US3113735A - Rotatable assembly for food waste disposers and the like - Google Patents

Description

ROTATABLE ASSEMBLY FOR FOOD WASTE DISPOSERS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 22, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 60 3B 78 loo 9 47 w 79 31 56 I 64 31 8 4 54\ 5 66 65. 7 ez l0I 85 74 4 62' as x '56 4-5 5'3 5' 5 53 INVENTUR.

FRANCIS :r. CLEMENTS HIS ATTORNEY Dec. 10, 1963 F. J. CLEMENTS 3,113,735

ROTATABLE ASSEMBLY FOR FOOD WASTE DISPOSERS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 22, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I r" llkll' s INVENTOR.

5'4- FRANCIS T. CLEMENTS Hi5 ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,113,735 Patented Dec. 10, 1963 3,113,735 ROTATABLE ASSEMBLY F011 FOOD WASTE DISPOSERS AND THE LIKE Francis J. Clements, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 22, 1951, Ser. No. 133,142 4 Claims. (til. 241275) This invention relates to apparatus for the disposal of garbage and the like, more particularly to an assembly of rotatable elements operating in the waste comminuting space of the apparatus. The invention is especially applicable to waste food disposal apparatus of the type having a stationary shredding or grinding means located on a hopper within which a rotary flywheel serves as a bottom of the hopper and with that flywheel being suitably driven by the shaft of a high speed electric motor, the waste material being thrown centrifugally against the shredding means by an impeller travelling at the same speed as the shaft and flywheel and the comminuted waste material and later passing from the hopper through openings in a stationary metering and straining ring.

One of the problems encountered in this type of waste disposers in that the rotatable assembly must provide a suitable mounting for the impellers enabling the assembly to be dynamically balanced for the high speeds at which it is to travel and at the sarne time to permit such impellers to pivot and to pass by obstructions, such as bones and hard materials, without jamming the assembly.

This invention contemplates the provision of an improved rotatable assembly including a flywheel, an impeller and an assembling retainer therefor, suitably secured to the shaft of a high speed motor so that the entire assembly moves as a unit upon rotation of the motor shaft, and without danger of jamming.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterized the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. In accordance with the invention I provide a rotatable assembly for use with the stationary portions of a food waste disposer and comprising a flywheel, an impeller, and an assembling retainer which secures the several elements as a unit to the shaft of a motor. The single retainer not only has a portion securable to that shaft but also has a portion engaging the flywheel and another portion serving to mount the impeller for pivotal movement with respect to the flywheel even while being rotated at the same speed as that flywheel. The retainer in addition to mounting the impeller also limits the pivotal movement thereof to a range within which jamming and loosening of the parts is prevented.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view, partly in section, of one embodiment of a waste disposal device incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan View taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 and showing the impellers in side elevation; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2 and showing an impeller in cross section.

Referring to FIG. 1, I have shown my invention in one form as applied to a waste disposal device having a generally cylindrical tubular casing or hopper providing an interior grinding or shredding space 11. The hopper may be suitably supported below the drain opening of a sink or the like as by means of a cylindrical tubular sleeve 12 which is arranged to be inserted down through the sink opening, and having at the upper end an outwardly extending circular flange 13 adapted to overlie the edge 14 of that drain opening. The lower end of the sleeve is provided with an inturned flange 15 adapted to support a suitable sink stopper 16. For securing the sleeve to the sink, a metal mounting ring 17 encircling the depending sleeve is provided and includes a series of spaced bosses 18 having corresponding threaded bolts 19 engageable therein.

On its inner periphery the ring 17 is adapted to bear against a suitable snap ring 20 which seats in a suitably shaped groove 21 on the outer circumference of the sleeve 12, and to resist upward movement of that sleeve. The bolts 19 function to clamp the flange 13 of that sleeve to the floor of the sink by means of a clamping ring 22 encircling the sleeve 12 and having a gasket 23 interposed between that clamping ring and the undersurface of the sink. Upon being screwed upwardly the bolts pull the flange 13 of the sleeve into tight engagement with the sink and compress the gasket.

As described and claimed in U.S. Patent No. 3,108,755 issued to Johnny W. Yartz and Francis J. Clements, on October 29, 1963, which is assigned to the General Electric Company, the assignee of the present application, the upper end of hopper 10 is embedded in a boot 30 formed of rubber or the like and adapted for mounting in sealing contact with the outer surface of sleeve 12. A clamp band 31 having a flange 32 for engagement with the lower end of a series of supporting hooks 33 is arranged in circumferential clamping relation to the boot, and may be tightened by means of a screw 34 joining the respective ends of that clamp hand, one such end being seen at 35. The upper ends of hooks 33 are mounted within suitable recesses in the mounting ring 17 and these hooks serve to support the hopper 10 securely in position under the sleeve 12.

At its lower end the hopper 10 is formed with an outwardly flaring flange 36 which is tightly clamped, as by means of a clamping band 37, to the upper end of a motor housing 38. This housing is formed in its upper portions with a sloping bottom drainage chamber 39 leading to a side outlet 40 to which is attached a drain conduit 41 having a sealing ring 42 interposed therebetween. An electric motor, preferably of a high speed type with its field coils 43 recessed in the motor housing and with its rotor 44 being supported upon a conventional thrust hearing (not shown), is mounted within the motor housing. An upwardly extending motor shaft 45 having an inwardly directed shoulder 46 and with a threaded upper end 47 projecting into the hopper grinding space 11 is arranged to drive the rotatable assembly of the present invention in the manner later to be described. This motor shaft is journalled in a bearing 48 positioned within a cylindrical tubular bearing cup 49, the lower end of which includes a laterally projecting flange 50. The periphery of flange 51) is supported by a sealing ring 51 resting in a recess within the rotor space of the motor housing. An annular bearing cup ring 52 having a downwardly facing rim pressing against the flange 50 serves to hold the parts in proper position. The ring 52 being securely affixed to the motor housing as by means of a series of screws 53.

A short metallic sleeve bushing 54 extending axially of the motor shaft and resting at its lower end upon shoulder 46 of the shaft serves to position the rotatable comminuting assembly later to be described. A suitable end cap 55 of resilient material is arranged interiorly of and over the top end of the bearing cup 49 and also surrounds the bushing 54 with a tight fit, this end cap serving to prevent leakage of liquid from the drainage chamber 39 into the motor. A conventional lubricating wick 56 preferably is enclosed within the bearing cup.

As best shown in FIGURES l and 2, the stationary portion of the disposer apparatus includes one or more shredding or grinding pads 60, 61, welded or otherwise attached to the interior wall of the hopper in the grinding space 11 thereof. Located beneath these grinding pads, is a metering ring 62., which may be of a flat annular shape having an outer peripheral portion 63 engageable in a recess within the upper part of the motor housing and held in place by flange 36 of the hopper, a suitable sealing ring 64 being positioned under that flange to prevent leakage of liquid thrown toward this junction of the respective par-ts. The metering ring further has an inner peripheral portion 65 terminating in a circular edge 66 and between its inner and outer peripheral portions the ring is provided with a series of holes 74 through which water and comminuted waste material pass to the drainage chamber 39.

For cooperation with the above-described static portions of the apparatus, the present invention includes in a preferred embodiment a circular planar flywheel 80 that turns in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, and at its center an opening surrounding the shaft with a loose lit, and at its outer periphery an edge 81 disposed closely adjacent the edge 66 of the metering ring and with a small running clearance of about 0.035- 0.040 inch. A rubber O-ring seal 1% is used between the shaft 45, the sleeve bushing 54 and the flywheel 86 to prevent water leaking into the motor around the shaft. Arranged diametrically of, and symmetrically with respect to the axis of, this flywheel is a pair of apertures 82 and 83 having a size suitable for receiving a corresponding pair of drive pins 84 and 85, the diameters of which are adequate to resist shearing stresses encountered during usage of the wate disposer. These pins serve as the flywheel engaging portion of an improved assembling retainer, the body of which is generally indicated at 86.

This retainer may conveniently be cast, molded or drawn from sheet metal and may include symmetrically arranged radially-extending wings 8'7 and 88 having sloping surfaces 89 and 90 on their upper exterior faces confronting the contents of the hopper during rotation of the assembly. Flipper means 91 and 92 on the exposed upper surfaces of the retainer may be employed to dislodge any material tending to ride with the assembly during its rotation. At its center, the retainer is provided with a threaded aperture portion 93 for securing the retainer rigidly to the threaded shaft 47 in the manner later to be described. As a result of this threaded fastening of the assembly to the shaft the weakening of the shaft and the dynamic unbalance created by a conventional key and slot arrangement may be avoided.

Each of the wings 87 and 88 of the retainer are suitably undercut to provide a horizontally extending space or recess having a ceiling 94 and 95 respectively as seen in FIG. 3 spaced from the upper surface of the flywheel, and a vertically extending space having a wall 96 and 97 respectively spaced from the periphery of that flywheel. Within these recesses under each wing of the retainer and corresponding impeller 98 and 99 is mounted, each such impeller having a vertically extending hole therethrough embracing a pivot pin section 100 and 101 respectively of an integral boss extending downwardly from the wing of the retainer and serving as an impeller mounting portion of the retainer. As best shown in FIG- URES 1 and 4, the drive pin sections 84 and 85 of the bosses form an integral extension of the pivot pin sections 100 and 101 respectively, and each of these sets of pins preferably has a circular cross section and with their axes extending parallel to the axis of the motor shaft. The diameter of the drive pin sections preferably is less than the diameter of the pivot pin sections, being offset therefrom by a sharp shoulder as seen in FIGURE 4. Attention is directed to the fact that the retainer '86 is of such height that it shades the impellers 98- and 99 when the impellers are driven back clockwise as viewed in FIG.

2 after being struck by a food particle. Other food particles ride up the inclined surfaces 89 and 9t and are propelled over the retracted impellers thereby avoiding the possibility of jamming the mechanism and stalling the motor. Moreover the flippers 91 act upon bones and the like to protect the retracted impellers in a similar manner.

The holes in the impellers, however, may be either circular or of a slotted configuration, as when a larger extent of pivoted movement of an impeller is justified. As seen in FIGURE 4, the side portion of an impeller adjacent the vertical wall of the corresponding wing of the retainer is spaced therefrom during normal operation of the disposer and while that impeller is subjected to the high centrifugal forces resulting from the high speed of the motor shaft. It will be understood that the center of mass of each impeller is located at .all times at a greater distance from the axis of the shaft than is the pivoted axis for that impeller thus to cause the distal ends 78 and 79 of the respective impellers to fly outwardly under centrifugal force and into proper comminuting relation with the stationary shredding means 60 and 61.

By suitable designs of the side portions of the impeller beneath the ceiling of the retainer wing and of the vertical wall of that retainer under that same Wing, an appropriate angular range of travel of the impeller about its pivot pin may be insured, thus to avoid jamming of the impeller by means of the contents of the hopper, as when the apparatus starts up after a period of rest. Furthermore, the design of these Wall and side portions when either a circular or a slotted type of hole in the impeller is being used will, in accordance with the invention, be such as to prevent undue angular travel of the impeller, either clockwise or counterclockwise around its pivot pin when an obstruction is encountered or when the rotatable assembly coasts to a stop after a period of use. In other words, the walls 96 and 97 are so designed with respect to the sides of the impellers coacting therewith that these walls serve as stops to hold the pivotal movement of the impellers in either direction within a reasonable range of swing which will avoid jamming of the impellers under any but the most abnormal conditions, and simultaneou ly will avoid any tendency of an impeller to strike against the retainer with sufficient force to loosen that retainer upon the shaft. For example, a satisfactory angular, forward movement of the distal end of an impeller about its pivot pin in the direction of rotation of the assembly, as measured from its fully extended radial position, would be about 15-20", and a satisfactory angular rearward movement in the other direction would be about Under these conditions the distal ends 78 and 79 of the respective impellers which extend beyond the peripheral edge 8-1 of the flywheel during normal comminuting operation, will also extend beyond that peripheral edge but to a shorter extent when pivoted to their limiting positions in the direction of rotation of the assembly and will be withdrawn back upon the surface of the flywheel when pivoted to their limiting positions opposite the direction of rotation of the assembly.

The wall or stop line 96 is so positioned that when an impeller is swung by centrifugal force in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, the center of mass of the impeller will pass through an imaginary line drawn through the center of the shaft 45 and the center of the pivotal axis of the impeller. The natural tendency of the centrifugal force is to align the center of mass of the impeller with the center of the shaft and with the pivotal axis of the impeller. As the impeller swings beyond the imaginary line mentioned above, an opposite centrifugal force component tends to slow it down and return it to its natural aligned position. If the stop line or wall 96 were shifted to serve as limit means to hold the impeller in its aligned position, then the impeller would strike the wall 96 with such force that the retainer 86 might be lQQSfiIE on the Shaft 45 and become unfastened.

When the described rotatable assembly is employed with a high speed motor, for example, a motor having a speed of not less than 6000 rpm. during the comminuting operation, it is desirable, if not essential, that the assembly be dynamically balanced. For this reason, similar impellers should be used in pairs and the respective wing portions of the retainer should be approximately equal in mass and symmetrically arran ed. The flywheel may be provided with apertures 1432, if desired, for forming a erforated floor in the hopper in order to vent Water rapidly from the sink when the waste disposal apparatus is not in use, but such apertures should be symmetrically spaced and of symmetrical sizes to assist in the dynamic stability of the assembly. The impellers likewise should be of equal masses and symmetrically located with respect to the axis of the shaft.

The described assembly may be readily assembled or disassembled in the following manner. With the clamping ring 37 removed and the hopper and motor housing separated from each other, the flywheel 8i) may be assembled to the shaft. In a sub-assembly operation, the impellers 98 and 99 are first placed upon the flywheel. Then the retainer 86 is assembled over the impellers by inserting the drive pins 84- and 85 into the apertures 82 and 83 of the flywheel and in turn the pivot pins 109 and Kill through the impellers. For ease in later handling, the tips of the drive pins are spun over to hold the parts together although this is not absolutely necessary. Thereafter, the threaded aperture 93 of the retainer is engaged with the threaded end 47 of the shaft and the as sembly is rotated clockwise as a unit to screw that assembly downwardly upon the shaft until the flywheel fully compresses the seal 103. By substituting a longer or a shorter bushing 5 the final axial position of the assembly may be varied as desired, but it is preferred to have the peripheral edge 81 of the flywheel slightly above the inner annular edge 66 of the stationary metering ring 62 when in use. Thereafter, the hopper and motor housing may be joined to each other and the apparatus may be attached to the sink in the manner described in the abovementioned Yartz and Clements application. Disassembly may take place in reverse order.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described and I intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A rotatable assembly for a food waste disposer comprising in combination with a motor shaft, a circular flywheel having an upper planar surface and with an axis coinciding with the axis of said shaft, a pair of impellers movable with respect to said flywheel about pivotal axes parallel to the axis of said flywheel and on diametrically opposite sides thereof, and an assembling retainer having a centrally located means rigidly secured to said shaft, said retainer having a pair of symmetrically arranged, radially extending, wing-like portions with undercut recesses contiguous to the upper surface of said flywheel, and a projection in each of said wing-like portions extending downwardly in said recess and including a pivot pin section mounting the respective impeller for pivotal movement thereabout and a drive pin section engageable in said flywheel for fastening said flywheel to said retainer, each of said wing-like portions includes a vertically arranged side wall of its recess serving to limit the pivotal movement of the impeller in the direction of rotation of the flywheel so that the center of mass of each impeller is allowed to move beyond an imaginary line extending through the center of the shaft and the pivotal axis of the impeller so as to reduce the tendency of the assembly from being loosened from the shaft, as well as to avoid the occurrence of starting jams.

2. A rotatable assembly for a food waste disposer comprising in combination with a motor shaft, a circular flywheel having an upper planar surface and with an axis coinciding with the axis of said shaft, a pair of impellers movable with respect to said flywheel about pivotal axes parallel to the axis of said fl wheel and on diametrically opposite sides thereof, and an assembling retainer having a centrally located means rigidly secured to said shaft, said retainer having a pair of symmetrically arranged, radially extending, Wing-like portions with undercut recesses contiguous to the upper surface of said flywheel, and a projection in each of said wing-like portions extending downwardly in said recess and including a pivot pin section mounting the respective impeller for pivotal movement thereabout and a drive pin section engageable in said flywheel for fastening said flywheel to said retainer, the retainer having a height that is greater than the height of the impellers so the retainer shades the impellers when they are forced into a retracted position by food particles within the disposer so as to avoid jamming of the assembly.

3. A food waste disposer having a hopper enclosing a comminuting chamber, a motor housing disposed beneath said comminuting chamber and having a drainage chamber for receiving water and comminuted waste from said hopper, a motor having a shaft, a flywheel mounted on the shaft, a pair of impellers each pivoted about vertical axis to the flywheel, a retainer assembly lying over a portion of both impellers and having pin means that serve as the pivotal means of the impellers, said pin means also engaging the flywheel for locking the retainer thereto, the center portion of the retainer being fastened to the motor shaft, the retainer assembly having a streamlined top surface with upwardly inclined leading edges that rise above the impellers to shade the impellers from strikin food particles when the impellers are in a retracted position back from the periphery of the flywheel so as to avoid jamming the flywheel and stalling the motor.

4. A food waste disposer as recited in claim 3 wherein the retainer assembly includes stop means to limit the swing of the impellers in the direction of rotation of the flywheel to an acute angle where the center of mass of each impeller swings forward of an imaginary line drawn between the center of the flywheel and the pivotal axis of the impeller so that the centrifugal force acting upon the impellers will tend to return the center of mass of each impeller to an aligned position with said imaginary line so as to reduce the impact of the impellers against the stop means and the consequent tendency of the flywheel to loosen on the shaft, the said stop means also restricting the forward swing of the impellers so as to reduce the vulnerability of the flywheel to starting jams.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,536,929 Hammel Jan. 2, 1951 2,594,250 Tranbarger Apr. 22, 1952 2,679,981 Eisinga June 1, 1954 2,940,677 Jordan June 14, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 321,989 Switzerland July 15, 1957

Claims (1)

1. A ROTATABLE ASSEMBLY FOR A FOOD WASTE DISPOSER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION WITH A MOTOR SHAFT, A CIRCULAR FLYWHEEL HAVING AN UPPER PLANAR SURFACE AND WITH AN AXIS COINCIDING WITH THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT, A PAIR OF IMPELLERS MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID FLYWHEEL ABOUT PIVOTAL AXES PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID FLYWHEEL AND ON DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, AND AN ASSEMBLING RETAINER HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED MEANS RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID SHAFT, SAID RETAINER HAVING A PAIR OF SYMMETRICALLY ARRANGED, RADIALLY EXTENDING, WING-LIKE PORTIONS WITH UNDERCUT RECESSES CONTIGUOUS TO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FLYWHEEL, AND A PROJECTION IN EACH OF SAID WING-LIKE PORTIONS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY IN SAID RECESS AND INCLUDING A PIVOT PIN SECTION MOUNTING THE RESPECTIVE IMPELLER FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREABOUT AND A DRIVE PIN SECTION ENGAGEABLE IN SAID FLYWHEEL FOR FASTENING SAID FLYWHEEL TO SAID RETAINER, EACH OF SAID WING-LIKE PORTIONS INCLUDES A VERTICALLY ARRANGED SIDE WALL OF ITS RECESS SERVING TO LIMIT THE PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE IMPELLER IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE FLYWHEEL SO THAT THE CENTER OF MASS OF EACH IMPELLER IS ALLOWED TO MOVE BEYOND AN IMAGINARY LINE EXTENDING THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE SHAFT AND THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF THE IMPELLER SO AS TO REDUCE THE TENDENCY OF THE ASSEMBLY FROM BEING LOOSENED FROM THE SHAFT, AS WELL AS TO AVOID THE OCCURRENCE OF STARTING JAMS.

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