TEMPERATURE CONTROL DEVICE FOR DRIVE AND/OR TRANSMISSION UNITS SUCH AS TUNNEL BORER TRANSMISSIONS

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the cooling and/or heating of drive and/or transmission units of construction machines and similar equipment. The invention relates to the temperature control device for cooling and/or heating such a drive and/or transmission unit with at least one heat exchanger module having a liquid jacket through which flow is possible. The invention also relates to a drive and/or transmission unit having at least two transmission and/or drive sections, which are cooled and/or heated by such a temperature control unit. The invention further relates to a tunnel boring machine, the transmission of which is cooled and/or heated by such a temperature control device. According to the invention, the at least one heat exchanger module of the temperature control device forms a ring body for fitting in a sandwich-like manner between two transmission and/or drive sections, said ring body having a central through-cutout for a drive element to pass through and has, on each opposite end face, a connection flange for precision-fit end-face connection to the two transmission and/or drive sections. A driveshaft, for example, or a driving wheel or another driving element which connects, for example, two transmission stages or two transmission sections and/or drive sections in a force-transmitting or torque-transmitting manner can be guided through said through-cutout.

Claims

1. A temperature control device for cooling and/or heating a tunnel borer transmission comprising at least one heat exchanger module which has a liquid jacket, wherein the heat exchanger module forms a ring body for fitting in a sandwich-like manner between two adjacent drive and/or transmission sections, wherein the ring body has a central through-cutout for the guiding of a rotatable drive and/or transmission element, and has on opposite end faces in each case a connection flange for precision-fit end-face connection to the two transmission and/or drive sections.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the liquid jacket forms a ring chamber inside the ring body extending around the through-cutout.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the ring chamber has at least one inlet and at least one outlet, which are adjacent to one another and/or in a sector of the ring chamber and are separated from one another by a separation plate, wherein the separation plate divides the ring chamber in the circumferential direction into two ring chamber sections in the manner of a slit ring.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the inlet and the outlet are on the upper side of the heat exchanger module.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising radially mutually offset turbulence fins in the ring chamber.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the turbulence fins alternately project outwardly from the inner circumference of the ring chamber and inwardly from the outer circumference of the ring chamber, and alternately define at the inner circumference and at the outer circumference of the ring chamber a passage gap for the temperature control liquid to be circulated.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the ring body of the heat exchanger module has a solid outer ring on which the two opposing connection flanges are configured, an inner ring arranged inside the outer ring, and two flat, plate-shaped end walls which connect the outer and inner rings to one another and delimit the liquid jacket between them.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the end walls have a smaller wall thickness than the outer ring, wherein a wall thickness of the end walls is less than one third of the wall thickness of the outer ring.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the end walls have a smaller wall thickness than the outer ring, wherein a wall thickness of the end walls is less than one quarter of the wall thickness of the outer ring.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein said turbulence fins are connected to both end walls and are alternately connected to either the inner ring or the outer ring.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the outer ring has axial through-cutouts within the connecting flanges for flow connection of the two transmission and/or drive sections, between which the heat exchanger module is arranged in a sandwich-like manner.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the turbulence fins are connected to both end walls and are alternately connected to either the inner ring or the outer ring.

13. A transmission and/or drive unit comprising at least two transmission and/or drive sections between which is a temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two transmission and/or drive sections are attached to the opposite connection flanges of the heat exchanger module and are connected to one another by the heat exchanger module, wherein a transmission and/or drive element extends through the through-cutout in the heat exchanger module, and wherein the transmission and/or drive element connects the two transmission and/or drive sections to one another in a force-transmitting and/or torque-transmitting manner.

14. The transmission and/or drive unit of claim 13, wherein the two transmission sections connected to the heat exchanger module each comprise a planetary gear stage, wherein the drive element extending through the through-cutout of the heat exchanger module connects a sun gear of one planetary gear stage to the planet carrier of the other planetary gear stage in a rotationally fixed manner.

15. The transmission and/or drive unit of claim 14, wherein the at least one heat exchanger module is arranged between a first and a second gear stage, and wherein the first and second gear stages are connected in series to a drive motor and/or are the two gear stages with the highest speeds.

16. The transmission and/or drive unit of claim 13, wherein the at least one heat exchanger module is arranged between a first and a second gear stage, and wherein the first and second gear stages are connected in series to a drive motor and/or are the two gear stages with the highest speeds.

17. A tunnel boring machine comprising a drill head configured to be driven by a drive motor via a transmission unit, wherein a temperature control device which is configured according to claim 1 is integrated into the transmission unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of a preferred exemplary embodiment and the corresponding drawings. The drawings show:

[0032] FIG. 1: a schematic representation of the drive and transmission unit of a tunnel boring machine, wherein the transmission comprises a plurality of planetary gear stages and a heat exchanger module is arranged between a first and a second gear stage according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,

[0033] FIG. 2: a perspective representation of the disc-shaped heat exchanger module of the drive and transmission unit of FIG. 1, and

[0034] FIG. 3: a perspective, in part cut-away view of the disc-shaped heat exchanger module of FIG. 2, showing the interior of the ring chamber through which the flow can pass and the turbulence fins arranged thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, a tunnel boring machine 1 may have a rotatably drivable boring head 2 similar to a milling rotor, which is rotatably driven by a drive motor 3 via a transmission unit 4. Said drill head 2 can thereby be driven, for example, via a toothed ring by the transmission unit 4, which can be supported in a commonly known manner by a drill head bearing 5.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission unit 4 can be made up of several gear stages which are connected in series in order to translate or reduce the drive speed of the drive motor 3 into the desired rotor speed of the drill head 2, wherein, for example, three transmission stages 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 can be provided.

[0037] Said gear stages may be planetary stages, each of which may comprise a sun gear 6, a ring gear 7 and planet gears 8 in mesh therewith, which may be arranged on a planet carrier 9. In this case, adjacent planetary stages can be connected to each other at the sun gear and at the planet carrier bar, cf. FIG. 1.

[0038] Said gear stages 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 may each be configured separately from one another and each have at least approximately cylindrical transmission housing parts by means of which they can be placed against one another, so that the transmission unit 4 as a whole is constructed in a modular manner from the plurality of gear stages which are arranged axially one behind the other and are connected to one another.

[0039] The first gear stage 4.1 may be connected to the drive motor 3, wherein, for example, a motor output shaft 10 may be non-rotatably coupled to the sun gear 4 of the first gear stage 4.1. The output shaft of the last gear stage 4.3, for example the planet carrier bar 9, can be coupled to the drive shaft of the drilling rotor 2, for example via a toothed ring.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 1, a heat exchanger module 11 can be inserted between two adjacent gear stages, in particular between the relatively fast rotating first and second gear stages 4.1 and 4.2, which is fitted in a sandwich-like manner between the end faces of the adjacent gear stages 4.1 and 4.2. Said heat exchanger module 11 may thereby rigidly connect the housing parts of the first and second gear stages 4.1 and 4.2 to each other, for example by means of a screw bolt connection which clamps the two housing parts 12.1 and 12.2 against the heat exchanger module 11.

[0041] Said heat exchanger module 11 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, and may be disc-shaped when viewed as a whole. In particular, the heat exchanger module 11 can form a ring body which has a through-cutout 13 in a central section and has, on opposite end faces, a respective connection flange 14 and 15 which are adapted in terms of shape and dimensions to the connection flange of the two gear stages 4.1 and 4.2, so that said gear stages 4.1 and 4.2 can be precision-fit on the two connection flanges 14 and 15 of the heat exchanger module 11 and can thus be connected preferably without a gap, in particular in a liquid-tight manner. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, said connection flanges 14 and 15 may each have a flat annular end face 16 which may extend approximately parallel to each other and/or in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the transmission unit. Said end faces 16 of the connection flanges 14 and 15 can be delimited at an inner edge, but if necessary also at an outer edge, by an annular web 17 projecting at the end face, said annular web 17 being able to slide into the housing part 12.1 or 12.2 of the adjacent transmission section 4.1 and 4.2 and, for example, precision-fit against the inner circumferential surface of the respective housing part. By means of said annular web 17, the heat exchanger module 11 can be guided in a radially precise way on the housing parts 12.1 and 12.2 of the adjacent transmission sections.

[0042] In order to be able to rigidly connect the gear stages 4.1 and 4.2 to the heat exchanger module 11, bores 18 may be provided in the heat exchanger module 11 in the region of the connection flange 14 and 15 in order to be able to connect the two housing parts 12.1 and 12.2 to the heat exchanger module 11, for example by means of screw bolts. The bolts may extend through said bores 18.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger module 11 can advantageously comprise a solid outer ring 19 made of solid material, on the end faces of which said connection flanges 14 and 15 can be configured.

[0044] Within said outer ring 19, the heat exchanger module 11 may include an inner ring 20 defining said through-cutout 13 of the heat exchanger module 11. Said outer and inner rings 19, 20 may be interconnected by two plate-like end walls 21, 22 which define a ring chamber 23 between themselves and said inner and outer rings. Said end walls 21 and 22 may, for example, be made of a thin metal sheet or other highly thermally conductive material.

[0045] Independently thereof, said end walls 21 and 22 may be arranged parallel to each other and spaced from each other by a dimension approximately equal to the axial width of the inner ring 20 and/or the outer ring 19.

[0046] Said end walls 21 and 22 may be substantially planar, in particular forming two planar annular discs.

[0047] Said end walls 21 and 22 are connected to the outer and inner rings 19, 20 in a fluid-tight manner, for example welded and/or glued.

[0048] In order to be able to circulate temperature control liquid through the ring chamber 23, said ring chamber 23 has an inlet 24 and an outlet 25 which can advantageously extend through the outer ring 19 and can advantageously open at the outer circumference of said outer ring 19.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the inlet 24 and outlet 25 can advantageously be arranged adjacent to each other and/or in the same sector of the outer ring 19, in particular on an upper side of the heat exchanger module 11 when this is integrated in the transmission unit 4 as intended.

[0050] In addition to said inlets and outlets 24 and 25, one or more further outlets 26 can be provided on the underside of the ring chamber 23 in order to be able to drain the cooling liquid from the ring chamber 23, wherein these outlets 26 can advantageously also extend through the outer ring 19, cf. FIG. 3.

[0051] In order to ensure that the temperature control liquid flows through the entire ring chamber 23, a separation plate 27 may be provided in the ring chamber 23 between the inlet 24 and outlet 25 provided at the top, which divides the annular chamber 23 between the inlet 24 and outlet 25 in the manner of a slit ring. Said separation plate 27 may be connected in a fluid-tight manner to both the outer ring 19 and the inner ring 20, as well as to the two spaced-apart end walls 21 and 22.

[0052] The inlet 24 thus opens into the annular chamber 23 on one side of the separation plate 27, while the outlet 25 opens into the ring chamber 23 on the opposite side of the separation plate 27.

[0053] Further, in order to direct the temperature control liquid into all regions of the ring chamber 23 as it flows through the ring chamber 23, turbulence fins 28 may be provided in the ring chamber 23 and may be arranged and configured such that the fluid flowing circumferentially through the ring chamber 23 meanders back and forth between the inner ring 20 and the outer ring 19 or flows back and forth in a winding manner along the direction of circulation. Said turbulence fins 28 may be alternately radially offset from one another, and may alternately leave a gap with the inner ring 20 and a gap with the outer ring 19 for the passage of the temperature control liquid therethrough.

[0054] Independently thereof, said turbulence fins 28 may extend between and interconnect said two end walls 21 and 22, said turbulence fins 28 extending at least approximately in the radial direction or from the inside to the outside, that is, in the direction from the inner ring to the outer ring or vice versa.

[0055] In particular, said turbulence fins 28 may alternately connect once to the inner ring 20 and once to the outer ring 19, leaving a gap 29 to the other ring through which the temperature control liquid may flow. Said gaps 29 are arranged alternately on the outer ring 19 and on the inner ring 20, cf. FIG. 3.

[0056] The heat exchanger module 11 described has significant advantages. On the one hand, this is a cost-effective and very robust structure that is also suitable for tough operating conditions such as those encountered in a tunnel boring machine. The solid outer ring in particular can also withstand the impact loads that occur in tunnel boring machines.

[0057] Not only the solid outer ring 19, but also the modular design, according to which the end walls 21 and 22 are connected to each other several times by the outer and inner rings as well as the turbulence fins, makes the structure very stable, so that no damage occurs even in the case of strong vibrations, pressure peaks or other external impacts. The heat exchanger module is integrated directly into the transmission unit 4 and is thus also additionally protected from external impacts.

[0058] The arrangement of the heat exchanger module 11 between the first two gear stages 4.1 and 4.2 also results in excellent incident flow conditions, with a double effective area being created by the two end walls 21 and 22 being in contact with the gear lubricant of both gear stages. The power loss is absorbed in the immediate vicinity of the point of origin. Especially in the first high-speed gear stages 4.1 and 4.2, the power losses and thus the heat generated are greatest.

[0059] Due to the radial, staggered arrangement of the turbulence plates or fins 28, the temperature control liquid circulating annularly around the through-cutout 13 is deflected several times, which ensures an integral flow around and maximum utilization of the heat transfer surface by a turbulent flow depending on the flow rate.

[0060] The heat exchanger module 11 is easy to adapt to existing transmission designs. In this case, the heat exchanger module 11 can be easily placed between the planetary stages of the transmission unit 4, if required.

[0061] Due to the modular design, several heat exchanger modules 11 can also be connected in series and thus the cooling capacity can be increased almost as required.

[0062] The axial through holes 30 or through-cutouts, which pass through the heat exchanger module 11 in the axial direction, allow oil forced out of the tooth flanks to flow through the through holes 30 at the level of the ring gears 7 of the planetary gear stages and to experience a direct cooling effect. Said through-cutouts 30 also facilitate oil exchange or lubricant exchange in the transmission unit 4, and ensure uniform mixing of the lubricant.