Overall Safety

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tamathumper

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As part of my "day job" at a global chemical company, I am a member of our "Operational Excellence Leadership Team", where safety is a very big topic of discussion at every meeting.

My cyclone has been installed for a little while now, but I've only used it a couple of times, as I'm still finishing up the piping runs.

Still, every time I turn it on I cringe, because I'm thinking of that massive metal impeller spinning at high speed, and kept in place only by a thin piece of clear plastic and a couple pieces of beaver puke should it decide to drop off the motor shaft! I imagine it could do some serious damage to me and the shop in that event...

Has anyone put a safety cage or barrier around your cyclone impeller, and if so, can you share pictures?
 
I have to admit i never thought of the impeller coming off the shaft. The taper lock bushings hold incredibly tight. I was a little antsy about something heavy going thru the impeller and getting hurled or the impeller simply coming unglued. Mine is in a small outside building at a level where fragments could go thru the house. I ended up adding 3/4 inch plywood on the inside of the building just up high where fragments could possibly be thrown. In combination with the sheathing and cementious siding i rest easy. I'm sure it is overkill.
Bababrown
 
I am unaware of any instance where the impeller came off the shaft when properly installed. And that is the key phrase -- "when properly installed". I recall reading (but cannot remember where) where the taper bushing was not installed correctly and the impeller did come loose and damaged the blower housing. Be certain to follow the written guidance and you might want to review the videos on the CV website under the Assembly section.

As bababrown has said, the taper lock bushing is a very solid method of attachment and it is keyed to the shaft as well. I do not think you need a blower guard unless you anticipate sucking up entirely inappropriate materials as occurred with an Australian installation of a CV Max (see the following link from the ClearVue Cyclones website).
 
Thanks for your replies, gents.

I understand that safety is never 100% assured, but a "Layers of Protection" approach can provide more safety than relying on single processes or pieces of equipment.

This heavy, high-speed impeller, although attached with a very secure flange, still represents a high-energy object at head height with no secondary containment.

I think I'll take a cue from you and add 3/4" plywood sheathing around the top of my frame, just for added peace of mind!
 
I must have installed my cyclone upside down. It never crossed my mind that a heavy object could enter the piping system and reach the impeller.

Yikes!
 
MarkFerraro said:
I must have installed my cyclone upside down. It never crossed my mind that a heavy object could enter the piping system and reach the impeller.

Yikes!
Click to expand...

Heavy objects hitting the impeller is a problem for non-cyclones where all of the air and sawdust actually does pass through the impeller on its way to the filters. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen with sparks being created if you suck up a nail. Or the impeller getting off balance from buildup after planing stringy wood.

Look at the video section of the tape measure being sucked up. The impellers are not harmed.

Steve
 
I was trying to be funny. I have been in the safety/risk management field since dinosaurs were roaming the earth. The potential for a hard, heavy object to enter the piping system, slide down the ramp into the cyclone, whirl around and then be lifted up the internal pipe into the impeller housing is remote enough that I won't lose any sleep over that event happening.

As for the impeller itself exploding or falling off the motor shaft, I leave that scenario to the Myth Busters to explore and experiment. Both the taper lock and the key have to fail or fall off the motor shaft for the impeller to escape the shaft. There isn't enough clearance for the impeller to fall completely free of the shaft to worry about radial forces spinning the impeller across my shop.

Could vanes detach? I guess, but if that is possible, then would a 3/4 inch plywood barrier make any difference? I'm betting/counting on that the cage formed by the steel rods and the angular shape of the plastic housing will redirect the energy sufficiently to spin the parts into the filter assembly.

I'm not loosing any sleep over this non-issue.
 
I don't think the impeller on a ClearVue Cyclone will ever explode. I've seen how they are made and balanced, which leads me to believe there is essentially no chance for a failure. While the vanes are initially tacked in place, they are welded with a continuous bead on the other side, pretty much assuring a solid connection. Here is a picture of a 15" version, still made the same way.
 

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My original post was not about objects hitting the impeller, nor about the impeller coming apart, but rather about the impeller dropping off the motor shaft and the hazards that might ensue.

The best point so far was that the flange has to be "properly installed". It had better be, because it's impossible to get to after the cyclone is mounted.

The fact that there isn't enough clearance for the impeller to drop completely free of the shaft is potentially a positive and also might be a negative - while it won't immediately drop off the shaft and become disengaged, it may continue to spin if the key remains engaged because the motor will keep spinning happily at full speed.

Each of us can make our own determination of comfort level - I'm simply asking if anyone has built a layer of safety in the event of a failure.
 
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