Vehicle with a mixing container

Abstract

Vehicle with a mixing container (1) comprising two discharge hoppers (2) arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, each with a mixing screw (4) projecting into the mixing container (1), characterized in that the mixing container (1) is divided by a partition (8) between the two discharge hoppers (2) into two mixing chambers (9, 10) each with separately driveable mixing screws (4) that can be controlled independently of each other via drives (7), and that a passage opening (12) for the mixture is provided in the partition (8), which can be closed by a door (11) that can be pivoted about a central axis (34).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle with a mixing container comprising two discharge hoppers arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, each with a mixing screw projecting into the mixing container.

[0002] To increase the mixing capacity of agricultural mixer wagons, it is known (DE 199 53 163 A1) to provide two mixing tanks, each with a mixing screw arranged coaxially to the tank in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, one behind the other, so that during the mixing process in one of the mixing tanks the other can be emptied and refilled, resulting in alternating mixing operation of the two mixing tanks. However, providing two separate mixing tanks results in a comparatively large design effort with the disadvantage that it is difficult to ensure a uniform mixing result in both mixing tanks.

[0003] A uniform mixing result for a larger quantity of material can advantageously be ensured by means of another known design (AT 501 285 B1), in which a horizontal mixing container, which is pressurized with a vacuum via a connected suction line to draw in free-flowing material to be mixed, is provided with two discharge hoppers arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, each accommodating a mixing screw guided by a conveying housing. With the horizontal mixing container, the available space for the vehicle body can be advantageously used for a correspondingly large intake volume of the mixing container, whereby a mixing result extending uniformly over the entire material is achieved when material is discharged from the conveying area of ​​one mixing screw into the intake area of ​​the other conveying screw and vice versa.The discharge hoppers assigned to the mixing screws ensure that the material to be mixed trickles into the intake area of ​​the mixing screws across the entire cross-sectional area of ​​the horizontal mixing container. A disadvantage, however, is the lack of any adjustment mechanism for small material requirements. This means that even for small quantities of material, the mixing process requires a comparatively high energy input due to the operation of both mixing screws. Furthermore, the unavoidable downtime for filling and emptying the mixing container makes the successive mixing of small quantities of materials with varying compositions time-consuming.

[0004] To enable the optional use of two mixing chambers separately or together for a larger quantity of material, it is also known (DE 102 45 001 A1) to insert a removable partition between the two mixing chambers, each equipped with a mixing screw and mounted on a common chassis. This allows the interconnected mixing chambers to be used together for mixing a larger quantity of material after the partition is removed. Apart from the fact that the mixed material must be discharged through lateral wall openings of the mixing chambers, the conversion process involving the insertion or removal of the partition is complex.

[0005] To avoid the effort associated with inserting and removing the partition, it is known (DE 201 17 079 U1) to mount the partition, which divides a mixing container equipped with two vertical mixing screws into two mixing chambers, on pivot arms so that it can be repositioned using these pivot arms. Since the mixing container only has one discharge opening at the end, only the mixing chamber in the area of ​​the end discharge opening can be used when the partition is in place. Furthermore, pivoting the partition in and out involves considerable design complexity.

[0006] From DE 199 18 128 A1 a butterfly valve for containers or pipelines is known with a valve disc that is pivotable relative to an axis of rotation in a housing and which, in the sealing position, closes the flow through the housing in two opposite flow directions in the area of ​​a seal, wherein the valve disc is self-closing in both flow directions.

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the objective of designing a vehicle of the type described above in such a way that simple adaptation to different quantities of mixture is possible without having to forgo a uniform mixing result for large quantities of mixture.

[0008] The invention solves the problem by dividing the mixing container into two mixing chambers by a partition wall between the two discharge hoppers, each with independently driven mixing screws that can be controlled independently of each other via drives, and by providing a passage opening for the mixture in the partition wall, which can be closed by a door that can be pivoted about a central axis.

[0009] By incorporating a partition wall dividing the mixing vessel into two mixing chambers, it is possible, using simple and known design methods, to adapt the mixing material requirements to the capacity of each individual mixing chamber, provided the mixing vessels can be operated independently. This requires separate control of the two mixing screws. The two independently operable mixing chambers also allow for alternating mixing, thus avoiding downtime caused by filling and emptying, and enabling the rapid production of mixtures with varying compositions.Despite the separately usable mixing chambers, a uniform mixing result can be ensured even for a material volume exceeding the capacity of a single mixing chamber. This is because the partition wall features a closable through-opening for the material, which, when open, allows for the exchange of material components between the two mixing chambers. Since the through-opening in the partition wall can be closed by a pivoting door that can be turned around a central axis, symmetrical material flow conditions are maintained in both mixing chambers.

[0010] The two mixing chambers can be filled with material in the conventional manner by filling them through a top opening. However, it is also possible to draw the material into the mixing chambers using a suction line connected to the mixing container. If each mixing chamber is individually pressurized with a corresponding vacuum, this requires a pressure-resistant partition with a pressure-resistant seal for its opening. To avoid the associated complexity, the suction line can be connected to both mixing chambers in a flow path, ensuring that the same pressure conditions always prevail on both sides of the partition. In this case, the feed system for the material to be mixed simply needs to be connected to the respective mixing chamber via control devices.

[0011] The invention is illustrated in the drawing as an example. It shows Fig. 1 a structure for a vehicle according to the invention in a block diagram and Fig. 2 a section through the mixing container in the area of ​​the partition wall along line II-II of the Fig. 1 on a larger scale.

[0012] The one in Fig. Figure 1, schematically depicted in block diagram form, shows the structure of a vehicle according to the invention. It comprises a horizontal mixing container 1 equipped with two discharge hoppers 2 arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The mixing container 1 is supported relative to the vehicle chassis by load cells 3, which control the filling with the mixing material. A mixing device with two mixing screws 4 is provided inside the mixing container 1. These screws extend from the discharge hoppers 2 and pass through a conveying housing 5. The mixing screws 4, which are equipped with throwing vanes 6 at their discharge end, are driven by actuators 7 in the ceiling area of ​​the mixing container 1, which is designed as a pressure vessel.Due to the horizontal arrangement of the mixing container 1, to whose shell only the discharge hoppers 2 are attached, the mixing container 1 can be designed as a pressure vessel without special construction effort in order to be able to fill this mixing container 1 by means of a vacuum.

[0013] Unlike known mixing containers of this type, the mixing container 1 according to the invention is provided with a partition 8 between the two discharge hoppers 2, which divides the mixing container 1 into two mixing chambers 9, 10. The partition 8 is provided with a passage opening 12 that can be closed by a door 11, so that the two mixing chambers 9, 10 can be operated separately from each other either when the door 11 is closed or together when the passage opening 12 is open. Accordingly, the mixing screws 4 can also be controlled independently of each other via the drives 7.

[0014] A rotary lobe blower 13 is used to load the mixing container 1 or the mixing chambers 9, 10. Its suction line 14 is connected to the mixing container 1 via a filter unit 15 and applies a vacuum to the mixing container 1 in the area of ​​both mixing chambers 9, 10, which are connected by a pressure equalization line 16 that bypasses the partition wall 8. The mixing chambers 9, 10 can thus be filled with material via a conveying line 19, which is connected on one side to a crushing device 17 and on the other side to a mill 18. This material is drawn, for example, from a storage container by means of a suction lance 20 and fed to the crushing device 17 or the mill 18 via a magnetic separator 21. The selection of the mixing chambers 9, 10 to be filled is made via a control switch 22.Additives for the mixture can be added via a chute 23, which can be optionally connected to the mixing chambers 9, 10 via a supply line 24 and a control switch 25. The mixture can also be mixed with liquid, for example oil, which is pumped from a tank 26 into the discharge hopper area 2 by means of a pump 27.

[0015] The mixed material is discharged via the discharge hoppers 2, preferably by means of pneumatically actuated conveying lines 28, 29. These conveying lines 28, 29 are connected to the pressure side of the rotary lobe blower 13 and are each connected via connection nozzles to a discharge chamber 30 of the discharge hoppers 2, so that, depending on the switching state, the mixed material can be selectively conveyed from the discharge hoppers 2 via the conveying lines 28 and 29. According to the exemplary embodiment, the conveying line 29 leads to a cyclone separator 31, while the conveying line 28 is connected to a pivot-adjustable arm 32, through which the mixed material can also be conveyed.To prevent bridging in the area of ​​the discharge hoppers 2, which would impair the flow of the mixture, blow lines 33 are connected to the pressure side of the rotary piston blower 9, which open into the discharge hoppers 2 above the discharge chambers 30 and ensure that the mixture is loosened accordingly.

[0016] If the two mixing chambers 9, 10 are operated according to the Fig. When the mixing chambers are operated with the through-opening 11 in the partition 8 open, the material is mixed in two overlapping cycles by means of the mixing screws 4, because the discharge areas of the impeller blades 6 belonging to the two mixing screws 4 overlap. Due to the overlap of these discharge paths, material from the intake area of ​​the two mixing chambers 9, 10 passes through the through-opening 12 in the partition 8 into the intake area of ​​the other mixing chamber, thus ensuring a uniform mixing result for the entire mixture. When the two mixing chambers 9, 10 are operated individually, which requires a closed through-opening 12 in the partition 8, the mixing of the material remains limited to the respective mixing chamber 9 or 10, allowing for different mixing ratios in the two mixing chambers 9, 10, which in this case are preferably operated alternately.

[0017] In the Fig. Figure 2 shows the door 11, which closes the opening 12 in the partition 8, as a revolving door. It is pivotally mounted about a central axis 34 and can be operated, for example, by means of a swivel cylinder, which is not shown for clarity. The door 11 itself is shown in an open position. Since the pressure conditions in both mixing chambers 9 and 10 are equal due to the pressure equalization line 16, the partition 8 and the door 11 in the partition are subjected to the same pressures on both sides. Therefore, only the loads caused by the mixture need to be considered for the partition 8 and the door 11. Furthermore, any sealing problems that might otherwise arise can be disregarded.

Claims

[1] Vehicle with a mixing container (1) comprising two discharge hoppers (2) arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, each with a mixing screw (4) projecting into the mixing container (1), characterized by that the mixing container (1) is divided by a partition wall (8) between the two discharge hoppers (2) into two mixing chambers (9, 10), each with individually drivable mixing screws (4) that can be controlled independently of one another via drives (7), and that a passage opening (12) for the mixing material is provided in the partition wall (8), which passage opening can be closed by a door (11) that can be pivoted about a central axis (34). [2] Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized by that the mixing container (1) can be subjected to negative pressure for sucking in free-flowing mixed material to be mixed by means of a suction line (14) connected to the mixing container (1), which is in flow connection with both mixing chambers (9, 10) bypassing the partition wall (8).

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