Heat bridges for electric motor gear case

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I claim: 1.
A mechanical drive apparatus comprising: at least on electric motor having a first winding end surface and a second winding end surface; a gear case having gears wherein at least one said electric motor provides rotation to said gears and having a mating area wherein said mating area is affixed to said first windings end surface; a list gap pad space between said first windings end surface and said mating area; a first gap pad comprised of thermally conductive gap filling material in said first gap pad space and compressed between said first windings end surface and said mating area.
2.
The mechanical drive apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising: a heat sink having a mating area capable of accepting said second windings end surface and matingly attached thereto; a second gap pad space between said heat sink mating area and said second windings end surface; a second gap pad comprised of thermally conductive gap filling material in said second gap pad space and compressed between said heat sink mating area and said second windings end surface.
3.
The mechanical drive apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said thermally conductive gap filling material is a compliant polymer of high thermal conductivity.
4.
The mechanical drive apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said thermally conductive gap filling material is a Bergquist Gap Pad Tm 3000.
5.
A mechanical drive apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said thermally gap filling material has a thickness of 0.
125 inches.
6.
The mechanical drive apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a liquid heat transfer compound; a motor lamination stack wherein said liquid heat transfer compound is in intimate thermal communication between said motor and said motor lamination stack.




Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to electric motor systems and more particularly to heat transfer methods in electric motor systems.
BACKGROUND ART In a large number of electric motor applications, it is desirable to minimize heat retained in an electric motor