A multi-buffer energy-absorbing crust breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production

Abstract

This invention discloses a multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production, comprising a main connecting seat, on which a buffered energy-absorbing component and a shell-breaking mechanism connecting component are mounted. A compression spring, a damping sleeve, and a disc spring are sequentially mounted axially on the energy-absorbing guide rod of the buffered energy-absorbing component. During shell breaking, the counter-impact force is transmitted to the spring assembly via the energy-absorbing slide plate and the push plate, where elastic deformation energy storage and frictional energy dissipation work together to achieve multiple attenuations of the impact energy. The energy-absorbing slide plate and the energy-absorbing sliding seat are guided by a dovetail-shaped guide rail groove and equipped with a multi-layered dustproof self-cleaning system consisting of a dust cover, dust brush, scraper, and sealing plate. The dust cover has a connection hole for receiving compressed gas to form a positive pressure airflow, which blows out dust from the sliding gap at the end of the dust cover where it is slidably connected to the pressure plate. This invention can effectively isolate the transmission of the shell-breaking counter-impact force to the overhead crane or robot structure, extend the service life of the equipment, and ensure the efficient and stable operation of electrolytic aluminum production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrolytic aluminum production equipment technology, specifically to a multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production, used in multi-functional overhead cranes or industrial robots for electrolytic aluminum production. Background Technology

[0002] Electrolytic aluminum production is a major industrial method for producing metallic aluminum using the cryolite-alumina molten salt electrolysis process. Electrolytic aluminum workshops utilize large-scale electrolytic cells for continuous production. During operation, a layer of powdered alumina and other electrolyte raw materials needs to be periodically covered onto the electrolytic cells. This powder undergoes high-temperature and electrochemical reactions to form a tightly connected, dense layer, known as the electrolyte shell, typically 100–150 mm thick. Before processes such as changing the electrolytic anode, this shell layer must be broken open. Therefore, the shell-breaking device is a key process execution mechanism mounted on a multi-functional overhead crane tool trolley. As described in invention patent publication CN115074778A, the multi-functional overhead crane itself has a large mass and high moment of inertia. Its tool trolley integrates multiple process execution mechanisms, including a shell-breaking mechanism, anode changing device, slag removal mechanism, and material unloading mechanism, with the entire machine weighing approximately 50 tons. The reliability of the shell-breaking device directly affects the continuity and efficiency of electrolytic aluminum production.

[0003] Currently, the shell-breaking equipment in the domestic and international electrolytic aluminum industry generally adopts a "rigid connection" method, that is, the shell-breaking cylinder is directly and rigidly fixed to the telescopic arm or mounting base of the overhead crane tool trolley by bolts. During the shell-breaking operation, the cylinder drives the shell-breaking hammer to impact the shell surface at high speed, generating a huge reaction impact force. Due to the lack of a buffer energy absorption mechanism, this high-frequency, high-intensity impact force is directly transmitted to the main beam of the overhead crane and various connecting components, which leads to the following serious problems in long-term operation: 1. Structural damage: Repeated impact loads cause fatigue cracks in the welds of the main steel beam of the crane. The connecting pins and key hinge parts are accelerated to wear or even break due to repeated impacts. In severe cases, this endangers the overall structural safety of the crane and forces it to be shut down for maintenance. 2. Electrical faults: The overhead crane is equipped with precision components such as displacement sensors, encoders and PLC control circuits. Strong mechanical vibrations can easily cause connectors to loosen, solder joints to become loose, or even components on the circuit board to break and fall off, resulting in a significant increase in the failure rate of the control system and increased downtime maintenance costs. 3. Operational hazards: Severe machine vibration makes it difficult for operators or automatic control systems to accurately align the shell-breaking hammer with the target shell-forming area, which can easily cause the hammer to accidentally strike critical components such as the anode guide rod or the tank edge guard plate, leading to secondary accidents such as anode damage or electrolytic cell seal failure.

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, existing publicly available patents related to aluminum electrolysis shell-breaking technology mainly focus on the overall layout and precise positioning methods of the overhead crane, improvements in the material and manufacturing process of the shell-breaking hammer, and optimization of the shell-breaking and unloading linkage structure. However, none of the existing technologies have effectively solved the problem of impact vibration transmission between the shell-breaking device and the overhead crane body, nor have they proposed a solution for an energy-absorbing device specifically designed to absorb the counter-impact force of the shell-breaking process.

[0005] Meanwhile, the aforementioned severe reaction impact not only directly damages traditional overhead crane equipment but has also become a core technological bottleneck restricting the transformation and upgrading of shell-breaking operations towards automation and intelligence. On the one hand, as the requirements for intelligentization in electrolytic aluminum production increase, the traditional operation mode relying on operators to remotely operate the overhead crane on-site is no longer sufficient to meet industry needs: the overhead cranes have a low level of intelligence and rely excessively on human experience and judgment; moreover, the overhead crane's trajectory is strictly limited by the track, resulting in insufficient operational flexibility, and manual assistance is still required to complete shell-breaking in some blind spots. On the other hand, electrolytic aluminum workshops are constantly filled with high temperatures, strong magnetic fields, high concentrations of alumina dust, and fluoride fumes. Long-term manual operation in this harsh environment not only poses significant health risks but also does not conform to the development trend of modern unmanned factories. However, to introduce more flexible intelligent shell-breaking equipment to replace manual operation in this environment, the precision sensors and automatic control systems on which it is equipped will be completely unable to withstand the severe high-frequency impacts brought about by traditional rigid shell-breaking methods.

[0006] In summary, the impact vibration problem generated by rigid connection structures has become a focal point of conflict between the maintenance pain points of traditional overhead crane equipment and the demand for intelligent upgrades. Therefore, developing a buffer energy absorption device specifically for electrolytic aluminum shell-breaking operations, capable of effectively absorbing and dissipating the back impact energy of shell-breaking through a buffer structure, providing a stable and reliable hardware foundation for the intelligent upgrade of shell-breaking equipment, and also adapting to harsh working conditions of high temperature and high dust, achieving multiple attenuations of impact loads, is a key problem that urgently needs to be solved in the current electrolytic aluminum equipment technology field. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production, which aims to solve the problems of large vibration and impact, easy damage to the main structure and electrical system of the overhead crane, of the existing rigid connection shell-breaking device; in addition, this device can also be loaded onto a drive robot or robotic arm to solve the technical problems of insufficient intelligence and precision in the shell-breaking of the overhead crane.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical means: A multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production includes a main connecting seat and a shell-breaking mechanism. The main connecting seat is provided with a buffer energy-absorbing component and a shell-breaking mechanism connecting component. The shell-breaking mechanism connecting assembly is used to connect the shell-breaking mechanism; the shell-breaking mechanism is equipped with a shell-breaking cylinder and a shell-breaking hammer, and the shell-breaking cylinder drives the shell-breaking hammer to reciprocate to perform the shell-breaking operation. The buffer energy-absorbing assembly includes an energy-absorbing guide rod, with both ends connected to a main connecting seat. A spring and an energy-absorbing push plate are fitted onto the energy-absorbing guide rod. One end of the spring abuts against the main connecting seat, and the other end abuts against one side of the energy-absorbing push plate. The energy-absorbing push plate is fixedly connected to an energy-absorbing sliding plate, which is slidably engaged with an energy-absorbing sliding seat. The energy-absorbing sliding seat has a sliding cavity, and the energy-absorbing push plate has an opening for slidingly fitting onto the energy-absorbing guide rod. The other side of the energy-absorbing push plate passes through the sliding cavity and is fixedly connected to the energy-absorbing sliding plate. The shell-breaking mechanism is connected via a shell-breaking mechanism connecting assembly. When the shell-breaking cylinder drives the shell-breaking hammer to strike the surface of the electrolytic cell, the counter-impact force received by the shell-breaking hammer is transmitted sequentially to the energy-absorbing slide plate and the energy-absorbing push plate through the shell-breaking mechanism connecting assembly. The energy-absorbing push plate moves along the energy-absorbing guide rod towards the spring assembly and pushes the spring, causing the spring to undergo elastic deformation and absorb the impact energy. As the spring is compressed, the elastic potential energy gradually increases until the movement speed of the energy-absorbing push plate is reduced to zero. Subsequently, the spring releases its elastic potential energy to push the energy-absorbing push plate and the energy-absorbing slide plate back to their original positions.

[0009] The spring assembly includes a disc spring and a compression spring. A damping sleeve is provided between the disc spring and the compression spring. The disc spring, the damping sleeve, and the compression spring are all fitted onto the energy-absorbing guide rod. The damping sleeve and the energy-absorbing guide rod are in a damped sliding fit.

[0010] The damping sleeve is made of nitrile rubber.

[0011] The present invention, which adopts the above technical solution, has the following prominent features compared with the prior art: 1. By setting up a buffer energy-absorbing component, the counter-impact force of the hammer head is transmitted to the energy-absorbing push plate through the energy-absorbing slide plate. The energy-absorbing push plate pushes the spring component upward, and the spring component undergoes elastic deformation to absorb energy. As the spring component is compressed, the greater the elastic deformation of the spring component, the greater the elastic potential energy, until the speed at which the energy-absorbing slide plate squeezes the spring component upward is reduced to zero. Subsequently, the spring component resets and pushes the energy-absorbing slide plate downward. The elastic deformation of the spring component in the buffer energy-absorbing component realizes the flexible absorption and storage of the counter-impact force of the hammer head, converting the transient impact load into the elastic potential energy of the spring component, avoiding the rigid transmission of the impact force to the main structure of the crane, and effectively protecting the steel structure and electrical components of the crane.

[0012] 2. The sliding fit between the energy-absorbing slide plate and the energy-absorbing sliding seat generates sliding friction during the buffering process, which converts part of the impact kinetic energy into heat energy dissipation, forming a dual buffering mechanism of elastic energy absorption and frictional energy dissipation, effectively suppressing the rebound oscillation of the spring assembly and improving buffering stability.

[0013] 3. The energy-absorbing guide rod provides linear guidance for the energy-absorbing push plate and cooperates with the sliding cavity on the energy-absorbing sliding seat to ensure the linearity and smoothness of the buffering movement and avoid uneven loading and jamming during the buffering process.

[0014] 4. By setting disc springs and compression springs, the buffer design is a multi-composite structure: the front section uses compression springs to be responsible for flexible buffering over a large stroke; the rear section uses a disc spring group composed of multiple disc springs to be responsible for increasing the stiffness of the rear section and to use the nonlinear gradually increasing stiffness characteristics of the disc springs to achieve hard limit protection and avoid spring resonance; a damping sleeve is set in the middle to be responsible for energy dissipation and vibration suppression through friction damping, thereby more effectively achieving impact buffering and vibration isolation and ensuring the stability of the system.

[0015] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: Both ends of the damping sleeve are provided with receiving cavities at the connection points with the disc spring and the compression spring, respectively, and a portion of the disc spring and the compression spring are fitted into the receiving cavities.

[0016] With the above settings, the ends of the spring assembly are reliably positioned, which facilitates the stable transmission of force between components and increases the stability and coaxiality of the buffer operation.

[0017] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The energy-absorbing guide rod is connected to the main connecting seat via a guide rod fixing seat; the energy-absorbing guide rod is threadedly connected to the guide rod fixing seat.

[0018] By setting up a guide rod fixing seat, the installation, positioning, disassembly, and maintenance of the energy-absorbing guide rod are facilitated, and the stability of the energy-absorbing guide rod connection is increased.

[0019] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The main connecting seat is also provided with a lifting impact buffer pad at one end near the energy-absorbing push plate. The lifting impact buffer pad is connected to the main connecting seat and has through holes to accommodate the energy-absorbing guide rod.

[0020] By setting up a lifting impact buffer pad, a flexible stop point buffer is provided when the spring assembly resets and pushes the energy-absorbing push plate back to the lower limit position, thus avoiding secondary vibration caused by the reset collision.

[0021] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The energy-absorbing slide plate and the energy-absorbing sliding seat are slidably engaged by a dovetail-shaped guide rail groove. A pressure plate is provided along the length of the edge of the energy-absorbing sliding seat. The pressure plate is connected to the energy-absorbing sliding seat by bolts. A sliding groove is formed between the pressure plate and the energy-absorbing sliding seat. The edge of the energy-absorbing slide plate is nested in the sliding groove and slidably engaged with the sliding groove. The dovetail-shaped guide rail groove and the sliding groove together guide and limit the movement of the energy-absorbing slide plate.

[0022] The dual guiding structure of the dovetail-shaped guide rail groove and the slide groove effectively increases the sliding stability and anti-eccentric load capacity of the energy-absorbing slide plate.

[0023] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The pressure plate has a scraper and a sealing plate at its two ends. The shape of the scraper and the sealing plate is adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the pressure plate. The edge of the scraper contacts the surface of the energy-absorbing slide plate and maintains a pre-tightening pressure to prevent dust from entering the sliding mating surface of the energy-absorbing slide plate.

[0024] To address the problem of high-concentration dust in aluminum electrolysis workshops corroding mechanical moving parts, this invention provides an effective dustproof sealing measure by adding a scraper and a sealing plate to the end of the pressure plate. This prevents the sliding parts from jamming and failing due to dust intrusion, and from losing their buffering function. The scraper is made of 65Mn spring steel, possessing sufficient elasticity and wear resistance; the sealing plate is made of nitrile rubber, offering excellent sealing performance and high-temperature resistance.

[0025] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: A dust cover is fixedly connected to the side of the energy-absorbing slide plate. The dust cover has a cavity structure, and the sides of the pressure plate, scraper, sealing plate, and energy-absorbing sliding seat are all accommodated within the cavity of the dust cover. A portion of the end of the dust cover is slidably fastened to the surface of the pressure plate, and there is a sliding gap at the fastening connection. The length of the dust cover is greater than the length of the pressure plate to accommodate the full stroke movement of the energy-absorbing slide plate relative to the energy-absorbing sliding seat. The dust cover moves with the energy-absorbing slide plate and scrapes away the dust at the side connection of the energy-absorbing sliding seat during the movement.

[0026] The dust cover is equipped with a dust brush at the end, which is made of stainless steel wire brush to further improve the dust prevention effect.

[0027] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The dust cover is provided with a connection hole for connecting to an external compressed gas source via a high-temperature resistant flexible air pipe. External compressed gas is continuously delivered to the cavity of the dust cover through the connection hole, making the air pressure inside the dust cover cavity higher than the air pressure outside the dust cover, forming a positive pressure airflow that is discharged outward from the dust cover cavity. The positive pressure airflow carries the dust scraped off by the scraper and the dust adhering to the dust cover cavity to the end of the dust cover, and is discharged to the outside of the dust cover from the sliding gap at the sliding connection between the end of the dust cover and the pressure plate.

[0028] Through the above setup, the dust cover provides a clean working environment for its internal pressure plate, scraper, and sealing plate, forming a multi-layered dustproof and self-cleaning system that includes external isolation of the dust cover, cleaning by the dust brush, scraping by the scraper, sealing by the sealing plate, and positive pressure air blowing to remove dust. This effectively adapts to the harsh working conditions of high dust levels in the electrolytic aluminum workshop.

[0029] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The end of the main connecting seat is provided with a limiting block. One side of the limiting block abuts against the side of the energy-absorbing guide rod to dampen and limit the energy-absorbing guide rod. The limiting block is connected to the main connecting seat by a limiting screw and an elastic washer.

[0030] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The shell-breaking mechanism connecting assembly includes a shell-breaking cylinder fixing base and a shell-breaking cylinder fixing support; the shell-breaking cylinder fixing base has a left pressure seat and a right pressure seat connected by bolts, and the left pressure seat and the right pressure seat clamp and fix the shell-breaking cylinder of the shell-breaking mechanism in the lateral direction; the shell-breaking cylinder fixing support has an upper support and a lower support arranged at intervals, and the upper support and the lower support clamp and connect the shell-breaking cylinder fixing base and the shell-breaking cylinder clamped in the shell-breaking cylinder fixing base.

[0031] The left and right pressure seats are connected by an elastic washer, a pressure seat connecting screw, and a flat washer. An internally threaded tapered pin is also provided between the left and right pressure seats to further prevent loosening.

[0032] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The upper support is provided with a shell-breaking cylinder buffer pad on its upper side. The rear end cover of the shell-breaking cylinder, the shell-breaking cylinder buffer pad, the upper support and the lower support are all provided with bolt fixing holes at corresponding positions. The shell-breaking cylinder fixing screw passes through the bolt fixing holes to connect and fix the rear end cover, the shell-breaking cylinder buffer pad, the upper support and the lower support.

[0033] The cylinder buffer pad is made of nitrile rubber and is used to provide initial elastic isolation from the high-frequency vibration transmitted from the rear end cover of the cylinder. The cylinder fixing screw is equipped with two elastic washers and two flat washers to ensure even force distribution and prevent the bolts from loosening.

[0034] Further preferred technical solutions are as follows: The main connecting seat is a shell cavity structure. The main connecting seat is provided with an upper seat plate and a lower seat plate. The two opposite sides of the upper seat plate and the lower seat plate are connected and fixed by connecting ribs. One side of the upper seat plate and the lower seat plate is also connected and fixed by an energy-absorbing sliding seat. The energy-absorbing sliding seat is connected and fixed to both the upper seat plate and the lower seat plate. The two ends of the energy-absorbing guide rod are connected to the upper seat plate and the lower seat plate respectively.

[0035] The upper and lower base plates are connected and fixed by connecting ribs, and the shell cavity structure facilitates the installation and arrangement of the buffer energy absorption components. The upper and lower base plates are also connected and fixed by an energy-absorbing sliding seat, which further enhances the stability of the connection between the upper and lower base plates. The energy-absorbing sliding seat is also connected and fixed to the connecting ribs, which further enhances the structural rigidity and impact resistance of the main connecting seat. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is the front view of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2yes Figure 1 The left view.

[0038] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A partial sectional view along line AA.

[0039] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 BB-direction sectional view.

[0040] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point I.

[0041] Figure 6 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of a section at point II.

[0042] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention including the shell-breaking mechanism in motion.

[0044] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention after the shell-forming mechanism has been removed.

[0045] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1-Casting cylinder fixing seat; 101-Left pressure seat; 102-Right pressure seat; 2-Elastic washer one; 3-Pressure seat connecting screw; 4-Flat washer one; 5-Internal threaded tapered pin; 6-Casting mechanism; 601-Casting cylinder; 602-Casting hammer; 7-Flat washer two; 8-Elastic washer two; 9-Casting cylinder fixing screw; 10-Casting cylinder buffer pad; 11-Casting cylinder fixing support; 1101-Upper support; 1102-Lower support; 12-Connecting screw; 13-Robot flange connecting seat; 4-Guide rod fixing seat; 15-Disc spring; 16-Energy-absorbing guide rod; 17-Damping sleeve; 18-Compression spring; 19-Lifting impact buffer pad; 20-Pressure plate; 21-Limit block; 22-Limit screw; 23-Elastic washer three; 24-Scraper; 25-Sealing plate; 26-Sealing screw; 27-Dust cover; 2701-Connecting hole; 28-Energy-absorbing push plate; 29-Energy-absorbing slide plate; 30-Energy-absorbing sliding seat; 31-Upper seat plate; 32-Connecting rib plate; 33-Lower seat plate; 34-Dust brush. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments.

[0047] See Figures 1 to 9This invention discloses a multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production, which is composed of five functional modules: a main connecting seat, a buffer energy-absorbing component, a shell-breaking mechanism connecting component, a shell-breaking mechanism 6, and a dust self-cleaning component. The upper end of the main connecting seat is connected to the end of the telescopic arm of a multi-functional overhead crane tool trolley or an industrial robot end effector via a robot flange connecting seat 13.

[0048] 1. Main Connector like Figure 1 , Figure 4 , Figure 7 and Figure 9 As shown, the main connecting seat is a cavity structure, consisting of an upper seat plate 31, a lower seat plate 33, and a connecting rib plate 32. The two opposite sides of the upper seat plate 31 and the lower seat plate 33 are welded and fixed together by the connecting rib plate 32. One side of the upper seat plate 31 and the lower seat plate 33 is also connected and fixed by an energy-absorbing sliding seat 30. The energy-absorbing sliding seat 30 is simultaneously connected and fixed to the upper seat plate 31, the lower seat plate 33, and the connecting rib plate 32, forming a cavity frame structure that provides sufficient structural rigidity and impact resistance, facilitating the installation and arrangement of the buffer energy-absorbing components.

[0049] II. Buffer Energy Absorption Components like Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the buffer energy absorption assembly includes an energy absorption guide rod 16. The two ends of the energy absorption guide rod 16 are connected to the upper base plate 31 and the lower base plate 33 respectively through the guide rod fixing seat 14. The energy absorption guide rod 16 is threadedly connected to the guide rod fixing seat 14, which facilitates installation, positioning and disassembly maintenance.

[0050] A spring assembly and an energy-absorbing push plate 28 are sequentially mounted on the energy-absorbing guide rod 16. The spring assembly includes a disc spring 15, a damping sleeve 17, and a compression spring 18, which are sequentially mounted along the axial direction of the energy-absorbing guide rod 16, forming a multi-layered composite buffer structure. The damping sleeve 17 and the energy-absorbing guide rod 16 are in a damped sliding fit. The damping sleeve 17 has receiving cavities at both ends, and a portion of the disc spring 15 and the compression spring 18 are fitted into the receiving cavities to ensure the stability of force transmission and the coaxiality of the components. The upper end of the disc spring 15 abuts against the lower side of the upper base plate 31, and the lower end of the compression spring 18 abuts against the upper side of the energy-absorbing push plate 28.

[0051] The energy-absorbing push plate 28 has an opening for sliding onto the energy-absorbing guide rod 16. The other side of the energy-absorbing push plate 28 passes through the sliding cavity on the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30 and is fixedly connected to the energy-absorbing slide plate 29. The energy-absorbing slide plate 29 and the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30 are slidably engaged through a dovetail-shaped guide groove. A pressure plate 20 is also provided along the length of the edge of the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30. The pressure plate 20 is connected to the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30 by bolts, and a sliding groove is formed between the pressure plate 20 and the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30. The edge of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 is nested in the sliding groove and slidably engaged with the sliding groove. The dovetail-shaped guide groove and the sliding groove together guide and limit the movement of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29, enhancing sliding stability and resistance to eccentric loads.

[0052] The main connecting seat is also provided with a lifting impact buffer pad 19 at one end near the energy-absorbing push plate 28. The lifting impact buffer pad 19 is connected to the lower seat plate 33. The lifting impact buffer pad 19 is provided with a through hole to accommodate the energy-absorbing guide rod 16 to pass through, which is used to provide flexible stop buffer at the reset end.

[0053] The end of the main connector is provided with a limiting block 21. One side of the limiting block 21 abuts against the side of the energy-absorbing guide rod 16 to dampen and limit the energy-absorbing guide rod 16. The limiting block 21 is connected to the main connector through a limiting screw 22 and an elastic washer 23.

[0054] III. Shell-breaking mechanism connection components like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the shell-breaking mechanism connection assembly includes a shell-breaking cylinder fixing base 1 and a shell-breaking cylinder fixing support 11.

[0055] The shell-punching cylinder fixing base 1 consists of a left pressure base 101 and a right pressure base 102 connected by bolts. The left pressure base 101 and the right pressure base 102 laterally clamp and fix the cylinder body of the shell-punching cylinder 601. The left pressure base 101 and the right pressure base 102 are connected by an elastic washer 2, a pressure base connecting screw 3, and a flat washer 4. An internally threaded tapered pin 5 is also provided between them to further prevent loosening.

[0056] The shell-breaking cylinder fixing support 11 consists of an upper support 1101 and a lower support 1102 arranged at intervals. The upper support 1101 and the lower support 1102 clamp and connect the shell-breaking cylinder fixing pressure seat 1 and the shell-breaking cylinder 601 clamped therein, and are fixedly connected to the energy-absorbing slide plate 29.

[0057] The upper support 1101 has a shell-piercing cylinder buffer pad 10 on its upper side. The shell-piercing cylinder buffer pad 10 is made of nitrile rubber and is used to provide preliminary elastic isolation for high-frequency vibrations transmitted from the rear end cover of the cylinder. Bolt fixing holes are provided at corresponding positions on the rear end cover of the shell-piercing cylinder 601, the shell-piercing cylinder buffer pad 10, the upper support 1101, and the lower support 1102. The shell-piercing cylinder fixing screw 9 passes through the bolt fixing holes to connect and fix the above components. An elastic washer 8 and a flat washer 7 are provided at the shell-piercing cylinder fixing screw 9 to ensure even force distribution and prevent the bolt from loosening.

[0058] IV. Dust Self-Cleaning Components like Figure 3 , Figure 6 and Figure 9 As shown, this invention incorporates a multi-level dustproof sealing system to address the high-concentration alumina dust environment in electrolytic aluminum workshops.

[0059] At each end of the pressure plate 20, a scraper 24 and a sealing plate 25 are respectively provided. The scraper 24 is made of 65Mn spring steel, and the sealing plate 25 is made of nitrile rubber. The shapes of the scraper 24 and the sealing plate 25 are adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the pressure plate 20. The edge of the scraper 24 contacts the surface of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 and maintains a pre-tightening pressure, actively scraping away the dust adhering to the surface during the sliding of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29. The sealing plate 25 further prevents residual dust from intruding into the sliding mating surface. The scraper 24 and the sealing plate 25 are fixed by sealing screws 26.

[0060] A dust cover 27 is fixedly connected to the side of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29. The dust cover 27 has a cavity structure, accommodating the pressure plate 20, scraper 24, sealing plate 25, and the side of the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30. A portion of the end of the dust cover 27 is slidably fastened to the surface of the pressure plate 20, with a sliding gap at the fastening connection. The length of the dust cover 27 is greater than the length of the pressure plate 20 to accommodate the full stroke movement of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 relative to the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30. The dust cover 27 moves synchronously with the energy-absorbing slide plate 29, scraping away dust from the side connection of the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30 during the movement. A dust brush 34, made of stainless steel wire, is provided at the end of the dust cover 27 to further improve the cleaning effect.

[0061] The dust cover 27 is provided with a connection hole 2701, which is connected to the main compressed air supply pipeline of the workshop via a high-temperature resistant flexible air pipe. Since the working medium of the shell-opening cylinder 601 is compressed air, this invention can directly draw a branch from the tee of the main air supply pipeline of the shell-opening cylinder 601 as the air source for the connection hole 2701. This branch passes through a pressure reducing valve, a precision filter, and a check valve in sequence, adjusting the compressed air in the workshop to a clean low-pressure gas of 0.1~0.2MPa, and then delivers it to the connection hole 2701 via the flexible air pipe. One end of the flexible air pipe is connected to the connection hole 2701 via a quick-connect coupling, and the other end is connected to the output end of the aforementioned pressure reducing and regulating device via a quick-connect coupling. The high-temperature resistant flexible air pipe is preferably made of silicone rubber or fluororubber, and a "U"-shaped reserved bend is provided in the middle section of the air pipe to accommodate the small stroke displacement when the dust cover 27 moves synchronously with the energy-absorbing slide plate 29, avoiding fatigue damage caused by repeated bending of the air pipe.

[0062] Clean, low-pressure compressed air is continuously delivered into the cavity of the dust cover 27 through a high-temperature resistant flexible air pipe and a connecting hole 2701, so that the air pressure inside the dust cover 27 is slightly higher than the ambient air pressure outside the workshop, thereby forming a continuous positive pressure airflow that is discharged outward between the cavity of the dust cover 27 and the external environment. Under the action of the positive pressure airflow: on the one hand, the dust-laden air outside is blocked from entering the dust cover 27; on the other hand, the small amount of dust that has entered the dust cover 27, as well as the dust scraped off by the scraper 24 from the edge of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 and the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30, are all carried by the positive pressure airflow to the end of the dust cover 27, and discharged from the sliding gap at the sliding connection between the end of the dust cover 27 and the pressure plate 20 to the outside of the dust cover 27. This prevents dust from accumulating in the cavity of the dust cover 27 or re-entering the sliding mating surface of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 and the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30, and better maintains the cleanliness of the sliding contact part of the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 during operation.

[0063] The dust cover 27 (including the connecting hole 2701), dust brush 34, scraper 24 and sealing plate 25 constitute a multi-layer dustproof and self-cleaning system that includes external isolation, brush cleaning, reciprocating scraping, rubber sealing and positive pressure air blowing to remove dust. This effectively protects the sliding pair from dust corrosion in the electrolytic aluminum workshop and ensures the long-term reliable operation of the buffer device.

[0064] The working process of the multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production of the present invention is as follows: During the shell-breaking operation, the shell-breaking cylinder 601 drives the shell-breaking hammer 602 to impact the shell layer on the surface of the aluminum electrolytic cell. The shell-breaking hammer 602 is subjected to the reaction force of the shell layer, i.e., the reverse impact force. This reverse impact force is transmitted and attenuated along the following path: First, the reverse impact force is transmitted through the cylinder body of the shell-breaking cylinder 601 to the shell-breaking cylinder fixed pressure seat 1, and then through the shell-breaking cylinder fixed support 11 to the energy-absorbing slide plate 29. In this process, the shell-breaking cylinder buffer pad 10 provides initial elastic isolation for the high-frequency vibration component.

[0065] Secondly, the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 drives the energy-absorbing push plate 28, which is fixedly connected to it, to move upward along the energy-absorbing guide rod 16, that is, away from the direction of shell impact. The upper side of the energy-absorbing push plate 28 pushes the compression spring 18 in the spring assembly. The compression spring 18 first undergoes elastic compression, providing a large-stroke flexible buffer to absorb the initial impact energy.

[0066] Furthermore, as the compression increases, the damping sleeve 17 is pushed to slide upward on the energy-absorbing guide rod 16. The impact energy is continuously dissipated through the frictional damping between the inner wall of the damping sleeve 17 and the outer wall of the energy-absorbing guide rod 16, thus forming a frictional damping energy-dissipating buffer.

[0067] Then, as the compression increases further, the disc spring 15 begins to compress. The non-linear increasing stiffness characteristic of the disc spring 15 causes the buffering force to increase rapidly, providing hard-limit protection.

[0068] Throughout the buffering process, the dovetail-shaped guide groove between the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 and the energy-absorbing sliding seat 30 generates sliding friction, which converts some of the impact kinetic energy into heat energy dissipation, further enhancing the buffering effect.

[0069] Once the elastic potential energy of the spring assembly balances with the impact kinetic energy, the upward velocity of the energy-absorbing push plate 28 decreases to zero. Subsequently, the spring assembly releases its stored elastic potential energy, pushing the energy-absorbing push plate 28 and the energy-absorbing slide plate 29 downwards to reset, preparing for the next shell-breaking operation. At the end of the reset process, the lifting impact buffer 19 provides a flexible stop point buffer for the energy-absorbing push plate 28 to avoid reset collisions.

[0070] During the operation of the device, clean low-pressure compressed air is continuously delivered to the dust cover 27 cavity through the high-temperature resistant flexible air pipe and the connection hole 2701, so that a continuous positive pressure airflow is formed in the cavity. The positive pressure airflow carries the dust scraped off by the scraper 24 and a small amount of dust accumulated in the dust cover 27 cavity to the end of the dust cover 27, and is discharged to the outside of the device from the sliding gap at the sliding connection between the end of the dust cover 27 and the pressure plate 20, so as to avoid dust accumulation in the cavity and affecting the movement of the sliding pair.

[0071] In summary, this invention employs a multi-layered composite buffering strategy—including elastic vibration isolation with rubber pads, flexible buffering with compression springs, frictional energy dissipation with damping sleeves, gradually increasing stiffness limiting with disc springs, and frictional energy dissipation with sliding pairs—to effectively absorb, dissipate, and isolate the impact load from the shell-breaking process, significantly reducing the impact load and vibration level transmitted to the main structure of the overhead crane. Simultaneously, the multi-layered dustproof self-cleaning system, consisting of the dust cover 27, dust brush 34, scraper 24, and sealing plate 25, effectively protects the sliding pairs from dust corrosion, ensuring the long-term reliable operation of the buffer device in the harsh environment of the high-temperature, high-dust electrolytic aluminum workshop. Furthermore, through the above-mentioned design, this device can prevent excessive recoil force from damaging the joints of the robot or robotic arm, thus allowing it to be applied to the drive robot or robotic arm, addressing the technical problems of insufficient intelligence and precision in overhead crane shell-breaking processes.

[0072] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes made based on the description and drawings of the present invention are included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production, comprising a main connecting seat and a shell-breaking mechanism (6), characterized in that: The main connecting seat is equipped with a buffer energy absorption component and a shell-breaking mechanism connecting component; The shell-breaking mechanism connecting assembly is used to connect the shell-breaking mechanism (6); the shell-breaking mechanism (6) is provided with a shell-breaking cylinder (601) and a shell-breaking hammer (602), and the shell-breaking cylinder (601) drives the shell-breaking hammer (602) to reciprocate to perform shell-breaking operations; The buffer energy absorption assembly includes an energy-absorbing guide rod (16), with both ends of the energy-absorbing guide rod (16) connected to the main connecting seat. A spring assembly and an energy-absorbing push plate (28) are fitted on the energy-absorbing guide rod (16). One end of the spring assembly abuts against the main connecting seat, and the other end of the spring assembly abuts against one side of the energy-absorbing push plate (28). The energy-absorbing push plate (28) is fixedly connected to the energy-absorbing slide plate (29), and the energy-absorbing slide plate (29) is slidably engaged with the energy-absorbing sliding seat (30). The energy-absorbing sliding seat (30) is provided with a sliding cavity. The energy-absorbing push plate (28) has an opening for slidingly fitting onto the energy-absorbing guide rod (16). The other side of the energy-absorbing push plate (28) passes through the sliding cavity and is fixedly connected to the energy-absorbing slide plate (29) to absorb energy. The sliding plate (29) is connected to the shell-breaking mechanism (6) through the shell-breaking mechanism connecting assembly; when the shell-breaking cylinder (601) drives the shell-breaking hammer (602) to strike the surface of the electrolytic cell, the counter-impact force received by the shell-breaking hammer (602) is transmitted to the energy-absorbing sliding plate (29) and the energy-absorbing push plate (28) in sequence through the shell-breaking mechanism connecting assembly. The energy-absorbing push plate (28) moves along the energy-absorbing guide rod (16) towards the spring assembly and pushes the spring assembly. The spring assembly undergoes elastic deformation to absorb the impact energy. As the spring assembly is compressed, the elastic potential energy gradually increases until the movement speed of the energy-absorbing push plate (28) is reduced to zero. Then the spring assembly releases the elastic potential energy to push the energy-absorbing push plate (28) and the energy-absorbing sliding plate (29) to reset. The spring assembly includes a disc spring (15) and a compression spring (18). A damping sleeve (17) is provided between the disc spring (15) and the compression spring (18). The disc spring (15), the damping sleeve (17), and the compression spring (18) are all mounted on the energy-absorbing guide rod (16). The damping sleeve (17) and the energy-absorbing guide rod (16) are in a damped sliding fit.

2. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The damping sleeve (17) has a receiving cavity at both ends where it is connected to the disc spring (15) and the compression spring (18), and a portion of the disc spring (15) and the compression spring (18) are fitted into the receiving cavity.

3. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The energy-absorbing guide rod (16) is connected to the main connecting seat through the guide rod fixing seat (14); the energy-absorbing guide rod (16) is threadedly connected to the guide rod fixing seat (14).

4. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main connecting seat is also provided with a lifting impact buffer pad (19) at one end near the energy-absorbing push plate (28). The lifting impact buffer pad (19) is connected to the main connecting seat and has perforations to accommodate the energy-absorbing guide rod (16) passing through.

5. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The energy-absorbing slide plate (29) and the energy-absorbing sliding seat (30) are slidably engaged by a dovetail-shaped guide rail groove. A pressure plate (20) is provided along the length direction at the edge of the energy-absorbing sliding seat (30). The pressure plate (20) is connected to the energy-absorbing sliding seat (30) by bolts. A sliding groove is formed between the pressure plate (20) and the energy-absorbing sliding seat (30). The edge part of the energy-absorbing slide plate (29) is nested in the sliding groove and slidably engaged with the sliding groove. The dovetail-shaped guide rail groove and the sliding groove guide and limit the movement of the energy-absorbing slide plate (29).

6. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 5, characterized in that: The pressure plate (20) is provided with a scraper (24) and a sealing plate (25) at both ends. The shape of the scraper (24) and the sealing plate (25) is adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the pressure plate (20). The edge of the scraper (24) contacts the surface of the energy-absorbing slide plate (29) and maintains a pre-tightening pressure to prevent dust from entering the sliding mating surface of the energy-absorbing slide plate (29).

7. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 6, characterized in that: The side of the energy-absorbing slide plate (29) is fixedly connected to a dust cover (27). The dust cover (27) is a cavity structure. The sides of the pressure plate (20), scraper (24), sealing plate (25) and energy-absorbing sliding seat (30) are all accommodated in the cavity of the dust cover (27). A part of the end of the dust cover (27) is fastened and slidably connected to the surface of the pressure plate (20). There is a sliding gap at the fastening connection. The length of the dust cover (27) is greater than the length of the pressure plate (20) to accommodate the full stroke movement of the energy-absorbing slide plate (29) relative to the energy-absorbing sliding seat (30). The dust cover (27) moves with the energy-absorbing slide plate (29). During the movement, it scrapes off the dust at the side connection of the energy-absorbing sliding seat (30) to provide a clean working environment for the pressure plate (20), scraper (24) and sealing plate (25) inside.

8. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 7, characterized in that: The dust cover (27) is provided with a connection hole (2701), which is used to connect to an external compressed gas source through a high-temperature resistant flexible air pipe. The external compressed gas is continuously transported to the cavity of the dust cover (27) through the connection hole (2701), so that the air pressure inside the dust cover (27) is higher than the air pressure outside the dust cover (27), forming a positive pressure airflow discharged from the cavity of the dust cover (27). The positive pressure airflow carries the dust scraped off by the scraper (24) and the dust attached to the cavity of the dust cover (27) to the end of the dust cover (27), and is discharged to the outside of the dust cover (27) from the sliding gap at the sliding connection between the end of the dust cover (27) and the pressure plate (20).

9. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end of the main connecting seat is provided with a limiting block (21). One side of the limiting block (21) abuts against the side of the energy-absorbing guide rod (16) to dampen and limit the energy-absorbing guide rod (16). The limiting block (21) is connected to the main connecting seat through a limiting screw (22) and an elastic washer (23).

10. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell-breaking mechanism connecting assembly includes a shell-breaking cylinder fixing base (1) and a shell-breaking cylinder fixing support (11). The shell-breaking cylinder fixing base (1) is provided with a left pressure base (101) and a right pressure base (102) connected by bolts. The left pressure base (101) and the right pressure base (102) clamp and fix the shell-breaking cylinder (601) of the shell-breaking mechanism (6) in the horizontal direction. The shell-breaking cylinder fixing support (11) is provided with an upper support (1101) and a lower support (1102) arranged at intervals. The upper support (1101) and the lower support (1102) clamp and connect the shell-breaking cylinder fixing base (1) and the shell-breaking cylinder (601) clamped in the shell-breaking cylinder fixing base (1).

11. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 10, characterized in that: The upper support (1101) is provided with a shell-breaking cylinder buffer pad (10) on its upper side. The rear end cover of the shell-breaking cylinder (601), the shell-breaking cylinder buffer pad (10), the upper support (1101) and the lower support (1102) are all provided with bolt fixing holes at corresponding positions. The shell-breaking cylinder fixing screw (9) passes through the bolt fixing holes to connect and fix the rear end cover, the shell-breaking cylinder buffer pad (10), the upper support (1101) and the lower support (1102).

12. The multi-buffered energy-absorbing shell-breaking device for electrolytic aluminum production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main connecting seat is a shell cavity structure. The main connecting seat is provided with an upper seat plate (31) and a lower seat plate (33). The two opposite sides of the upper seat plate (31) and the lower seat plate (33) are connected and fixed by a connecting rib plate (32). One side of the upper seat plate (31) and the lower seat plate (33) is also connected and fixed by an energy-absorbing sliding seat (30). The energy-absorbing sliding seat (30) is simultaneously connected and fixed to the upper seat plate (31) and the lower seat plate (33). The two ends of the energy-absorbing guide rod (16) are respectively connected to the upper seat plate (31) and the lower seat plate (33).

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