# US 2010/0167902 A1 · Centrifuge having a rotor having horizontal axis of rotation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2010/0167902 A1 - Document ID: US20100167902A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/440,389 - Filed: 2007-09-07 - Published: 2010-07-01 - Earliest claimed: 2006-09-11 - Assignees: Gea Westfalia Separator GmbH - Inventors: Martin Overberg; Stefanos Doudis; Stefan Terholsen; Helmut Figgener; Hans-Joachim Beyer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100167902A1 ## CPC - B04B 1/20: discharging solid particles from the bowl by a conveying screw coaxial with the bowl axis and rotating relatively to the bowl - B04B 9/12: Suspending rotary bowls {; Bearings; Packings for bearings} - B04B: CENTRIFUGES (high-speed drum mills B02C19/11; domestic spin driers D06F; analysing, measuring or monitoring physical or chemical properties of samples during centrifuging, see the relevant subclasses for these procedures, e.g. G01N) ## Abstract A screw centrifuge includes a drum having a rotor. The drum includes two axial ends and a horizontal axis of rotation. A screw is arranged in the drum and configured to rotate relative to the drum at a speed different from a rotation speed of the drum. A bearing device is located at each axial end of the drum and is configured to bear the drum. A plurality of spring elements are configured for sprung support of the drum on a frame and at least one of the plurality of spring elements is located at each axial end of the drum. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A screw centrifuge comprising: a drum including a rotor, the drum having two axial ends and a horizontal axis of rotation; a screw arranged in the drum and configured, to, rotate elative to the drum at a speed different from a rotation speed of the drum: a bearing device located at each axial end of the drum and configured to bear the drum; a plurality of spring elements configured for sprung support of the drum on a frame and at least one of the plurality of spring elements is located at each axial end of the drum; and each of the plurality of spring elements is aligned essentially vertically. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein a ratio between a length of the drum to a diameter of the drum is greater than 2. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein the spring elements are combined spring and damping elements. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein a support for the drum is provided via the spring elements and damping elements, which damping elements are separate from the spring elements. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein the spring elements act as compression elements for a sprung support of the drum on a machine frame in a non-radial direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge claim 1, wherein the spring elements include helical springs, and longitudinal axes of the helical springs are aligned essentially vertically at an angle of 0 to 30° from the vertical. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The screw centrifuge of claim 6, wherein the helical springs are aligned at an angle of 0 to 15° to from the vertical. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein the spring elements have a high spring stiffness in at least two mutually perpendicular directions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The screw centrifuge of claim 6, wherein each helical spring is loaded in compression in the vertical direction and is loaded in shear in the axial direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein the spring elements have a horizontal spring stiffness of 30% to 100% of a vertical spring stiffness when longitudinal axes of the spring elements are aligned vertically in an installed state. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein the spring elements have a horizontal spring stiffness of 50%-100% of a vertical spring stiffness when longitudinal axes of the spring elements are aligned vertically. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The screw centrifuge of claim 2, wherein the spring elements are combined spring and damping elements. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, further comprising damping elements which are arranged physically separately from the spring elements and are provided to support the drum. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein a damping of the separate damping elements a function of a rotation speed such that a high damping level is produced even at low rotation speeds by driving through a rotor natural shape, while a lower damping level is provided at an operating rotation speed above a resonant frequency. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein the spring elements are provided at each end of the drum and are arranged alongside the drum. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein the spring elements are arranged at each end of the drum alongside the drum and between two cantilevers of bearing housings of the bearing devices, the spring elements being on a machine frame. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The screw centrifuge of claim 16, wherein the two cantilevers project from an external circumference of the bearing housings in opposite directions, pointing away from one another. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The screw centrifuge of claim 16, wherein the two cantilevers are aligned horizontally. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The screw centrifuge of claim 16, wherein the two cantilevers are aligned at an angle to the horizontal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The screw centrifuge of claim 16, wherein the two cantilevers are arranged above the axis of rotation of the drum. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The screw centrifuge of claim 16, wherein the bearing devices each have two bearings and the spring elements are arranged on a plane at right angles to the axis of rotation, which axis is located between the two-bearings. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The screw centrifuge of claim 21, wherein a center of the spring elements, in an axial direction alongside the bearings is located at a height which corresponds to a height of a center of the bearings. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The screw centrifuge of claim 21, wherein one of the two bearings is a grooved ball bearing and the other bearing is a cylindrical roller bearing, and the two bearings are arranged in each of the bearing housings. ### Claim 24 (depends on 16) The screw centrifuge of claim 16, wherein a distance between the bearings at least half of a bearing internal diameter. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein claim 1, wherein a damping of the spring elements at resonance is at least 3%. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein a ratio between a length of the drum to a diameter of the drum is greater than 2.5. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein a ratio between a length of the drum to a diameter of the drum is greater than 3. ### Claim 28 (depends on 12) The screw centrifuge of claim 12, wherein a damping of the separate damping elements is a function of a rotation speed such that a high damping level is produced even at low rotation speeds by driving through a rotor natural shape, while a lower damping level is provided at an operating rotation speed above a resonant frequency. ### Claim 29 (depends on 1) The screw centrifuge of claim 1, wherein a damping of the spring elements at resonance is at least between 10% and 30%.