Gearbox helps mariners see the light
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David Brown Engineering product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Nov 16, 2004
The historic Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse in Florida has taken a turn for the better thanks to the combined efforts of Miller Bearings and the ultracompact design of David Brown gear technology.
The historic Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse in Florida has taken a turn for the better thanks to the combined efforts of Miller Bearings and the ultracompact design of David Brown gear technology.
The 120 year old landmark has completed a much-needed renovation and the finishing touch was a new mechanical drive to rotate the lens on the 1000W lamp enabling it to flash the characteristic six times every 30 seconds.
Miller Bearing's Leon Grobaski climbed the 204 steps to the top of the 54m-tall tower to see for himself the cramped confines of the tower where the monument's concerned technicians wanted a reliable mechanism that could rotate the table at 2.2rev/min with a 450kg load - and fit the limited space.
Grobaski explains: "There were issues with the envelope dimensions in order to fit the system because we could not tamper with the historic support superstructure".
"We were not allowed to do any cutting or otherwise alter the four bronze supports already in place".
"That seriously limited our drive dimensions; we were looking for an 800:1 reduction but most reducers for that type of application were too large to accommodate the torque requirements".
The problem was solved using the David Brown Series B Conex unit which has a new design helicoidal gear shaped like an hourglass.
The design developed by David Brown Engineering, part of Textron Fluid and Power, provides a much greater horsepower and torque rating in a comparatively small package.
The David Brown unit is linked to a 125W 1750rev/min electric motor.
Although superseded by a more modern structure operated by the US Coastguard, the Ponce de Leon lighthouse is now able to operate once again as a private aid to navigation - and a delight for tourists visiting the area! The Series B Conex helicoidal right angle gear motors and reducers provide a highly flexible and compact solution to meet the low to medium power range.
With power capabilities up to 15kW and maximum output torque capacity of 565Nm, the Series B units benefit from the David Brown patented motor connection which eliminates fretting corrosion and provides easy motor removal.
The unique Swift Kit concept delivers unrivalled flexibility and supply availability.
Available in sizes 02-06, 08, 09, 10 and 11, the Series B offers gear ratios from 5.1 to 60:1 in single reduction, and 100:1 to 3600:1 in double reduction.
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