Clean-in place shaft bushing

摘要

A shaft bushing is provided that can be automatically cleaned in place, without requiring manual cleaning by a technician, and that can be used with food processing equipment. The shaft bushing has a body with a circumferential sidewall, opposing ends, and an opening in at least one of the ends the can accept cleaning fluid thereinto. The opening may be defined by ends of longitudinal grooves that extend along the bushing and that may direct the cleaning fluid between the bushing body and the support structure, and/or the bushing body and the shaft.

主权项

1. A bushing and shat arrangement for use with a clean-in-place system comprising:
a shaft having an exposed end with an exposed terminal surface of the shaft defining an angled outer surface defining a variable diameter of the exposed end of the shaft with a relatively smaller diameter defined at an outermost portion of the exposed end of the shaft; a bushing including a bushing body having
a circumferential side wall (i) an outer surface that engages a support structure for holding the bushing in a generally fixed position, and (ii) an inner surface that defines an outer periphery of a bore that extends longitudinally into the bushing body, wherein the bore concentrically holds the shaft within the bushing body; andopposing inner and outer ends, wherein the outer end of the bushing body is arranged toward the angled outer surface of the end of the shaft and includes an opening that accepts a cleaning fluid thereinto for delivering the cleaning fluid between the bushing body and the shaft, and wherein the angled outer surface of the exposed end of the shaft and the opening at the outer end of the bushing body are configured to direct the cleaning fluid along the angled outer surface of the exposed end of the shaft and into the opening at the outer end of the bushing body; and wherein the angled outer surface of the exposed end of the shaft is defined by a rounded end surface of the shaft that is spaced from a sprayer facing the exposed end of the shaft and configured to deliver the cleaning fluid onto the rounded end surface of the shaft.