Patent Document

TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to cooling systems used to draw heat from moving parts in equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cooling system that draws heat away from the bearings and facilitates cooling the lubricant used in the lubrication of vibratory equipment such as pile drivers, wick drain devices and the like. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Most vibratory devices, such as material tamping devices, pile drivers, vibrating tables, wick drain devices and fruit-tree shakers and the like, create desirable vibration by rotating eccentrics. In these devices, due to the wear and tear and heat resulting from vibrating machinery, it is desirable to have continuous lubrication of various internal components such as the meshing gears, bearings, and the eccentrics. Such lubrication serves to cool the intermeshing and interacting internal components that generate heat by their movement and interactions between parts. In much the same way as an automobile engine will cease up without oil to lubricate and cool the engine, pile drivers, wick drains and the like would quickly overheat and possibly cease up without lubrication to cool and lubricate its internal parts. Heretofore, the continuous lubrication used to cool and lubricate a pile driver or vibratory wick drain device has been of two types, one by fluttering and the other by nebulization. 
     Generally, “nebulized” lubrication involves throwing lubricant sprays onto the bearings and other components susceptible to heat and wear. The excess lubricant (e.g., oil) is collected in a recovery basin and then returned from the basin to the spraying nozzles by a motorized pump. This type of lubrication is performed in a free atmosphere. In some embodiments of nebulized lubrication, the bearings are force-lubricated by directing the lubricant directly into sealed bearings and returning excess lubricant to a recovery basin that is separated from the interior of the gear box by a wall that keeps the lubricant out of the interior of the gear box. 
     A drawback to nebulized lubrication is that it typically requires a vibration-tolerant motor to drive the pump, which adds significant weight and cost to the system and requires a power source for the motor, reducing the overall efficiency of the vibratory device. Additionally, because the meshing gears, bearings, and eccentrics are enclosed within the gear box, they are hidden from the operator&#39;s view. Consequently, if the motorized pump or any part of the pumping system fails, the operator frequently will not know of the failure until after serious damage to the vibratory device has occurred. Vibratory devices have been known to cease up due to lack of lubrication when the lubricant pumping system unknowingly fails. 
     Lubrication “by fluttering” has been performed both in a free atmosphere and under vacuum. Generally, this type of lubrication involves driving the eccentrics into rotation within a lubricant container or reservoir. The lubricant is thrown by the centrifugal force of the eccentrics. Particularly with eccentrics that have a semi-circular profile, rotation of the eccentric around its axis causes the eccentric to impact against the lubricant within the container or reservoir. This causes lubricant splash within the gear box (or housing) and forces the lubricant against the interior walls of the gear box. At startup of the vibratory device, this impact is generally rather strong, although it depends on the diameter of the eccentric, its thickness, and the level of and viscosity of the lubricant. Such impact, retards the rotating momentum of the eccentric and absorbs energy making the vibratory device less efficient than it could be if this impact were significantly reduced or eliminated. So long as the lubricant is regularly changed and appropriate levels of lubricant are maintained, the lubricant is always present within the gear box. However, during operation of the vibratory device following startup, the lubricant is so violently agitated, both by the vibration and from eccentric impact, that much, if not all, of the lubricant becomes a fine mist of lubricant globules suspended within the interior volume of the gear box. 
     Because the bearings are most susceptible to overheating and wear, lubrication of the bearings is usually the highest priority with vibratory devices. Although the fine mist of lubricant lubricates the internal components of the vibratory device, including the bearings, the gear box is an enclosure that holds the heat generated within the gear box. With most uses of vibratory devices the rapid heating of the device is not a serious problem because most vibratory devices are designed for intermittent duty (e.g., it takes a short period of time to drive a pile and then the vibratory device is allowed to rest from vibrating and cool down until another pile is attached and ready to be driven). However, the need for continuous duty vibratory devices is increasing. For example, vibratory wick drain devices operate almost continuously because there is such a short time between driving each wick drain. Also, as the advantages and various uses of vibratory devices become better known, the need for continuous duty pile drivers is increasing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The vibratory assembly of the present disclosure utilizes a cooling system that does not expose the cooling fluid to the lubricant, so that the cooling fluid will not contaminate the lubricant. Whether the vibratory assembly utilizes “nebulized” lubrication, a lubricant reservoir, or force lubrication, the vibratory assembly can be cooled without contamination. The cooling system can be retrofit to an existing vibratory assembly or it can be implemented during the initial manufacture of the vibratory assembly. 
     A typical vibratory assembly that contains lubricant comprises an exciter having various internal components and a housing with an interior having a reservoir portion for receiving the lubricant in a lubricant reservoir. The internal components may comprise bearings and at least an eccentric weight rotatable in a clockwise direction and another eccentric weight rotatable in a counter-clockwise direction. The rotation of these eccentric weights causes vibration of the housing. The vibratory assembly of this disclosure also has a cooling system comprising a heat exchanging assembly, a cooling fluid, and a fluid pump. The heat exchanging assembly has at least one surface that is exposed to the interior of the housing and the lubricant contained within the interior of the housing. The heat exchanging assembly has a tortuous pathway not exposed to the interior of the housing. The tortuous pathway is at least a portion of a closed loop conduit through which the fluid flows under the force of the fluid pump. 
     In one embodiment of the vibratory assembly of the present disclosure, the housing has bearing openings and a bearing cover for each bearing opening. In most exciters, there is a bearing opening and a bearing cover for each bearing used with the rotatable eccentric weights. For exciters with two eccentric weights, there are four bearings typically, two bearings for each eccentric weight. Hence, for exciters with four or six eccentric weights, there are eight or twelve bearings, respectively, two bearings for each eccentric weight. 
     The heat exchanging assembly comprises at least one bearing jacket manifold having a bearing-side surface, a pressure inlet disposed at a bearing inlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit and a return outlet at a bearing outlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit. Each bearing jacket manifold is disposed to cover one of the bearing openings and is positioned between the bearing cover and the bearing opening such that the bearing-side surface is exposed to the interior of the housing near the bearing associated with the bearing opening. In this disposition, cooling fluid may flow under the force of the fluid pump into the bearing jacket manifold, through the pressure inlet, along the tortuous pathway, and exits through the return outlet. Further, in this disposition, bearing jacket manifolds are not structurally stressed nor vulnerable to physical harm. Also, the configuration and disposition of the bearing jacket manifolds eliminates transfer of fluid mishaps (i.e., cooling fluid leaking into, mixing with, and contaminating the lubricant). 
     The bearing jacket manifold is made of a metal having thermal conductivity greater than the thermal conductivity of whatever metal the housing is made. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the metal of which the bearing jacket manifold is made is at least 10% greater that the thermal conductivity of whatever metal the housing is made. By way of example, the metal of which the bearing jacket manifold is made may be selected from a group of metals comprising aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, silver, zinc, and alloys thereof, or any other suitable metal or metal alloy with advantageous conductivity. 
     Most vibratory assemblies have a housing with a top plate and side walls. Consequently, the heat exchanging assembly may comprise a plate manifold having an underside surface, a plate pressure inlet disposed at a plate inlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit and a plate return outlet at a plate outlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit. The plate manifold is disposed subtending the top plate between the top plate and the side walls such that the underside surface is exposed to the interior of the housing. In this disposition, the plate manifold will not experience undue stress and the cooling fluid may flow under the force of the fluid pump into the plate manifold, through the plate pressure inlet, along the tortuous pathway, and exits through the plate return outlet. Further, in this disposition, a plate manifold is not structurally stressed nor vulnerable to physical harm. Also, the configuration and disposition of the plate manifold eliminates transfer of fluid mishaps (i.e., cooling fluid leaking into, mixing with, and contaminating the lubricant). 
     Similarly, the plate manifold is made of a metal having thermal conductivity greater than the thermal conductivity of whatever metal the housing is made. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the metal of which the plate manifold is made is at least 10% greater than the thermal conductivity of whatever metal the housing is made. Again, by way of example, the metal of which the plate manifold is made may be selected from a group of metals comprising aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, silver, zinc, and alloys thereof, or any other suitable metal or metal alloy with advantageous conductivity. Additionally, the underside surface of the plate manifold may have undulations or fins that increase the total surface area of the underside surface that is exposed to the interior of the housing. These undulations or fins can be of any suitable configuration. For example, fins may be transverse or longitudinal ridges, zig-zag ridges, etc. 
     An exemplary vibratory assembly of the present disclosure may have a housing with a top plate, side walls, at least one bearing opening, a bearing cover for each bearing opening, and a heat exchanging assembly. The heat exchanging assembly has a plate manifold, at least one bearing jacket manifold, and at least one connector that connects the plate manifold to each bearing jacket manifold. The plate manifold has an underside surface, a plate pressure inlet disposed at a plate inlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit, and a plate return outlet at a plate outlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit. Each bearing jacket manifold has a bearing-side surface, a pressure inlet disposed at a bearing inlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit, and a return outlet at a bearing outlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit. Each connector connects the plate manifold to a corresponding bearing jacket manifold such that the cooling fluid flowing through the closed loop conduit passes through the plate manifold and the associated bearing jacket manifold. Each connector has a first flow conduit and a second flow conduit. The first flow conduit is configured for transporting cooling fluid from the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit within the plate manifold to the pressure inlet of the tortuous pathway portion within the corresponding bearing jacket manifold. The second flow conduit is configured for transporting cooling fluid from the return outlet of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit within the bearing jacket manifold to the tortuous pathway portion within the plate manifold. The plate manifold is disposed subtending the top plate between the top plate and the side walls such that the underside surface is exposed to the interior of the housing. Each bearing jacket manifold is disposed between one of the bearing openings and a corresponding bearing cover such that the bearing-side surface is exposed to the interior of the housing near the bearing. The cooling fluid flows under the force of the fluid pump through the plate pressure inlet into the tortuous pathway portion of the plate manifold, through the first flow conduit of the connector, into the tortuous pathway portion within one of the bearing jacket manifolds, through the second flow conduit of the connector, into the tortuous pathway portion within the plate manifold, exits through the plate return outlet, and returns to the fluid pump. 
     The cooling fluid can be any easily pumpable fluid with suitable heat transfer capabilities. By way of example, the cooling fluid can be water, antifreeze, combinations thereof, or any other suitable fluid with favorable heat transfer capabilities. 
     Further, the cooling system may also comprise at least one of a fluid storage unit, cooling fans, an in-line heat exchanger, or any other feature to assist in removing heat from the cooling fluid. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Exemplary embodiments of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only exemplary embodiments and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of the invention&#39;s scope, the exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view of a known exemplary vibratory assembly showing a suppressor housing, an exciter, and a clamp attachment; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the exciter of a known exemplary vibratory assembly with some components omitted for clarity; 
         FIG. 3  is a contorted transverse sectional view along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1  showing the lubricant reservoir within the housing; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an exemplary six-eccentric exciter with a bearing cooling system; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic of an exemplary six-eccentric exciter with a bearing cooling system showing examples of the components to assist with the circulation and cooling of the cooling fluid; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the top side of an exemplary plate manifold showing the tortuous pathway; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the underside of an exemplary plate manifold showing longitudinal fins; 
         FIG. 8  is a plan view of the pathway side of an exemplary bearing jacket manifold; 
         FIG. 9  is a plan view of an elastomeric seal for sealing the connection between the pathway side of an exemplary bearing jacket manifold to a bearing cover; 
         FIG. 10  is a plan view of the bearing side of an exemplary bearing jacket manifold; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the exterior side of a bearing cover and an exemplary connector; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the interior side of a bearing cover; and 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a bearing jacket manifold. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The presently preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. It will be readily understood that the components of the present bearing cooling system for vibratory devices, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations and could be implemented on various other types of vibratory devices. Thus, the following more detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, as represented in  FIGS. 1-15 , is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but is merely representative of presently preferred embodiments of the invention. 
     The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. While the various aspects of the embodiments are presented in drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated. 
     In this application, the phrases “connected to”, “coupled to”, and “in communication with” refer to any form of interaction between two or more entities, including mechanical, capillary, electrical, magnetic, electromagnetic, pneumatic, hydraulic, fluidic, and thermal interactions. 
     The phrases “attached to”, “secured to”, and “mounted to” refer to a form of mechanical coupling that restricts relative translation or rotation between the attached, secured, or mounted objects, respectively. The phrase “slidably attached to” refer to a form of mechanical coupling that permits relative translation, respectively, while restricting other relative motions. The phrase “attached directly to” refers to a form of securement in which the secured items are in direct contact and retained in that state of securement. 
     The term “abutting” refers to items that are in direct physical contact with each other, although the items may not be attached together. The term “grip” refers to items that are in direct physical contact with one of the items firmly holding the other. The term “integrally formed” refers to a body that is manufactured as a single piece, without requiring the assembly of constituent elements. Multiple elements may be integrally formed with each other, when attached directly to each other from a single work piece. Thus, elements that are “coupled to” each other may be formed together as a single piece. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  are perspective views of known exemplary vibratory assemblies, provided to demonstrate a representative environment in which the various embodiments of the bearing cooling system of the present disclosure may operate. The bearing cooling system, or a simple modification thereof, will work with most vibratory devices such as material tamping devices, pile drivers, vibrating tables, vibratory wick drain devices and fruit-tree shakers and the like. For clarity of description and brevity, this disclosure will be directed to use of the bearing cooling system on an exemplary vibratory pile driver (shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). A person of ordinary skill in the art will be able to modify and implement embodiments of the bearing cooling system of this disclosure with other vibratory devices. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary vibratory assembly  20  showing a suppressor housing  22 , an exciter  24 , and a clamp attachment  26 . Vibratory assemblies  20  for imparting a vibratory force to a pile typically comprise a suppressor housing  22  to absorb vibration so that it does not travel up the cable to the crane boom, an exciter  24  that creates the vibratory force, and a clamp attachment  26  for connecting the vibratory assembly  20  to the pile to be driven or extracted. The operation and components of vibratory assemblies  20  are well known in the industry and, for brevity, will not be described in detail in this disclosure, except to the extent that the bearing cooling system of this disclosure affects the operation or involves components of the vibratory assembly  20 . Routinely, the exciter  24  has a housing  28  (also known as and sometimes referred to herein as a “gear box”) with a top plate  30 , side walls  32 , a bottom plate  34  and bearing covers  35  that houses the eccentrics  36  rotatable on shafts  38  to create vibration, a gear drive  40  to rotate the eccentrics  36 , and lubricant  42  (see  FIG. 3 ) to lubricate internal components of the vibratory assembly  20 , such as the bearings  44 , eccentrics  36 , and gears  46 . The exciter  24  also has a drive motor  48  that rotates the gear drive  40  that engages the eccentrics  36  in a gear tooth meshing engagement so that the eccentrics  36  rotate at high speed. The vibratory assembly  20  typically has a lubricant reservoir  50  (see  FIG. 3 ) in the bottom portion of the housing  28 . At startup, the eccentrics  36  impact the lubricant reservoir  50  with each revolution causing lubricating splash within the interior of the housing  28 . 
     For maintenance purposes, most exciters  24  have some means for draining the lubricant from the housing  28  so that the lubricant  42  can be changed. This draining means can be as simple as a drain hole in the side of the housing  28  or as sophisticated as a gun drilled lubricant drain portal  52  extending within the bottom plate  34  of the housing  28  to a position along the bottom of lubricant reservoir  50 . As shown in phantom lines in  FIGS. 1-3 , exemplary lubricant drain portals  52  are illustrated. During use of the vibratory assembly  20 , the lubricant drain portals  52  are closed by plugs  54  secured at the exterior of the housing  28 . Hence, during use, the lubricant  42  remains within the housing  28  and the heat generated builds within the housing  28  and is not relieved until the exciter  24  is turned off and can cool. 
     To drain used lubricant  42  from the vibratory assembly  20  so that the lubricant  42  can be changed out for fresh, clean lubricant  42 , the plug(s)  54  is/are removed. Once drained, the plug(s)  54  can be re-secured and the lubricant reservoir  50  can be refilled with fresh, clean lubricant  42 . Filling the lubricant reservoir  50  also fills the lubricant drain portal  52  with lubricant  42 . 
     A typical exciter  24  has a housing  28  with an interior  56  having a reservoir portion  58  for receiving the lubricant  42 , at least a first eccentric weight  60  secured to a first shaft  62  rotatable in a predetermined direction (either clockwise or counter-clockwise) about the longitudinal axis of the first shaft  62  and a second eccentric weight  64  secured to a second shaft  66  rotatable in an opposite direction (either counter-clockwise or clockwise) about the longitudinal axis of the second shaft  66 , a drive motor  48  for rotating the first eccentric weight  60  and the second eccentric weight  64  to cause vibration of the housing  28 . Larger exciters  24  may have additional pairs of oppositely rotating eccentrics  36 , for example, four or six eccentrics  36  configured in a horizontal line (see for example,  FIG. 4 ) or vertically stacked in pairs are common. Usually, only the lowermost eccentrics  36  impact the lubricant reservoir (see  FIG. 3  for context, with most existing vibratory devices, the eccentrics  36  extend well into the lubricant reservoir  50 ). 
     An exemplary vibratory assembly  20  of the present disclosure, as best shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , utilizes an exemplary bearing cooling system (generally designated  68 ) that does not expose the cooling fluid  70  (see  FIG. 5 ) to the lubricant  42 , so that the cooling fluid  70  will not contaminate the lubricant  42 . For brevity, the vibratory assembly  20  described utilizes a lubricant reservoir  50 . However, it should be understood that bearing cooling systems  68  as disclosed and suggested herein can be used with vibratory assemblies  20  with nebulized lubrication, force lubrication, or other types of lubrication with slight modifications that those of ordinary skill in the art could readily make. The bearing cooling system  68  can be retrofit to an existing vibratory assembly  20  or it can be implemented during the initial manufacture of the vibratory assembly  20 . 
     A typical vibratory assembly  20  that contains lubricant  42  comprises an exciter  24  having various internal components and a housing  28  with an interior  56  having a reservoir portion  58  for receiving the lubricant  42  in a lubricant reservoir  50 . The internal components may comprise bearings  44  and at least an eccentric weight  36 ,  60  rotatable in a clockwise direction and another eccentric weight  36 ,  64  rotatable in a counter-clockwise direction. The rotation of these eccentric weights  36  causes vibration of the housing  28 . The vibratory assembly  20  of this disclosure also has a bearing cooling system  68  comprising a heat exchanging assembly (generally designated  72 ), a cooling fluid  70 , and a fluid pump  74 . The heat exchanging assembly  72  has at least one surface that is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28  and the lubricant  42  contained within the interior  56  of the housing  28 . The heat exchanging assembly  72  has a tortuous pathway  76  not exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28 . The tortuous pathway  76  is at least a portion of a closed loop conduit  78  through which the cooling fluid  70  flows under the force of the fluid pump  74 . 
     In one embodiment of the vibratory assembly  20  of the present disclosure, the housing  28  has bearing openings  33  and a bearing cover  35  for each bearing opening  33 . In most exciters  24 , there is a bearing opening  33  and a bearing cover  35  for each bearing  44  used with the rotatable eccentric weights  36 . For exciters  28  with two eccentric weights  36 , there are four bearings  44  typically, two bearings  44  for each eccentric weight  36 . Hence, for exciters  24  with four or six eccentric weights  36 , there are eight or twelve bearings  44 , respectively, two bearings  44  for each eccentric weight  36 . 
     The heat exchanging assembly  72  comprises a plate manifold  94  and/or at least one bearing jacket manifold  82 . Each bearing jacket manifold  82 , as best shown in  FIG. 8 , has a bearing-side surface  84 , a pressure inlet  86  disposed at a bearing inlet end  88  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78  and a return outlet  90  at a bearing outlet end  92  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78 . Each bearing jacket manifold  82  is disposed to cover one of the bearing openings  33  and is positioned between the bearing cover  35  and the bearing opening  33  such that the bearing-side surface  84  is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28  near the bearing  44  associated with the bearing opening  33 . In this disposition, cooling fluid  70  may flow under the force of the fluid pump  74  into the bearing jacket manifold  82 , through the pressure inlet  86 , along the tortuous pathway  76 , and exits through the return outlet  90 . When the exciter  24  is in use, the lubricant  42  will splash against the bearing-side surface  84 . This contact of warm or hot lubricant  42  with the bearing-side surface  84  causes a heat transfer from the lubricant  42  to the bearing jacket manifold  82  and then to the cooling fluid  70  circulating through the bearing jacket manifold  82 . Heat is thereby removed from the exciter  24  to be dissipated remote from the exciter  24 . By so cooling the exciter  24 , it may be used for extended periods of time or may even permit continuous duty. 
     Further, in this disposition, bearing jacket manifolds  82  are not structurally stressed nor vulnerable to physical harm. Also, the configuration and disposition of the bearing jacket manifolds  82  eliminates transfer of fluid mishaps (i.e., cooling fluid  70  leaking into, mixing with, and contaminating the lubricant  42 ). 
     The bearing jacket manifold  82  is made of a metal having thermal conductivity greater than the thermal conductivity of whatever metal the housing  28  is made. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the metal of which the bearing jacket manifold  82  is made is at least 10% greater that the thermal conductivity of whatever metal the housing  28  is made. By way of example, the metal of which the bearing jacket manifold  82  is made may be selected from a group of metals comprising aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, silver, zinc, and alloys thereof, or any other suitable metal or metal alloy with advantageous thermal conductivity. 
     Most vibratory assemblies  20  have a housing with a top plate  30  and side walls  32 . Consequently, the heat exchanging assembly  72  may comprise a plate manifold  94  having an underside surface  96 , a plate pressure inlet  98  disposed at a plate inlet end  100  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78  and a plate return outlet  102  at a plate outlet end  104  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78 . The plate manifold  94  is disposed subtending the top plate  30  between the top plate  30  and the side walls  32  such that the underside surface  96  is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28 . In this disposition, the plate manifold  94  will not experience undue stress and the cooling fluid  70  may flow under the force of the fluid pump  74  into the plate manifold  94 , through the plate pressure inlet  98 , along the tortuous pathway  76 , and exits through the plate return outlet  102 . When the exciter  24  is in use, the lubricant  42  will splash against the underside surface  96 . This contact of warm or hot lubricant  42  with the underside surface  96  causes a heat transfer from the lubricant  42  to the plate manifold  94  and then to the cooling fluid  70  circulating through the plate manifold  94 . Heat is thereby removed from the exciter  24  to be dissipated remote from the exciter  24 , as will be described below. By so cooling the exciter  24 , it may be used for extended periods of time or may even permit continuous duty. 
     For vibratory pile drivers, a pump  74  that can pump cooling fluid  70  at 20 gallons per minute to 40 gallons per minute should be sufficient to allow continuous duty for the pile driving exciter  24 . Of course the pumping rate for the pump  74  will depend on the nature of the vibratory assembly  20  being used, larger units will require an increased rate and smaller unit may work suitably with a lesser rate. A person of ordinary skill in the art will be able to easily determine what rate of cooling fluid  70  flow will be suitable. 
     Further, in this disposition, a plate manifold  94  is not structurally stressed nor vulnerable to physical harm. Also, the configuration and disposition of the plate manifold  94  eliminates transfer of fluid mishaps (i.e., cooling fluid  70  leaking into, mixing with, and contaminating the lubricant  42 ). 
     Similarly, the plate manifold  94  is made of a metal having thermal conductivity greater than the thermal conductivity of whatever metal the housing  28  is made. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the metal of which the plate manifold  94  is made is at least 10% greater than the thermal conductivity of whatever metal the housing  28  is made. Again, by way of example, the metal of which the plate manifold  94  is made may be selected from a group of metals comprising aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, silver, zinc, and alloys thereof, or any other suitable metal or metal alloy with advantageous conductivity. Additionally, the underside surface  96  of the plate manifold  94  may have undulations or fins  106  that increase the total surface area of the underside surface  94  that is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28 . These undulations or fins  106  can be of any suitable configuration. For example, fins  106  may be transverse or longitudinal ridges, zig-zag ridges, etc. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , an exemplary vibratory assembly  20  of the present disclosure may have a housing  28  with a top plate  30 , side walls  32 , at least one bearing opening  33 , a bearing cover  35  for each bearing opening  33 , and a heat exchanging assembly  72 . The heat exchanging assembly  72  has a plate manifold  94 , at least one bearing jacket manifold  82 , and at least one connector  108  that connects the plate manifold  94  to each bearing jacket manifold  82 . Referring now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the plate manifold  94  has an underside surface  96 , a plate pressure inlet  98  disposed at a plate inlet end  100  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78 , and a plate return outlet  102  at a plate outlet end  104  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78 . Each bearing jacket manifold  82  has a bearing-side surface  84 , a pressure inlet  86  disposed at a bearing inlet end  88  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78 , and a return outlet  90  at a bearing outlet end  92  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78 . Each connector  108  connects the plate manifold  94  to a corresponding bearing jacket manifold  82  such that the cooling fluid  70  flowing through the closed loop conduit  78  passes through the plate manifold  94  and each associated bearing jacket manifold  82 . Each connector  108  has a first flow conduit  110  and a second flow conduit  112 . The first flow conduit  110  is configured for transporting cooling fluid  70  from the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78  within the plate manifold  94  to the pressure inlet  86  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion within the corresponding bearing jacket manifold  82 . The second flow conduit  112  is configured for transporting cooling fluid  70  from the return outlet  90  of the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the closed loop conduit  78  within the bearing jacket manifold  82  to the tortuous pathway  76  portion within the plate manifold  94 . 
     The plate manifold  94  is disposed subtending the top plate  30  between the top plate  30  and the side walls  32  such that the underside surface  96  is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28 . Each bearing jacket manifold  82  is disposed between one of the bearing openings  33  and a corresponding bearing cover  35  such that the bearing-side surface  84  is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28  near the associated bearing  35 . 
     The cooling fluid  70  flows under the force of the fluid pump  74  through the plate pressure inlet  98  into the tortuous pathway  76  portion of the plate manifold  94 , through the first flow conduit  110  of the connector  108 , into the tortuous pathway  76  portion within one of the bearing jacket manifolds  82 , through the second flow conduit  112  of the connector  108 , into the tortuous pathway  76  portion within the plate manifold  94 , exits through the plate return outlet  102 , and returns to the fluid pump  74 . Since the connectors  108  are exposed to the outside environment encountered by a vibratory assembly  20 , it is preferred that the connectors  108  are made of a steel that can withstand the type of wear, tear, and rough handling that a vibratory assembly  20  is likely to experience. 
     The cooling fluid  70  can be any easily pumpable fluid with suitable heat transfer capabilities. By way of example, the cooling fluid can be water, antifreeze, combinations thereof, or any other suitable fluid with favorable heat transfer capabilities. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the bearing cooling system  68  may also comprise a heat removal portion  80  that may comprise at least one of a fluid storage unit  114 , cooling fans  116 , an in-line heat exchanger  118 , or any other feature to assist in removing heat from the cooling fluid  70 . It should be understood that multiple fluid storage units  114 , cooling fans  116 , and in-line heat exchangers  118  can be used and can be used in any combination or configuration. For example, cooling fans  116  could be implemented to cool the cooling fluid  70  within one or more fluid storage units  114  or the fans could be used to cool the cooling fluid  70  passing the closed loop conduit  78  outside of the exciter  24 . 
     Additionally, it should be understood that the bearing cooling system  68  contemplated herein may have a number of different configurations. For example, with some vibratory assemblies  20 , the heat exchanging assembly  72  may comprise only a plate manifold  94 . With other vibratory assemblies  20 , the heat exchanging assembly  72  may comprise only bearing jacket manifolds  82 , one or more. With still other vibratory assemblies  20 , the heat exchanging assembly  72  may comprise a plate manifold  94 , one or more bearing jacket manifolds  82 , and a base plate manifold (not shown, but essentially the same as the plate manifold  94  but disposed between the side walls  32  and the bottom plate  34 ). Such a base plate manifold would likely require one or more drain holes that correspond to and align with any lubricant drain portals  52  that the exciter may have. 
     Returning to the drawings for additional disclosure,  FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an exemplary six-eccentric exciter  24  with a bearing cooling system  68 . As depicted, the exciter  24  has six eccentrics  36  (not visible) and a heat exchanging assembly  72  that includes a plate manifold  94  and at least six bearing jacket manifolds  82  (there could be up to six more bearing jacket manifolds  82  on the reverse side of the exciter  24 ). Connecting each of the bearing jacket manifolds  82  to the plate manifold  94  is a connector  108  through which cooling fluid  70  passes into the bearing jacket manifold  82 , through the tortuous pathway  76  of the bearing jacket manifold  82 , then out of the bearing jacket manifold  82  back into the plate manifold  94 . Under pressure from the fluid pump  74 , the cooling fluid  70  enters the plate manifold  94  at the plate pressure inlet  98 , circulates through the tortuous pathways  76  of the plate manifold  94  and the bearing jacket manifolds  82 , and exits through the plate return outlet  102  to be cooled at the heat removal portion  80  of the bearing cooling system  68 . Since the plate manifold  94  and the bearing jacket manifolds  82  are made of a material (e.g., aluminum) having thermal conductivity greater than the material (e.g., steel) of which the housing  28  is made, and the underside surface  96  of the plate manifold  94  and the bearing-side surfaces  84  of each bearing jacket manifold  82  are exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28  and the lubricant  42  splashing therein, heated lubricant  42  will impact or otherwise contact the underside surface  96  and the bearing-side surfaces  84 . During this contact heat will transfer from the heated lubricant  42  to the plate manifold  94  and the bearing jacket manifolds  82 , and then to the cooling fluid  70  passing through the manifolds  82 ,  94 . The heat will be carried out of the exciter  24  to be dissipated or otherwise harnessed in the heat removal portion  80 . 
     Oil of the type that serves as a lubricant  42 , typically has very poor heat transfer capability by comparison to other fluids. Hence, heat can be removed much more efficiently by circulating a cooling fluid  70  rather than the lubricant  42 . Although the cooling fluid  70  can be any fluid with better heat transfer capability than the lubricant  42 , it is preferred that the cooling fluid  70  is water, anti-freeze, a combination thereof, or a fluid having similar or better heat transfer capability than water, anti-freeze, or a combination thereof. Additionally, it is preferred that the cooling fluid  70  is more easily pumped by the fluid pump  74  than the lubricant. 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic of an exemplary six-eccentric exciter  24  with a bearing cooling system  68  showing both an exemplary heat exchanging assembly  72  and a heat removal portion  80 . The exciter  24  in  FIG. 5  is the same as described above regarding  FIG. 4 , and that description will not be repeated here. However,  FIG. 5  also depicts an exemplary heat removal portion  80  of the bearing cooling system  68 . 
     The arrows show the direction of flow for the cooling fluid  70  through the exemplary heat removal portion  80 . The heat removal portion  80  of the bearing cooling system  68  that is depicted illustrates an in-line heat exchanger  118 , cooling fans  116 , and a fluid storage unit  114 . The fluid pump  74  draws cooling fluid  70  from the fluid storage unit  114  and pumps the cooling fluid  70  under pressure through the bearing cooling system  68 . As the cooling fluid  70  is pumped into the heat exchanging assembly  72 , comprising the plate manifold  94  and the bearing jacket manifold(s)  82 , it is relatively cool and capable of drawing heat from the exciter  24 , and particularly the bearings  44 . Although  FIG. 5  depicts a single in-line heat exchanger  118 , a single set of cooling fans  116 , and a single fluid storage unit  114 , it should be understood that any number of these cooling components may be used and they can be configured in any suitable configuration without departing from the spirit of the invention disclosed herein. For example, cooling fans  116  may be positioned to cool the cooling fluid  70  in one or more fluid storage units  114 , etc. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the top side  95  of an exemplary plate manifold  94  showing an exemplary tortuous pathway  76  that directs the flow of the cooling fluid  70  through the plate manifold  94  from the plate pressure inlet  98  at the plate inlet end  100  ultimately to the plate return outlet  102  at the plate outlet end  104 . Since the tortuous pathway  76  is on the top side  95  of the plate manifold  94  which sealed (using a sealing gasket not shown) to the top plate  30  of the exciter  24 , there is no danger that the cooling fluid  70  will enter the interior  56  of the housing  28  and contaminate the lubricant  42 . 
     The underside surface  96  of the exemplary plate manifold  94  is shown in  FIG. 7 . This exemplary plate manifold  94  has longitudinal fins  106 . The longitudinal fins  106  increase the surface area of the underside surface  96  that is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28  and the splash of lubricant  42  during use of the exciter  24 . As heat is generated during the use of the exciter  24 , particularly by the bearings  44 , the lubricant  42  heats up and is splashed against the underside surface  96 . Because the plate manifold  94  is made of a material with better thermal conductivity than the housing  28 , heat transfers from the lubricant  42  to the plate manifold  94 . During the circulation of the cooling fluid  70  within the closed loop conduit  78  it will pass through the plate manifold  94  and heat is transferred from the plate manifold  94  to the cooling fluid  70 . The cooling fluid  70  eventually exits the plate manifold  94  to be cooled at the heat removal portion  80  of the bearing cooling system  68 . 
     Although the underside surface  96  is depicted as longitudinal fins  106 , the underside surface  96  of the plate manifold  94  may have any suitable undulations or fins  106  that increase the total surface area of the underside surface  94  that is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28 . These undulations or fins  106  can be of any suitable configuration. For example, fins  106  may be transverse or longitudinal ridges, zig-zag ridges, etc. or the undulations may be dimples or raised mounds in the surface, etc. 
       FIG. 8  is a view of the pathway side  83  of an exemplary bearing jacket manifold  82 , and the arrows show the direction of the flow of the cooling fluid  70  through an exemplary tortuous pathway  76 . Circumscribing the tortuous pathway  76  is a sealing trough  122  into which an elastomeric seal  120  is positioned so that the pathway side  83  of the bearing jacket manifold  82  can sealingly engage the corresponding bearing cover  35 . The tortuous pathway  76  directs the flow of the cooling fluid  70  through the bearing jacket manifold  72  from the pressure inlet  86  at the bearing inlet end  88  eventually to the return outlet  90  at the bearing outlet end  92 . Since the tortuous pathway  76  is on the pathway side  83  of the bearing jacket manifold  94  which is scaled to the bearing cover  35 , there is no danger that the cooling fluid  70  will enter the interior  56  of the housing  28  and contaminate the lubricant  42 . 
       FIG. 9  depicts an exemplary elastomeric seal  120  for scaling the connection between the pathway side  83  of an exemplary bearing jacket manifold  82  to a bearing cover  35 . Such elastomeric seals  120  can be high-pressure water cut to the desired shape that will fit the sealing trough  122 . Similarly, an elastomeric seal can be made to seal the connection of the plate manifold  94  to the top plate  30 . 
     The bearing-side surface  84  of the exemplary bearing jacket manifold  82  is shown in  FIG. 10 . This exemplary bearing jacket manifold  82  has a relatively smooth bearing-side surface  84 . However, it should be understood that undulations or fins (similar to those on the underside surface  96  of the plate manifold  94 ), could be used on the bearing-side surface  84  so long as they do not interfere with the bearings  44  or the rotation of the eccentrics  36 . Such undulations or fins would increase the surface area of the ubearing-side surface that is exposed to the interior  56  of the housing  28  and the splash of lubricant  42  during use of the exciter  24 . As heat is generated during the use of the exciter  24 , particularly by the bearings  44 , the lubricant  42  heats up and is splashed against the bearing-side surface  84 . Because the bearing jacket manifold  82  is made of a material with better thermal conductivity than the housing  28 , heat transfers from the lubricant  42  to the bearing jacket manifold  82 . During the circulation of the cooling fluid  70  within the closed loop conduit  78  it will pass through each bearing jacket manifold  82  and heat is transferred from each bearing jacket manifold  82  to the cooling fluid  70 . The cooling fluid  70  eventually exits the bearing jacket manifold  82  and the plate manifold  94  to be cooled at the heat removal portion  80  of the bearing cooling system  68 . 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the exterior side of an exemplary bearing cover  35  and an exemplary connector  108 . The bearing cover  35  depicted is designed to cooperate with the connector  108  to transport cooling fluid  70  from the plate manifold  94  to a corresponding bearing jacket manifold  82  and back to the plate manifold  94  after circulating the cooling fluid  70  through the tortuous path  76  of the bearing jacket manifold  82 . The connector  108  has a first flow conduit  110  that conveys the cooling fluid  70  from the plate manifold  94  to an inlet bore  124  in the bearing cover  35  and then to the pressure inlet  86 . The connector  108  has a second flow conduit  112  that receives cooling fluid  70  from the return outlet  90  of the bearing jacket manifold  82  via an outlet bore  126  in the bearing cover  35  and delivers it to the plate manifold  94 . 
     Although  FIG. 11  shows a connector  108  that connects to the bearing cover  35 , it should be understood that the connector  108  could have any suitable shape and could connect directly to the bearing jacket manifold  82  so long as it conveys the cooling fluid  70  into and out of the bearing jacket manifold  82 . 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the interior side  128  of the bearing cover  35  of  FIG. 11 , and shows the inlet bore  124  and outlet bore  126  in phantom lines. The interior side  128  sealably engages the pathway side  83  of the bearing jacket manifold  82  and the elastomeric seal  120 . 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a bearing jacket manifold  82  wherein an inlet fitting  130 , inlet hose  132 , outlet fitting  134 , and outlet hose  136  connect directly to the bearing cover  35 . With this alternative embodiment, no plate manifold  94  is used. The inlet fitting  130 , inlet hose  132 , outlet fitting  134 , and outlet hose  136  are part of the closed loop conduit  78  that circulates the cooling fluid  70 . The inlet fitting  130  and the outlet fitting  134  connect to the pressure inlet  86  and return outlet  90 , respectively. 
     Of course, it should be understood that some embodiments may use one or more plate manifolds  94  and no bearing jacket manifolds  82 . Also, the configuration of the plate manifold(s)  94  would be determined by the size and shape of the housing  28 . 
     While specific embodiments and applications of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise configuration and components disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes, and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and systems of the present invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Category: 2