Guide rail assembly as well as guide rail holder

A guide rail assembly for a submersible machine as well as a guide rail holder for such a guide rail assembly is described herein. The guide rail holder includes a radially extending support body and an axially extending post, which is rigidly connected to the support body and which is adapted to be inserted into an end of the guide rail. An engagement head is connected to the post at a distance from the support body and has a greater radial extension than the post. The engagement head includes a radially expandable member that is adapted to be reversibly manipulated between an active state, in which the expandable member is in engagement with the guide rail, and an inactive state, in which the expandable member is disengaged from the guide rail.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a U.S. National Phase Patent Application of PCT Application No. PCT/IB2015/053071, filed Apr. 28, 2015, which claims priority to Swedish Patent Application No. 1450540-8, filed May 7, 2014, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a guide rail assembly for a submersible machine, such as a mixer unit. According to a first aspect the present invention relates to a guide rail assembly comprising at least two guide rail holders and one guide rail, and according to a second aspect the present invention relates to a guide rail holder for connecting at least one guide rail for a submersible machine to a wall bracket, the guide rail holder comprising a radially extending support body, an axially extending post, which is rigidly connected to said support body and which is adapted to be inserted into an end of said guide rail.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

Traditionally the guide rail of a guide rail assembly has been supported and connected to a tank wall by means of guide rail holders comprising rigid pipe segments welded thereto, the pipe segments being inserted into the respective guide rail end such that the outer surface of the pipe segment abut the inner surface of the guide rail. U.S. Pat. No. 8,277,115 disclose such a rigid arrangement. However, a rigid connection of this type is impaired with several drawbacks. More specifically, the forces and bending moments that the submersible machine exerts the connection between the guide rail and the guide rail holder for, result in the guide rail ends experiencing great stress and they risk to split open due to the rigid connection. Thereto the mixer unit in operation generates pulsating forces acting on the guide rail and guide rail holders. This lead to the wall that the guide rail assembly is connected to is worn out and shredded.

US 2002/162936 disclose an alternative way of connecting two guide rails. It describes an adapter comprising a central body having squared cross section and from which body two sets of flexible members extend in the axial direction. The two sets are inserted into the end of the respective guide rail, whereby a connection of the guide rails is achieved. The flexible members entail that abutment against the inner surfaces of the guide rails is ensured. When the plant is in operation the guide rails may neither be displaced/bend in relation to each other nor in relation to the adapter, and thus also this connection is rigid and thereby impaired with the above drawbacks.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims at obviating the aforementioned disadvantages and failings of previously known guide rail holders and at providing an improved guide rail holder. A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved guide rail holder of the initially defined type, which guide rail holder spare the guide rail ends, the wall brackets and the wall by reducing, and at the best fully eliminate, the material fatigue that is the result of the forces and bending moment that the submersible machine exerts the guide rail assembly for.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a guide rail holder that entail that the guide rail ends does not split open.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a guide rail holder that dampen vibrations generated during operation in the entire guide rail assembly and especially in the guide rail holder.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide great tolerances in the axial direction upon mounting of the guide rail assembly, by having the guide rails displaceable in the axial direction in relation to the guide rail holders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention at least the primary object is attained by means of the initially defined guide rail assembly and guide rail holder having the features defined in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are further defined in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a guide rail assembly of the initially defined type, and according to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a guide rail holder, wherein the guide rail holder is characterized in that it also comprises an engagement head that is connected to said post at a distance from said support body and has a greater radial extension than said post, the engagement head comprising a radially expandable member that is adapted to be reversibly manipulated between an active state, in which the expandable member is in engagement with the guide rail, and an inactive state, in which the expandable member is disengaged from the guide rail.

Thus, the present invention is based on the insight that a radially expandable member, when in its expanded active state is brought into engagement with the guide rail, allow bending of the guide rail in relation to the guide rail holder having unchanged structural support for the guide rail. More specifically, via the member a flexible, i.e. non rigid connection between the guide rail holder and the guide rail is achieved. The entire guide rail assembly hereby achieves an increased structural flexibility and may in a better way absorb the bending moment acting on the guide rail. Thereto, the insight that by placing the engagement head at a distance from the guide rail end, and not as customary, in the immediate vicinity of the guide rail end, the result will be that the guide rail ends will not split open. Thereto, the material properties of the expandable member also makes it possible, when it is forced in engagement with the guide rail, to dampen the vibrations that during operation are generated in the guide rail assembly and especially in the guide rail holder.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the engagement head comprises a first plate and a second plate, said expandable member being arranged between said first plate and said second plate, the guide rail holder comprising means for adjusting the distance between the first plate and the second plate, that among other things entail the possibility to adjust the degree of radial extension of the member. Hereby the state of the member can be reversibly manipulated, i.e. change between an active state and an inactive state.

According to another preferred embodiment the means for adjusting the distance between the first plate and the second plate is constituted by at least one screw joint. Hereby a simple and robust as well as precise way of adjusting the distance between the plates is accomplished.

According to a preferred embodiment of the guide rail assembly it comprises a wall bracket per guide rail holder, the guide rail holder being turnably connected to the wall bracket about an axially extending pivot. Hereby the guide rail, including the mounted mixer unit, may turn about the pivot. Consequently the operator may choose which part of the liquid that shall be mixed. This give enhanced possibilities to optimize the mixing process.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the guide rail assembly it also comprises an indexing means, which is connected to a guide rail holder and which is adapted to turn the guide rail holder about the pivot axis and is adapted to place the guide rail holder in predetermined positions in relation to the wall bracket. By means of the indexing means determining the turning step a robust control of the positioning of the guide rail holder in relation to the wall bracket is achieved.

Further advantages with and features of the invention will be apparent from the other dependent claims as well as from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates in general to a guide rail assembly for a submersible machine, such as a mixer unit. Reference is initially made toFIGS. 1 and 2, which are a schematic side view and a schematic view from above, respectively, of an installation of a guide rail assembly together with mixer unit during lowering.

The guide rail assembly26disclosed comprises three guide rail holders2that are attached to a supporting tank wall8by means of respective wall brackets3. The disclosed guide rail assembly comprises two guide rails4A,4B or two guide rail segments, which are supported by and hold by the guide rail holders2. More specifically, as is apparent fromFIG. 1the guide rail assembly26comprises an upper guide rail4A that in an upper end is hold by an upper guide rail holder2A as well as in a lower end is supported and hold by a intermediate guide rail holder2B. The guide rail assembly26further comprises a lower guide rail4B that in a lower end is supported and hold by a lower guide rail holder2C as well as in an upper end is hold by the above mentioned intermediate guide rail holder2B. The respective guide rail holder2A-2C and thereto belonging parts will be described in more detail in connection withFIGS. 3-15. The guide rail4extends in parallel with the wall8, preferably in a vertical direction. The axial length of a guide rail may be in the size of 3-6 meters.

A submersible mixer unit6is arranged in such a way that it can be displaced along the guide rail4in a conventional way. The axial displacement of the mixer unit6is controlled by a control unit, disclosed inFIG. 1, that is located at an outside of the tank wall8. In this embodiment the displacement of the mixer unit6is made by means of a conventional winch device52comprising a wire54, in a conventional way. The displacement can be accomplished either manually or by means of a motor, for instance an electric motor. The disclosed guide rail assembly26comprises a wall bracket3per guide rail holder2, the separate guide rail holder being turnably connected to the respective wall bracket about an axially extending axis30. By other words, the extension of the axis30is parallel with extension of the guide rail4. The guide rail assembly achieved it this way is thus of turnable type. This entail that the guide rail4, including the attached mixer unit6, bay be turned about said axis30. In an alternative, not disclosed, embodiment the guide rail assembly is of stationary type, i.e. the guide rail is rigidly attached to the tank wall. As is apparent fromFIG. 2the guide rail assembly26comprises an indexing means32. The indexing means32, that in this embodiment is a rotatable disc having peripheral recesses, is adapted to partly turn the guide rail holder2about above mentioned axis30partly position the guide rail holder2in determined positions in relation to the wall bracket3. The rotatable disc32is via a link7extending through an opening in the tank wall8, connected to a unit19that transfer the turning motion of the disc to a turning of the guide rail4. This unit is connected to the tank wall8by means of a coupling member5comprising two arms. By turning the disc32a turning motion of the guide rail is achieved, including the attached mixer unit (not disclosed inFIG. 2).

Reference is now made toFIGS. 3 and 4, which are schematic perspective views from above and from below, respectively, of an intermediate guide rail holder2B, comprising two engagement heads14B, which guide rail holder constitute a joint between two guide rails4A,4B, the guide rails are presented as transparent.

As has been mentioned above the inventive guide rail holder2is suitable for connecting a guide rail to a wall bracket3. The guide rail holder2B disclosed inFIGS. 3-4comprises a radially extending support body10band two from said support body axially extending posts12B. The posts12B are rigidly connected to the support body10B. Thereto each post12B is adapted to be inserted into the two opposite end of the two guide rails4A,4B. The guide rail, and the posts, has in this embodiment a squared cross section, seen in a radial plane, but it shall be realized that also other cross sections are conceivable. The guide rail holder2B comprises also two engagement heads14B that are connected to one post12B each and that are arranged at a distance from the support body10B. The engagement heads14B have in the disclosed embodiment squared cross section as the guide rails. The engagement heads14B have a greater radial extension than the posts12B and each engagement head comprises a radially expandable member16that is arranged to be reversibly manipulated between an active state, in which the expandable member16is in engagement with the guide rail, and an inactive state, in which the expandable member16is disengaged from the guide rail4.

By arranging the engagement heads14B according to the above, i.e. short abutment in the axial direction between the guide rail holder and the guide rail by means of the expandable member16of the engagement heads14B at a distance from the support body, bending of the guide rail in relation to the fixed guide rail holder is allowed with retained firm support. The guide rail4is supported by the expandable member16that in the active state is in engagement with the guide rail4also during the event the guide rail, due to external effect, is in bent condition in relation to the guide rail holder2B. Thereby a flexible, i.e. non rigid, connection between the guide rail holder2band the upper guide rail4A and the lower guide railB, respectively, is attained. The guide rail holder2B also comprises an axially extending pivot24that is rigidly connected to the support body10B. The pivot24extend in parallel with the posts12B and is offset in the radial direction in relation to said posts. The pivot24is journalled in the wall bracket3that is provided with a round through hole. The wall bracket3is in a conventional way, for instance by means of suitable bolts, attached to the supporting tank wall8. The journalled pivot24can be freely turned within a predetermined interval.

The respective engagement head14B is, as disclosed above, arranged at a distance from the support body10B. More specifically, the distance between the engagement head and the support body may be greater than 50 percentage of the smallest crosswise distance of the engagement head, preferably greater than 100 percentage of said crosswise distance. Such a location of the engagement head14in relation to the support body10B contribute to eliminate split open of the guide rail ends. The different components and function of the engagement heads will now be described in more detail in connection withFIGS. 5-7.

In the following is referred toFIG. 5that is a schematic perspective exploded view from above of the intermediate guide rail holder having two engagement heads, according toFIGS. 3 and 4, as well asFIGS. 6 and 7, which are schematic cross sectional views from the front and the side, respectively, of the guide rail holder and guide rails according toFIG. 3. The guide rail holder2B comprises two axially extending hollow posts12B, which are rigidly connected to the support body10B and which are diametrically protruding from the support body. The guide rail holder2B also comprises two engagement heads14B. The respective engagement head14bof the guide rail holder comprise a first plate18, located closest to the support body, and a second plate20, said expandable member16being arranged between said first plate18and said second plate20. The expandable member16may be constituted by one or more plates arranged onto each other. The post12B is rigidly connected, for instance welded, to the first plate18, and the first plate18is rigidly connected to the post12B. In this embodiment the respective second plate20is provided with an axially protruding member44having an eye, protruding in the direction against the support body. The expandable member16, typically made of rubber having suitable deformation characteristics, is provided with one larger, centrally located opening45as well as four smaller, peripherally located openings42. The object of the larger opening is to allow passage of said axially extending member44having an eye. The smaller openings42will be described in more detail in connection withFIGS. 8-11. The rubber material will dampen harmful vibrations that are generated during operation in the guide rail assembly and especially in the guide rail holder.

The guide rail holder thereto comprises means40for adjusting the distance between the first plate and the second plate. In this embodiment the means for adjusting the distance between the plates18,20is constituted by at least one screw joint. The screw joint40can be realized in different ways, for instance by means of a turnbuckle, as the one disclosed inFIG. 5. A turnbuckle40as a joint element is especially suitable in applications having two opposite engagement heads. The turnbuckle comprises two eyes47, one in each end, that are connected to each other by means of a so called buckle49. The eyes are located at two elongated threaded rods43that are in engagement with the respective second plate, as is seen inFIGS. 7 and 8, in the shown embodiment with the respective axially extending member44having an eye belonging to the second plate, when the guide rail holder is in use. By turning the buckle49in a first direction the eye rods are screwed inwards. Thereby the entire length of the turnbuckle is decreased, whereby the second plate20is moved towards the first stationary plate18. This entail that the expandable member16is compressed and thereby expands in order to be brought in engagement with the inner side of the wall of the guide rail. In other words, one gets a possibility to adjust the degree of radial extension of the member. When the expandable member16is in engagement with the inner side of the wall of the guide rail, said radially expandable member is in an active state. By turning the buckle49in a second direction the eye rods are screwed outwards. Thereby the entire length of the turnbuckle is increased, whereby the second plate20is moved away from the first plate18. After a certain axial displacement of the respective second plate in the direction away from the respective first plate the engagement between the expandable member16and the inside of the wall of the guide rail cease. Then the expandable member16is in an inactive state. To sum up, by controlling the turnbuckle49one may reversibly manipulate the state of the members, i.e. change between an active and an inactive state. The turnbuckle may either be controlled manually or by means of any suitable tool. As is shown in at leastFIGS. 6 and 7, due to the present design in connection with the interface between the two guide rails4A,4B, especially the shape of the support body10B, an opening46that admit access to control the turnbuckle according to the above. According to an alternative embodiment the two engagement heads14bare manipulated independently from each other by means of individual adjustment means.

As is apparent fromFIGS. 6 and 7there is an axial tolerance concerning the location of the upper end of the lower guide rail4B in relation to the guide rail holder2B, thereto the lower end of the upper guide rail4A rest against the support body10B.

Reference is in the following made toFIGS. 8-11. Some of the parts/functions that are similar to the embodiment according toFIGS. 3-7are not referred to.

The upper guide rail holder2A disclosed inFIGS. 8-11comprises a radially extending support body10A and an axially extending post12A. The body and the post are rigidly connected to each other. Thereto the post12A is adapted to be inserted into an upper end of the upper guide rail4A. The guide rail holder2A also comprises an axially extending pivot25that is rigidly connected to the support body10A. The pivot25extends in parallel with the post12A and is offset in the radial direction in relation to said post.

FIG. 8is a schematically perspective view from above of the upper guide rail holder2a,where the guide rail4A is disclosed as transparent. Parts of the winch device52comprising a wire54are also disclosed. The engagement head14A shown inFIG. 8is made much alike the one discussed above. More specifically, the engagement head14aalso in this case comprises a first plate18, located closest to the support body10A, and a second plate20, said expandable member16being arranged between said first plate and said second plate. The first plate18is rigidly connected to the post12A that is rigidly connected to the support body10A. The plates18,20and the expandable member16are kept together by means of bolts58having corresponding nuts. The number of bolts in this embodiment is four, without being limited thereto. Said bolts extend through four smaller, peripherally arranged openings in the respective plate and in the intermediate expandable member. These openings have also been mentioned in connection withFIGS. 3 and 4. Compression of the plates18,20resulting in a radial extension of the expandable member16is attained by tightening the nuts50that are visible inFIG. 8. In the other respects this engagement head operate in the same way as the engagement heads described in connection withFIGS. 5-7. The nuts are preferably manipulated by means of a suitable tool.

FIG. 10is a schematic cross sectional front view of the upper guide rail holder and the guide rail according toFIG. 8.FIG. 11is a schematic cross sectional side view of a part of the upper guide rail holder and the guide rail according toFIG. 8. Both figures contextualize the location of the guide rail holder in relation to the actual guide rail in this embodiment. As is apparent fromFIGS. 10 and 11there is an axial tolerance with regards to the location of the guide rail end in relation to the guide rail holder.

Reference is now made toFIGS. 12-15. Parts/functions that are similar to the embodiments according toFIGS. 1-11, and especially according to the embodiment according toFIGS. 8-11, are not referred to. In this context as is shown in at leastFIGS. 12 and 13, which are a schematic perspective view from below and from the front, respectively, of the lower guide rail holder2C, the engagement head14C is structurally and functionally similar to the engagement head14A discussed in connection withFIGS. 8-11.

FIG. 14is a schematic cross sectional front view of the lower guide rail holder2C and the lower guide rail4B according toFIG. 12, andFIG. 15is a schematic cross sectional side view of the lower guide rail holder2C and the lower guide rail4B according toFIG. 12. Both figures contextualize the location of the guide rail holder in relation to the actual guide rail in this embodiment. Thereto, as is especially apparent fromFIGS. 14 and 15the support body10C of the lower guide rail holder comprises two radially extending, parallel parts9,11. The post12C of the lower guide rail holder is connected to lower part9of the support body10C and to the upper part11of the support body10C in order to obtain enough rigidity in the guide rail holder. The lower end of the lower guide rail4B abut against the upper part11of the support body10C. Thereto, the upper part11of the support body10C is provided with a recess53that admit access for the manipulation tool that may tighten/loosen the nuts50.

Alternatively in all disclosed guide rail holders the second plate may be rigidly connected to the post, whereupon the first plate is axially displaceable in relation to the second plate in order to activate/inactivate the expandable member.

Feasible Modifications of the Invention

The invention is not limited only to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, which primarily have an illustrative and exemplifying purpose. This patent application is intended to cover all adjustments and variants of the preferred embodiments described herein, thus the present invention is defined by the wording of the appended claims and thus the equipment may be modified in all kinds of ways within the scope of the appended claims.

It shall also be pointed out that all information about/concerning terms such as above, under, upper, lower, etc., shall be interpreted/read having the equipment oriented according to the figures, having the drawings oriented such that the references can be properly read. Thus, such terms only indicates mutual relations in the shown embodiments, which relations may be changed if the inventive equipment is provided with another structure/design.

It shall also be pointed out that even thus it is not explicitly stated that features from a specific embodiment may be combined with features from another embodiment, the combination shall be considered obvious, if the combination is possible.