Bearing unit for open-end spinning turbines

Claim 2

A bearing unit for an open-end spinning turbine having a shaft, disposed in a frame, one end of which is operatively connected to the spinning turbine and the other end of which axially abuts against a thrust bearing provided with a bearing surface, said thrust bearing being disposed within a closed bearing housing containing a liquid lubricant, said end of said shaft extending to the inside of said housing through a wall thereof, said shaft being sealed toward the outside of said housing, and means for movably mounting said thrust bearing within said housing to continuously change the point of engagement of said other end of said shaft with said bearing surface.

Claim 3

A bearing unit as defined in claim 1, wherein the lower part of said bearing housing forms an oil bath and means are provided for conveying the oil from the oil bath to the thrust bearing.

Claim 4

A bearing unit as defined in claim 2, wherein said means for conveying the oil are mounted on a supporting element, said supporting element being loosely inserted into said bearing housing to be easily removable therefrom.

Claim 5

A bearing unit as defined in claim 3, wherein said oil conveying means comprise a material partly immersed in said oil bath and a supporting means is provided for supporting said material, said supporting means extending at least to an area adjacent said thrust bearing.

Claim 6

A bearing unit as defined in claim 3, wherein said supporting element is substantially U-shaped, said supporting element and said wick being disposed as a rider directly on said thrust bearing.

Claim 7

A bearing unit as defined in claim 3, wherein said housing is provided with a cover and wherein said supporting element is made of a flat material bent to a suitable shape secured to said cover.

Claim 8

A bearing unit as defined in claim 6, wherein said flat material forms a bent strip pivotably suspended at one end on said cover, said strip adjacent to said thrust bearing including means for clamping said wick.

Claim 9

A bearing unit as defined in claim 7, wherein said strip is also bent to form said means for movably mounting said thrust bearing.

Claim 10

A bearing unit as defined in claim 2, wherein said means for conveying the oil includes a U-shaped wick extending around the upper side of said thrust bearing with the two arms of said U-shaped wick being at least partly immersed into said oil bath.

Claim 11

A bearing unit as defined in claim 9, wherein said wick is held within a guide channel extending around the upper side of said thrust bearing, said guide channel being provided with a wall having openings through which the oil may pass from said wick to said thrust bearing.

Claim 12

A bearing unit as defined in claim 10, wherein said openings in said wall form slots extending radially toward said thrust bearing.

Claim 13

A bearing unit as defined in claim 2, wherein said means for conveying the oil includes a wick and means are provided for supporting said wick including a cage for holding said wick.

Claim 14

A bearing unit as defined in claim 12, wherein a cover is provided for said bearing housing and said cage is mounted on said cover.

Claim 15

A bearing unit as defined in claim 12, wherein said cage rests loosely on the bottom of said bearing housing and means are provided for maintaining said cage in a fixed position.

Claim 16

A bearing unit as defined in claim 2, wherein said oil conveying means comprise a felt-like layer and wherein at least one mounting plate is provided for serving as the supporting element of said felt-like layer.

Claim 17

A bearing unit as defined in claim 15, wherein said mounting plate consists of two plates and said felt layer is mounted between said two plates and wherein snap means are provided for connecting said two plates.

Claim 18

A bearing unit as defined in claim 2, wherein a plurality of spinning turbines are provided including thrust bearings, and wherein said oil bath is a common oil bath for the thrust bearings of said plurality of spinning turbines.

Claim 19

A bearing unit as defined in claim 17, wherein said common oil bath is disposed centrally of a machine which is provided with said plurality of spinning turbines on both sides.

Claim 20

A bearing unit according to claim 1, wherein said shaft is substantially horizontally disposed in said frame.

Claim 21

A bearing unit according to claim 19, wherein additional bearing means are provided for radially supporting said turbine shaft.

Claim 22

A bearing unit according to claim 20, wherein said additional bearing means includes air suspension bearings disposed along said shaft.

Claim 23

A bearing unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said thrust bearing comprises a bearing plate movably mounted in said housing.

Claim 24

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, wherein said bearing plate consists of a slidably mounted bar, and wherein separate drive means are provided for reciprocating said bar relative to the axis to the end of said shaft.

Claim 25

A bearing unit according to claim 23, wherein at least said bearing surface consists of a plastic having antifriction properties.

Claim 26

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, wherein at least the surface of the bearing plate engaging with the end of the shaft consists of a plastic having antifriction properties.

Claim 27

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, wherein said bearing plate consists of an endless belt of plastic having antifriction properties and wherein a separate driving means is provided for driving said endless belt during the rotation of said shaft, said endless belt being disposed at a right angle to said shaft while bearing upon the end thereof and also upon the end of a shaft of at least one other additional spinning turbine extending parallel thereto.

Claim 28

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, including an additional shaft wherein said bearing plate consists of a circular disk coaxially secured to one end of said additional shaft, The axes of said additional shaft and said shaft of said spinning turbine being disposed in substantially parallel spaced relationship to each other, and wherein a separate drive means is provided, said separate drive means being operatively connected with said additional shaft to drive said additional shaft and said circular disk secured thereto.

Claim 29

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, wherein the end of said turbine shaft abuts said bearing surface at an angle differing slightly from a right angle.

Claim 30

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, wherein said bearing surface is slightly conical.

Claim 31

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, wherein said bearing plate consists of at least two parts, one of said parts consisting of a disk of plastic engaging upon the end of the turbine shaft and the other part consisting of a metal disk.

Claim 32

A bearing unit as defined in claim 30, wherein said disk of plastic consists of a sheet of plastic which is secured to the metal disk.

Claim 33

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, wherein said bearing plate is provided with paddlelike projections for at least one of retarding the rotary movement of the disk and for taking along oil from said oil bath.

Claim 34

A bearing unit according to claim 22, wherein said housing is provided with a removable cover portion provided with means for limiting the lateral movement of said thrust bearing.

Claim 35

A bearing unit according to claim 33, wherein said frame includes an overflow channel and a collecting chamber communicating with said oil bath.

Claim 36

A bearing unit according to claim 22, wherein a plurality of spinning turbines are provided each having an oil bath and means are provided for communicating with each of the oil baths.

Claim 37

A bearing unit as defined in claim 22, wherein said bearing plate is rotatably mounted with the axes of said shaft and said bearing plate being substantially parallel but spaced from each other, said shaft eccentrically engaging said bearing surface, and wherein separate drive means are provided for rotating said bearing plate independently from the rotation of said shaft.

Claim 38

A bearing unit according to claim 36, wherein at least said bearing surface consists of a plastic having antifriction properties.

Claim 39

A bearing unit as defined in claim 36, wherein a plurality of adjacent spinning turbines are provided, each of said turbines being provided with a turbine shaft and an additional shaft, each of said additional shafts having secured thereto a substantially disk-shaped bearing plate, and wherein said drive means are common means for driving simultaneously said plurality of adjacent spinning turbines.

Claim 40

A bearing unit as defined in claim 38, wherein each of said bearing disks is provided with outer peripheral teeth, and wherein said common drive means includes an elongated element having teeth engaging with the teeth of said bearing disks, said elongated element being movably mounted to drive all of said bearing disks.

Claim 41

A bearing unit as defined in claim 34, wherein said outer teeth on said bearing disks form worm teeth and said common drive element consists of a shaft having associated worm teeth engaging with the worm teeth of said bearing disks so as to rotate the latter when said last mentioned shaft is rotated.

Claim 42

A bearing unit as defined in claim 40, wherein said lastmentioned shaft is divided into a plurality of sections, and wherein connecting means are provided for connecting said plurality of sections.

Claim 43

A bearing unit as defined in claim 38, wherein said common drive element consists of a flexible toothed belt the teeth of which engage with said outer teeth on said bearing disks for rotating said disks when said belt is driven in a longitudinal direction.

Claim 44

A bearing unit as defined in claim 42, wherein a reciprocating drive means is provided operatively interconnected with one end of said toothed belt for positively moving said additional shaft in one longitudinal direction, the other end of said toothed belt being connected to a resilient means for positively moving said belt in the opposite longitudinal direction.

Claim 45

A bearing unit as defined in claim 42, wherein said additional shafts of said plurality of adjacent spinning turbines are mounted in separate bearing housing, each of said separate housings forming oil baths, and wherein guide means are provided between adjacent housings for guiding said toothed belt.

Claim 46

A bearing unit for an open-end spinning turbine having a shaft, disposed in a frame, one end of which is operatively connected to the spinning turbine and the other end of which axially abuts against a thrust bearing, said thrust bearing being disposed within a closed bearing housing containing a liquid lubricant, said end of shaft extending to the inside of said housing through a wall thereof, said shaft being sealed toward the outside of said housing, said thrust bearing comprises a bearing plate rotatably mounted in said housing is movable during the rotation of said shaft, the point of engagement of the end of said shaft with the surface of said bearing plate changing continuously on this surface, the axes of said shaft and said bearing plate being substantially parallel but spaced from each other, said bearing plate being driven by the engagement of the end of said shaft with said surface of the bearing plate facing said end in an off-center position of said surface.

Claim 47

A bearing unit for an open-end spinning turbine having a shaft, disposed in a frame, one end of which is operatively connected to the spinning turbine and the other end of which axially abuts against a thrust bearing, said thrust bearing being disposed within a closed bearing housing containing a liquid lubricant, said end of shaft extending to the inside of said housing through a wall thereof, said shaft being sealed toward the outside of said housing, said thrust bearing comprises a bearing plate rotatably mounted in said housing is movable during the rotation of said shaft, the point of engagement of the end of said shaft with the surface of said bearing plate changing continuously on this surface, the axes of said shaft and said bearing plate being substantially parallel but spaced from each other, said bearing plate being driven by the engagement of the end of said shaft with said surface of the bearing plate facing said end in an off-center position of said surface.

Claim 48

A bearing unit as defined in claim 45, wherein said bearing plate forms a disk freely rotatable in said housing and wherein the space between the axes of said shaft and said disk varies during the rotation of said disk with said axes always spaced at a predetermined minimum distance.

Claim 49

A bearing unit according to claim 46, wherein at least said bearing surface consists of a plastic having antifriction properties.

Claim 50

A bearing unit for an open-end spinning turbine having a shaft, disposed in a frame, one end of which is operatively connected to the spinning turbine and the other end of which axially abuts against a thrust bearing, said thrust bearing being disposed within a closed bearing housing containing a liquid lubricant, said end of said shaft extending to the inside of said housing through a wall thereof, said shaft being sealed toward the outside of said housing said thrust bearing comprising a bearing plate movably mounted in said housing, said bearing plate being movable during the rotation of said shaft with the point of engagement of the end of the shaft with the surface of the bearing plate changing continuously on this surface, and an abutment, wherein the end of said shaft abutting against said surface of said bearing plate thereby presses the opposite surface of said bearing plate in the axial direction against said abutment.

Claim 51

A bearing unit for an open-end spinning turbine having a shaft, disposed in a frame, one end of which is operatively connected to the spinning turbine and the other end of which axially abuts against a thrust bearing, said thrust bearing being disposed within a closed bearing housing containing a liquid lubricant, said end of said shaft extending to the inside of said housing through a wall thereof, said shaft being sealed toward the outside of said housing said thrust bearing comprising a bearing plate movably mounted in said housing, said bearing plate being movable during the rotation of said shaft with the point of engagement of the end of the shaft with the surface of the bearing plate changing continuously on this surface, and an abutment, wherein the end of said shaft abutting against said surface of said bearing plate thereby presses the opposite surface of said bearing plate in the axial direction against said abutment.

Claim 52

A bearing unit according to claim 48, wherein said abutment includes an axially adjustable bearing screw disposed in said frame.