Hydrodynamic retarder with shiftable stator blade wheel

The hydrodynamic retarder comprising a housing for containing operating liquid;

• a rotor blade wheel supported for rotation in the housing and including rotor blading thereon;
• a relatively non-rotating stator blade wheel supported in the housing and including stator blading thereon, the stator balding being opposite the rotor blading, such that the stator blading and the rotor blading may cooperate with the operating liquid for hydrodynamic retarding;
• support means for supporting the stator blade wheel for being displaced eccentrically in position with respect to the rotor blade wheel between more and less aligned conditions thereof;
• a pressurized fluid displacement device connected with the stator blade wheel for adjusting the eccentric position of the stator blade wheel with respect to the rotor blade wheel, and the stator blade wheel exerting a brake reaction force which moves the stator blade wheel eccentrically and the displacement exerting an opposed displacement force, the displacement device being adjustable to apply an adjusted displacement force on the stator blade wheel which is adjustable proportional to a desired braking moment;
• a support to which the stator blade wheel is supported in the housing, and a pivot connection between the stator blade wheel support and the housing, the pivot connection being eccentric of the stator blade wheel;
• the displacement device being connected with the stator blade wheel support for pivoting the stator blade wheel support with respect to the housing and with respect to the rotor blade wheel for moving the stator blade wheel to be eccentric with respect to the rotor blade wheel.

A hydrodynamic decelerator including:

• a housing for containing operating fluid;
• a rotatable vane wheel disposed with said housing;
• a relatively stationary vane wheel disposed within said housing and being adjustably displaceable eccentrically with respect to said rotatable vane wheel;
• adjusting means for displacing said relatively stationary vane wheel;
• a plurality of vanes supported in a circular array on said relatively stationary vane wheel and operatively positioned along its circumference;
• said circumference including a major arcuate portion whereat said vanes are disposed with essentially uniform spacing between adjacent vanes;
• said circumference also including a substantial arcuate portion that is void of vanes;
• said substantial arcuate portion being disposed between opposite ends of said major arcuate portion and being relatively minor as compared to the latter;
• said substantial arcuate portion being significant longer arcuately than said uniform spacing between adjacent vanes thereby establishing asymmetry in said circular array.