Gear pump with suction housing element providing a tight seal between suction and high-pressure chamber to increase pump efficiency and method of providing tight seal
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorOlaf Enke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gear pump includes a pump housing, a two meshed with a driven gear, a suction housing, and a suction cavity. The suction housing includes a body portion having first and second sealing disposed adjacent to outer diameters of the gears. A suction chamber wall is disposed between the first and second sealing surfaces and a sealing land is adjacent to a planar running surface of the pump housing. A flange of the suction housing has a third sealing surface disposed in contact with gear faces of the gears. The suction cavity is open to the inlet and defined in part by the suction chamber wall.
Claims20
A gear pump comprising:
- a pump housing comprising:
- a cavity having a planar running surface;
- an inlet extending through the pump housing and opening to the cavity at the planar running surface;
- and
- an outlet extending through pump housing and opening to the cavity;
- a drive gear and a driven gear disposed in the cavity and meshing together, each of the drive gear and the driven gear having a first gear face and a second gear face, the second gear face disposed on the planar running surface;
- a suction housing comprising:
- a body portion extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end, the body portion comprising:
- first and second sealing surfaces extending longitudinally between the first and second ends and disposed adjacent to outer diameters of the drive gear and the driven gear, respectively;
- a suction chamber wall disposed between the first and second sealing surfaces;
- and
- a sealing land at the second end, the sealing land disposed adjacent to the planar running surface;
- and
- a flange extending transverse to the body at the first end, the flange having a third sealing surface disposed in contact with the first gear face of each of the drive gear and the driven gear;
- and
- a suction cavity open to the inlet and defined in part by the suction chamber wall.
A method of increasing efficiency of a gear pump, the method comprising:
- providing a pump housing comprising:
- a cavity having a planar running surface;
- an inlet extending through the pump housing and opening to the cavity at the planar running surface;
- and
- an outlet extending through pump housing and opening to the cavity;
- providing a drive gear and a driven gear in the cavity, the drive gear and the driven gear having parallel axes and meshing together, and each of the drive gear and the driven gear having a first gear face and a second gear face, the second gear face disposed on the planar running surface;
- providing a suction housing in the cavity, wherein the suction housing comprises:
- a first sealing surface and a second sealing surface extending parallel to and abutting outer diameters of the drive gear and the driven gear, respectively;
- a suction chamber wall disposed between the first and second sealing surfaces and separated from the drive gear and the driven gear to form a suction chamber therebetween;
- a third sealing surface disposed parallel to and abutting the first gear face of each of the drive gear and the driven gear;
- and
- a sealing land disposed adjacent to the planar running surface;
- applying an axial force to the suction housing to press the third sealing surface against the first gear faces of the drive gear and the driven gear;
- and
- applying a radial force to the suction housing to press the first and second sealing surfaces against the outer diameters of the drive gear and the driven gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.