disposed between the rotor first end face and the first end wall, the first wear resistant insert being received within a recess of the first end wall such that the shaft and the rotor are configured to rotate relative to the first wear resistant insert, the first wear resistant insert having greater wear resistance than the housing first end wall,
wherein the shaft includes first and second cylindrical portions and an impeller interface portion disposed there between, the impeller interface portion including a plurality of protruding portions distributed around the shaft, the plurality of protruding portions have a stepped cross-sectional shape along the axis of the shaft, and
wherein the rotor is configured to fit around the impeller interface portion such that the plurality of protruding portions having the stepped cross-sectional shape are provided between the first end face and the second end face of the rotor.

2. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the first wear resistant insert resides immediately adjacent to at least 95 percent of the area of the rotor first end face.

3. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the insert includes a food grade ceramic material.

4. The pump of claim 1 , comprising a second wear resistant insert disposed between the rotor second end face and the housing second end wall, the second wear resistant insert residing immediately adjacent to a majority of the area of the rotor second end face, the second wear resistant insert having greater wear resistance than the housing second end wall.

5. The pump of claim 1 , wherein the cam surface has no convex curvature.

6. A flexible impeller pump, comprising:
a shaft configured to rotate about an axis thereof, the shaft including first and second cylindrical portions and an impeller interface portion disposed there between, the impeller interface portion including a portion that protrudes by at least 20 percent of the cross-sectional dimension of a central portion of the shaft impeller interface portion, wherein the impeller interface portion includes a plurality of protruding portions distributed around the shaft, wherein the plurality of protruding portions of the impeller interface portion have a stepped cross-sectional shape along the axis of the shaft;
a rotor, coaxial with the shaft and attached to the shaft interface portion, configured to be rotated by the shaft, and comprising a main body and a plurality of vanes extending substantially radially from the main body, wherein each of the protruding portions is aligned with one of the vanes, wherein the rotor is configured to fit around the impeller interface portion such that the plurality of protruding portions having the stepped cross-sectional shape are provided between a first end face and a second end face of the rotor; and
a housing defining an opening with the rotor disposed therein, and defining a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the opening including a cam surface operationally disposed between the outlet and the inlet, the cam surface being configured to interfere with the vanes to bend the vanes toward the outlet.

7. The pump of claim 6 , wherein each of the portions protruding by at least 10 percent of the cross-sectional dimension of the central portion of the shaft impeller interface portion.

8. The pump of claim 6 , wherein the number of the protruding portions equals or exceeds the number of the vanes.

9. The pump of claim 6 , wherein the shaft impeller interface portion includes a plurality of rows of the protruding portions, wherein the plurality of rows extend perpendicular to the axis of the shaft.

10. The pump of claim 6 , wherein each of the protruding portions has a constant cross-sectional shape and is aligned with the shaft axis.

11. The pump of claim 6 , wherein each portion of the rotor main body disposed between a pair of adjacent the vanes has an external surface having no convex curvature from one of the pair of the vanes to the other of the pair of the vanes.

12. The pump of claim 11 , wherein each of the main body external surfaces has a concave shape having a substantially constant radius.

13. The pump of claim 6 , wherein the cam surface has no convex curvature.

Assignees

• Automatic Bar Controls Inc
• Automatic Bar Control Inc

Inventors

• Salmela Juha K
• Tuyls James M
• Martindale Richard A

Classifications

• F04C2240/802

  Liners · CPC title

• F05C2203/08

  Ceramics; Oxides · CPC title

• F04C5/00 Primary

  Rotary-piston machines or pumps with the working-chamber walls at least partly resiliently deformable (such pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids F04C18/00) · CPC title

• F04C2270/16

  Wear · CPC title