The motors would be lifted from the subway car, moved to a
designated working area and then lowered to ground level. Crews would hold the
motors in place and manually tilt the motors to expose the bottom of the unit. The
armature end bearing was removed from the bottom of the unit and the motor would then be
lifted and carried away for rebuilding.
When ATI was asked to solve this problem, their engineers
quickly decided that the units needed to be upended mechanically to eliminate the chances
of crews being injured by a motor that might break loose from their grasps while being
tilted. ATI engineers wanted to limit the amount of physical contact workers would
have with the motors in order to ensure worker safety.
The motions a motor has to be put through are a 90° tilt
from the upright position so that the armature end bearing could be removed and then a
90° tilt back to the upright position.
Any product can be easily tilted by using an ATI Zero-Low
Upender/Positioner which allows a product to sit upright on a retaining plate with one
side against a platform wall. When the hydraulic cylinders are activated, the
product is tilted 90° to lay on its side. Zero-Low Upender/Positioners have less
than an inch lowered height so that products can easily be loaded onto the retaining
plate. The units come in capacities that range from 1,000 to 4,000 pounds standard,
with platform sizes of 50 x 48 inches to 60 x 72 inches.
The upending part of the operation was easily solved, but ATI
engineers still needed to address the problem of how to allow crew members to remove the
armature end bearing. To allow for this, engineers designed a Zero-Low
Upender/Positioner with modified retaining plate. The retaining plate was cut by ATI
fabricators with a round, open end, fifteen inches in diameter. After tilting the
motor 90° on its side, the bottom of the motor would be exposed and Transit Authority
crew members could work on the bottom of the motor to remove the armature end-bearing.
This solution is an example of how ATI engineers can design
innovative products for difficult or sometimes very specific needs. Should other
customers or transit authorities have a need for a similar operation, ATI engineers can be
relied upon to come to the rescue.
For more information:
Air Technical Industries
7501 Clover Avenue
Mentor, OH 44060
Phone: (440)951-5191
Fax: (440)953-9237
e-mail: ati@airtechnical.com
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