rotary valve

Abstract

Rotary valve with a rotating rotor in a lock chamber of a housing, the housing being provided with a front wall and a rear wall connected by a cover having an inlet and a bottom having an outlet, wherein the cover (4) and the bottom (5) as well as the front wall (2) and the rear wall (3) are connected by at least one side part (10, 11) which can be operatively detached from the outside and the side part (10, 11) forms a wall of the lock chamber (8), characterized in that the side parts (11, 12) are of the same design, that each side part (11, 12) forms the wall of the lock chamber (8) by means of a cylindrically bent sheet metal section (14), that each side part (10, 11) is provided with sheet metal strips (24, 25) attached to the axially extending edges (22, 23) of the sheet metal sections (14) and that the sheet metal strips (24, 25) form a form a funnel-shaped inlet (6) and / or outlet (7).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rotary valve having the features of the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Rotary valves are well-known and proven in a wide variety of designs. Maintenance is particularly complex for knife-type valves and those in which the radially outer edges of the rotor blades are equipped with sealing lips for sealing against the wall of the valve chamber. Replacing damaged sealing lips or knives, for example, requires complete removal of the rotary valve.

[0003] To reduce maintenance requirements, DE 197 30 453 A1 proposes providing a wall of the lock chamber with slots that extend parallel to the axis of the cellular wheel. Sealing lips, for example, with a T-shaped cross-section, can then be inserted into these slots from the outside.

[0004] However, such a solution is not particularly convincing, since, in particular, there is no sealing of each vane of a cellular wheel against the wall of the lock chamber, and sealing is not possible permanently over the entire travel path of a vane. Furthermore, the stability of the housing suffers considerably if it is slit multiple times lengthwise.

[0005] DE 44 09 105 A1 proposes designing the housing wall so that it can be opened or removed at least partially for easy maintenance or repair, for example, of the vanes of the rotary valve, although the structural design remains largely open. DE 12 55 038 A, DE 29 01 720 A1, and US Pat. No. 3 077 272 A also describe rotary valves in which the housing walls are removable, albeit with considerable effort.

[0006] Against this technical background, the invention sets itself the task of considerably simplifying the maintenance of a rotary valve, in particular designed as a knife valve or as a rotary valve provided with sealing lips on the wings of the rotary valve, in particular in that the side parts can be easily removed for maintenance, so that it is not necessary to remove the rotary valve when, for example, replacing the knives or sealing lips.

[0007] This technical problem is solved in a rotary valve with a rotary valve rotating in a lock chamber of a housing, in which the housing is provided with a front wall and a rear wall which are connected by a cover having an inlet and a base having an outlet, wherein the cover and the base as well as the front wall and the rear wall are connected by at least one side part which can be operatively removed from the outside and in that a wall of the lock chamber is formed by the side part, by the characterising features of claim 1.

[0008] The rotary valve according to the invention offers a number of advantages. First, heavy cast housing parts are preferably dispensed with, and the front and rear walls, as well as the cover and base, are preferably made of simple sheet metal. These sheets essentially span a cuboid, particularly a welded one, which can be manufactured cost-effectively.

[0009] According to the invention, both identically designed side parts are attached to the lid and the base, as well as to the front and rear walls, in a manner that is detachable from the outside during operation, so that the side parts can be easily removed for maintenance. The sealing lips, blades, or the like of the cellular wheel are easily accessible after removing the side parts, since the side parts form walls of the lock chamber, which are removed with the side parts, so that the lock chamber and thus the cellular wheel are freely accessible from the outside from two opposite sides.

[0010] It is conceivable that the side part be formed by a molded part, for example, a cast part. However, such a part would be comparatively heavy, so it is preferred that the wall of the lock chamber be formed by a cylindrically bent sheet metal section of the side part, and that radially outward-facing flanges are attached to the sheet metal section at the end face for securing it to the inside of the front wall and the rear wall.

[0011] Since the preferably similarly designed front and rear walls must cover the cross-section of the rotary valve and the lock chamber, if these two walls are essentially square, the flanges can be dimensioned in such a way that they do not protrude from the front or rear wall, but rather terminate with their vertically rising edges, in the orientation of the rotary valve used here, and can also be enclosed on the top or bottom by the cover and the base.

[0012] A sheet metal strip is expediently attached to at least one axially extending edge of the sheet metal section. Such a sheet metal strip closes off the housing of the rotary valve according to the invention at the top and bottom, with such sheet metal strips preferably being attached to both axially extending edges of the sheet metal section.

[0013] In a further development of the rotary valve according to the invention, it is further provided that the inlet and / or the outlet has funnel-like guide plates extending parallel to the axis of the rotary valve for fixing the metal strips from the outside.

[0014] This ensures a closed transport path for a transported material through the rotary valve according to the invention, starting with the top-side, funnel-shaped tapered inlet, then in the lock chamber in the segments between each two wings of the rotary valve against the wall of the lock chamber, formed by the bent sheet metal section, up to the funnel-shaped widening outlet.

[0015] Toggle fasteners or simple external screw connections can be used for detachable fastening of the side panels. With the latter fastening method, the guide plates are preferably designed with threaded blind holes, ensuring that no screws protrude into the transport path of the goods. Attaching the flanges to the inside of the front or rear panel, however, is largely uncritical.

[0016] With such a fastening, the sheet metal strips can at least form a funnel-like inlet and / or outlet.

[0017] Alternatively, if sheet metal strips are not used on the axially extending edges of the bent sheet metal section, the guide plates can also be directly connected to the edges of the sheet metal section and suitably fixed there.

[0018] In the case of a large axial extension of the rotary valve according to the invention, it can further be provided that at least one stiffening plate is fixed to the cover and to the bottom of the housing following the shape of the sheet metal section, so that a change in the cross-section of the lock chamber can be reliably prevented by bending up the cylindrically bent section.

[0019] The rotary valve according to the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, which only schematically shows one embodiment. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a front side of a rotary valve according to the invention, without rotary valve, Fig. 2 a side view, Fig. 3 a top view, Fig. 4 an isometric representation, Fig. 5 with reference to Fig. 1 a front view of the right side panel, Fig. 6 a side view of the side part according to arrow VI in Fig. 5, corresponding to the view according to. Fig. 2, Fig. 7 a view according to arrow VII in Fig. 6, Fig. 8 an isometric view of the side part assembled from sheet metal, Fig. 9 a front view of the housing of the rotary valve without rotary wheel, Fig. 10 a side view of the housing, Fig. 11 a plan view and Fig. 12 an isometric view of the housing without side panels

[0020] In the Fig. In Figures 1 to 4, the housing 1 of a rotary valve according to the invention is shown without a rotary valve for the sake of clarity. The housing 1 has a front wall 2 and a rear wall 3, preferably made of identical sheet metal, which are firmly connected, e.g., welded, by an upper cover 4 and a lower base 5. The cover 4 is provided with a funnel-shaped tapered inlet 6, and the base 5 with a funnel-shaped widening outlet 7 for a material passing through the rotary valve, which is transported in a lock chamber 8 by the blades of a rotary valve rotating about an axis 9. The cover 4 and the base 5 can also be made largely identically from sheet metal.

[0021] In order to be able to replace the sealing lips on the vanes of a cellular wheel in a simple manner, for example, the two side walls 10, 11 are detachable from the outside, indicated by screws 12, fixed to the cover 4 and the base 5 and to the mutually facing inner sides of the front wall 2 and the rear wall 3 and are thus easily removable for maintenance of the cellular wheel.

[0022] Such side parts 10, 11 can be formed in one piece by a molded part, for example in the form of a casting made of steel or aluminum.

[0023] Based on the Fig. 5 to 8, a preferred embodiment of the Fig. 1 side wall 11 shown on the right, which can be manufactured cost-effectively from individual sheets.

[0024] The side part 11 has a cylindrically bent sheet metal section 14, which forms a wall of the lock chamber 8, compare Fig. 1. Flanges 15, 16 are attached to the front face of the sheet metal section 14, pointing radially outward. Equipped with holes 17, 18, these two flanges 15, 16 can be secured, and screwed, to the facing inner sides of the rear wall 3 and the front wall 2. The flanges 15, 16 of the rear wall 3 and the front wall 2 do not protrude, but rather terminate at their respective rising, vertical edges 19, 20 and are covered by the cover 4 and the base 5, respectively.

[0025] Sheet metal strips 24, 25 are also connected to the axially extending edges 22, 23 of the sheet metal section 14, for example welded or angled.

[0026] On the outer edge side, opposite the edges 22,23, the sheet metal strips 24,25 are provided with openings 26,27, here for fixing by means of screws.

[0027] For a cover-side or bottom-side connection of the sheet metal strips 24,25, the inlet 6 and the outlet 7 have funnel-like arranged guide plates 29 to 32, compare Fig. 9 to 12. These guide vanes 29 to 30 are arranged at substantially square openings 33, 34, extending axially with respect to the cellular wheel (not shown). The guide vanes 29, 30 of the inlet 6, in a view according to Fig. 10, which are U-shaped, are fixed, e.g., welded, to the outer edges of the free legs 35, 36 on the inner sides of the front wall 2 and the rear wall 3, respectively. Furthermore, the inner, opposite edges of the free legs 35, 36 of the guide plate 29 are connected to those of the opposite guide plate 30 by two transverse plates 37, 38 that accommodate the curvature of the lock chamber 8, and are thus stiffened.

[0028] For securing the sheet metal strips 24, 25, the guide plates 29, 31 and 30, 32 also have holes 39, 40, for example threaded blind holes, so that the material flow through the rotary valve is not disturbed by protruding screws or the like, neither in the inlet 6 nor in the outlet 7.

[0029] In order to stiffen the side parts 10,11, reinforcement plates 42 can be provided, compare Fig.4. The stiffening plate 42 has a cutout in the shape of a circular section, through which the curve of the side part 10 is supported and stiffened. The support surface can be further enlarged by a doubled section 43. Bevels 44, 45 of the reinforcing plate 42 further support the sheet metal strips 24, 25 and the guide plates 29, 31. Large-area bends or welded flanges 46, 47 serve for releasable attachment to the cover 4 or base 5 if the reinforcement plate 42 is to be firmly connected to the side part 10.

[0030] The base 5 further comprises, with respect to the cellular wheel, axially projecting supports 48, 49 which can be used to fix the cellular wheel lock according to the invention on the base side and on which the bearing plates (not shown) for the cellular wheel lock can also be supported.

Claims

[1] A rotary valve with a rotary valve rotating in a lock chamber of a housing, in which the housing is provided with a front wall and a rear wall which are connected by a cover having an inlet and a base having an outlet, wherein the cover (4) and the base (5) as well as the front wall (2) and the rear wall (3) are connected by at least one side part (10, 11) which can be operatively removed from the outside, and a wall of the lock chamber (8) is formed by the side part (10, 11), characterized by that the side parts (11, 12) are of identical design, that each side part (11, 12) forms the wall of the lock chamber (8) by means of a cylindrically bent sheet metal section (14), that each side part (10, 11) is provided with sheet metal strips (24, 25) attached to the axially extending edges (22, 23) of the sheet metal sections (14), and that the sheet metal strips (24, 25) form a funnel-like inlet (6) and / or outlet (7). [2] Rotary valve according to claim 1, characterized by that the side part is formed by a molded part. [3] Rotary valve according to claim 1, characterized by that flanges (15, 16) pointing radially outwards are attached to the front side of the sheet metal section (14) for fixing to the inside of the front wall (2) and the rear wall (3). [4] Rotary valve according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by that the inlet (6) and / or the outlet (7) has funnel-like guide plates (29,30;31,32) extending parallel to the axis (9) of the cellular wheel for fixing the sheet metal strips (24,25) from the outside. [5] Rotary valve according to claim 4, characterized by that the guide plates (29-32) each have blind holes (39,40) provided with a thread. [6] Rotary valve according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized bythat at least one stiffening plate (42) is fixed to the cover (4) and to the base (5) of the housing (1) following the shape of the sheet metal section.

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