GB2029359A - Winch - Google Patents

Abstract

A winch has a hollow winch drum 10 rotatably suspended between a pair of arms depending from a wheeled carriage via hollow stub shafts 14 and bearings 15. A radial piston hydraulic motor 16 and a gearbox 17 are mounted in the drum 10. The motor 16 has a non-rotary casing 18 whilst the gearbox 17 has a rotary casing 19 which is secured via flanges 25 and 26 and bolts to the drum 10. Hydraulic lines 24 to and from the motor 16 are led through one of the hollow stub shafts. The wheeled carriage is fitted with an hydraulic motor so as to be self-propelled and is intended for use on a raised rail. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Winch This invention relates to a winch and is more particularly, though not exclusively concerned with a winch mounted on a wheeled carriage.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compact winch.

According to the present invention, there is provided a winch comprising a hollow winch drum, means for rotatably mounting the winch drum, and drive means for rotating the winch drum, said drive means including a motor and-a transmission connecting the motor with the winch drum, wherein the motor and the transmission are disposed within the winch drum.

Preferably, the motor is a hydraulic motor, more preferably a radial piston hydraulic motor.

The transmission preferably includes a gearbox having a rotary casing which is operably connected with the drum so that rotation of the casing causes rotation of the drum.

In order to effect this, it is preferred to provide a drive flange on the rotary casing of the gear-box, a driven flange fixed relative to the drum and extending inwardly from the internal peripheral surface thereof, and means connecting the driven flange with the drive flange.

Preferably, the means for rotatably mounting the drum comprises a shaft at each end of the drum, each shaft carrying a bearing through which the respective end of the drum is rotatably supported on the shaft, and at least one of the shafts being hollow and accommodating a power supply means, e.g. hydraulic hoses or electrical cables, for the motor.

Conveniently, one of the shafts carries a flange internally of the drum and a mounting flange fixed relative to a fixed body of the motor is disposed between the motor and the gear-box, and tie rods interconnect the mounting flange and the flange on the shaft.

In a preferred embodiment, the winch is supported by a wheeled carriage so that the winch can be moved along a rail or other track.

Preferably, the carriage also supports a motor drivingly connected with at least one of the wheels thereof whereby the carriage is selfpropelled.

The wheeled carriage is preferably adapted to run on a raised rail with the winch being supported below the carriage on arms depending therefrom.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is an axial sectional view of a winch according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an axial section of carriage supporting the winch of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the carriage and winch illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the winch comprises a fabricated hollow winch drum 10 around a cylindrical portion 11 of which is wound a chain, cable, rope or the like (not shown) for winching purposes. The winch drum 11 is provided with end plates 12 which are secured to respective ends of the cylindrical portion 11 by bolts 13. Each end plate 12 is mounted on a hollow stub shaft 14 by a respective bearing assembly 1 5. Thus, the winch drum 10 is rotatable relative to the stub shafts 14. Disposed within the winding drum 10 is a radial piston hydraulic motor 1 6 having operably connected thereto a gear-box 1 7 which is also mounted within the winch drum 10.The hydraulic motor 1 6 has a fixed, i.e. non-rotary, casing 1 8 whilst the gear-box 1 7 is designed with a rotary casing 1 9. A mounting flange 20 disposed between the casings 1 8 and 1 9 and fixed relative to the casing 1 8 extends outwardly and has secured thereto one end of each of a plurality of tie bars 21 whose other ends are secured to a flange 22 disposed internally of the drum 10 and fixed to the lefthand stub shaft 14 (as viewed in Fig. 1). Sleeves 23 over the respective tie bars 21 serve to fix the flanges 20 and 22 at the correct spacing.

Hyclraulic hoses 24 connected with the hydraulic motor 1 6 are flexible and extend out of the winch drum 10 through the left-hand hollow stub shaft 14. The rotary casing 1 9 of the gear-box 1 7 has a driving flange extending periphery outwardly therefrom. Bolts 26 connect the driving flange 25 with a driven flange 26 fixed to the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 11.

In use, when the hydraulic motor 1 6 is operated, the rotary casing 1 9 of the gearbox rotates and rotates the winch drum 10 about the respective stub shafts 14.

The above-described assembly can be mounted in any desired apparatus or device using the hollow stub shafts 14 as mounting means.

Referring now to Fig. 2 and 3, the abovedescribed winch is mounted in a wheeled carriage illustrated generally at 30. Basically, the wheeled carriage 30 comprises a pair of generally Ushaped plates 31 in which two pairs of longitudinally spaced bogie wheels 32 are provided. The plates 31 are secured in spaced apart relationship using bolts 33 and spacers 34.

One of the bogie wheels 32 of each pair is a free running bogie wheel whilst the other wheel 32 of each pair is a driven bogie wheel. The drive to the driven bogie wheel 32 is effected by a radial piston hydraulic motor 35 having mounted on an output shaft 36 thereof a driving gear-wheel 37 which meshes with driven gear wheels 38 keyed to shaft 39 of the respective driven bogie wheels 32. The bogie wheels 32 are rotatable relative to the respective plates 31 in bush bearings 40.

The free ends of arm 41 of the respective plates 31 are configurated to receive therebetween the respective stub shafts 14 of the winch, bolts 42 serve to clamp the stub shafts 14 to the respective arms 41. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the hydraulic motor 35 is mounted on a casing 44 accommodating the gear wheels 37 and 38 and secured to one of the plates 31 by bolts 45. On the opposite side of the carriage 30 to the hydraulic motor 35 there is provided a laterally extending apertured anchor plate 46 to which one end of the chain, cable, rope or the like can be anchored so that the other end can be wrapped around the drum with a sheave (not shown) being provided on the chain, cable, rope or the like for lifting purposes.

In use, the wheeled carriage 30 is mounted on a raised rail, e.g. an eye section beam, and operation of the motor 35 causes the wheeled carriage 30 and winch carried thereby to be traversed along the track. The motor 35 can, of course, be operated independently of the hydraulic motor 16 within the winch drum 10.

In another embodiment (not shown), the above-described winch is rotatably mounted on a frame disposed between two spaced sets of wheels connected with and supporting the frame.

Each set of wheels engage a respective one of a pair of overhead rails supported by respective sets of chains and clamps from a roof of a mineway. The winch is thereby supported between the two sets of chain and clams so that the space below the rails is left relatively clear.

This enables an increased lifting height and an increase lifting toad to be achieved compared with the embodiment of Figs. 2 and 3.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. A winch comprising a hollow winch drum, means for rotatably mounting the winch drum, and drive means for rotating the winch drum, said drive means including a motor and a transmission connecting the motor with the winch drum, wherein the motor and the transmission are disposed within the winch drum.

2. A winch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor is a hydraulic motor.

3. A winch as claimed in claim 2, wherein the motor is a radial piston hydraulic motor.

4. A winch as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the transmission includes a gear-box having a rotary casing which is operably connected with the drum so that rotation of the casing causes rotation of the drum.

5. A winch as claimed in claim 4, wherein there is provided a drive flange on the rotary casing of the gear-box, a driven flange fixed relative to the drum and extending inwardly from the internal peripheral surface thereof, and means connecting the driven flange with the drive flange.

6. A winch as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means for rotatably mounting the drum comprises a shaft at each end of the drum, each shaft carrying a bearing through which the respective end of the drum is rotatably supported on the shaft, and at least one the shafts being hollow and accommodating a power supply means for the motor.

7. A winch as claimed in claim 6, wherein one of the shafts carries a flange internally of the drum and a mounting flange fixed relative to a fixed body of the motor is disposed betwoen the motor and the gearbox, and tie rods interconnect the mounting flange and the flange on the shaft.

8. A winch as claimed in any preceding claim, the winch is supported by a wheeled carriage so that the winch can be moved along a rail or other track.

9. A winch as claimed in claim 8, wherein the carriage also supports a motor driving connected with at least one of the wheels thereof whereby the carriage is self-propelled.

10. A winch as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the wheeled carriage is adapted to run on a raised rail with the winch being supported below the carriage on arms depending therefrom.

11. A winch substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.