Abstract:
One embodiment of the present invention is a unique blower having an oil slinger system. Another embodiment is a unique rotor system having an oil slinger system. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for rotor systems, blowers and other apparatuses that employ oil slinger systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/701,229 filed Sep. 14, 2012, entitled OIL SLINGER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to rotor systems, and more particularly, to rotor systems having oil slingers. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Rotor systems, such as blowers, that effectively use oil slingers remain an area of interest. Some existing systems have various shortcomings, drawbacks, and disadvantages relative to certain applications. Accordingly, there remains a need for further contributions in this area of technology. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    One embodiment of the present invention is a unique blower having an oil slinger system. Another embodiment is a unique rotor system having an oil slinger system. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for rotor systems, blowers and other apparatuses that employ oil slinger systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  schematically illustrates some aspects of a non-limiting example of a blower in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of some aspects of a non-limiting example of an oil slinger system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIGS. 3 and 3A  are an isometric and a partial view of some aspects of a non-limiting example of an oil slinger system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is an axial cross-section illustrating some aspects of a non-limiting example of an oil slinger system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a cross-section illustrating some aspects of a non-limiting example of an oil slinger system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, depicting, among other things, and anti-rotation feature in the form of a slot in an adapter sleeve engaging and anti-rotation feature in the form of a tang of a retaining element. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    For purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nonetheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended by the illustration and description of certain embodiments of the invention. In addition, any alterations and/or modifications of the illustrated and/or described embodiment(s) are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. Further, any other applications of the principles of the invention, as illustrated and/or described herein, as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0012]    Referring to the drawings, and in particular  FIG. 1 , some aspects of a non-limiting example of an apparatus  10  are schematically illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one form, apparatus  10  is a rotor system. In a more particular form, apparatus  10  is a blower, and hence is referred to herein as blower  10 . In other embodiments, apparatus  10  may be any rotor system or any system that employs an oil slinger. In one form, blower  10  is a Roots-type blower. In other embodiments, blower  10  may be any other type blower. Blower  10  includes blower elements in the form of two rotors  12  and  14  disposed in a rotor housing  16  and axially retained between side plates  18  and  20 . Each rotor  12 ,  14  is supported on both sides by a bearing  22 , e.g., bearings  22 A,  22 B,  22 C and  22 D via respective shafts  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  extending from rotors  12  and  14 , illustrated in  FIG. 1 . In various embodiments, each of shafts  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may or may not be integral with respective rotors  12  and  14 . Coupled to shafts  24  and  28  are two gears  32  and  34 , respectively. Gears  32  and  34  are in mesh, and are configured to maintain relative rotational alignment between rotors  12  and  14 . Gears  32  and  34  are disposed in an oil tank  36  in which an oil bath  38  is maintained for splash lubrication of gears  32  and  34 , and bearings  22 A and  22 B disposed adjacent to gears  32  and  34 . Disposed in an oil tank  40  is an oil slinger system  50  drivingly engaged by shaft  30  for providing splash lubrication to bearings  22 C and  22 D via an oil slinger  70  engaging a second oil bath  38 . 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  3 A and  4 , some aspects of a non-limiting example of oil slinger system  50  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention are depicted. Oil slinger system  50  includes an adapter sleeve  52  having a slot  54 ; a threaded lock nut  56 ; a retaining element  58 ; and an oil slinger assembly  60 . Adapter sleeve  52  has an inside diameter that is receivable over the outside diameter of shaft  30 . The external surface of adapter  52  includes a conical or tapered surface  55 . Lock nut  56  includes a plurality of anti-rotation features  62 . The number of anti-rotation feature may vary with the needs of the particular application. In one form, anti-rotation features  62  are slots in the outer diameter of lock nut  56 . In other embodiments, anti-rotation features  62  may take other forms e.g., including slots or openings or indentations or any suitable feature on any desired portion of lock nut  56 . Lock nut  56  has internal threads configured to engage mating external threads on adapter sleeve  52 . 
         [0014]    Retaining element  58  includes a plurality of anti-rotation features  64  and an anti-rotation feature  66 . In one form, retaining element  58  is a tabbed washer, wherein anti-rotation features  64  are in the form of external tabs or tangs, and wherein anti-rotation feature  66  is an internal tab or tang. The number of anti-rotation features  64  and  66  may vary with the needs of the application. In addition the form of anti-rotation feature  64  and  66  may vary from one embodiment to another and in accordance with the needs of the application. Slot  54  of adapter sleeve  52  is an anti-rotation feature, and is configured to engage anti-rotation feature  66  to prevent rotation between retaining element  58  and adapter sleeve  52 . Anti-rotation features  66  are configured to engage anti-rotation features  62  in order to prevent rotation between retaining element  58  and lock nut  56 . Because retaining element  58  is anti-rotated relative to adapter sleeve  52  via the engagement of anti-rotation tang  66  with slot  54 , the co-engagement of anti-rotation features  62  and  66  prevents the rotation of lock nut  56  relative to adapter sleeve  52 . 
         [0015]    Oil slinger assembly  60  includes a hub  68 , and oil slinger  70 , and a plurality of threaded fasteners  72 , e.g., cap screws, configured to secure oil slinger  70  to hub  68 . Oil slinger  70  extends outward from hub  68 . In one form, oil slinger  70  includes an opening configured to be received over at least a portion of hub  68  e.g., wherein the oil slinger  70  opening is an internal diameter, and wherein hub  68  includes an outer diameter configured to engage the internal diameter of oil slinger  70 . In other embodiments, other means may be employed to secure oil slinger  70  to hub  68 . The shape of oil slinger  70  may vary to suit the needs of the application. Hub  68  includes an internal conical or tapered surface  74 , which is configured to engage tapered surface  55  of adapter sleeve  52 . In one form, during assembly, oil slinger  70  is attached to hub  68  via fasteners  72 ; and oil slinger assembly  60  is installed onto adapter sleeve  52 . Retaining element  58  is then installed over adapter sleeve  52 , with anti-rotation feature  66  engaging and sliding into anti-rotation feature  54 , and then, lock nut  56  is threaded onto adapter sleeve  52 . The assembly is then installed onto shaft  30 . In other embodiments, other assembly sequences may be employed. For example, adapter sleeve  52  may be installed onto shaft  30  prior to the installation of one or more of oil slinger assembly  60 , retaining element  58  and lock nut  56  onto adapter sleeve  52 . In any event, once adapter sleeve  52  is installed onto shaft  30 ; oil slinger  70  is attached to hub  68 ; and oil slinger assembly  60 , retaining element  58  and lock nut  56  are installed onto adapter sleeve  52  e.g., with a sliding fit, lock nut  56  is tightened, e.g., to a desirable torque value within a predetermined torque range, such that one or more anti-rotation feature  66  of retaining element  58  lines up with one or more anti-rotation feature  62  of lock nut  56 . One or more of anti-rotation features  66  that are lined up with anti-rotation feature  62  are then displaced, e.g., bent, at least partially into anti-rotation feature  62 , to thereby prevent any rotation of lock nut  56 , e.g., to prevent loosening during operation. During the tightening of lock nut  56 , the displacement of lock nut  56  generates an axial force that drives tapered surfaces  55  and  74  into contact. By virtue of the axial force acting against the wedge angle formed by the tapered surfaces, adapter sleeve  52  is driven into compression, reducing the internal diameter of adapter sleeve  52  and yielding an interference fit between adapter sleeve  52  and shaft  30 . This interference fit secures adapter sleeve  52  against rotation relative to shaft  30 . In some embodiments, adapter sleeve  52  includes a slot, e.g., a slot  76  extending partially or fully along the length of adapter sleeve  52 , which allows adapter sleeve  52  to be more readily compressed. In addition, by virtue of the axial force acting against the wedge angle formed by tapered surfaces  55  and  74 , an interference fit, e.g., a forced-fit tapered engagement, between hub  68  and adapter sleeve  52  is formed, which secures oil slinger assembly  60  against rotation relative to adapter sleeve  52 , hence securing oil slinger assembly  60  and oil slinger  70  against rotation relative to shaft  30 . 
         [0016]    An oil slinger attached to a rotating shaft is provided. Generally, the oil slinger is mounted to a rotating shaft, and more particularly, the oil slinger is mounted to the shaft of a blower in a removable fashion using a compression type fitting. In one embodiment, the oil slinger is secured to an oil slinger hub via screws, and the oil slinger hub is placed onto a tapered section of a slotted adapter sleeve surrounding the rotor shaft. A lock nut and retaining element are then screwed over the narrow diameter end of the sleeve, where the slot of the sleeve is widest, to press the slinger hub up the taper of the sleeve, thereby compressing the sleeve onto the shaft and securing the slinger hub to the sleeve. An advantage of this mounting arrangement is that the oil slinger is less likely to become loose during use (e.g., due to thermal shifts) while still permitting disassembly for purposes of service or reuse. 
         [0017]    One example aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus having a rotatably mounted shaft, an adapter sleeve, a hub, an oil slinger, a lock nut, and a retaining element. The shaft may be rotatably mounted in any known fashion such as by, for example, a bearing. The adapter sleeve is mounted about or coupled to the shaft and has a tapered or frustoconical outer surface. A narrower end of the adapter sleeve is mounted toward a first end of the shaft. The hub is mounted about the adapter sleeve and has a frustoconical inner surface that mates with the frustoconical outer surface of the adapter sleeve. The hub is further provided with two sections where a first section has a radial dimension that is smaller than a radial dimension of the second section. The oil slinger, which has at least one radial dimension larger than the second section of the hub, is mounted to the hub adjacent the second section and about the first section. The oil slinger is fixedly attached to the second section by fasteners such as, for example, threaded fasteners such as, for example, one or more screws. The lock nut is mounted about the adapter sleeve adjacent to the first section of the hub. A retaining element may also be provided disposed between the hub and the lock nut. The adapter sleeve may have a slot that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft for retaining the retaining ring. In addition, a rotor may be mounted to an end of the shaft. 
         [0018]    An apparatus may comprise a rotatably mounted shaft having a first end and a second end and a longitudinal axis therethrough; an adapter sleeve having a frustoconical outer surface, and being coupled to said shaft, and being disposed between said first end and said second end, with a narrower end of said adapter sleeve mounted adjacent said first end; a hub mounted having a frustoconical inner surface, and being coupled about said adapter sleeve, wherein said frustoconical outer surface mates with said frustoconical inner surface; wherein said hub has a first section with a first radial dimension and a second section with a second radial dimension that is larger than said first radial dimension; an oil slinger mounted said hub, adjacent said second section and about said first section, wherein said oil slinger is fixedly attached to said second section via one or more fasteners; a lock nut mounted about said adapter sleeve adjacent said first section; a retaining element mounted about said adapter sleeve and disposed between said lock nut and said first section. The adapter sleeve may include a slot parallel with said longitudinal axis for retaining said retaining element. The apparatus may further include a rotor fixedly mounted to said second end of said shaft. 
         [0019]    A blower may comprise a housing; a shaft rotatably mounted to said housing and having a first end and a second end and a longitudinal axis therethrough; an adapter sleeve having a frustoconical outer surface, and being coupled to said shaft, and being disposed between said first end and said second end, with a narrower end of said adapter sleeve mounted adjacent said first end; a hub mounted having a frustoconical inner surface, and being coupled about said adapter sleeve, wherein said frustoconical outer surface mates with said frustoconical inner surface; wherein said hub has a first section with a first radial dimension and a second section with a second radial dimension that is larger than said first radial dimension; an oil slinger mounted said hub, adjacent said second section and about said first section, wherein said oil slinger is fixedly attached to said second section via one or more fasteners; a lock nut mounted about said adapter sleeve adjacent said first section; a retaining element mounted about said adapter sleeve and disposed between said lock nut and said first section. The adapter sleeve may include a slot parallel with said longitudinal axis for retaining said retaining element. The apparatus may include a rotor fixedly mounted to said second end of said shaft and housed within said housing. 
         [0020]    Embodiments of the present invention include a blower comprising: a blower element; a shaft coupled to the blower element; an adapter sleeve receivable on the shaft and having threads and a tapered surface; an oil slinger assembly having an oil slinger, wherein the oil slinger assembly includes a tapered surface configured to engage the adapter sleeve tapered surface; a lock nut having threads configured to engage the adapter sleeve threads; and a retaining element configured to prevent rotation of the lock nut. 
         [0021]    In a refinement, the blower may include a screw configured to secure the oil slinger to the oil slinger assembly. 
         [0022]    In another refinement, the oil slinger assembly includes a hub; and wherein the oil slinger includes an opening configured for receiving the oil slinger onto the hub. 
         [0023]    In yet another refinement, the adapter sleeve has an interference fit with the shaft. 
         [0024]    In yet still another refinement, the lock nut is configured to generate an axial force and drive the oil slinger assembly tapered surface into the adapter sleeve tapered surface to compress the adapter sleeve and form the interference fit. 
         [0025]    In yet still another refinement, the adapter sleeve includes an anti-rotation feature; the retaining element includes an anti-rotation feature; and the retaining element anti-rotation feature is configured to engage the adapter sleeve anti-rotation feature and prevent rotation between the retaining element and the adapter sleeve. 
         [0026]    In a further refinement, the retaining element includes an anti-rotation feature configured to prevent rotation between the retaining element and the lock nut; and the lock nut includes an anti-rotation feature configured to engage the retaining element anti-rotation feature. 
         [0027]    In a still further refinement, the oil slinger assembly includes a hub; the oil slinger extends outward from the hub; the oil slinger assembly tapered surface is disposed on the hub; and the oil slinger assembly tapered surface has an interference fit with the adapter sleeve tapered surface. 
         [0028]    In a yet still further refinement, the lock nut is configured to generate an axial force and drive the oil slinger assembly tapered surface into the adapter sleeve tapered surface and form the interference fit. 
         [0029]    Embodiments of the present invention include a rotor system, comprising: a shaft; an adapter sleeve disposed about the shaft and having a tapered surface; an oil slinger assembly having an oil slinger, wherein the oil slinger assembly includes a tapered surface configured to engage the adapter sleeve tapered surface; a lock nut configured to threadingly engage the adapter sleeve; and a retaining element configured to prevent rotation of the lock nut relative to the adapter sleeve. 
         [0030]    In a refinement, the rotor system further comprises a threaded fastener configured to secure the oil slinger to the oil slinger assembly. 
         [0031]    In another refinement, the oil slinger assembly includes a hub; and wherein the oil slinger includes an opening configured for receiving the oil slinger onto the hub. 
         [0032]    In still another refinement, the adapter sleeve has an interference fit with the shaft. 
         [0033]    In still another refinement, the lock nut is configured to generate an axial force and drive the oil slinger assembly tapered surface into the adapter sleeve tapered surface to compress the adapter sleeve and form the interference fit. 
         [0034]    In yet still another refinement, the adapter sleeve includes an anti-rotation feature; the retaining element includes an anti-rotation feature; and the retaining element anti-rotation feature is configured to engage the adapter sleeve anti-rotation feature and prevent rotation between the retaining element and the adapter sleeve. 
         [0035]    In a further refinement, the retaining element includes an anti-rotation feature configured to prevent rotation between the retaining element and the lock nut; and the lock nut includes an anti-rotation feature configured to engage the retaining element anti-rotation feature. 
         [0036]    In a still further refinement, the oil slinger assembly includes a hub; the oil slinger extends outward from the hub; the oil slinger assembly tapered surface is disposed on the hub; and the oil slinger assembly tapered surface has an interference fit with the adapter sleeve tapered surface. 
         [0037]    In a yet still further refinement, the lock nut is configured to generate an axial force and drive the oil slinger assembly tapered surface into the adapter sleeve tapered surface and form the interference fit. 
         [0038]    Embodiments of the present invention include an apparatus comprising: a rotatably mounted shaft having a first end and a second end and a longitudinal axis therethrough; an adapter sleeve having a frustoconical outer surface, and being coupled to the shaft, and being disposed between the first end and the second end, with a narrower end of the adapter sleeve mounted adjacent the first end; a hub mounted having a frustoconical inner surface, and being coupled about the adapter sleeve, wherein the frustoconical outer surface mates with the frustoconical inner surface; wherein the hub has a first section with a first radial dimension and a second section with a second radial dimension that is larger than the first radial dimension; an oil slinger mounted the hub, adjacent the second section and about the first section, wherein the oil slinger is fixedly attached to the second section via one or more fasteners; a lock nut mounted about the adapter sleeve adjacent the first section; a retaining element mounted about the adapter sleeve and disposed between the lock nut and the first section. 
         [0039]    While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment(s), but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as permitted under the law. Furthermore it should be understood that while the use of the word preferable, preferably, or preferred in the description above indicates that feature so described may be more desirable, it nonetheless may not be necessary and any embodiment lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention, that scope being defined by the claims that follow. In reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “a,” “an,” “at least one” and “at least a portion” are used, there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim. Further, when the language “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” is used the item may include a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary.