Question (from a layman) about torque

scott.marquardt · 2006-11-13T06:27:37+00:00

I recently used a surplus windshield wiper motor in a drum coffeeroaster application. The drum has an 11 inch diameter, and the motorcan reliably do about 5 pounds of coffee beans. It's coupled with apulley that's almost 1:1 just now.The drum has agitation vanes inside which are optimized to keep thebeans tossing about, but the simple picture is that they're beinglifted on a 5" radius (on average).The drum's size easily allows for a 10 - 12 pound batch, but the motorI've been using can't handle that at all.What this layman needs is a bit of guidance on how to understand whatkind of torque specifications I should look for in a gearmotor thatwill do the trick.I'd be glad of any tips!TIA- S

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Paul M 19 years ago

On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 18:24:50 GMT, "daestrom" proclaimed to the world:

I appreciate you posting this. My main duties involved the instrumentation and controls of both the boilers and main engines, but my rate was boiler tech. The shop I worked in had both boiler tech and machinist mates. The main engines had very little controls. I am sure this is the same with your sub. I did a lot of work on subs after I got out of the Navy and worked as a private contractor. The steam cycle remains the same as did the turbines which used the power produced by whatever source, be it conventional or nuke. Anyway, I was hesitant to post any info on main bearing lubrication with sketchy memory. Jerry spends late nights checking all my facts.:-) (Just kidding Jerry. I appreciate every question you pose.) Anyway I vaguely remember the lift pumps and decided not to mention them fearing I might not be accurate. Thanks for filling in the details. Do you remember what the lift pump pressures were?

I remember one time where the labyrinth packing was damaged by someone incorrectly jacking. I also remember uncoupling the main shaft so we could jack the turbine while the shaft was down.

You don't happen to remember how big the shafts were on the sub, do you? I remember on tridents and the sea wolf, the shafts appeared to be much smaller. It seems a little silly today but this might still be classified. Which class of sub did you serve on?

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daestrom 19 years ago

Commercial turbine lift pumps run about 100 psi (relief set for 120). But they're positive displacement (little versions of a typical 'gear' pump), so the exact pressure depends on the weight of the shaft and the temperature/viscosity of the oil.

We had it 'both ways'. The main reduction gear output could be disconnected from the shaft so the turbines/gear could be jacked without turning the shaft (a big-a__ clutch). Then each turbine shaft had a 'hard' coupling that could be disconnected between each turbine and the gear (port-starboard main turbines fed one reduction gear). That was in case a turbine was damaged, you could spin the shaft from the opposite turbine at reduced bells.

Don't know if it was ever classified, I'm sure the hp rating was. As I recall, they were only about 18" to 20" across, much smaller than your carrier version (and shorter too). The trickiest part of them was the seals, we didn't use 'packing gland' type, but the 'mechanical seal' type in order to adapt to changing depth/sea-pressure.

Tridents? SeaWolf? HA!!! Luxury liners!! Try 'boring holes in the ocean' in 'Permit' class. Yes, those are the ones with *miles* of seawater piping and were originally named 'Thresher' class. ("fast and black, and never come back")

daestrom former EMC(SS)

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Jerry Avins 19 years ago

...

I remember Thresher being lost, and I remember how surprised some experts were when she was ultimately found nearly intact. I recall a seminar at which it was claimed that she was probably scattered in small pieces over a wide area. "... never came back." Were there other losses?

Jerry

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Paul M 19 years ago

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:11:30 GMT, "daestrom" proclaimed to the world:

I never even got to see any of those subs except along the docks at the sub piers sitting near the old diesels. I guess they were built to last without much repair. ;-)

And those luxury liners were not so luxurious when ripped apart in dry dock, particularly since I was there to work on storage tank level indicator/controls. They would never tell me what "CHT" stood for. It must be classified. (LOL) I figured it must be "Chocolate Heaven Tank" from the looks of what was left in the tank when we got to it. To tell the truth, I also worked on a lot of other stuff too.

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Jerry Avins 19 years ago

"Collection and Holding Tank" If the odor didn't provide a hint, there mist have been some powerful chemicals, too.

Jerry

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Paul M 19 years ago

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:03:39 -0500, Jerry Avins proclaimed to the world:

I know what it stands for Jerry. It was a joke.

And actually it stands for Collection, Holding and Transfer tank.

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Ursa Major 19 years ago

*snicker*

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Paul M 19 years ago

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:30:37 -0500, Paul M proclaimed to the world:

And I forgot to add this. Smell was not a problem because the tanks were always cleaned and disinfected before I ever got into them. This was not true at most of the WWTPs I worked at later. I watched this Indian guy take off his shoes, socks and pants and wade knee deep on a strut in the top of a aeration tank once at a small private plant. He asked me to wash him down with a garden hose afterwards.

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Jerry Avins 19 years ago

It's the straight-faced ones that always take me in. I should know better. When I do it, people often get put off, not amused.

Jerry

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Paul M 19 years ago

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 22:32:57 -0500, Jerry Avins proclaimed to the world:

I'm not put off at all. I find you refreshingly simple in your logic and insistence of accuracy. That IS a compliment, BTW. You can be the straight man in my act! :-)

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daestrom 19 years ago

On the older boats, we didn't mess around with such 'euphenisms'. They were called 'sanitary tanks', but were far from 'sanitary'. (why *is* it that sewers for human waste are called 'sanitary', seems a complete perversion of the term :-)

daestrom

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