Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. An arrangement (100) for preventing ingress of moisture, and thereby preventing oxidation of the propeller shaft (106) of a tractor, said arrangement (100) comprising:
a. a guard tube (112) for covering the propeller shaft (106) and the bearing;
b. a front guard (114) for covering said guard tube (112) and sealing the front axle output shaft (102A) and coupler (101) and propeller shaft front side spline; and
c. a rear guard (116) for covering said guard tube (112) and sealing the four wheel drive shaft (108A) and coupler (101) and propeller shaft rear side spline.
2. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guard tube (112) extends over the entire length of the propeller shaft (106) between said front guard (114), the bearing retainer block (103) and said rear guard (116) to cover the bearing.
3. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said front guard (114) includes a first O-ring (118) and a pair of second O-rings (120) provided thereon for sealing the front axle output shaft (102A).
4. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first O-ring (118) is configured to be covered by a seal hub (104).
5. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said seal hub (104) is by fastened to the front axle housing (102) of the tractor via fastening means (102B).
6. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said front guard (114) is secured to the front axle housing (102) by fastening the seal hub (104) to the front axle housing (102) of the tractor.
7. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear guard (116) includes a pair of third O-rings (122) and a fourth O-ring (124) are provided thereon for covering said guard tube (112) and sealing said four wheel drive shaft (108A) of the drop box housing (108) of the tractor.
8. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear guard (116) is secured to the drop box housing (108) of the tractor by fastening a seal carrier (104) to the drop box housing (108).
9. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein said seal carrier (104) is fastened to the drop box housing (108) via fastening means (102B).
10. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guards (114, 116) and said guard tube (112) are of a material casting pipe, and is forged and painted to prevent oxidation.
11. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said O-rings (118, 120, 122, and 124) are of a material selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), silicone, polyurethane, nitrile, neoprene, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, fluorocarbon, and any combination thereof.
Dated this 31st day of March, 2022

_______________________________
MOHAN RAJKUMAR DEWAN, IN/PA – 25
of R.K. DEWAN & CO.
Authorized Agent of Applicant , Description:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of arrangement for preventing oxidation of propeller shaft and its components.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
Typically, puddling is the tillage of rice paddies while flooded, and is an ancient practice that is used to prepare for rice cultivation. The cultivation is done by using a work vehicle such as a tractor that performs tilling work, grading work, soil-puddling work and the like. The tractor performs work-traveling over the entire piece of cultivated land. The bottom portion of the tractor includes a plurality of components such as the front axle output shaft of the front axle housing, the propeller shaft, and the four wheel drive shaft of the drop box housing that are responsible for efficient driving of the tractor on the field. However, during puddling operation, the propeller shaft remains exposed to mud and water, resulting in rusting or oxidation of the propeller shaft, the bearing, the front axle output shaft, and the four wheel drive shaft. Due to rusting of the aforementioned components there is washout of splines of the propeller shaft and freezing of rotation / damage of the bearing which halts the operation of the tractor.
There is, therefore felt a need of an arrangement that prevents oxidation of the propeller shaft and that alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an arrangement for preventing oxidation of propeller shaft.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an arrangement that prevents oxidation of the propeller shaft and other components and facilitates smooth functioning of the tractor.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide an arrangement that averts washout of splines by preventing of oxidation/ rusting of the propeller shaft, main shaft and coupler.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide an arrangement that prevents oxidation by blocking seepage of water into internal components like propeller shaft, the bearing, the front axle output shaft, the four wheel drive shaft, the coupler etc.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages an arrangement for preventing ingress of moisture, and thereby preventing oxidation of the propeller shaft & Front axle output shaft, propeller shaft and four wheel drive shaft of the tractor. The arrangement comprises a guard tube, a front guard, and a rear guard. The guard tube is configured to cover the propeller shaft and the bearing. The front guard is configured to cover the guard tube, and is further configured to seal the front axle output shaft and coupler. The rear guard is configured to cover the guard tube, and is further configured to seal the four wheel drive shaft and coupler.
In an embodiment, the front guard includes a first O-ring and a pair of second O-rings provided thereon for sealing the front axle output shaft and propeller shaft, coupler and front axle output shaft.
In an embodiment, the first O-ring is configured to be covered by a seal hub. In another embodiment, the seal hub is by fastened to the front axle housing via fastening means.
In an embodiment, the guard tube extends over the entire length of the propeller shaft between the front guard, the bearing and the rear guard to cover the bearing.
In an embodiment, the front guard is secured to the front axle housing by fastening the seal hub to the front axle housing.
In an embodiment, the rear guard includes a pair of third O-rings and a fourth O-ring are provided thereon for covering the guard tube and sealing the four wheel drive shaft of the drop box housing and rear end of propeller shaft of the drop box housing.
In an embodiment, the rear guard is secured to the drop box housing by fastening the seal carrier to the drop box housing.
In another embodiment, the seal carrier is fastened to the drop box housing via fastening means.
In an embodiment, the guard tube and the guard are of a material of casting pipe and is forged and painted to prevent rusting/oxidation from mud and water.
In an embodiment, the O-rings are of a material selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), silicone, polyurethane, nitrile, neoprene, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, fluorocarbon, and any combination thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
An arrangement for preventing oxidation of propeller shaft of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a conventional arrangement of the propeller shaft, front axle housing, front axle output shaft, four wheel drive shaft, and drop box housing;
Figure 2 illustrates an isometric view of the conventional arrangement of Figure 1;
Figure 3 illustrates a side view of an arrangement for preventing oxidation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 4 illustrates an isometric view of the arrangement of Figure 3.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
1, 2 – Oxidation prone area
I, II – Entry of mud and water through splined area
100’ – Conventional arrangement
100 – Arrangement for preventing oxidation of propeller shaft
101 – Coupler
102 – Front axle housing
102A – Front axle output shaft
102B – Bolt/ Fastening means
103 – Bearing retainer block
103A – Bearing bracket
104 – Seal hub/ Seal carrier
105 – Sheet metal guard
106 – Propeller shaft
108 – Drop box housing
108A – Four wheel drive shaft
112 – Guard tube
114 – Front guard
116 – Rear guard
118 – First O-ring
120 – Second pair of O-rings
122 – Third pair of O-rings
124- Fourth O-ring
126 – Spring dowel
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
Terms such as “inner,” “outer,” "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms "a,” "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Figure 1 and Figure 2, illustrate a conventional arrangement 100’ depicting a coupler surrounding the front axle output shaft 102A of the front axle housing 102 and the four wheel drive shaft 108A of the drop box housing 108 of the tractor. The propeller shaft 106 has a bearing fastened with a bearing retainer block 103. The propeller shaft 106 is aligned with the front axle output shaft 102A and the four wheel drive shaft 108A. The bearing retainer block 103 which is fastened to bearing bracket 103A and bearing bracket 103A is fastened to the gear box of the tractor. Further, the couplers 101 are slid over the front axle shaft 102A and four wheel drive shaft 108A and propeller shaft 106 and are secured at the front axle housing 102 and the drop box housing 108 of the tractor using bolts 102B and spring dowel 126 via seal hub/ seal carrier 104. The propeller shaft 106 is partially covered with a sheet metal guard 105 made of metal as shown in Figure 1. The bearing is not covered by the sheet metal guard 105.
Typically, during puddling operations, mud and water enters into the splined area (oxidation prone area 1 and 2) of the couplers 101 into the front axle output shaft 102A and the four wheel drive shaft 108A and the portion where the bearing is fastened to the propeller shaft 106 via the retainer block 103. The mud and water entry portions I, II (not shown in firg.1) are highlighted as shown in Figure 1. This mud and water cause oxidation of the shafts 102A, 106, and the bearing when accumulated thereon. Further, the front axle output shaft 102A and the four wheel drive shaft 108A washout due to oxidation (i.e., rusting). This causes to halt the entire operation of the tractor.
The present disclosure, therefore, envisages an arrangement 100 for preventing oxidation of the propeller shaft 106. The arrangement 100 (hereinafter referred to as “arrangement 100”) for preventing oxidation of the propeller shaft 106 will now be described with reference to Figure 3 and Figure 4.
The arrangement 100 prevents ingress of moisture, and thereby prevents oxidation of the bearing, and the front axle output shaft 102A and the four wheel drive shaft 108A of the tractor.
Figure 3 and Figure 4 depict the arrangement 100 comprising a guard tube 112, a front guard 114, and a rear guard 116.
The guard tube 112 is used for covering the propeller shaft 106. The front guard 114 is used for covering the guard tube 112 at one end and sealing the front axle output shaft 102A along with the coupler 101. In an embodiment, the front guard 114 is slid over the coupler 101 of the front axle output shaft 102A and propeller shaft and secured to the front axle housing 102 of the tractor by fastening the seal hub 104 to the front axle housing 102.
In an embodiment, the front guard 114 includes a first O-ring 118 and a pair of second O-rings 120 provided thereon for sealing the front axle output shaft 102A of the front axle housing 102. More particularly, the first O-ring 118 is provided on grooves at one end of the front guard 114, and the pair of second O-rings 120 is provided at other end into grooves configured on the front guard 114. In an embodiment, the first O-ring 118 is configured to be covered by the seal hub 104. In another embodiment, the seal hub 104 is fastened to the front axle housing 102 of the tractor via fastening means 102B.
The rear guard 116 is used for covering the other end of the guard tube 112 and sealing the four wheel drive shaft 108A along with the coupler 101. In an embodiment, the rear guard 116 is slid over the coupler 101 of the four wheel drive shaft 108A and propeller shaft 106 and is secured to the drop box housing 108 by fastening the seal carrier 104 to the housing 108 by fastener 102B.
The guard tube 112 extends over the entire length of the propeller shaft 106 between the front guard 114, the bearing and the rear guard 116. In an embodiment, the rear guard 116 includes a pair of third O-rings 122 and a fourth O-ring 124 provided thereon for covering the guard tube112 at the other end and sealing the four wheel drive shaft 108A of the drop box housing 108. In an embodiment, the rear guard 116 is secured to the sear carrier 104 of the tractor by fourth O-ring 124 and fastening the seal carrier/ hub 104 to the drop box housing 108 by means of bolts 102B. The O-rings 120 and 122 securely hold the guard tube 112 on the propeller shaft 106 of the drop box housing 108 and rear end of propeller shaft of the drop box housing 108.
The front guard 114 is configured to seal the front axle output shaft 102A and the coupler 101 and propeller shaft 106 and propeller shaft front side spline along with the O-rings 118 and 120 to prevent entry of water and mud therein, and thus preventing oxidation thereof. The rear guard 116 along with O-rings 122 and 124 seals the four wheel drive shaft 108A and the coupler 101 and propeller shaft 106 and propeller shaft rear side spline to prevent entry of water and mud therein, and thus preventing oxidation thereof. Further, the guard tube 112 seals and covers the entire propeller shaft 106 along with the bearing and prevents the bearing from being subjected to the mud and water and thus prevents oxidation of the bearing.
The front guard 114 along with the O-rings 118 and 120, and the rear guard 116 along with the O-rings 122 and 124 forms a telescopic arrangement at the front and the rear portion of the tractor along with the seal hub 104 and facilitates prevention of oxidation by blocking seepage of water into internal components like propeller shaft 106, front axle output shaft 102A, coupler 101, and the four wheel drive shaft 108A.
In an embodiment, the guards 114, 116 and the guard tube 112 are of a material of casting pipe and is forged and painted to prevent oxidation from mud and water.
In an embodiment, the O-rings 118, 120, 122 and 124 are of a material selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), silicone, polyurethane, nitrile, neoprene, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, fluorocarbon, and any combination thereof.
Thus, the arrangement 100 prevents oxidation of the propeller shaft 106 and other components like the output shaft 102A, the bearing, and the four wheel drive shaft 108A. Further, the arrangement 100 averts washout of splines by preventing of oxidation/ rusting of the propeller shaft 106, output shaft 102A, four wheel drive shaft 108A and couplers 101 and facilitates smooth functioning of the tractor. The arrangement 100 prevents oxidation by blocking seepage of water and mud into internal components like propeller shaft 106, output shaft 102A, the bearing, the four wheel drive shaft 108A, and the coupler 101 etc.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of an arrangement for preventing oxidation of propeller shaft, that:
• prevents oxidation of the propeller shaft and other components and facilitates smooth functioning of the tractor;
• averts washout of splines by preventing of oxidation/ rusting of the propeller shaft, main shaft and coupler; and
• prevents oxidation by blocking seepage of water into internal components like propeller shaft, the bearing, the front axle output shaft, the four wheel drive shaft, the coupler etc.
The embodiments herein, the various features, and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.