Vacuum pump with fiber-reinforced resin cylinder

Abstract

Provided is a vacuum pump in which the flexing of a rotating cylinder made of a fiber-reinforced resin can be reduced as much as possible to sufficiently reduce the gap between the rotating cylinder and a fixed cylinder, and exhaust performance can thereby be improved to great effect. A vacuum pump comprising a thread groove pump portion equipped with a fixed cylinder portion (2) having a spiraling thread groove portion (1) provided in an internal peripheral surface, and a rotating cylinder portion (3) placed inside the fixed cylinder portion (2), the thread groove pump portion exhausting through a spiraling exhaust flow channel due to the rotating cylinder portion (3) being caused to rotate, and the exhaust flow channel being formed from the thread groove portion (1) and an external peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder portion (3). The rotating cylinder portion (3) is configured by stacking a plurality of fiber-reinforced resin layers, and the outermost fiber-reinforced resin layer is thicker than the adjacent layer.

Claims

1. A vacuum pump comprising: a thread groove pump portion having a fixed cylinder portion with a spiraling thread groove portion provided in an internal peripheral surface, and a rotating cylinder portion disposed inside the fixed cylinder portion, the thread groove pump portion exhausting through a spiraling exhaust flow channel due to the rotating cylinder portion being caused to rotate, the spiraling exhaust flow channel being formed from the thread groove portion and an external peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder portion, wherein the rotating cylinder portion comprises at least two fiber-reinforced resin hoop layers and a fiber-reinforced resin helical layer interposed between the at least two fiber-reinforced resin hoop layers, wherein an outermost one of the at least two fiber-reinforced resin hoop layers is configured to be thicker than an adjacent fiber-reinforced resin helical layer, wherein the rotating cylinder portion includes a removal machining portion on at least part of the external peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder portion.

2. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the outermost fiber-reinforced resin hoop layer is configured to be at least 25% thicker than an adjacent layer.

3. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, wherein irregularities on at least part of the surface of the rotating cylinder portion are less than 0.25 mm.

4. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, wherein the at least two fiber-reinforced resin hoop layers are equal to each other in thickness.

5. The vacuum pump according to claim 1, wherein the rotating cylinder portion further comprises an additional fiber-reinforced resin hoop layer and an additional fiber-reinforced resin helical layer, and layers other than the outermost fiber-reinforced resin hoop layer and an innermost fiber-reinforced resin hoop layer are set to be equal to each other in thickness.

6. A vacuum pump comprising: a thread groove pump portion having a fixed cylinder portion with a spiraling thread groove portion provided in an internal peripheral surface, and a rotating cylinder portion disposed inside the fixed cylinder portion, the thread groove pump portion exhausting through a spiraling exhaust flow channel due to the rotating cylinder portion being caused to rotate, the spiraling exhaust flow channel being formed from the thread groove portion and an external peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder portion, wherein the rotating cylinder portion comprises a plurality of fiber-reinforced resin layers, and the fiber-reinforced resin layers include helical layers comprising a helical winding of fibers and hoop layers comprising a hoop winding of fibers, and an outermost hoop layer is configured to be thicker than an adjacent layer, wherein the rotating cylinder portion includes a removal machining portion on at least part of the external peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder portion.

7. The vacuum pump according to claim 6, wherein the outermost hoop layer is configured to be at least 25% thicker than the adjacent layer.

8. The vacuum pump according to claim 6, wherein irregularities on at least part of the surface of the rotating cylinder portion are less than 0.25 mm.

9. The vacuum pump according to claim 6, wherein the outermost layer of the rotating cylinder portion is a hoop layer.

10. The vacuum pump according to claim 6, wherein an innermost layer of the rotating cylinder portion is a hoop layer.

11. The vacuum pump according to claim 10, wherein the hoop layers of the outermost layer and innermost layer of the rotating cylinder portion are equal to each other in thickness.

12. The vacuum pump according to claim 6, wherein layers of the rotating cylinder portion other than the outermost layer and innermost layer are set to be equal to each other in thickness.

13. A vacuum pump comprising: a thread groove pump portion equipped with a fixed cylinder portion having a spiraling thread groove portion provided in an internal peripheral surface; a rotating cylinder portion placed inside the fixed cylinder portion, the thread groove pump portion exhausting through a spiraling exhaust flow channel due to the rotating cylinder portion being caused to rotate; wherein the spiraling exhaust flow channel is formed from the thread groove portion and an external peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder portion; wherein the rotating cylinder portion comprises a first fiber-reinforced resin layer and a second fiber-reinforced resin layer; wherein the first fiber-reinforced resin layer provides more resistance to force in a circumferential direction than the second fiber-reinforced resin layer, and the second fiber-reinforced resin layer provides more resistance to force in an axial direction than the first fiber-reinforced resin layer, wherein the rotating cylinder portion includes a removal machining portion on at least part of the external peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder portion.

14. The vacuum pump according to claim 13, wherein the first fiber-reinforced resin layer is thicker than the second fiber-reinforced resin layer.

15. The vacuum pump according to claim 13, further comprising at least one additional first fiber-reinforced resin layer and at least one additional second fiber-reinforced resin layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory cross-sectional view of the present example;

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory cross-sectional view of a conventional rotating cylinder portion;

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory cross-sectional view the rotating cylinder portion of the present example

(4) FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view showing an example of deformation caused by internal stress in the rotating cylinder portion or by a difference in tension on the fibers of predetermined portions of the layers;

(5) FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory cross-sectional view of the rotating cylinder portion of the present example;

(6) FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory cross-sectional view of another example of the present example; and

(7) FIG. 7 is a graph showing the results of simulating the thickness of the outermost layer (the outermost hoop layer) and the amount of irregularities in the surface after removal machining.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(8) Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in a simple manner with reference to the diagrams while indicating the effects of the present invention.

(9) By making an outermost fiber-reinforced resin layer (e.g., a hoop layer 5) thicker than an adjacent layer, it is possible to relatively reduce the nonuniformity of internal stress caused by the release of internal strain, which is caused by removal machining, and the flexing of a rotating cylinder portion 3 made of a fiber-reinforced resin is consequently reduced. It is also possible to relatively reduce the effects caused by cutting continuous fibers, the undoing of the flexing balance between an anisotropic material layer and another anisotropic material layer, and changes in tension on the fibers in predetermined portions of the layers, which are caused by removal machining; and the flexing of the rotating cylinder portion 3 made of a fiber-reinforced resin is consequently reduced.

EXAMPLES

(10) Specific examples of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings.

(11) The present example is a vacuum pump comprising a thread groove pump portion equipped with a fixed cylinder portion 2 having a spiraling thread groove portion 1 provided in the internal peripheral surface, and a rotating cylinder portion 3 placed inside the fixed cylinder portion 2, the thread groove pump portion exhausting through a spiraling exhaust flow channel due to the rotating cylinder portion 3 being caused to rotate, and the exhaust flow channel being formed from the thread groove portion 1 and an external peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder portion 3; the rotating cylinder portion 3 being configured by stacking a plurality of fiber-reinforced resin layers, the fiber-reinforced resin layers including helical layers 4 formed by a helical winding of fibers and hoop layers 5 formed by a hoop winding of fibers, and the outermost hoop layer 5 being configured so that the surface is removed and the outermost hoop layer 5 after the surface removal is thicker than the adjacent layer.

(12) Specifically, the present example is a thread groove pump in which a rotating body 7 (a rotor) is rotatably disposed inside a tubular pump case 6, as shown in FIG. 1. The rotating body 7 is configured from a metal discoid attachment part 10 attached to a rotating shaft 9 of a DC motor 8, and a rotating cylinder portion 3 to which the attachment part 10 is connected in a fitted manner. In this drawing, the symbol 11 indicates an intake port communicated with a chamber 12, 13 indicates an exhaust port, 14 indicates a diametric electromagnet, and 15 indicates an axial electromagnet.

(13) The outside diameter of the attachment part 10 and the inside diameter of the rotating cylinder portion 3 are substantially equal to each other, for example, and the attachment part 10 and the rotating cylinder portion 3 are connected in a fitted manner by “cold fitting” in which the attachment part 10 is fitted in an inserted manner in the top part of the rotating cylinder portion 3 while being cooled by liquid nitrogen or the like.

(14) The rotating cylinder portion 3 of the present example is made by stacking a plurality of fiber-reinforced resins formed using conventional filament winding, and is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of helical layers 4 formed by a helical winding of fibers with a winding angle of 80° relative to the axial center of a mandrel, and hoop layers 5 formed by a hoop winding of fibers with a winding angle of 80° or more relative to the axial center of the mandrel.

(15) Specifically, the rotating cylinder portion 3 of the present example is formed by alternately stacking helical layers 4 (winding angle ±20° relative to the axial center of the mandrel) and hoop layers 5 in three or more layers, including the configuration hoop layer/helical layer/hoop layer so that at least the innermost layer and outermost layer are hoop layers 5.

(16) The helical layers 4 are provided in order to create resistance against force in the axial direction, and the hoop layers 5 are provided in order to create resistance against force in the circumferential direction. Because the flexing between layers is greater with thicker layers and fewer stacked layers, the flexing between layers can be reduced by increasing the number of stacked layers and reducing the thickness of the layers. The outermost layer and the innermost layer are not limited to hoop layers 5 and may be helical layers 4 or layers of only a resin, but the flexing of the rotating cylinder portion 3 can be reduced more by using hoop layers 5.

(17) For example, the rotating cylinder portion 3 is formed by winding and stacking carbon fibers impregnated with a resin around a mandrel, alternately stacking the hoop layers 5 and the helical layers 4, thermosetting the resin, and removing the mandrel. The resin may be selected as appropriate for the application from resins such as a phenol resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, and an epoxy resin.

(18) After the mandrel has been removed, the surface (the irregularities thereof) of the outermost layer of the rotating cylinder portion 3 is slightly ground (removal machining) in order to achieve a predetermined dimension (shape) in the outside diameter of the rotating cylinder portion 3.

(19) The present example is configured such that the thickness of the outermost hoop layer 5 is greater than the thickness of the adjacent layer in order to reduce as much as possible the nonuniformity of internal stress caused by the release of internal strain, which is caused by the removal machining (finishing machining) of the irregularities in the surface. The present example is also configured such that the thickness of the outermost hoop layer 5 is greater than the thickness of the adjacent layer in order to reduce as much as possible the effects caused by cutting continuous fibers, the undoing of the flexing balance between an anisotropic material layer and another anisotropic material layer, and changes in tension on the fibers in predetermined portions of the layers, which are caused by the removal machining (finishing machining) of the irregularities in the surface. The other layers are set to be equal to each other in thickness.

(20) FIG. 2 shows when the outermost layer thickness is at a maximum (a) and at a minimum (b) in a conventional rotating cylinder portion 3′ molded by filament winding so that the outermost layer and the other layers are equal to each other in thickness, and FIG. 3 shows when the outermost layer thickness is at a maximum (a) and at a minimum (b) in the rotating cylinder portion 3 of the present example molded by filament winding so that the outermost layer has the greatest thickness. In these drawings, the symbols 4′ and 4 indicate helical layers, and 5′ and 5 indicate hoop layers.

(21) It is clear from FIGS. 2 and 3 that when the cumulative difference a in thickness nonuniformity with the inside layers (inside layers excluding the outermost layer and the innermost layer) is at a maximum and the difference b in the amount of removal machining is at a maximum (the difference between pre-machining thickness and post-machining thickness in the thickness of the outermost layer is at a maximum), there is less of an effect from the change in thickness of the outermost layer in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an example of deformation caused by internal stress or the difference in tension on the fibers of predetermined portions of the layers, and a disparity in the difference b of the removal machining amounts arises in these portions because of this deformation.

(22) When the outermost layer (the outermost hoop layer 5) has a small thickness after removal machining, there are cases in which this deformation has a great effect and the circularity of the rotating cylinder portion 3 is instead worse than before the removal machining. Therefore, the thickness of the outermost layer (the outermost hoop layer 5) is preferably as thick as possible in order to reduce the difference in internal stress or tension on the fibers of predetermined portions of the layers as previously described.

(23) The relationship between the thickness of the outermost layer (the outermost hoop layer 5) and the amount of irregularities in the surface before and after removal machining is as shown in FIG. 7, for example.

(24) In the example of FIG. 7, irregularities of 0.25 mm form in the surface before removal machining due to overlapping of the fibers in the helical layers, slight positional misalignment when the fibers are wound, and the like. Removal machining is performed in order to take out these irregularities, but even if irregularities caused by fiber overlapping or the like are taken out, machining nonuniformity sometimes causes nonuniformity in internal stress due to the release of internal strain, and the entire cylinder flexes greatly. Machining nonuniformity also sometimes causes cutting of continuous fibers, undoing of the flexing balance between an anisotropic material layer and another anisotropic material layer, and changes in the tension on the fibers of predetermined portions of the layers, and the entire cylinder flexes. Furthermore, cutting the fibers in the cylinder made of a fiber-reinforced resin after the resin has set sometimes changes the tension on the fibers and causes the entire cylinder to flex.

(25) As a result, the total amount of irregularities in the surface, including both irregularities caused by fiber overlapping and the like and irregularities caused by flexing of the entire cylinder, is sometimes instead worse than before removal machining. The example of FIG. 7 shows a simulation of the total amount of irregularities in the surface when the thickness of the outermost layer is changed in the same configuration as the present example, in both a case of the machining nonuniformity (thickness nonuniformity in the inside layers) being comparatively small (0.05 mm) and a case of the machining nonuniformity being comparatively large (0.07 mm). As a result, the total amount of irregularities in the surface is greater than before removal machining when the thickness of the outermost layer is small after removal machining, but another result is that the total amount of irregularities in the surface decreases when the thickness of the outermost layer after removal machining is increased. For example, when the machining nonuniformity is 0.07 mm and the thickness of the outermost layer after removal machining is 0.1 mm, the total amount of irregularities in the surface after removal machining increases up to 0.35 mm, but the total amount of irregularities in the surface can be reduced to 0.17 mm when the thickness of the outermost layer after removal machining is 1.6 mm. The amount of irregularities in the surface is less than before machining (with a certain amount of leeway) but is approximately 0.5 mm (other layers: 1.25 times 0.4 mm), and it is therefore presumable that the thickness after surface removal is preferably greater than the other layers by at least 25%.

(26) By setting the thickness of the outermost hoop layer 5 as described above, even if there is nonuniformity in the amount of fibers removed by removal machining, it is possible to relatively reduce nonuniformity in internal stress caused by the release of internal strain originating from nonuniformity in the amount of fibers removed during removal machining, the flexing of the rotating cylinder portion 3 made of a fiber-reinforced resin is consequently reduced, the gap between the rotating cylinder and the fixed cylinder can thereby be made sufficiently small (e.g., about 1 mm, comparing favorably with cylinders made of metal), and exhaust performance can thereby be improved. It is also possible to relatively reduce the effects of cutting of continuous fibers, undoing of the flexing balance between an anisotropic material layer and another anisotropic material layer, and changes in the tension on the fibers of predetermined portions of the layers, originating from nonuniformity in the amount of fibers removed during removal machining, and the same effects as described above can be achieved.

(27) Furthermore, the innermost layer and the outermost layer may be of equal to each other in thickness (the configuration may be such that the outermost layer and the innermost layer have the maximum thickness). This is because, as shown in FIG. 5, the internal stress is more symmetrical inside to outside, the occurrence of moments can be better prevented, and internal stress can be better dispelled when the outermost layer and innermost layer are equal to each other in thickness (symmetrical) (b), in comparison to when the outermost layer and the innermost layer are not equal to each other in thickness (a). It is also possible to relatively reduce the difference in inner and outer tension caused by changes in tension in predetermined portions due to removal machining. In this case, the outermost layer and the innermost layer are at least 25% thicker than the layers other than the outermost layer and the innermost layer (layers of minimum thickness). The circularity (shape) of the rotating cylinder portion 3 can thereby be maintained even if the outermost layer is thinned by removal machining.

(28) The present example describes a thread groove pump, but with a compound turbo-molecular pump or the like such as that of the other example shown in FIG. 6, the above-described configuration can be similarly employed if the pump has a thread groove pump portion. In this drawing, the symbols 16 indicate fixed blades protruding from the inner wall surface of the pump case 6 at numerous levels and predetermined gaps apart, the symbols 17 indicate rotating blades placed alternately with the fixed blades 16 (and provided integrally to the metal attachment part 10 attached to the rotating shaft 9 of the DC motor 8), and an annular fitting part 18 provided in the bottom end of the attachment part 10 is connected in a fitted manner to the rotating cylinder portion 3 by cold fitting. The excess is the same as in the case of FIG. 1.

(29) Because the present example is configured as described above, the flexing of the rotating cylinder portion 3 made of a fiber-reinforced resin can be reduced as much as possible to sufficiently reduce the gap between the rotating cylinder portion 3 and the fixed cylinder portion 2, and exhaust performance can thereby be improved to great effect.