Auger for grinding polyurethane for tire filling machines

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a spiral auger for grinding polyurethane for a tire filling machine. A spiral auger for a grinder of a tire filling machine having a cylindrical post and a plurality of flights extending outwardly from the cylindrical core, wherein (i) the flights are arranged in pairs extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical post at 180 degrees from each other, and (ii) each flight has a sharp leading edge. Each pair of flights is positioned at an angle of about 50 or 60 degrees from each other, and each flight extends about halfway around the circumference of the cylindrical post, and there are no outer edge notches in the flights.

Description

[0001] Information related to divisional application

[0002] This case is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on August 7, 2020, with application number 202080070050.0 and invention title "A spiral drill for grinding polyurethane for a tire filling machine".

[0003] Related applications

[0004] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. SN 62 / 899,925, filed September 13, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Technical Field

[0005] The present invention relates to an auger for grinding polyurethane rubber (e.g., recycled tires) into small fragments, which can then be combined with pure rubber to provide an puncture-proof material that can be injected into tires. Background Technology

[0006] Examples of the applicant’s tire filling systems can be found in U.S. Patents Nos. 6,988,524 and 6,918,979, which are incorporated herein by reference. Figure 1 The applicant presents a pre-existing auger 1, which is used to grind recycled polyurethane tires (which are then combined with pure rubber for use as tire filler and puncture-proof material).

[0007] The applicant's pre-existing auger 1 includes a large central cylinder 2 from which a relatively short ladder segment extends. Specifically, the large central cylinder extends approximately 60% or 70% of its full diameter to the edge of the ladder segment 3. Additionally, a notch 4 is present in the outer edge of the ladder segment 3, such that a portion of the outer edge of the ladder segment 3 is cut off. Figure 1As can be seen, the staircase 3 is arranged unpaired, extending radially outward from opposite sides of the central cylinder. Recently, a new, harder material has been introduced to the market, and its use in tire refill operations is anticipated. The old material was a cured pure material and / or a mixture of cured pure polyurethane and waste polyurethane. The new, harder material is a mixture of pure polyurethane and rubber granules in varying percentages and / or again based on a harder Shore A formulation (e.g., the Heviduty™ variant, approximately Shore A hardness of 50) based on pure polyurethane or when mixed with rubber granules in varying percentages. It has been proven that this new material is very difficult to grind using existing augers. Specifically, attempts to grind the new material with existing augers typically damage the auger or its motor or gears. Consequently, this new material usually has to be disposed of in landfills. Instead, a new auger design specifically suited for handling this new material is desired. The novel shape and design of current augers address this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This system provides an auger for a grinding machine in a tire filling machine, comprising: a cylindrical core, and a plurality of stepped segments extending outward from the cylindrical core. Importantly, (i) the stepped segments are arranged in pairs extending radially outward from the cylindrical core at 180 degrees to each other, and (ii) each stepped segment has a sharp leading edge.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, each pair of ladder segments extends approximately halfway around the circumference of the cylindrical column, and the sharp leading (and trailing) edges of each pair of ladder segments are positioned 180 degrees to each other. Preferably, there are no outer edge notches in the ladder segments.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, consecutive pairs of ladder segments are positioned at approximately 50 or 60 degrees to each other around the central cylindrical column. Thus, three consecutive pairs of ladder segments extend together completely around the cylindrical column, covering the entire circumference of the cylinder with the three pairs of consecutive ladder segments. In a preferred embodiment, the auger includes two sets of three such pairs of ladder segments. Therefore, the auger may contain at least 12 sharp leading edges.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the auger has a relatively small central cylinder and a relatively large ladder (compared to a pre-existing auger design). In one preferred embodiment, the ratio of the outer diameter of the cylindrical column to the outer diameter of the ladder is 0.45 to 0.65. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the applicant's pre-existing auger.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a front perspective view of the auger.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a rear perspective view of the auger.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a side view of the auger.

[0016] Figure 5A It is along Figure 4 The cross-sectional view obtained from line 5A-5A in the diagram.

[0017] Figure 5B It is along Figure 4 The cross-sectional view obtained from line 5B-5B in the diagram.

[0018] Figure 5C It is along Figure 4 The cross-sectional view obtained from line 5C-5C.

[0019] Figure 6 This describes the sharp leading edge of one of the steps. Detailed Implementation

[0020] As described in the background section above, current augers are designed to be highly suitable for grinding new, harder materials. Therefore, current augers involve the applicant's pre-existing auger (see...). Figure 1 Several subtle design changes were made. When designing the current auger, the applicant performed extensive design testing and experimentation. Numerous factors had to be redesigned, and these new features had to be tested together. Changing any one design factor affected others. All these changes needed to be balanced, and multiple iterations of the current auger design were required to achieve the final design.

[0021] For example, all of the following variables, including but not limited to, must be designed, tested, and balanced simultaneously:

[0022] (a) The diameter of the cylindrical column relative to the diameter of the ladder segment;

[0023] (b) The radial position of the steps around the cylindrical column, and how far each of the steps extends around the cylindrical column;

[0024] (c) The number of stair segments to be positioned around the cylindrical column;

[0025] (d) The distance the ladder extends along the length of the cylindrical column;

[0026] (e) The thickness of the stair section;

[0027] (f) Whether or not a notch exists in the stair section;

[0028] (g) The overlap (or insufficient overlap) of the ladder segments around the cylindrical column;

[0029] (h) Angle of attack of the ladder segment;

[0030] (i) Does a sharp leading edge of the ladder segment exist?

[0031] (j) The axial separation distance between the ladder segments, and whether these distances are uniform or vary along the axial length of the cylindrical column.

[0032] like Figure 2 and 3 The best view available is of a current auger 10 for a grinding mill used in a tire filling machine. The auger 10 includes: a cylindrical core 20; and a plurality of stepped sections 30 extending outward from the cylindrical core.

[0033] The 30 stair sections are arranged in pairs, extending radially outward from the cylindrical column at 180-degree angles to each other. For example, as... Figures 4 to 5C As seen, stair flights 30A and 30B are positioned opposite each other. Similarly, stair flights 30C and 30D are positioned opposite each other. Similarly, stair flights 30E and 30F are positioned opposite each other. Each stair flight 30 has sharp leading edges 31A, 31B, 31C, 31D, 31E, and 31F.

[0034] As can be seen, each pair of steps extends approximately halfway around the circumference of the cylindrical column. For example, steps 30A and 30B together extend halfway around cylinder 20. Thus, the sharp leading edges of each pair of steps (e.g., 31A and 31B) are positioned 180 degrees to each other. Furthermore, the trailing edges 32A and 32B are also positioned 180 degrees to each other.

[0035] Preferably, there is no outer edge notch in the ladder segment (and...). Figure 1 (This contrasts with the recess 4 in the pre-existing design shown in the illustration). Thus, each step 30 extends completely around its circumference to the same radial distance away from the center of the cylindrical column 20.

[0036] Figure 4 This displays the relative positions of multiple pairs of trapezoidal segments 30 surrounding the circumference of cylinder 20. For example, by comparison... Figure 4 , 5A As seen in 5B and 5C, consecutive pairs of stair segments (i.e., 30A / 30B is the first pair, and 30C / 30D is the second pair) are positioned at approximately 50 or 60 degrees to each other. Therefore, only three pairs of consecutive stair segments are needed to completely extend around the cylindrical column 20, so that the entire circumference of the cylinder 20 is covered by these three pairs of consecutive stair segments 30.

[0037] Also Figure 4 As can be seen, the auger 10 may include two sets of these three pairs of blades. In other words, the cross-section... Figures 5A-5A 5B-5B and 5C-5C in Figure 4 This is repeated twice. Therefore, the auger 10 can have 12 sharp leading edges 31. This provides a feature that cannot be easily achieved using... Figure 1 The superior cutting advantages achieved by the pre-existing auger 1.

[0038] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the cylinder 20 is smaller than the total outer diameter of the step 30. This provides a larger internal working volume for performing grinding operations. In an optional preferred embodiment, the ratio of the outer diameter of the cylinder 20 to the outer diameter of the step 30 is between 0.45 and 0.65.

[0039] at last, Figure 6 An example is shown of a sharp leading edge 31 cut with a 1:7 blade. This sharpness also provides a superior cutting advantage that cannot be easily achieved with a pre-existing auger.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the auger 10 is made of T1 armor steel, which provides additional strength advantages that cannot be achieved with pre-existing stainless steel augers.

Claims

1. A grinding system for grinding polyurethane, comprising: Cylindrical shell; The input section is located on the cylindrical shell; A sieve plate, located at the front end of the cylindrical shell; and A single auger drill, located within the cylindrical housing. The single auger grinds the polyurethane and then conveys the ground polyurethane. The gap between the single auger and the cylindrical housing is sized to grind the polyurethane. The single auger drill comprises a single cylindrical column and multiple ladder segments fixed to the outer surface of the cylindrical column such that the ladder segments rotate together in the same direction during operation. The plurality of stepped segments are arranged on the single cylindrical column in pairs that are 180 degrees apart from each other. The opposing pairs are arranged along the single cylindrical column in a repeating pattern of three trapezoidal pairs. Three consecutive trapezoidal segments extend together around the circumference of the single cylindrical column, and The plurality of stepped sections and the gap distance are coordinated to provide continuous grinding of the polyurethane along the axial length of the cylindrical housing while the polyurethane is being fed to the sieve plate, and to provide uniform radial grinding action around the circumference of the single cylindrical column during operation.

2. The grinding system according to claim 1, wherein the grinding system is used in a tire filling machine.

3. The grinding system of claim 1, wherein the sieve plate comprises a plate having a plurality of holes configured to allow the ground polyurethane to pass through.

4. The grinding system according to claim 3, wherein the sieve plate is positioned transversely to the rotation axis of the single auger.

5. The grinding system of claim 1, wherein the continuous stepped sections are positioned around the single cylindrical column at an angle of about 50 to 60 degrees.

6. The grinding system of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the outer diameter of the single cylindrical column to the outer diameter defined by the plurality of stepped segments is 0.45 to 0.

65.

7. The grinding system of claim 1, wherein each step comprises a sharp leading edge.

8. The grinding system of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical housing defines an inner cylindrical surface, and wherein the gap distance includes a radial gap between the inner cylindrical surface and the outer diameter defined by the plurality of stepped segments.

9. The grinding system of claim 1, wherein the input section includes a funnel configured to gravity feed polyurethane into the cylindrical housing.

10. The grinding system of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical housing has an axial length, and wherein the gap distance is maintained along at least a substantial portion of the axial length, thereby causing grinding to occur when the polyurethane is conveyed to the sieve plate.

11. The grinding system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of stepped sections are fixed on the outer surface of the mono-cylindrical column between the first and second ends of the mono-cylindrical column.

12. The grinding system of claim 1, wherein the repeating pattern of the three stepped pairs repeats along the axial length of the single cylindrical column.

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