Electric motor with cooling device

• US 5,589,720 A
• Filed: 04/28/1995
• Issued: 12/31/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ELIN Motoren GmbH (Voith GmbH & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: ELIN Motoren GmbH (Voith GmbH & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Berger, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephan, Steven L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALLACE, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US08/397,231
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 310/54, 310/52, 310/67, 310/53, 310/59, 310/58, 310/61, 310/90
• US Class Current: 310/61
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/197 in which the rotor or stator space is fluid-tight, e.g. to provide for different cooling media for rotor and stator

Abstract

In an electric motor the shaft projects beyond the bearing on the closed-end and has a central bore running from this side to close to the drive-end bearing. Centrally in the bore is secured a tube which either extends to close to the end of the bore or is secured in a blind hole in the end of the bore. The tube has a lateral bore in the region of the base of the bore. At the end of the shaft near the closed-end bearing outside the motor housing, a device is secured to the end-plate via which water, used as a coolant, passes into the tube and flows back via the space between the tube and the bore. The tube is held centrally in the bore by two discs, having axial holes, slid over the tube. This construction makes it possible to conduct the heat dissipated in the rotor winding and the rotor, which is transmitted to the shaft, away in the best possible way.

Claims

1. An electric motor comprising:

a rotatable shaft having therewithin a longitudinally extending bore, said shaft having a first end portion and a second end portion;

a longitudinally extending tube positioned within said longitudinally extending bore of said shaft, a space existing between an exterior of said tube and an interior of said bore, said tube having a first end portion at the first end portion of said shaft and a second end portion at the second end portion of said shaft, said first end portion of said tube having at least one lateral bore for communicating an interior of said tube with said space between the exterior of said tube and the interior of said bore;

a rotor rigidly secured onto said rotatable shaft;

a frame, a stator secured onto said frame, said frame comprising first and second spaced-apart end members, said first end member supporting a drive-side bearing and said second end member supporting an operating-side bearing, said drive-side bearing receiving the first end portion of said shaft and said operating-side bearing receiving the second end portion of said shaft, said second end portion of said shaft having an extension extending beyond said operating-side bearing; and

a device, secured onto said second end member of said frame, over said extension of said second end portion of said shaft, having a passageway in communication with the interior of said tube for transferring a cooling fluid through said device into said tube at said second end portion of said shaft, along the interior of said tube, through said lateral bore in said first end portion of said tube, along said space between the exterior of said tube and the interior of said longitudinal bore of said shaft.

2. An electric motor according to claim 1, wherein:

said longitudinal bore of said shaft extends from said operating-side bearing toward and nearly up to said driving-side bearing.

3. An electric motor according to claim 2, wherein:

said first end portion of said tube is secured to said first end portion of said shaft at a blind hole at the end of said longitudinally extending bore of said shaft.

4. An electric motor according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for securing said tube co-axially within said longitudinally extending bore of said shaft, said means comprising at least two spaced-apart discs slid onto said shaft, said discs having axial holes for fluid communication through said discs in said space between the exterior of said tube and the interior of said longitudinal bore of said shaft.

5. An electric motor according to claim 4, wherein:

said device comprising a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet for said cooling fluid and an axial face seal for sealing said shaft from device.

6. An electric motor according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for securing said tube co-axially within said longitudinally extending bore of said shaft, said means comprising at least two spaced-apart spars, each said spar being secured to said tube in at least two positions on the circumference discs in a longitudinal direction.

7. An electric motor according to claim 6, wherein:

said device comprising a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet for said cooling fluid and an axial face seal for sealing said shaft from device.

8. An electric motor according to claim 1, wherein:

said device comprising a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet for said cooling fluid and an axial face seal for sealing said shaft from device.

9. An electric motor according to claim 1, wherein:

said cooling fluid is a liquid.

10. An electric motor according to claim 9, wherein:

said liquid is water.

11. An electric motor according to claim 1, wherein said bore comprises a blind hole laterally extending into said shaft.

12. An electric motor according to claim 1, further comprising at least two fixing discs, each said fixing disc for coaxially fixing said tube within said longitudinally extending bore and for allowing fluid to flow through said space.