Air compressor

• US 3,961,869 A
• Filed: 09/26/1974
• Issued: 06/08/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomas Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Thomas Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Droege, Arthur John Sr., Bell, Richard Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Freeh, William L.
• Application Number:
  US05/509,691
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 416/555, 416/550, 416/566, 416/490, 416/415, 416/437, 92/144, 92/169
• US Class Current: 417/555.1
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 39/00 Component parts, details, or accessories, of pumps or pumping systems specially adapted for elastic fluids, not otherwise provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F04B25/00 - F04B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 39/0005 adaptations of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 39/12 Casings; Cylinders; Cylinder heads; Fluid connections

Abstract

The invention provides an air compressor of low cost, high quality, long life and of simple and rugged construction and ready replaceability of the chief wear parts as a unit. The compressor employs a wobble piston with a Teflon or equivalent packing on the wobble piston, which packing bears against the surface of a working cylinder of aluminum with a hardened polished surface. The working cylinder in the form of a cylindrical sleeve is seated at its lower end on a circular shoulder in the main housing or frame. At its upper end it is seated and sealed in a groove in a head plate which provides a cylinder head for the cylinder and a closure for the top of the main frame. An inverted cup shaped delivery chamber rests upon and is secured to and sealed by an O-ring of heat resistant rubber to the head plate to receive the delivery of compressed gas and to provide anchorage for a delivery pipe or pipes. The discharge check valve of flanged duck bill formation is held in place by pressure fit of a metal ring in an annular recess, which ring engages and retains the flange of the discharge valve. The Teflon cup leather is clamped to the end of the combined piston and connecting rod by press fitting a ring of metal upon the cylindrical end of said piston, and heat is dissipated from the compressed gas through contact with metal parts which communicate directly, conductively, with outside air and/or radiation cooled surfaces. The Teflon cup and polished cylinder are self-lubricating; the crank shaft and crank pin are self-lubricating by the use of either oil impregnated bushings or by the use of ball bearings; efficiency of compression is aided by the provision of minimum clearances between the piston, the cylinder head, and the discharge check valve. The structure disclosed herein permits of replacement of the working parts consisting of the head plate with a sealing O-ring, and an affixed cylinder with a discharge check valve along with the wobble piston and rod, all assembled as a unit.

Claims

1. In a gas compressor, a hollow main frame comprising a generally cylindrical crank case adapted to be disposed with its longitudinal axis in horizontal position and having a substantially vertical end wall, a horizontal crank shaft extending through and journaled in said end wall, said frame comprising a tubular neck portion disposed substantially at right angles to the axis of the crank case, said neck portion being joined to and opening into said crank case, a substantially horizontally disposed cylinder supporting plate mounted upon and closing the upper end of said tubular neck portion, an inverted cup-shaped delivery chamber having its rim superposed upon the margins of the upper side of the cylinder-supporting plate, a compressor cylinder with its axis substantially at right angles to the axis of the crank shaft mounted to and sealed to the lower side of said plate, there being a check valve passageway through said plate from the inside of the cylinder to said delivery chamber, a wobble piston and a piston rod fixed to said piston cooperating with said cylinder, a crank on said crank shaft coupled to said piston rod, and means for admiting air to the cylinder upon the outward stroke of the piston, said neck portion of the main frame having an internal horizontal shoulder for engagement with the lower end of said cylinder, the bore of the hollow neck portion being oblong in cross section to permit displacement of the cylinder laterally along said crank shaft to disconnect the lower end of the piston rod from the crank pin for removal of the cylinder and contained piston with piston rod from the hollow main housing.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the upper clamping surface of the cylinder and discharge valve supporting plate has an O-ring groove opening toward and registering with the cooperating clamping surface of the rim of the cup-shaped delivery chamber and having a sealing O-ring mounted and carried in said groove, and adapted to engage the lower clamping surface of said delivery chamber, the lower side of said plate being clamped directly upon the upper end of said tubular neck portion whereby replacement of the cylinder and discharge supporting plate carries with it replacement of all the necessary gaskets.