TRANSMISSION AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH A TRANSMISSION

Abstract

A transmission includes a housing made from a metallic material and is provided with a cooling structure in the form of a cooling element made from open-cell metal foam. The cooling element can be secured on the housing, in particular on an outer surface of the housing, by a screw connection and/or adhesive bonding and/or magnetically.

Claims

1. A transmission, comprising a housing made from a metallic material and including a cooling structure, said cooling structure including a cooling element made from open-cell metal foam and secured on the housing.

2. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the cooling element is secured on an outer surface of the housing.

3. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the cooling element is made of aluminum or copper.

4. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the cooling element has a plate-shaped configuration.

5. The transmission of claim 1, further comprising an intermediate layer containing silicone and thermally conductive particles and provided between the cooling element and the housing.

6. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the cooling element is secured on the housing by a screw connection and/or adhesive bonding.

7. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the cooling element is secured on the housing by a magnet.

8. A method for producing a transmission, said method comprising securing on a housing made from a metallic material a cooling element made from open-cell metal foam to provide a cooling structure on the housing.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing an intermediate layer containing silicone and thermally conductive particles between the cooling element and the housing.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the cooling element is secured on the housing by a screw connection and/or adhesive bonding and/or magnetically.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0017] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of currently preferred exemplified embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a transmission according to present invention, depicting the presence of cooling elements arranged thereon, and

[0019] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section of the transmission of FIG. 1, taken along a section line II-II in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Throughout all the figures, same or corresponding elements may generally be indicated by same reference numerals. These depicted embodiments are to be understood as illustrative of the invention and not as limiting in any way. It should also be understood that the figures are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments may be illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted.

[0021] Turning now to the drawing, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic perspective view of a transmission according to present invention, generally designated by reference numeral 1. In the non-limiting example shown here, the transmission 1 is embodied as a spur gear transmission configured as a bevel-and-spur gear train. However, it will be understood that the principles described in the following description with respect to the transmission 1 are equally applicable to any other type of transmission and the specific type of transmission is of no significance for the present invention.

[0022] The transmission 1 has a housing 2, which is divided into a housing top part 2a and a housing bottom part 2b. In the present case, the housing top part 2a and the housing bottom part 2b are of symmetrical construction and can be cast in a same die, although this is not obligatory. The transmission 1 furthermore includes an input shaft 3, via which the driving power enters the transmission 1, and an output shaft 4, which can be connected to a system (not illustrated), e.g. a conveyor belt system. Cooling structures in the form of a plurality of cooling elements 5 are arranged on the outside of the housing 2, with each cooling element 5 being made from open-cell metal foam and secured as a separate component on the housing 2. In the present case, each of the cooling elements 5 has a plate-shaped configuration and is manufactured from aluminum.

[0023] Provided between each of the cooling elements 5 and the housing 2 is an intermediate layer 6 which contains silicone and thermally conductive particles and is generally referred to as a gap filler. By way of example, the cooling elements 5 are secured here on the housing 2 using screws 7. As an alternative or in addition, however, the cooling elements 5 can also be secured by adhesive bonding and/or using magnets. In the latter case, the cooling elements 5, of course, must be provided with corresponding magnets, which are not illustrated here.

[0024] To produce the housing illustrated hi MG. 1, the transmission 1 is assembled hi known manner in a first step. In a further step, the separate cooling elements 5 are then positioned and secured on an outer surface of the housing 2. Here, the number and position of the individual cooling elements 5 can be chosen according to a desired cooling capacity. In order to ensure good thermal coupling of the cooling elements 5 to the housing 2, despite the presence of uneven outer surface of the housing 2 produced by casting, an intermediate layer 6 which compensates irregularities in the outer surface of the housing 2 is positioned between each of the cooling elements 5 and the housing 2.

[0025] A significant advantage of a transmission 1 according to the present invention over a conventional transmission of same construction but provided with cooling fins is that the transmission 1 according to the present invention has a lower dead weight as a result of the use of cooling structures in the form of one or more cooling elements 5. Moreover, the production of the housing 2 or of the housing top and bottom parts 2a, 2b by casting is significantly cheaper due to the absence of cooling fins. Another advantage relates to the cooling capacity of the transmission 1, which cooling capacity is realized by the presence of cooling elements 5 and can be adjusted in a manner which is flexible and best suited to the demand at hand through suitable choice of shape, number and position of the cooling elements 5. Thus, it is also possible to provide transmissions of same construction with different cooling capacities using housings 2 of the same construction, so that series manufacture becomes much easier.

[0026] Although the invention has been illustrated and described more specifically in detail by means of a preferred illustrative embodiment, the invention is not restricted by the examples disclosed, and other variations can be derived by a person skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the cooling elements 5 can have a configuration that differs from a plate shape. It is also possible for the underside of the cooling elements 5 to be matched to a shape of the housing outer surface. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and practical application to thereby enable a person skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

[0027] What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims and includes equivalents of the elements recited therein: