Modular rotor blade assembly

Abstract

A modular rotor blade assembly (10) includes: a pair of cover plates (14); a bottom plate (12) disposed between the pair of cover plates (14); a wedge (16) disposed within a slot (32) formed in a periphery (33) of the base plate (12); and a rotor blade (18) attached to the wedge (16). One or more cover plates (14) and / or rotor blades (18) with corresponding wedges (16) can be replaced without the need to replace the bottom plate (12), thereby reducing cost or replacing the whole rotor blade assembly (10).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a milling machine for reducing particle size. More particularly, the present invention relates to a milling machine for reducing product size by using modular rotor blade assemblies. Background Art

[0002] There are many types of milling machines. For example, an impact rotor mill is used to reduce products with a hardness less than 3 Mohs. One such impact rotor mill is a type commercially available from Lesine SA. The mill is capable of achieving very fine output particle sizes (https: / / www.lessine.com / en / solutions / milling / pin-mill).

[0003] The product to be ground is injected into the center of the circular vertical stator rotor. The high speed rotating rotor "draws" the product and protrudes it toward the output where it then passes through the rotating rotor blade assembly. The output of the product is located in the circumference of the impact rotor mill.

[0004] Rotor blade assemblies are typically made of steel and are operated between 20 and 130 m / s circumference as typical values ​​to reduce product size through wear. However, one problem encountered is the frequent replacement of entire rotor blade assemblies due to wear of the rotor blades. As a result, the desired production rate of product output is reduced due to excessive machine downtime. Summary of the invention

[0005] By providing a modular rotor blade assembly having replaceable rotor blades, the problem of frequent replacement of entire rotor blade assemblies resulting in excessive machine downtime for milling machines is solved.

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a modular rotor blade assembly includes a pair of cover plates; a base plate disposed between the pair of cover plates; a wedge disposed in a groove formed in a periphery of the base plate; and a rotor blade attached to the wedge, wherein one or more cover plates and / or a rotor blade with a corresponding wedge can be replaced without replacing the base plate.

[0007] In another aspect of the present invention, a modular rotor blade assembly includes a pair of cover plates, each cover plate including a plurality of mounting holes. A base plate is disposed between the pair of cover plates, the base plate including a plurality of threaded mounting holes. A wedge is disposed in a groove formed in a periphery of the base plate, the groove being formed with an inverted cone; the rotor blade is attached to the wedge. A threaded fastener is received in each of the plurality of threaded mounting holes and each of the plurality of mounting holes for attaching each cover plate to the base plate, wherein one or more of the pair of cover plates and / or the rotor blade having the corresponding wedge can be replaced without replacing the base plate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been shown, the specific embodiments shown should not be construed as limiting the claims. It is contemplated that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 1 is an exploded view of a modular rotor blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 2 is a base plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 3 is a cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0012] Figure 4 When assembling Figure 1 rotor blade assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] View now Figures 1 to 4 , shows a modular rotor blade assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Generally speaking, the modular rotor blade assembly 10 includes four basic components:

[0014] 1) a disc-shaped bottom plate 12;

[0015] 2) a disc-shaped cover plate 14, disposed on each side of the base plate 12;

[0016] 3) a wedge 16; and

[0017] 4) Rotor blades 18 , brazed to corresponding wedges 16 .

[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the modular rotor blade assembly 10 has a total of four wedges 16, with corresponding blades 18 attached to corresponding wedges 16, the wedges being equally spaced (i.e., approximately 90 degrees apart from each other) around the perimeter of the base plate 12. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited by the number of wedges 16 and blades 18, and the present invention may be practiced with any desired number of wedges 16 and blades 18.

[0019] Approximate language as used herein throughout the specification and claims may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that may vary in a permissible manner without causing a change in its associated basic function. Therefore, values ​​modified by words such as "about", "approximately" and "substantially" are not limited to the exact values ​​specified. In at least some cases, approximate terms may correspond to the precision of the instrument used to measure the value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and / or interchanged, unless otherwise indicated by the context or the language, such ranges are determined to include all subranges contained therein.

[0020] Throughout the text and claims, use of the word "about" with respect to ranges of values ​​(e.g., "about 22 wt % to 35 wt %) is intended to modify both the upper and lower values ​​recited and to reflect the degree of vagueness associated with measurements, significant figures, and interchangeability, all as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains.

[0021] For the purposes of this specification (except in the operating examples), all numerical values ​​indicating the number and range of ingredients, process conditions, etc., are to be understood in all cases as modified by the term "about", unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical parameters listed in this specification and the appended claims are approximate values, which may vary depending on the desired results sought to be obtained by the present invention. At a minimum, and without attempting to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be interpreted in terms of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. In addition, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural indicators unless expressly and unambiguously limited to one indicator.

[0022] Although the numerical ranges and parameters describing the broad scope of the present invention are approximate, the numerical values ​​described in the specific examples are reported as accurately as possible. However, any numerical value inherently contains certain errors, which must be caused by the standard deviations found in their respective test measurements (including the standard deviations found in the measuring instruments). Similarly, it should be understood that any numerical range listed herein is intended to include all sub-ranges contained therein. For example, the range "1 to 10" is intended to include all sub-ranges between the listed minimum value 1 and the listed maximum value 10 and including the minimum and maximum values, that is, a range with a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10. Because the disclosed numerical ranges are continuous, they include every value between the minimum and maximum values. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, the various numerical ranges specified in this application are approximate.

[0023] In the following description and claims, reference is made to a number of terms having the following meanings.

[0024] The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0025] "Optional" or "optionally" means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not.

[0026] Reference now Figure 2, the base plate 12 includes a central hub 20 having a cavity 22 and a keyway 24 extending radially outward from the cavity 22, the keyway serving as a guide to properly position the modular rotor blade assembly 10 to a machine drive mechanism (not shown) for rotating the modular rotor blade assembly 10. The base plate 12 also includes one or more threaded mounting holes 26 corresponding in number to the countersunk mounting holes 28 formed in each of the cover plates 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the base plate 12 includes a total of eight threaded mounting holes 26, and each cover plate 14 has a total of four countersunk mounting holes 28. In the illustrated embodiment, one cover plate 14 is substantially identical to the other cover plate 14, except for the location of the countersunk mounting holes 28. Specifically, the countersunk mounting holes 28 for one cover plate 14 are offset by approximately 45 degrees from the mounting holes 28 for another cover plate 14 mounted on the opposite side of the base plate 12, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 When aligned with each other, the threaded mounting holes 26 and the countersunk mounting holes 28 are capable of receiving threaded fasteners 30, such as screws or the like, to attach each of the cover plates 14 to the base plate 12, such as Figure 4 as shown in .

[0027] The base plate 12 includes one or more grooves 32 formed around a perimeter 33 of the base plate 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the base plate 12 has a total of four grooves 32 spaced equally around the perimeter 33 of the base plate 12. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited by the number of grooves 32, and the present invention can be practiced with any desired number of grooves 32, so long as the number of grooves 32 corresponds to the number of wedge members 16. Each groove 32 includes a pair of angled side walls 32a, 32b and a bottom wall 32c extending between the angled side walls 32a, 32b. The shape of each groove 32 is substantially the same as the shape of the wedge member 16, so that the wedge member 16 can be accommodated in the corresponding groove 32. The side walls 32a, 32b are formed with an inverted cone so that the distance d between the side walls 32a, 32b is the largest near the bottom wall 32c, and is the smallest near the perimeter of the base plate 12, such as Figure 2 In this way, undesirable movement of the wedge 16 and rotor blade 18 mounted within the slot 32 in the z-direction (ie, radial direction) during operation is avoided.

[0028] Reference now Figure 3, the cover plate 14 has a central opening 34 capable of receiving the central hub 20 of the base plate 12. The periphery 37 of the cover plate 14 also includes one or more slots 36, which correspond in number to the one or more slots 32 of the base plate 12. Each slot 36 includes a pair of side walls 36a, 36b and a bottom wall 36c extending between the side walls 36a, 36b. In the illustrated embodiment, the side walls 36a, 36b are substantially parallel to each other, and the bottom wall 36c is substantially perpendicular to each of the side walls 36a, 36b. Each slot 36 is capable of receiving a corresponding rotor blade 18, such as Figure 4 as shown in .

[0029] As described above, the modular rotor blade assembly 10 enables the user to replace the cover plate 14 and the wedge 16 with the attached rotor blade 18 when these components are worn, without having to replace the entire rotor blade assembly as with conventional rotor blade assemblies. This is achieved by simply removing one or both of the cover plates 14, and removing one or more wedges 16 with the attached rotor blades 18, and replacing the worn parts with new parts without having to replace the entire rotor blade assembly (i.e., including the base plate 12). Therefore, the modular rotor blade assembly 10 of the present invention is more cost-effective and reduces machine downtime compared to conventional rotor blade assemblies.

[0030] Patents and publications mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0031] Although presently preferred embodiments have been described, the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims.

[0032] Parts List

[0033] 10 Modular rotor blade assemblies

[0034] 12 Bottom Plate

[0035] 14 Cover

[0036] 16 Wedges

[0037] 18 rotor blades

[0038] 20 center hub

[0039] 22 chambers

[0040] 24 keyways

[0041] 26 threaded mounting holes

[0042] 28 mounting holes

[0043] 30 thread fasteners

[0044] 32 wedge slot

[0045] 32a side wall

[0046] 32b side wall

[0047] 32c bottom wall

[0048] 33 surrounding

[0049] 34 center opening

[0050] 36 slots

[0051] 36a side wall

[0052] 36b side wall

[0053] 36c bottom wall

[0054] 37 Surroundings

Claims

1. A modular rotor blade assembly (10), comprising: a pair of cover plates (14); A bottom plate (12) is disposed between the pair of cover plates (14); a wedge (16) disposed in a groove (32) formed in a periphery (33) of the base plate (12); and a rotor blade (18), attached to the wedge (16), One or more cover plates (14) and / or the rotor blades (18) with corresponding wedges (16) can be replaced without replacing the base plate (12).

2. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the groove (32) formed in the periphery (33) of the base plate (12) is formed with an inverted taper to prevent undesired movement of the wedge (16) and the rotor blade (18) in the radial direction during operation.

3. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein each cover plate (14) includes a slot (36) formed in a periphery (37) for receiving the rotor blade (18).

4. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 3, wherein the slot (36) comprises a pair of side walls (32a, 32b) parallel to each other and a bottom wall (32c) perpendicular to the pair of side walls (32a, 32b).

5. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein the base plate (12) includes a central hub (20) having a cavity (22) and a keyway (24).

6. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 5, wherein each cover plate (14) includes a central opening (34) for receiving the central hub (20) of the base plate (12).

7. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein the base plate (12) includes a plurality of threaded mounting holes (26), wherein each cover plate (14) includes a plurality of mounting holes (28), and wherein each of the plurality of threaded mounting holes (26) and each of the plurality of mounting holes (28) are capable of receiving a threaded fastener (30) to fasten the pair of cover plates (14) to the base plate (12).

8. A modular rotor blade assembly (10), comprising: A pair of cover plates (14), each cover plate (14) comprising a plurality of mounting holes (28); A bottom plate (12) is disposed between the pair of cover plates (14), wherein the bottom plate (12) comprises a plurality of threaded mounting holes (26); a wedge-shaped member (16) disposed in a groove (32) formed in the periphery (33) of the bottom plate (12), wherein the groove (32) is formed in an inverted cone shape; a rotor blade (18) attached to the wedge (16); and a threaded fastener (30) received within each of the plurality of threaded mounting holes (26) and each of the plurality of mounting holes (28) for attaching each cover plate (14) to the base plate (12), One or more of the pair of cover plates (14) and / or the rotor blade (18) having the corresponding wedge (16) can be replaced without replacing the base plate (12).

9. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 8, wherein each cover plate (14) includes a slot (36) formed in a periphery (37) for receiving the rotor blade (18).

10. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 9, wherein the slot (36) comprises a pair of side walls (32a, 32b) parallel to each other and a bottom wall (32c) perpendicular to the pair of side walls (32a, 32b).

11. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 8, wherein the base plate (12) includes a central hub (20) having a cavity (22) and a keyway (24).

12. The modular rotor blade assembly (10) of claim 11, wherein each cover plate (14) includes a central opening (34) for receiving the central hub (20) of the base plate (12).

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