Patent Publication Number: US-8991298-B2

Title: Apparatus for drainage by well points

Description:
The invention relates to an apparatus for drainage by well points, comprising a piston pump and a drive motor coupled to the piston pump by means of a transmission and provided with a drive shaft, which transmission is received in a housing and comprises at least one crankshaft and a drive rod coupled thereto, which drive rod is coupled by means of a cross-head to a piston rod of the piston pump, wherein the housing forms an oil sump. 
     An apparatus for drainage by well points is known in numerous embodiments, wherein the crankshaft is mounted on the housing of a drive sump, from which the drive rod extends to the piston rod in a tunnel-like housing between the drive sump and the housing of the piston pump. The transmission between the drive shaft of the drive motor and the crankshaft is provided by a belt tensioned between a first pulley on the drive shaft and a second pulley on a second shaft mounted on the housing parallel to the crankshaft and the drive shaft, wherein in the case the drive motor is a combustion engine the second pulley is coupled to a flywheel. 
     The known apparatus for drainage by well points has a relatively large volume, this being perceived as a drawback by the user because the apparatus is usually intended for temporary use, for instance on a building site, and must therefore be transported frequently. 
     Even when the apparatus is wholly enclosed by a housing, the belt transmission in the known apparatus entails safety risks. The adjustment of a belt, i.e. tensioning thereof in the correct manner, requires the deployment of sufficiently qualified technical personnel, such personnel becoming increasingly less readily available. 
     Known from the U.S. Pat. No. 779,907 is an air pump which is coupled by means of a transmission to a drive motor provided with a drive shaft. The transmission is received in a housing and comprises a drive rod coupled to a plunger of the air pump and a crankshaft coupled thereto. The housing forms a drive sump and the crankshaft and the drive shaft extend in mutually perpendicular directions. The transmission comprises an assembly of a worm and a worm wheel co-acting therewith. The worm wheel is mounted on the crankshaft and in operating mode the worm shaft extends horizontally in line with the drive shaft. No mention is made of the lubrication of the coupling of the drive rod and the plunger. This lubrication evidently takes place by means of oil carried out of the drive sump by the worm wheel and dripping along the drive rod to the coupling. 
     The horizontal placing of the worm shaft, in line with the drive shaft, unambiguously determines the distance between the crankshaft and the drive shaft, and thereby the drive motor, and thereby represents a limitation to the possible options for the location of the drive motor relative to this crankshaft. The lubrication of the coupling by oil being carried by the worm wheel entails the risk of this lubrication being insufficient. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for drainage by well points which is compact and which is thereby easy to transport, low-noise and energy-efficient. 
     This apparatus has to be low-maintenance and has to be safe to operate, wherein it can suffice to deploy personnel having no specific technical knowledge or skills. 
     This apparatus further has to be provided with means for lubricating the cross-head in simple and effective manner. 
     These objects are realized, and other advantages gained, with an apparatus for drainage by well points of the type stated in the preamble, wherein according to the invention the transmission further comprises an assembly of a worm and a worm wheel co-acting therewith and mounted on the crankshaft, which worm is provided on a worm shaft extending transversely relative to the crankshaft and vertically in operating mode of the apparatus for drainage by well points. 
     Because the transmission is assembled from co-acting components of a stiff or non-stretchable material it has the inherent advantage that it can be permanently accommodated in a housing and requires no or at least hardly any maintenance. 
     A transmission, wherein according to the invention the worm shaft extends vertically in operating mode of the apparatus for drainage by well points, makes it possible to place the drive motor such that an exceptionally compact whole is obtained. 
     In an embodiment an apparatus for drainage by well points according to the invention is provided with at least one disc placed on the crankshaft and a scraper co-acting with this disc. 
     The disc provides the option of carrying oil upward from the sump and subsequently having the upward carried oil scraped off by the scraper and deposited on components of the transmission to be lubricated. 
     In another embodiment the scraper comprises a flat body extending downward from the upper side of the housing in radial direction of the disc and, in vertical projection, to a position above the coupling of the drive rod to the crankshaft. 
     In a subsequent embodiment the drive rod is provided with a channel for transporting oil from the oil sump to the cross-head. 
     The channel is for instance formed by an open gutter on the upper side of the drive rod and a conduit connected thereto by a bore, extending through the drive rod and debouching in the cross-head. 
     The rotation direction of the worm wheel is preferably chosen such that the path velocity of the part of the worm wheel co-acting with the worm is directed upward. 
     Such a rotation direction provides the advantage that the load on the upper bearing of the worm shaft is relatively low, which results in a longer lifespan of this bearing. 
     In an advantageous embodiment of an apparatus for drainage by well points according to the invention the piston pump is a piston pump of the double-action type provided with at least two pistons, and the transmission comprises a crankshaft and two drive rods on either side of the worm wheel coupled thereto, which drive rods are each coupled by means of a cross-head to one of two respective piston rods of the piston pump. 
     The drive motor is for instance placed on the housing for the transmission, wherein the drive shaft is directed in the line of the worm shaft. 
     In a subsequent embodiment, wherein the apparatus for drainage by well points further comprises a housing for the piston rod of a driven piston pump, the drive motor is placed above or on the housing for the piston rod and the drive shaft is directed parallel to the piston rod. 
     The drive motor can comprise any suitable type of motor, for instance an electric motor or a diesel motor. 
    
    
     
       The invention will be elucidated hereinbelow on the basis of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the drawings. 
       In the drawings 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an apparatus for drainage by well points according to the invention, 
         FIG. 2  is a simplified projection of a part of the apparatus for drainage by well points shown in  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3   a  is a cut-away perspective view of a part of the apparatus for drainage by well points shown in  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3   b  is a cut-away perspective view of a detail of  FIG. 3   a,    
         FIG. 4   a - 4   b  show in projection and cut-away perspective view a detail of the embodiment of  FIG. 2  in a first position, and 
         FIG. 4   c - 4   d  show in projection and cut-away perspective view a detail of the embodiment of  FIG. 2  in a second position, 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an apparatus for drainage by well points according to the invention, 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of an apparatus for drainage by well points according to the invention, 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of an apparatus for drainage by well points according to the invention, and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of an apparatus for drainage by well points according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding components are designated in the figures with the same reference numerals. 
       FIG. 1  shows an apparatus for drainage by well points  1  with a double-action piston pump  2 , an electric motor  3 , a transmission in a housing  4  and a housing  6  for the piston rods  5  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The figure also shows a cover  20  for piston pump  2 , a cover  24  and a cover plate  23  covering respectively housing  4  and crankshaft  7  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
       FIG. 2  shows housing  4  of the apparatus for drainage by well points  1  shown in  FIG. 1  for the transmission from drive motor  3  to piston pump  2  (shown in  FIG. 1 ), with a crankshaft  7  coupled by means of a drive rod  8  and a cross-head  14  to piston rod  5  of the piston pump. Mounted on crankshaft  7  is a worm wheel  16  which is driven by a worm  17  on a vertical worm shaft  18  mounted on housing  4  with bearings  36 ,  22 . Mounted on crankshaft  7  are two discs (of which one,  34 , is shown) which carry oil  11  out of the underside of housing  4  during rotation of the worm wheel in counterclockwise direction as according to arrow  12  and which each co-act with a scraper  10 , using which oil carried by the respective disc  34  is scraped off. The scraped-off oil comes to lie in a channel  13  in the respective drive rod  8  (shown in  FIG. 4   a - 4   d ) so as to lubricate the respective cross-head  14 . The rotation direction  12  indicated in  FIG. 2  is chosen such that the path velocity of the part of worm wheel  16  co-acting with worm  17  is directed upward, which results in a lower load, and thereby a longer lifespan of upper bearing  36 . The figure also shows a handle  25  on cover  24  of housing  4 . 
     As a result of the right-angled transmission by worm wheel  16  and worm  17 , crankshaft  7  and worm shaft  18  extend in mutually perpendicular directions, which makes it possible in simple manner to place drive motor  3  on the housing  4  for the transmission, wherein drive shaft  9  of drive motor  3  is directed in the line of worm shaft  18 . 
       FIG. 3   a  shows in the apparatus for drainage by well points  1  the housing  6  for piston rods  5  and a part of the interior of housing  4 , with worm wheel  16  and on either side thereof the discs  34 ,  34 ′ with respective scrapers  10 ,  10 ′ which extend downward from the upper side of housing  4  in substantially radial direction of the respective discs  34 ,  34 ′ and which extend in vertical projection to a position above the respective couplings  37 ′ of the respective drive rods on crankshaft  7 . 
       FIG. 3   b  shows in detail the part  35  circled in  FIG. 3   a.    
       FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  show respectively in projection and in cut-away perspective view the drive rod  8  for the piston rod  5  shown in  FIG. 2  in a first position, in which the end of drive rod  8  coupled to crankshaft  7  is in its lowest position and oil  11  (indicated by arrows  26 ) is guided out of sump  4  via an open gutter  13  on the upper side of drive rod  8  and a bore  19  to a conduit  15  received on the underside of drive rod  8 , which conduit  15  has an outflow  21  at its end directed toward cross-head  14 . 
       FIGS. 4   c  and  4   d  show respectively in projection and in cut-away perspective view the drive rod  8  for the piston rod  5  shown in  FIG. 2  in a second position, in which the end of drive rod  8  coupled to crankshaft  7  is in its highest position and oil  11  (indicated by arrows  26 ) is guided from the conduit  15  debouching at cross-head  14  toward cross-head  14 . The residue of the oil is fed back to housing  4 . 
       FIG. 5  shows an apparatus for drainage by well points  27  with a piston pump  2 , an electric motor  3 , a transmission in a housing  4  and a housing  6  for a piston rod  5 . Housing  4  is provided on one of its sides (on the right in the figure) with an extension  28  in which an elongated part of the crankshaft and the worm wheel are accommodated and on which an electric motor  3  is placed. This configuration enables a lower placing of electric motor  3  compared to the configuration shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein the overall width of housing  4  is however greater. 
       FIG. 6  shows an apparatus for drainage by well points  29  which differs from the apparatus for drainage by well points  1  shown in  FIG. 1  in that it is provided with a diesel motor  30  instead of an electric motor  3  for the purpose of driving piston pump  2 . 
       FIG. 7  shows an apparatus for drainage by well points  31  which differs from the apparatus for drainage by well points  1  shown in  FIG. 1  in that the drive shaft (not shown) of electric motor  3  is coupled to the worm shaft (not shown) by means of a right-angled transmission  32  and electric motor  3  is placed above housing  6  for the piston rod, whereby an exceptionally compact whole is obtained. 
       FIG. 8  shows an apparatus for drainage by well points  33  which differs from the apparatus for drainage by well points  1  shown in  FIG. 6  in that it is provided with a diesel motor  30  instead of an electric motor  3  for the purpose of driving piston pump  2 , wherein diesel motor  30  is placed above and on housing  6  for the piston rod.