GB923042A - Compressor - Google Patents

Abstract

923,042. Rotary compressors. F. ZIMMERN. June 21, 1961 [June 22, 1960; Nov. 18, 1960], No. 22507/61. Class 110 (2). An air compressor comprises a worm gear 1, Fig. 1, meshing with two pinions 7 and surrounded by a casing 4. Air enters at 3, is compressed between the stationary base-plate 14 and a pinion tooth, and exhausts through the outlet 11. Sealing strips 16 are provided on the crests of the teeth of the worm gear and are held in place by drops of solder 17. Alternatively the inner surface of the casing 4 may be coated with a solid lubricant, such as graphite. The pinions comprise segments 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d, Fig. 3, mounted eccentrically on shafts 18, the segments 7c, 7d being urged against the worm gear by a resilient sleeve 53. Lubricating oil is circulated through passages 20, 21 to outlets 21b, Fig. 2, and the meshing teeth are sealed, cooled and lubricated by water introduced into the inlet and collected in a sump or centrifuge into which the water and compressed air discharge (Fig. 7, not shown). Exhaust pressure forces the water through a cooler, back to the inlet. The flow of water may be varied to vary the compression ratio. Water may also be forced into a chamber at the inlet end of the worm gear, to balance the axial forces. The pinions may be coated with a synthetic material which can be lubricated by water, and the casing 4 may be jacketed by an outer casing 49, Fig. 3, for water cooling. In another embodiment (Fig. 4, not shown), the worm gear is cylindrical and each pinion is replaced by a chain carrying teeth meshing with the worm gear. Each chain passes over two sprockets, and a guiding ramp covers the chain to balance centrifugal force.