Control operation of a clutch drive system
AssigneeTI Interlock Limited
InventorDavid T. Walter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor-driven drive shaft is coupled to a grinding mill or other unbalanced rotatable member through a clutch arranged to accommodate misalignment, the clutch being so controlled during start-up as to be initially engaged to effect a first limited rotation of the mill in the drive direction, then disengaged to permit the mill to rotate under its own weight through a second rotation in the direction reverse to the drive direction and through a third rotation in the drive direction, and then to be re-engaged during the second rotation of the member in the drive direction. Clutch orbiting is thus reduced if not eliminated.
Claims12
In a clutch drive system in which a motor drive shaft is selectively coupled to and de-coupled from an unbalanced rotatable load by engagement and disengagement of a clutch adapted to accommodate misalignment between said drive shaft and said rotatable load, start-up control means for said clutch, said control means being programmed to respond to a start-up signal successively to engage said clutch to effect limited rotation of said load from a starting position thereof in a drive direction, to disengage said clutch, and to re-engage said clutch when said load is inertially rotating in said drive direction after having rotated back beyond said starting position.
A start-up method for a grinding mill having an unbalanced load, said mill being rotatably drivable from a rotary drive shaft through a clutch adapted to accommodate misalignment between said shaft and said mill, said method comprising the steps of
- initially engaging said clutch to effect a first rotation of said mill and said unbalanced load in a drive direction;
- disengaging said clutch to permit said mill and load to rotate under the weight thereof through a second rotation in the direction reverse to said drive direction, and through a third rotation in said drive direction, and
- re-engaging said clutch during said third rotation of said mill and said load in said drive direction.
A grinding mill apparatus comprising:
- a drive motor having a rotary drive shaft,
- a mill journaled for rotation,
- a drive train between said drive shaft and said mill,
- a clutch included in said drive train, said clutch being responsive to a control input to move between an engaged condition and a disengaged condition, said drive shaft being drivingly coupled to said mill through said drive train in said engaged condition of said clutch and decoupled from said mill in said disengaged condition of said clutch, said clutch being adapted to accommodate misalignment in said train, and
- start-up control means responsive to a start-up command to supply said control input to move said clutch to said engaged condition thereof for a first period sufficient to effect rotation in a drive direction of said mill through less than 180.degree., to move said clutch to said disengaged condition for a second period sufficient to allow said mill to rotate contrary to said drive direction and to resume rotation in said drive direction, and then to move said clutch to said engaged condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.