Multi-ring inertial energy storage wheel having tapered ring mounting members
First Claim
1. In an inertial energy storage wheel having at least one rotor, the rotor including an axially oriented end face and a plurality of radially oriented grooves in the end face, a plurality of radially oriented connecting members having a shape complementary to a shape of the grooves and disposed therein, the connecting members protruding in a radial direction past the grooves, and mounting means radially spaced from the rotor and attached to the connecting members for the transmission of rotational forces between the rotor and such means, the improvement to the rotor and the connecting member comprising:
- a connecting member having diverging sides extensions of which generally intersect at an axis of the rotor, and a groove in the rotor having side walls which diverge in accordance with the sides of the connecting member to form a snug fit between the sides and the side walls when the rotor is at rest, the divergency of the sides and of the side walls having a magnitude and an orientation such that upon dilation of the rotor during its rotation, the rotor and the connecting members are permitted to move with respect to each other in a radial direction while the sides and the side walls of the connecting members and the grooves, respectively, remain in mutual contact and engagement and maintain their snug fit.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An inertial energy storage wheel defined by a plurality of independent, concentric rotor ring assemblies and a center hub rotatable about a vertical axis. The hub includes a plurality of spaced-apart, radially oriented teeth having sides parallel to the axis of rotation which diverge in a radially outward direction, which lie on radii having their origin at the axis of rotation of the wheel, and which are engaged by correspondingly shaped holes of the innermost ring assembly carried by the hub. The holes have radially outwardly diverging vertically oriented side walls which snugly engage the sides of the teeth when the wheel is at rest as well as during high speed operation of the wheel when the rotor ring assembly dilates and moves radially outward with respect to the teeth. Additional rotor ring assemblies are concentrically disposed about the innermost assembly and connected thereto so that the rotor ring assemblies can dilate by differential amounts. The rotor ring assemblies are constructed of a plurality of coaxial rings held together by U-shaped clamps and the tooth receiving holes of the innermost assembly are defined by opposing, aligned grooves in opposing end faces of the rings.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. In an inertial energy storage wheel having at least one rotor, the rotor including an axially oriented end face and a plurality of radially oriented grooves in the end face, a plurality of radially oriented connecting members having a shape complementary to a shape of the grooves and disposed therein, the connecting members protruding in a radial direction past the grooves, and mounting means radially spaced from the rotor and attached to the connecting members for the transmission of rotational forces between the rotor and such means, the improvement to the rotor and the connecting member comprising:
- a connecting member having diverging sides extensions of which generally intersect at an axis of the rotor, and a groove in the rotor having side walls which diverge in accordance with the sides of the connecting member to form a snug fit between the sides and the side walls when the rotor is at rest, the divergency of the sides and of the side walls having a magnitude and an orientation such that upon dilation of the rotor during its rotation, the rotor and the connecting members are permitted to move with respect to each other in a radial direction while the sides and the side walls of the connecting members and the grooves, respectively, remain in mutual contact and engagement and maintain their snug fit.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
11. An inertial energy storage wheel comprising:
- a hub for rotation about its axis'"'"' at least one rotor ring assembly defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart, radially oriented holes, each hole having side walls which are substantially parallel to and extensions of which intersect at an axis of rotation of the hub and which diverge with respect to each other in a radially outward direction; and
connecting members disposed in the holes for connecting the ring assembly to the hub, the connecting members including axially oriented, radially outwardly diverging sides dimensioned and shaped complementarily to the side walls of the holes for snugly engaging the side walls, the connecting members being further attached to the hub for rotation therewith and for the transmission of rotational forces between the ring assembly and the hub;
the angle of inclination between the sides and between the side walls being chosen so that the side walls of the holes and the sides of the connecting members, respectively, remain in snug engagement during rotation of the wheel, the circumferential dilation of the ring assembly and a corresponding relative radial movement between the connecting members and the holes, to thereby prevent radial play between the hub and the ring assembly and a resulting virbrational instability of the wheel. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- a hub for rotation about its axis'"'"' at least one rotor ring assembly defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart, radially oriented holes, each hole having side walls which are substantially parallel to and extensions of which intersect at an axis of rotation of the hub and which diverge with respect to each other in a radially outward direction; and
-
17. An inertial energy storage wheel comprising:
-
a rotatable hub including a disc-shaped center section and a plurality of spaced-apart, radially oriented teeth extending from a periphery of the center section, each tooth being defined by a pair of spaced-apart sides oriented transversely to the center section and being angularly inclined with respect to each other so that extensions of the sides converge at the axis of rotation of the hub; a rotor assembly carried by the teeth for rotation with the hub, the rotor assembly being defined by a plurality of coaxial rings with opposing, axially oriented end faces, the rings including a plurality of aligned groove pairs in the opposing end faces so that each pair of opposing grooves defines a tooth receiving, radially oriented hole, each groove including sides walls which are transverse to the center portion of the hub and which converge in a radially inward direction complementarily to the sides of the teeth so that each hole has radially inwardly converging, axially oriented side surfaces snugly engaging the sides of the teeth when the wheel is at rest; and means securing the rings to each other with the teeth disposed in the holes; whereby the high speed rotation of the wheel and a resulting dilation of the rotor assembly causes relative radial motion between the teeth and the holes while the sides of the teeth and the side surfaces of the holes remain in snug, play-free engagement during such high speed rotation of the wheel. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
-
Specification