Vertical foaming kettle

Abstract

The utility model discloses a vertical foaming kettle which comprises a vertical kettle body, a heating jacket arranged on the outer wall of the kettle body, a quick-opening device arranged at a kettle opening, a material loading barrel arranged in the kettle body, a grating plate fixed in a barrel opening of the material loading barrel, and an exhaust hole formed in the center of the bottom of the material loading barrel, the material carrying barrel can rotate around the axis of the kettle body in the kettle body, a horizontal supporting partition plate is fixed in a kettle cavity below the bottom of the material carrying barrel, a plurality of supporting universal wheels are arranged at the bottom of the material carrying barrel, and a rotating shaft which vertically penetrates through the kettle cover and is in sealing fit with the kettle cover is arranged at the central position of the kettle cover; a driving motor and a speed reducer which are used for driving the rotating shaft to rotate are fixed outside the kettle cover, and a shaft coupling device which is in movable insertion fit with the lower end of the rotating shaft and is used for receiving the output torque of the rotating shaft is arranged at the central position of the grating plate. The expansion rates of the foaming blanks in the same kettle are consistent.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a foaming kettle that uses supercritical fluid to foam thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber, and more particularly to a vertical foaming kettle in which the material container can rotate inside the kettle. Background Technology

[0002] Supercritical foaming involves immersing a supercritical fluid into the interior of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber in a foaming reactor. Then, the pressure is rapidly released, causing the supercritical fluid inside the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber to expand rapidly, forming a porous structure within the rubber, thus achieving the foaming effect. Currently, there are two main types of foaming reactors: horizontal and vertical. Vertical foaming reactors make efficient use of workshop space, have a smaller footprint, and are suitable for centralized arrangement of multiple reactors. However, vertical foaming reactors suffer from poor temperature uniformity throughout the reactor cavity during operation. Furthermore, because the material container and the foaming preform it holds are stationary within the reactor, variations in expansion rates can occur within the same batch of preforms, affecting product quality. This phenomenon is more pronounced when the reactor cavity volume is large. Utility Model Content

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to overcome the aforementioned defects of the prior art and provide a vertical foaming kettle. When the vertical foaming kettle is working, the foaming material is rotated and heated in the kettle body, the foaming material is heated evenly, and the expansion rate of the foaming material in the same kettle is consistent.

[0004] The technical solution adopted to solve the technical problem is as follows: A vertical foaming kettle includes a vertical kettle body, a heating jacket on the outer wall of the kettle body, a quick-opening device at the kettle opening, a material loading tank inside the kettle body, a grid plate fixed inside the opening of the material loading tank, and an exhaust hole at the center of the bottom of the material loading tank. The material loading tank is a material loading tank that can rotate around the kettle body axis inside the kettle body. A horizontal support partition is fixed inside the kettle cavity below the bottom of the material loading tank. Multiple support casters are installed at the bottom of the material loading tank, and the multiple support casters are arranged in a circular array with the center of the bottom of the material loading tank as the center. The quick-opening device includes a kettle lid, and a vertical through-hole is installed at the center of the kettle lid. A rotating shaft, which is sealed to the lid, is connected to the lid. A drive motor and reducer are fixed outside the lid to drive the rotating shaft. A coupling device is provided at the center of the grid plate, which is movably inserted into the lower end of the rotating shaft and receives the output torque of the rotating shaft. The coupling device includes a passive prism shaft and an outer sleeve fixed at the center of the grid plate. A connecting sleeve is installed in the annular space between the passive prism shaft and the outer sleeve. It can slide along the moving prism shaft and rotate synchronously with the passive prism shaft. An automatic connecting spring is fitted on the passive prism shaft at the lower end of the connecting sleeve. The lower end of the rotating shaft is an active prism shaft with the same cross-sectional specifications as the passive prism shaft.

[0005] As a further improvement of this utility model: multiple omnidirectional wheels are fixed on the outer circumference of the material container to prevent it from deviating from the axis of the reactor body when it rotates.

[0006] As a further improvement of this utility model: the active prism shaft and the passive prism shaft are hexagonal prism shafts, and the connecting sleeve is a connecting sleeve with an internal hexagonal hole that slides with the active prism shaft and the passive prism shaft.

[0007] As a further improvement of this utility model: a tapered guide slope is provided at the upper port of the connecting sleeve to automatically align the active prism shaft with the internal hexagonal hole of the connecting sleeve.

[0008] As a further improvement of this utility model, a chamfer is provided at the lower end of the active prism shaft.

[0009] As a further improvement of this utility model: a circulating fan is provided at the bottom of the vessel cavity below the horizontal support partition. The circulating fan is a centrifugal shellless fan. An upper vertical air ring coaxial with the material container is provided on the upper surface of the horizontal support partition. The diameter of the upper vertical air ring is larger than the diameter of the bottom of the material container, and the height of the upper vertical air ring is larger than the distance between the bottom of the material container and the upper surface of the horizontal support partition. A lower vertical air ring coaxial with the impeller of the circulating fan is provided on the lower surface of the horizontal support partition. The diameter of the lower vertical air ring is larger than the diameter of the circulating fan impeller, and the height of the lower vertical air ring is larger than the distance between the air inlet end face of the circulating fan impeller and the lower surface of the horizontal support partition. An air inlet hole with a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the lower vertical air ring is opened in the center of the horizontal support partition. Multiple fan-shaped air outlet holes are opened on the horizontal support partition between the lower and upper vertical air rings.

[0010] Beneficial Effects: This utility model of a vertical foaming reactor features a rotating material tank within the reactor body that can rotate around the reactor's axis. During operation, the rotating material tank agitates the supercritical fluid within the reactor cavity using the foaming preform inside, overcoming the uneven temperature distribution inherent in static foaming. This results in a more uniform temperature distribution within the reactor, leading to more consistent foaming expansion rates for preforms within the same reactor, and ultimately, better quality foamed products. Furthermore, the reactor employs a rotating shaft at the center of the reactor lid, sealing it in place. A drive motor and reducer are fixed outside the lid to rotate the shaft. A coupling at the center of the grid plate, movably engaging with the lower end of the rotating shaft to drive the material tank, allows the drive motor and reducer to be located outside the reactor body. This design allows the use of ordinary drive motors and reducers to meet the driving requirements of the material tank within the reactor, reducing production costs. Because the coupling device includes a passive prism shaft fixed at the center of the grid plate and an outer sleeve, a connecting sleeve that can slide up and down on the passive prism shaft and rotate synchronously with it is installed in the annular space between the passive prism shaft and the outer sleeve. An automatic sleeve spring is fitted on the passive prism shaft at the lower end of the connecting sleeve, and the lower end of the rotating shaft is an active prism shaft with the same cross-sectional specifications as the passive prism shaft. This ensures that the opening and closing of the vessel lid does not affect the power transmission from the drive motor and reducer to the material container, thus realizing the power transmission between the inside and outside of the vessel lid. Due to the technical feature of multiple centering casters fixed to the outside of the material container wall to prevent it from deviating from the vessel body axis during rotation, the centering casters contact the inner wall of the vessel when the material container rotates, ensuring that the material container always rotates around the vessel body axis, preventing damage to the coupling device from off-axis rotation. Because the active and passive prismatic shafts are hexagonal prism shafts, and the connecting sleeve has an internal hexagonal socket connecting sleeve that slides with the active and passive prismatic shafts, the cooperation between the connecting sleeve and the active and passive prismatic shafts is improved. The use of a tapered guide slope at the upper end of the internal hexagonal socket connecting sleeve to automatically align the active prismatic shaft with the internal hexagonal socket of the connecting sleeve, and a chamfer at the lower end of the active prismatic shaft, ensures that the active prismatic shaft can accurately align coaxially with the internal hexagonal socket of the connecting sleeve during the lid closing process. Furthermore, under the action of an automatic spring, the connecting sleeve automatically moves upward and mounts onto the active prismatic shaft when the active prismatic shaft rotates, achieving linkage between the active and passive prismatic shafts.Because a circulating fan is installed at the bottom of the vessel cavity below the horizontal support partition, and the circulating fan is a centrifugal shell-less fan, an upper vertical air ring coaxial with the material container is provided on the upper surface of the horizontal support partition. The diameter of the upper vertical air ring is larger than the diameter of the bottom of the material container, and the height of the upper vertical air ring is larger than the distance between the bottom of the material container and the upper surface of the horizontal support partition. A lower vertical air ring coaxial with the circulating fan impeller is provided on the lower surface of the horizontal support partition. The diameter of the lower vertical air ring is larger than the diameter of the circulating fan impeller, and the height of the lower vertical air ring is larger than the distance between the air inlet end face of the circulating fan impeller and the lower surface of the horizontal support partition. Within the horizontal support partition... The reactor has an air inlet with a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the lower vertical air ring. Multiple fan-shaped air outlets are opened on the horizontal support partition between the lower and upper vertical air rings. During operation, the internal circulation fan forces the supercritical fluid in the reactor cavity to flow, so that the supercritical fluid flows sequentially through the air inlet of the circulation fan impeller, the air inlet and outlet of the circulation fan impeller, the fan-shaped air outlets, the annular space between the material tank and the inner wall of the reactor, the opening of the material tank, the exhaust hole at the bottom of the material tank, and the air inlet of the horizontal support partition. This makes the temperature of the supercritical fluid in the reactor more uniform, and the heating speed of the foamed material is faster. The foamed material is heated and expanded more evenly, resulting in better quality foamed products. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The vertical foaming kettle of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 This is an axial cross-sectional structural diagram of the vertical foaming kettle of this utility model;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the grating plate in the vertical foaming kettle of this utility model;

[0014] Figure 3 This is an enlarged axial cross-sectional view of the coupling device in the vertical foaming kettle of this utility model;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the horizontal support partition in the vertical foaming kettle of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0016] like Figure 1As shown, the vertical foaming kettle of this utility model includes a vertical kettle body 9, on which are provided an air inlet pipe, a pressure relief pipe, a temperature measuring pipe, and a pressure measuring pipe. A heating jacket 8 is provided on the outer wall of the kettle body, and the heating jacket is connected to a heat transfer oil heater through a heat transfer oil circulation pipeline. The kettle body is heated by circulating heat transfer oil into the heating jacket. A quick-opening device is provided at the kettle opening. A material carrier 10 is installed in the kettle body, and a circular grid plate 6 is fixed inside the opening of the material carrier 10. The edge of the grid plate is fixedly connected to the material carrier 10, so that the grid plate can drive the material carrier 10 to rotate. An exhaust hole is opened at the center of the bottom of the material carrier 10. The material carrier 10 can rotate around the kettle body axis inside the kettle body. The material container has a circular horizontal support partition 11 fixed inside the vessel cavity below the bottom of the material container. The edge of the horizontal support partition is fixed to the inner wall of the vessel. Multiple support casters 12 are installed at the bottom of the material container. The multiple support casters are arranged in a circular array with the center of the bottom of the material container as the center. After the material container is loaded into the vessel cavity, the support casters sit on the horizontal support partition, so that the material container can rotate around the axis of the vessel on the horizontal support partition. Multiple straightening casters 7 are fixed on the outside of the material container wall to prevent the material container from deviating from the axis of the vessel when rotating. There are at least three straightening casters. The multiple straightening casters are fixed at equal intervals around the outer circumference of the material container.

[0017] The quick-opening device includes a lid 1, a clamp, a lid lifting mechanism, a lid translation mechanism, and a safety self-locking mechanism. A rotating shaft 4 is installed at the center of the lid, which passes vertically through the lid and seals with it. A drive motor 3 and a reducer 2 are fixed outside the lid to drive the rotating shaft.

[0018] like Figure 2 As shown, a coupling device 5 is provided at the center of the grating plate, which is movably inserted into the lower end of the rotating shaft, receives the output torque of the rotating shaft, and enables the rotating shaft to drive the material bucket to rotate through the grating plate.

[0019] like Figure 3 As shown, the coupling device includes a passive prism shaft 21 and an outer sleeve 24 fixed at the center of the grating plate. The axes of the passive prism shaft and the outer sleeve coincide. A connecting sleeve 19 is installed in the annular space between the passive prism shaft and the outer sleeve. It can slide up and down on the passive prism shaft and rotate synchronously with the passive prism shaft. An automatic sleeve spring 22 is installed on the passive prism shaft at the lower end of the connecting sleeve. The lower end of the rotating shaft is an active prism shaft with the same cross-sectional specifications as the passive prism shaft.

[0020] Preferably, the active prism shaft and the passive prism shaft are hexagonal prism shafts with a regular hexagonal cross section, and the connecting sleeve is a connecting sleeve with a regular hexagonal inner hexagonal hole 20 that slides with the active prism shaft and the passive prism shaft.

[0021] Preferably, the upper end of the internal hexagonal socket connecting sleeve is provided with a tapered guide slope 23 that automatically aligns the active prism shaft with the internal hexagonal socket of the connecting sleeve, and the lower end of the active prism shaft has a chamfer.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, a circulating fan is provided at the bottom of the vessel cavity below the horizontal support partition. The circulating fan is a centrifugal shellless fan. In this embodiment, the motor 14 and the fan impeller 13 are coaxial in the centrifugal shellless fan. The fan impeller is directly fixed to the motor shaft end. The motor power wire passes through the vessel wall and is connected to the external power source. The power wire and the wire hole in the vessel wall are sealed with a sealing element.

[0023] like Figure 4 As shown, an upper vertical air ring 16, coaxial with the material container, extends vertically upward from the upper surface of the horizontal support partition. The diameter of the upper vertical air ring is larger than the diameter of the bottom of the material container, and the height of the upper vertical air ring is larger than the distance between the lower surface of the bottom of the material container and the upper surface of the horizontal support partition. A lower vertical air ring 18, coaxial with the circulating fan impeller, extends vertically downward from the lower surface of the horizontal support partition. The diameter of the lower vertical air ring is larger than the diameter of the circulating fan impeller, and the height of the lower vertical air ring is larger than the distance between the air inlet end face of the circulating fan impeller and the lower surface of the horizontal support partition. An air inlet hole 15 with a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the lower vertical air ring is opened in the center of the horizontal support partition. Multiple fan-shaped air outlet holes 17 arranged at equal angles are opened on the horizontal support partition between the lower and upper vertical air rings.

[0024] In the operation of this vertical foaming reactor, the reactor lid is opened, and the material container filled with foaming preform is placed into the reactor cavity. The support casters at the bottom of the material container sit on the horizontal support partition, and the centering casters contact the inner wall of the reactor to center the material container, aligning its axis with the reactor body axis. The reactor lid is then lowered vertically. Under the action of the conical guide slope of the connecting sleeve, the active prism shaft automatically aligns with the axis of the internal hexagonal hole of the connecting sleeve. When the six cylindrical faces of the active prism shaft are parallel to the six hole faces of the internal hexagonal hole, the active prism shaft is directly inserted into the connecting sleeve as the reactor lid falls. Both the active and passive prism shafts are inserted into the connecting sleeve, realizing the active... The active prism shaft and the passive prism shaft are linked. When the six prism faces of the active prism shaft are not parallel to the six faces of the internal hexagonal hole, the active prism shaft presses the connecting sleeve against the grid plate as the lid falls. The automatic sleeve spring is compressed and stores energy until the lid is closed. The drive motor on the lid is started, and the active prism shaft begins to rotate under the drive of the drive motor and the reducer. When the six prism faces of the active prism shaft rotate to a position parallel to the six faces of the internal hexagonal hole, the automatic sleeve spring is released, causing the connecting sleeve to slide upward along the passive prism shaft, so that the active prism shaft is inserted into the connecting sleeve. The active prism shaft and the passive prism shaft are inserted together in the connecting sleeve, realizing the linkage between the active prism shaft and the passive prism shaft. Heat transfer oil is injected into the heating jacket to heat the reactor body and supercritical fluid is injected. The internal circulation fan is started, so that the supercritical fluid flows sequentially through the air inlet of the circulation fan impeller, the air outlet of the circulation fan impeller, the fan-shaped air outlet, the annular space between the material tank and the inner wall of the reactor body, the opening of the material tank, the exhaust hole at the bottom of the material tank, and the air inlet of the horizontal support partition. This allows the supercritical fluid to pass evenly through the rotating material tank, thereby heating and impregnating the foamed blank.

Claims

1. A vertical foaming reactor, comprising a vertical reactor body, a heating jacket on the outer wall of the reactor body, a quick-opening device at the reactor mouth, and a material loading tank inside the reactor body, characterized in that: The grid plate is fixed in the mouth of the carrier barrel, and an air exhaust hole is formed in the center of the bottom of the carrier barrel. The carrier barrel can rotate around the axis of the kettle body. A horizontal support partition is fixed in the kettle cavity below the carrier barrel bottom. A plurality of support universal wheels are arranged on the carrier barrel bottom. The support universal wheels are arranged in a ring array with the center of the carrier barrel bottom as the center. The quick opening device includes a kettle cover. A rotating shaft vertically penetrates the kettle cover and is in sealing cooperation with the kettle cover. A driving motor and a speed reducer are fixed outside the kettle cover to drive the rotating shaft to rotate. A coupling device is arranged in the center of the grid plate and is in active plug-in cooperation with the lower end of the rotating shaft to receive the output torque of the rotating shaft. The coupling device includes a passive prism shaft fixed in the center of the grid plate and a sleeve tube. A coupling sleeve that can slide along the passive prism shaft and synchronously rotate with the passive prism shaft is arranged in the annular space between the passive prism shaft and the sleeve tube. An automatic sleeve spring is sleeved on the lower end of the passive prism shaft of the coupling sleeve. The lower end of the rotating shaft is a driving prism shaft with the same cross-sectional specification as the passive prism shaft.

2. The vertical foaming kettle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of righting universal wheels are fixed on the outer circumference of the carrier barrel body to prevent the carrier barrel from deviating from the axis of the kettle body when rotating.

3. A vertical foaming kettle according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that: The driving prism shaft and the passive prism shaft are hexagonal shafts. The coupling sleeve has an internal hexagonal hole that is in sliding cooperation with the driving prism shaft and the passive prism shaft.

4. The vertical foam kettle of claim 3, wherein: A tapered guide slope is arranged on the upper end of the coupling sleeve to automatically align the driving prism shaft with the internal hexagonal hole of the coupling sleeve.

5. The vertical foam kettle of claim 4, wherein: The lower end of the driving prism shaft has a chamfer.

6. The vertical foam kettle of claim 3, wherein: A circulating fan is arranged at the bottom of the kettle cavity below the horizontal support partition. The circulating fan is a centrifugal shell-less fan. An upper vertical air ring coaxial with the carrier barrel is arranged on the upper surface of the horizontal support partition. The diameter of the upper vertical air ring is greater than the diameter of the carrier barrel bottom. The height of the upper vertical air ring is greater than the distance between the carrier barrel bottom and the upper surface of the horizontal support partition. A lower vertical air ring coaxial with the impeller of the circulating fan is arranged on the lower surface of the horizontal support partition. The diameter of the lower vertical air ring is greater than the diameter of the impeller of the circulating fan. The height of the lower vertical air ring is greater than the distance between the air inlet end surface of the impeller of the circulating fan and the lower surface of the horizontal support partition. An air inlet hole with a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the lower vertical air ring is formed in the center of the horizontal support partition. A plurality of fan-shaped air outlet holes are formed in the horizontal support partition between the lower vertical air ring and the upper vertical air ring.

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