Background:

A prominent manufacturer of original equipment and replacement tires for consumer and fleet customers announced a $550 million expansion and modernization of its Southeastern US Truck and Bus Radial Tire Plant.

As part of this plant modernization project, the customer sought to upgrade their rubber mill to enhance its safety and efficiency. The system was previously controlled using the plug stop method, and the customer wanted to upgrade to VFD control accompanied by a safety brake on the gearbox input shaft.

The customer contacted Hindon for support with retrofitting the safety stop braking system on their rubber mill. This new system would need to be easily adapted to the existing gearbox and electrically integrated with the plant PLC using various limit switches to monitor brake position and condition. Hindon was asked to design and supply a brake disc/hub assembly, compatible with the electrically released disc brake, that could be easily mounted on the gearbox shaft.

 

Application Challenges:

  • The retrofit solution needed to be compatible with existing plant equipment and the customer’s updated process requirements
  • Seamless integration of the braking system with the plant PLC
  • High duty cycle requirements

Solution:

After understanding the customer’s requirements for the new safety braking system, Hindon designed and supplied a spring applied electrohydraulic thruster released disc brake, along with a brake disc/hub assembly to be mounted on the gearbox input shaft.

The large thruster disc brake was equipped with automatic lining wear compensation, a manual release lever, and inductive proximity limit switches for indication of both “brake released” and “lining wear” to be integrated into the plant PLC.  The disc brake features an easily adjustable external torque spring, enabling the customer to precisely calibrate their braking process to achieve a stop within their specification without risking damage or increasing wear on the rest of the system.

This thruster disc braking system ensures simple commissioning and is ideal for high duty cycle applications, providing the customer with a simple, robust, and reliable solution that requires minimal upkeep and surpasses performance requirements.