ENGINE ENCLOSURE AND COOLING SYSTEM WITH ROTARY FILTER

• Main Authors: WEST N,US, NELSON J,US
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.09.1974
• Subjects: BLASTING; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; STEAM ENGINES; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

A self-propelled combine has an elevated transversely oriented engine at the right front of the machine mounted in an engine enclosure having an air inlet on the right sidewall of the enclosure. a rotating, drum-type screen is mounted over the air inlet for filtering the cooling air moving through the inlet, and a radiator is disposed adjacent to the air inlet in the enclosure. An engine driven fan pulls air through the filtered air inlet, through the radiator, and discharges a substantial portion of the air downwardly along the right sidewall of the combine, another substantial portion of the air through outlets in the lower front wall of the enclosure, directing the air along the top of the feeder house, and a smaller portion of the air through an outlet at the top of the engine enclosure front wall. A partial vacuum chamber is disposed adjacent a section of the peripheral wall of the air filter and adjacent a section of the radial end wall of the air filter, the partial vacuum being created in the chamber by suction from the fan through a conduit connecting the chamber to the fan shroud. The normal inward flow of air through the air filter is reversed in those areas of the filter opposite the vacuum chamber, so that the material filtered out of the cooling air by the filter is sucked off of the exterior of the filter into the vacuum chamber, from where it is pulled through the conduit by the fan and discharged through the air outlets, bypassing the radiator. The right sidewall of the engine enclosure is swingable to an open position wherein it provides access to the radiator and other components in the enclosure, a latch being provided to lock the sidewall in its closed position. An interlock is provided in association with the latch for automatically disengaging the drive to the rotating screen when the sidewall is swung to its open position.