Patent GB-872585-A (GB)
Title: Assembly of power units
IPC: F16H37/00
Filed: 1959-03-20
Abstract: 872,585. Motor power plant. DRESSER INDUSTRIES Inc. March 20, 1959 [Oct. 31, 1958], No. 9754/59. Class 110 (3). A power plant assembly comprises a plurality of power units separately mounted side-by-side on individual base supports, each unit having a driving-shaft rotatably mounted on its respective base support, first and second aligned layshafts being disposed between the driving-shafts of adjacent power units and being respectively rotatably mounted upon the adjacent base supports, a first driving connection being provided between the first driving-shaft and the first layshaft, a second driving connection being provided between the second driving-shaft and the second lay-shaft, and disconnectable means being provided whereby the lay-shafts may be drivingly connected together. The plant shown in Fig. 1 comprises three power units No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 which are respectively mounted on supports 7, 8 and 9, the supports being releasably interconnected by means of pivotallymounted eyebolts 10. The power units comprise output shafts 13, 14, 15, respectively, supported in bearings 19 from the base supports. The end units No. 1 and No. 3 carry lay-shafts 20, 23, respectively, which are mounted in bearings 24, 27 carried by the base supports 7, 9, the driving-shafts 13, 15 and lay-shafts 20, 23 carrying sprockets 28 which are interconnected by chains 29. The output shaft 14 of the intermediate power unit No. 2 carries two axiallyspaced sprockets 28 which are interconnected by chains 29 to sprockets 28 carried by two layshafts 21, 22 disposed on either side of the output shaft 14 and rotatably mounted in bearings 25, 26 carried by the base support 8. The layshafts 20, 21 may be connected together by a disconnectable coupling 30, and similarly the lay-shafts 22, 23 may be connected together by a disconnectable coupling 31. Clutches could be provided in place of the couplings 30, 31. The driving connections 28, 29 and the portion of the output shaft 14 between the sprockets 28 are enclosed by casings B, C, D, the disposition of the driving connection and of the casing C associated with power unit No. 2 being of Z-form. The power units are connected to their respective output shafts 13, 14, 15 through clutches 16, 17, 18. A sprocket 35 is carried by output shaft 13 and drives a unit by means of chain 36, a clutch 37 being disposed between the inner and outer portions of shaft 13 so that the unit may be driven by power unit No. 1 only, or by further power units also. Alternatively, the clutch 37 could be disposed between the lay-shafts 20, 21. One or more pump or other drives may be connected to the drive assembly; for example, a pulley 38 may be mounted on an extension of the output shaft 15 to drive a pump unit by means of belts 39, a clutch 40 being disposed between the two parts of the shaft 15. Also, a pulley 41 may be mounted on a shaft 43 which may be considered an extension of the lay-shaft 22, a second pump unit being connected to the pulley 41 by means of belts 42; a clutch 45 is disposed between lay-shaft 22 and shaft 43, the latter shaft being supported in bearings 44 carried by the base 8. The drive assembly associated with power unit No. 2 is shown in Fig. 3, the output shaft 14 being connected by a clutch to the outer sprocket 28 carried by the shaft. A clutch part 28a is keyed to the shaft 14 and may be moved axially therealong so that teeth formed on the clutch part engage or disengage teeth formed on the sprocket 28 which is rotatably mounted on the shaft by means of bearings 28c. The lay-shaft 21 is so mounted as to allow for misalignment of the lay-shafts 20, 21, the lay-shaft 21 extending through the hollow sprocket 28 and being flexibly connected thereto at the side of the sprocket remote from the lay-shaft 20. A toothed collar 54 is secured to the lay-shaft 21 and the teeth thereon engage teeth formed in a ring member 51 secured to the sprocket. The lay-shafts 20, 21 are connected together by a similar flexible coupling device.