Hydraulic dynamometer

• US 4,864,872 A
• Filed: 06/13/1988
• Issued: 09/12/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jere F. Stahl
• Original Assignee: Jere F. Stahl
• Inventors: Stahl, Jere F.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/206,139
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 75/862.14, 188/296
• US Class Current: 73/862.14
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/20 fluid actuated

Abstract

A hydraulic dynamometer which includes a housing defining an interior working compartment and within which an input shaft is journalled. A rotor having a rotor face is mounted on the input shaft for rotation about a shaft axis. A stator is provided in the housing adjacent to the rotor and has a stator face spaced-apart from and facing the rotor face to define a rotor-stator clearance space therebetween. The rotor face has a plurality of rotor pockets and the stator face has a plurality of stator pockets which, when the interior compartment is supplied with liquid, interact with the liquid to brake the rotation of the rotor. Liquid supply passageways are provided so that liquid is supplied into the rotor pockets and is discharged from the stator pockets. A mechanism is provided to adjust the rotor-stator clearance space to adjust the operating characteristics of the dynamometer.

Claims

1. A hydraulic dynamometer comprising:

a housing defining a working compartment;

a shaft having a shaft axis journalled.in said housing and extending into said working compartment;

a rotor having a rotor face mounted on said shaft in said working compartment for rotation about said shaft axis;

a stator mounted in said housing having a stator face facing and spaced-apart from said rotor face to define a rotor-stator clearance space in said working compartment;

said rotor face having a plurality of rotor fluid active elements and said stator face having a plurality of stator fluid active elements, said rotor and stator fluid active elements being circumferentially arranged about said shaft axis;

liquid supply means for providing a flow of liquid into said working compartment, said .liquid supply means comprising a plurality of inlets in said rotor face adapted to supply liquid to said rotor-stator clearance space;

liquid collection means for discharging liquid from said working compartment; and

whereby liquid supplied to said working compartment interacts with said rotor and stator fluid active elements to apply braking forces to said rotor.

2. The dynamometer of claim 1 wherein said liquid collection means comprises at least one collection outlet in said stator face.

3. The dynamometer of claim 1 wherein said rotor fluid active elements comprise pockets in the face of said rotor and said stator fluid active elements comprise pockets in the face of said stator.

4. The dynamometer of claim 3 wherein said liquid supply means comprises a plurality of supply orifices with a supply orifice being provided to supply liquid to each of said rotor pockets.

5. The dynamometer of claim 3 wherein said inlets supply fluid into said rotor pockets at a position adjacent to said input shaft.

6. The dynamometer of claim 5 wherein said liquid collection means comprises a plurality of collection orifices with a collection orifice being provided to receive liquid from each of said stator pockets

7. The dynamometer of claim 6 wherein said plurality of collection orifices receive liquid from said stator pockets adjacent to the periphery or said stator.

8. The dynamometer of claim 7 wherein said liquid supply means and said liquid collection means provide liquid circulation through the working compartment with the predominant flow being into said rotor pockets, through said rotor stator clearance space and out through said stator pockets.

9. The dynamometer of claim 1 further comprising means for adjusting the rotor stator clearance space without disassembly of the dynamometer.

10. A hydraulic dynamometer comprising:

a housing defining a working compartment and adapted to contain a supply of liquid within said working compartment;

a shaft having a shaft axis journalled in said housing and extending into said working compartment;

a rotor having a rotor face mounted on said shaft in said working compartment for rotation about said shaft axis;

a stator provided in said housing having a stator face facing and spaced-apart from said rotor face to define a rotor-stator clearance space;

liquid circulation means for circulating liquid through said working compartment;

said rotor face having a plurality of rotor fluid active elements and said stator face having a plurality of stator fluid active elements, said rotor and stator fluid active elements being circumferentially arranged about said shaft axis and interacting with liquid in said working compartment to apply braking forces to said rotor; and

clearance adjustment means for moving said stator and said rotor in relation to one another and to said housing to decrease or increase said rotor-stator clearance space without movement of said housing or disassembly of said dynamometer

11. The dynamometer of claim 10 wherein said stator is movable in relation to said rotor to adjust said rotor-stator clearance space.

12. The dynamometer of claim 11 wherein said means for moving said stator in relation to said rotor maintains said stator face in an orientation generally perpendicular to said input shaft as said stator is moved.

14. The dynamometer of claim 10 wherein said rotor fluid active elements comprise pockets in the face of said rotor and said stator fluid active elements comprise pockets in the face of said stator.

13. A hydraulic dynamometer comprising:

a housing defining a working compartment;

a shaft having a shaft axis journalled in said housing and extending into said working compartment;

a rotor having a rotor face mounted on said shaft in said working compartment for rotation about said shaft axis;

a stator provided in said working compartment of said housing and having a stator face facing and spaced-apart from said rotor face to define a rotor-stator clearance space;

means for supporting said stator in said working compartment of said housing for movement in relation to said rotor to adjust said rotor-stator clearance space with said stator face oriented generally perpendicular to said input shaft;

liquid circulation means for circulating liquid through said working compartment;

said rotor face having a plurality of rot-r fluid-active elements and said stator face having a plurality of stator fluid active elements, said rotor and stator fluid active elements being circumferentially arranged about said shaft axis and interacting with liquid in said working compartment to apply braking forces to said rotor; and

clearance adjustment means for moving said stator in relation to said rotor to decrease of increase said rotor-stator clearance space without disassembly of said dynamometer, said clearance adjustment means comprising a plurality of adjustment assemblies attached to said housing and spaced-apart from each other, said assemblies being operable in unison to move said stator.

15. A hydraulic dynamometer comprising:

a housing defining a working compartment and adapted to contain a supply of liquid in said working compartment;

a shaft having a shaft axis journalled in said housing and extending into said working compartment;

a rotor having a rotor face mounted on said shaft in said working compartment for rotation about said shaft axis;

a stator provided in said housing having a stator face facing and spaced-apart from said rotor face to define a rotor-stator clearance space;

said rotor face having a plurality of rotor fluid active elements comprising rotor pockets in said rotor face and said stator face having a plurality of stator fluid active elements comprising stator pockets in said stator face,said rotor pockets and stator pockets being circumferentially arranged about said shaft axis and interacting with liquid in said working compartment to apply braking forces to said rotor;

liquid circulation means for circulating liquid through said working compartment and comprising at least one orifice in said rotor face for supplying liquid to said rotor pockets; and

clearance adjustment means for moving said stator and said rotor in relation to one another to decrease or increase said rotor-stator clearance space without disassembly of said dynamometer.

16. The dynamometer of claim 15 wherein said liquid circulation means comprises at least on orifice in said stator face for receiving liquid from said stator pockets to discharge liquid from said working compartment.

17. The dynamometer of claim 16 wherein said liquid circulation means acts to circulate a predominant amount of the liquid circulated through the working compartment by circulation through the rotor-stator clearance space.