Silo anti-arching device

Abstract

The invention provides a silo anti-arching device, and belongs to the technical field of granaries, the silo anti-arching device comprises a silo and an arching breaking mechanism, the arching breaking mechanism is mounted above a discharge port in the silo and is provided with an annular track, and the annular track is mounted on the inner wall of the silo; when the bottom discharging opening is opened, the anti-arching balls are driven to move downwards through flowing energy of the gravity of materials, the anti-arching balls drive the radial swing arms to swing downwards, meanwhile, the rotating platform can be driven to rotate according to the torque difference generated by the different radial swing arms, and therefore the anti-arching balls can rotate in the silo; therefore, continuous and random shearing and disturbance are formed in the materials, formation of stable force chains among the materials is effectively destroyed, generation of material arches is prevented, no external power source is needed, and energy conservation and environmental protection are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of grain storage technology, and specifically relates to a silo anti-arching device. Background Technology

[0002] Silos, as core equipment for storing bulk materials in industrial production and warehousing, are widely used in various industries such as chemical, metallurgical, grain processing, and coal due to their advantages of high space utilization, large storage capacity, and convenient management. During the unloading process of silos, the material is affected by multiple factors such as its own weight, internal friction between particles, external friction between the material and the silo wall, and the viscosity of the material. This can easily lead to the formation of a stable arched structure (i.e., "arching") inside the silo. At the same time, problems such as wall adhesion and rodent holes may also occur, preventing the material from falling normally and, in severe cases, causing silo blockage accidents.

[0003] Currently, the main methods of breaking up material arches fall into two categories: one is dynamic arch breaking, such as installing bin vibrators or air cannons. These devices require external energy, have complex structures, high maintenance costs, and the intense external impact may damage the bin structure or compact the material. The other is passive flow diversion, such as installing fixed cones inside the bin. These devices cannot adapt to changes in material properties and are prone to forming new secondary arches above them.

[0004] In summary, existing anti-arching devices either rely on external power, have high energy consumption and complex maintenance, or have obvious design flaws in their non-powered structures, have limited anti-arching effects, poor adaptability, and short service life, making it difficult to balance anti-arching reliability, energy economy, wide adaptability, and long-term stability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a silo anti-arching device, which aims to solve the problems of high energy consumption, complex maintenance and short service life of existing anti-arching devices in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a silo anti-arching device, comprising: a silo and an arch-breaking mechanism, wherein the arch-breaking mechanism is installed above the discharge port inside the silo, and the arch-breaking mechanism comprises: A circular track is installed on the inner wall of the silo; The rotating platform is horizontally installed inside the silo. Support wheels are installed on the outer circumference of the rotating platform. The rotating platform is connected to the circular track through the support wheels. The rotating platform can rotate around the central axis of the silo. At least two radial swing arms are hinged to the bottom of the rotating platform, and the radial swing arms can swing up and down in a plane perpendicular to the rotating platform. At least two anti-arching balls are connected to the end of the corresponding radial swing arm away from the rotating platform. The end of the radial swing arm away from the anti-arching balls is equipped with a counterweight unit. When the anti-arching balls are not dragged by the material flow, the counterweight unit can keep the radial swing arm in a horizontal state or tend to be horizontal.

[0007] As a silo anti-arching device of the present invention, preferably, the bottom of the rotating platform has at least two support arms arranged in a ring along its axis, and a U-shaped plate is installed at the bottom of the support arms.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the anti-arching device for silos according to the present invention, the radial swing arm includes a flexible sling and a rigid arm. The rigid arm is hinged to a U-shaped plate via a shaft. The flexible sling is located at the end of the rigid arm away from the rotating platform and is connected to anti-arching balls.

[0009] As a silo anti-arching device of the present invention, preferably, the counterweight unit includes a counterweight block slidably mounted on a rigid arm, the bottom of the counterweight block is provided with a slider, and the rigid arm is provided with a groove adapted to the slider. The rigid arm is equipped with a locking component, which is used to fix the counterweight to the rigid arm.

[0010] As a silo anti-arching device of the present invention, preferably, the locking element includes a bolt and a nut, the rigid arm is provided with limit holes at intervals along the length direction of the rigid arm, the counterweight block is provided with a through hole that matches the limit holes and is vertically connected, the bolt is disposed inside the through hole, and the nut is disposed at the end of the bolt that passes through the limit hole.

[0011] As a silo anti-arching device of the present invention, preferably, the rotating platform has a rotating groove inside, the support wheel is rotatably disposed inside the rotating groove, and one end of the support wheel extending out of the rotating groove is disposed inside the annular track.

[0012] As a silo anti-arching device of the present invention, preferably, a rotating shaft is installed on the top of the rotating platform, and the rotating shaft is rotatably installed on the top of the silo through bearings.

[0013] As a silo anti-arching device of the present invention, preferably, the number of radial swing arms is the same as the number of anti-arching balls, and the number of radial swing arms is three or four, and they are evenly distributed along the circumference of the rotating platform.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. This anti-arching device for silos, when the bottom discharge port is opened, the energy of the material's own gravity flow drives the anti-arching balls to move downwards. The anti-arching balls drive the radial swing arms to swing downwards. At the same time, according to the torque difference generated by different radial swing arms, the rotating platform can be driven to rotate, so that the anti-arching balls can rotate inside the silo, thereby creating continuous and random shearing and disturbance inside the material, effectively disrupting the formation of stable force chains between materials, thus preventing the formation of material arches. It requires no external power source and is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

[0015] 2. This silo anti-arching device exhibits a motion intensity that is negatively correlated with material flowability. The poorer the material flowability (the easier it is to arch), the more significant the flow unevenness, the greater the difference in drag force on the ball bearings, the greater the force driving the platform rotation and the swing arm swing, and the stronger the arch-breaking effect, thus forming intelligent feedback.

[0016] 3. In this type of silo anti-arching device, the anti-arching balls are always submerged in the material, and continuously generate three-dimensional disturbance during unloading, actively destroying the formation of arch feet, rather than passively breaking them after arching has occurred. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a side view of a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of AA; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal cross-sectional structure of a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal cross-sectional structure of a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the arch-breaking structure in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Silo; 2. Arch breaking mechanism; 3. Circular track; 4. Rotating platform; 5. Support wheel; 6. Radial swing arm; 7. Anti-arching ball bearings; 8. Counterweight unit; 41. Support arm; 42. U-shaped plate; 43. Rotating shaft; 61. Flexible sling; 62. Rigid arm; 81. Counterweight block. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] Please see Figure 1-5 The present invention provides the following technical solution: a silo anti-arching device, comprising: a silo 1 and an anti-arching mechanism 2, the anti-arching mechanism 2 being installed above the discharge port inside the silo 1, the anti-arching mechanism 2 comprising: an annular track 3, a rotating platform 4, at least two radial swing arms 6 and at least two anti-arching balls 7, the annular track 3 being installed on the inner wall of the silo 1, the rotating platform 4 being horizontally arranged inside the silo 1, a rotating shaft 43 being installed on the top of the rotating platform 4, the rotating shaft 43 being rotatably installed on the top of the silo 1 via bearings, a rotating groove being opened inside the rotating platform 4, a plurality of support wheels 5 being rotatably installed inside the rotating groove, one end of the support wheel 5 extending out of the rotating groove being arranged inside the annular track 3, the rotating platform 4 being connected to the annular track 3 via the support wheels 5, so that the rotating platform 4 can rotate around the central axis of the silo 1.

[0021] The number of radial swing arms 6 is the same as the number of anti-arching balls 7. There are three or four radial swing arms 6, which are evenly distributed along the circumference of the rotating platform 4. The radial swing arms 6 are hinged to the bottom of the rotating platform 4, and the radial swing arms 6 can swing up and down in a plane perpendicular to the rotating platform 4.

[0022] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 3 The bottom of the rotating platform 4 has at least two support arms 41 arranged in a ring along its axis. A U-shaped plate 42 is installed at the bottom of the support arm 41. The radial swing arm 6 includes a flexible sling 61 and a rigid arm 62. The rigid arm 62 is hinged to the U-shaped plate 42 via a shaft. The flexible sling 61 is located at the end of the rigid arm 62 away from the rotating platform 4. The flexible sling 61 is connected to the anti-arching ball 7. The outer surface of the anti-arching ball 7 is provided with a ball protective sleeve (not shown in the figure). The ball protective sleeve is made of a flexible material to protect the inside of the silo 1 from damage.

[0023] Please see Figure 1-5 Each anti-arching ball 7 is connected to the end of the corresponding radial swing arm 6 away from the rotating platform 4. The end of the radial swing arm 6 away from the anti-arching ball 7 is provided with a counterweight unit 8. When the anti-arching ball 7 is not dragged by the material flow, the counterweight unit 8 can keep the radial swing arm 6 in a horizontal state or tend to be horizontal.

[0024] The counterweight unit 8 includes a counterweight block 81 that is slidably mounted on a rigid arm 62. A slider is provided at the bottom of the counterweight block 81. A groove adapted to the slider is provided on the rigid arm 62. The counterweight block 81 can slide stably on the rigid arm 62 through the slider and the groove. A locking member is provided on the rigid arm 62 to fix the counterweight block 81 on the rigid arm 62.

[0025] The locking components include bolts and nuts. Limiting holes are provided at intervals along the length of the rigid arm 62. The counterweight 81 has a through hole that matches the limiting holes and is vertically connected. The bolt is located inside the through hole, and the nut is located at the end of the bolt that passes through the limiting hole. The bolt and nut can fix the counterweight 81 to the rigid arm 62. Moving the position of the counterweight 81 on the rigid arm 62 can keep the rigid arm 62 horizontal.

[0026] Please see Figure 1-5 Working principle: Initially, each rigid arm 62 is roughly horizontal under the action of the counterweight unit 8, and the anti-arching ball 7 is submerged in the material. After the discharge port at the bottom of the silo 1 is opened, the material in the central area begins to flow, generating downward flow force.

[0027] The anti-arching ball 7 located in the central area is subjected to a significant downward drag force. The drag force overcomes the counterweight torque, causing the corresponding rigid arm 62 to swing down. At the same time, the anti-arching ball 7 descends. Since the material flow speed decreases from the center to the edge, the drag force on the anti-arching ball 7 in other positions is smaller, and the downward swing angle of the corresponding rigid arm 62 is also smaller.

[0028] Because the swing angles of the rigid arms 62 are different, the torques they exert on the rotating platform 4 through the hinge point are unbalanced, resulting in a net rotational torque that drives the rotating platform 4 to start rotating slowly around the center. As the platform rotates, the swing arm A, which was originally in the central area, gradually moves out of the high flow area, and the drag force it experiences decreases.

[0029] At this time, the restoring torque generated by the counterweight unit 8 takes the lead, driving the rigid arm 62 to swing upward and reset. The anti-arching ball 7 at its end rises accordingly. At the same time, another rigid arm 62 that has entered the central high flow zone begins to be pulled down. This cycle repeats. The rotating platform 4 continues to rotate slowly, and each radial swing arm 6 and its anti-arching ball 7 alternately perform the "pull-down-reset" swing motion. This three-dimensional composite motion creates continuous and random shearing and disturbance inside the material, effectively disrupting the formation of stable force chains between materials, thereby preventing the formation of material arches.

[0030] Furthermore, if the material flowability deteriorates and arching begins, the flow difference between the central and edge zones increases dramatically, leading to a significant amplification of the drag force difference. This causes the radial swing arm 6 in the central zone to be pulled down more violently, generating a larger rotational driving torque, which in turn accelerates the rotation of the rotating platform 4 and makes the swing arms swing more violently, effectively breaking up the solid material arch that is forming. Once the material arch is broken, the material resumes flow, and the device movement automatically returns to a gentle state.

[0031] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and not by the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A silo anti-arching device, comprising: A silo and an arch-breaking mechanism, wherein the arch-breaking mechanism is installed above the discharge port inside the silo, characterized in that the arch-breaking mechanism comprises: A circular track is installed on the inner wall of the silo. The rotating platform is horizontally installed inside the silo. Support wheels are installed on the outer circumference of the rotating platform. The rotating platform is connected to the circular track through the support wheels. The rotating platform can rotate around the central axis of the silo. At least two radial swing arms are hinged to the bottom of the rotating platform, and the radial swing arms can swing up and down in a plane perpendicular to the rotating platform. At least two anti-arching balls are connected to the end of the corresponding radial swing arm away from the rotating platform. The end of the radial swing arm away from the anti-arching balls is equipped with a counterweight unit. When the anti-arching balls are not dragged by the material flow, the counterweight unit can keep the radial swing arm in a horizontal state or tend to be horizontal.

2. The anti-arching device for silos according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating platform has at least two support arms arranged in a circular array along its axis at its bottom, and a U-shaped plate is installed at the bottom of the support arms.

3. The anti-arching device for silos according to claim 2, characterized in that: The radial swing arm includes a flexible sling and a rigid arm. The rigid arm is hinged to a U-shaped plate via a shaft. The flexible sling is located at the end of the rigid arm away from the rotating platform and is connected to anti-arching balls.

4. The anti-arching device for silos according to claim 3, characterized in that: The counterweight unit includes a counterweight block that is slidably mounted on a rigid arm. The bottom of the counterweight block is provided with a slider, and the rigid arm is provided with a groove that matches the slider. The rigid arm is equipped with a locking component, which is used to fix the counterweight to the rigid arm.

5. A silo anti-arching device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The locking component includes a bolt and a nut. Limiting holes are provided at intervals along the length of the rigid arm. The counterweight has a through hole that matches the limiting holes and is vertically connected. The bolt is located inside the through hole, and the nut is located at the end of the bolt that passes through the limiting hole.

6. The anti-arching device for silos according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating platform has a rotating groove inside, and the support wheel is rotatably mounted inside the rotating groove. One end of the support wheel that extends out of the rotating groove is mounted inside the annular track.

7. The anti-arching device for silos according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating platform is equipped with a rotating shaft on top, which is rotatably mounted on the top of the silo via bearings.

8. A silo anti-arching device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: The number of radial swing arms is the same as the number of anti-arching balls. The number of radial swing arms is three or four, and they are evenly distributed along the circumference of the rotating platform.

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