Test weight

• US 5,367,909 A
• Filed: 01/07/1993
• Issued: 11/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Emerson Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Emerson Electric Company
• Inventors: LaRue, Butch, Heilman, Raymond D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US08/001,587
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 73/468, 73/487, 73/462, 73/460, 73/471, 73/475, 73/476, 73/477, 73/672, 74/573 R, 180/381, 301/5 B, 301/41 W, 310/51, 310/81
• US Class Current: 73/468
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/32 Correcting- or balancing-weights or equivalent means for balancing rotating bodies, e.g. vehicle wheels suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by using freely rotating masses F16F15/14; compensation of inertia forces F16F15/22; compensating unbalance for testing purposes G01M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/20 and applying external forces compensating forces due to imbalance
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/165 Balancing the rotor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2121 Flywheel, motion smoothing-type

Abstract

A test weight for use with a counterbalanced motor for a compressor assembly, for example, including a body having an opening formed in it and sized to engage the outer diameter of an external eccentrically positioned ball bearing of the counterbalanced motor. A plurality of cantilevered spring fingers are integrally formed with the body along the opening in the test weight for spring gripping the external ball bearing. A plurality of centering pads formed on the fingers hold the center of mass of the test weight close to the center of mass of the ball bearing. In the preferred embodiment, stop tabs project from the centering pads to provide a positive stop upon contact with the outer race of the ball bearing. A method of testing a motor employs the test weight which is attached to the ball bearing to reproduce the application load requirements for the motor, and permits testing of the motor independently of the application.

Claims

1. A test weight for use with a counterbalanced motor having a rotor, a stator and an eccentric ball bearing having an outer diameter, said test weight for determining whether the weight of said counterbalanced motor offsets an application component before attaching said motor to said application component, the test weight comprising:

a body having an opening sized to engage the outer diameter of said eccentric ball bearing of the counterbalanced motor, a plurality of cantilevered spring fingers integral with the body and adjacent to the opening of said test weight for spring gripping said eccentric ball bearing and securing the test weight thereto, a plurality of centering pads for holding the center of mass of said test weight in proximity with the center of mass of said eccentric ball bearing, and a plurality of stop tabs projecting from said centering pads for providing a positive stop against an outer race of said eccentric ball bearing for accurate axial location of said test weight.

2. The test weight of claim 1 wherein said cantilevered spring fingers include a contact pad for securing said test weight to said eccentric ball bearing.

3. The test weight of claim 1 wherein said test weight is mounted on the eccentric ball bearing of said counterbalanced motor at the application component attachment site.

4. The test weight of claim 1 wherein said test weight reproduces the inertial load of an application component of the compressor.

5. The test weight of claim 1 wherein said test weight offsets the counterbalanced motor when said counterbalanced motor is properly weighted.

6. A method of determining whether a counterbalanced motor offsets the weight of an application component wherein said counterbalanced motor includes a rotor, a stator, and an eccentric;

said method comprising the steps of;

a) securing a test weight to said eccentric wherein said test weight includes a body, said body having an opening sized to embrace said eccentric, a plurality of cantilevered spring fingers attached to said test weight along the opening of said test weight for spring gripping said eccentric, a plurality of centering pads for holding the center of mass of said test weight in proximity with the center of mass of said eccentric, and a plurality of stop tabs downwardly projecting from said centering pads, said pads providing a positive stop against the outer race of said eccentric for accurate axial location; and

b) operating the counterbalanced motor with said test weight secured on said eccentric and observing whether or not the test weight counterbalances the counterbalanced motor.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said test weight duplicates the inertial load of components which make up said application component.

8. In a motor including a stator assembly and a rotor assembly supported for rotation with respect to the stator assembly, said rotor assembly including a shaft, said shaft having an eccentric mounted externally of said stator assembly, said eccentric connected to an application component, said rotor assembly being counterbalanced to offset the effect of said eccentric and said application component, the improvement comprising:

testing means for determining whether the weight of said counterbalanced motor offsets an application component before said application component is attached to said counterbalanced motor, said testing means comprising a weight including a body having an opening therethrough, said opening being sized to engage said eccentric, said weight including a plurality of fingers attached to said body and adapted to grip said eccentric for securing the test weight thereto, and a plurality of centering pads attached to said fingers for holding the center of mass of said test weight in proximity to the center of mass of said eccentric.

9. The test weight of claim 8 wherein said fingers are cantilevered radially inwardly from said body along the opening therethrough.

10. The improvement of claim 9 wherein said centering pads have a plurality of stop tabs projecting outwardly, and integrally formed with said pads, said stop tabs providing a positive stop against said eccentric.

11. The improvement of claim 10 wherein said test weight is the equivalent of the inertial load of the application component to which the eccentric is attached in applicational use.

12. The improvement of claim 11 wherein said test weight offsets the counterbalanced rotor when said counterbalanced rotor is properly weighted.