Feed mixer wagon containers and feed mixer wagons

Abstract

Feed mixer wagon container for receiving and mixing feedstuffs, with a bottom (2) and a circumferential wall (4) extending upwards from the bottom (2), characterized in that the circumferential wall (4) has circumferential wall sections (10, 11) arranged at different heights with different wear resistances, wherein the circumferential wall sections (10, 11) comprise a lower circumferential wall section (10) near the bottom and an upper circumferential wall section (11) which is attached to the lower circumferential wall section (10), wherein the lower circumferential wall section (10) has a higher wear resistance than the upper circumferential wall section (11).

Description

The invention relates to a feed mixer wagon container according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a feed mixer wagon with such a feed mixer wagon container. Feed mixers are used in the usual way to mix feedstuffs such as grass silage, corn silage, hay, concentrates, etc., transport them to the feeding area, and dispense them there. For this purpose, feed mixers have a mixing tank with a base and a perimeter wall that extends upwards from the base in a predominantly vertical or sloping direction. Mixing is carried out by means of one or more vertical mixing augers, which are arranged inside the mixing tank, usually with a vertical axis of rotation. The vertical mixing augers typically have a conical outer contour, meaning the auger diameter is larger near the bottom than at the top. The outer wall of the feed mixer wagon hopper in known feed mixer wagons consists of a solid sheet of structural steel (basic steel). Structural steel refers to unalloyed or only low-alloy steel. Furthermore, mixing chambers are known from EP 2 022 324 A2 which are coated on their inside with a wear-resistant polymer-based material. However, it has been shown that feed mixers of this type are subject to considerable wear, particularly in the lower section of the outer wall, due to the high friction of the feed against the wall. This wear is further exacerbated by the fact that some feeds, such as silage, are highly acidic and therefore aggressive towards steel. This can lead to a significant reduction in the wall thickness of the feed mixer, especially in its lower section, over time, necessitating replacement of the feed mixer after a certain period of use or even the premature purchase of a completely new feed mixer, which is associated with high costs. The invention is therefore based on the objective of creating a feed mixer wagon container of the type mentioned above, which has an extended service life in the simplest and most cost-effective way possible. Furthermore, a feed mixer wagon with such a feed mixer wagon container is to be created. This problem is solved according to the invention by a feed mixer wagon container with the features of claim 1 and a feed mixer wagon according to claim 9. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the further claims. In the feed mixer wagon tank according to the invention, the circumferential wall has circumferential wall sections arranged at different heights with different wear resistances. These circumferential wall sections comprise a lower circumferential wall section near the bottom and an upper circumferential wall section which is attached to the lower circumferential wall section, wherein the lower circumferential wall section has a higher wear resistance than the upper circumferential wall section. The circumferential wall of the feed mixer wagon tank according to the invention is therefore made of different materials. The lower area of ​​the circumferential wall, which is subject to increased wear during the mixing of the feed, is made of a different, more wear-resistant material than the upper area, which experiences lower frictional forces from the feed during mixing. This allows for a simple reduction in the wear of the feed mixer wagon tank in the lower area. Since only part, but not the entire feed mixer wagon tank, is made of the more wear-resistant and usually more expensive material, the additional manufacturing costs are lower than if the entire tank or the entire outer wall were made of this material. The more wear-resistant material also allows for a reduction in the wall thickness of the outer wall in the lower section, thus saving weight. According to an advantageous embodiment, the lower circumferential wall section extends from the floor to a height that is 10%–50%, preferably 20%–30%, of the total height of the circumferential wall. This creates an optimal cost / benefit ratio, at least for most feed mixer wagon tanks. Preferably, the height of the lower circumferential wall section is constant along the circumference of the feed mixer wagon hopper. However, it is also possible to vary the height of the lower circumferential wall section along the circumference depending on the frictional forces occurring locally during mixing. For example, it is possible to design the two lateral circumferential wall sections, which are generally steeper than the front and rear circumferential wall sections and therefore have a smaller distance to the mixing auger in their middle and upper regions than the middle and upper regions of the front and rear circumferential wall sections, such that the more wear-resistant lower circumferential wall section extends further upwards in the region of the lateral circumferential wall sections than in the region of the front and rear circumferential wall sections. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the lower circumferential wall section is made of stainless steel, preferably a steel with a chromium content of more than 5%, and more preferably a chromium-nickel steel. Stainless steels of this type exhibit higher wear resistance (abrasion resistance), corrosion resistance, and acid resistance than basic steels, i.e., unalloyed or low-alloy steels. Preferably, stainless steels are selected that also ensure good weldability. Alternatively, the wear resistance of the lower circumferential wall section can also be ensured by selecting different materials, for example, steels that have undergone a special heat treatment. It is also possible to use steel sheets for the lower circumferential wall section that exhibit higher wear resistance on their surface than in their core. Preferably, the lower circumferential wall section consists of a chromium-nickel steel with a chromium content of at least 8%, particularly preferably 10.5% to 12.5%, and a nickel content of at least 0.2%, particularly preferably 0.3% to 1%. All percentages refer to mass percent. Such a steel exhibits particularly favorable properties with regard to corrosion resistance, wear resistance, acid resistance, and weldability. The upper perimeter wall section is preferably made of structural steel. However, it is also conceivable to manufacture the upper perimeter wall section from other materials, for example, plastic, in particular glass fiber or carbon fiber reinforced plastic materials. The upper section of the perimeter wall can have a wall thickness that is equal to, less than, or greater than the wall thickness of the lower section. By adjusting the wall thickness accordingly, a reduction in the weight of the feed mixer wagon hopper can be achieved. Preferably, the upper circumferential wall section is butt-jointed onto the lower circumferential wall section and welded to it. To avoid friction-increasing steps on the inside of the circumferential wall, it is advantageous if the lower and upper circumferential wall sections transition into each other as smoothly, continuously, and seamlessly as possible, at least on the inside of the feed mixer wagon hopper. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. They show: Fig. 1: a three-dimensional view of the feed mixer wagon container according to the invention, obliquely from above; Fig. 2: a side view of the feed mixer wagon container; and Fig. 3: a top view of the feed mixer wagon container. Figures 1, 2 to 3 show a feed mixer wagon hopper 1. The feed mixer wagon hopper 1 is part of an agricultural feed mixer wagon and is usually mounted on a chassis (not shown). The feed mixer wagon hopper 1 comprises a base 2, which in the illustrated embodiment consists of a circular steel base plate arranged in a horizontal plane. The base 2 has a central opening 3 (Fig. 3), which, in a known manner, serves to guide a vertically arranged screw shaft of a vertical mixing screw (not shown) through it. The vertical mixing screw is typically mounted in the area of ​​the base 2 and is driven by a drive located below the base 2. The feed mixer wagon 1 further comprises a circumferential wall 4. The lower edge of the circumferential wall 4 follows the outer edge of the base 2 and is welded to it there. From the base 2, the circumferential wall 4 extends upwards, so that the feed mixer wagon 1 is trough-shaped. The circumferential wall 4 has lateral circumferential wall sections 5, which transition into an arc-shaped front circumferential wall section 6 and a rear circumferential wall section 7. In the illustrated embodiment, the lateral circumferential wall sections 5 extend vertically upwards from the base 2. The front and rear circumferential wall sections 6, 7 extend obliquely upwards from the base 2 such that the circumferential wall 4, in its upper edge region 8, defines a filling opening which is larger at the front and rear than the base area of ​​the base 2. The radii of the circumferential wall 4 are expediently produced by bending and / or welding sheet steel elements. Corresponding edge profiles 9 are shown in Figures 1, 2 to 3. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to form the radii of the circumferential wall 4 continuously, i.e., without bending. The perimeter wall 4 has a lower, ground-level perimeter wall section 10, which is welded to the ground 2 along its outer edge, and an upper perimeter wall section 11, which extends from the lower perimeter wall section 10 to the upper edge 8 of the perimeter wall 4. The lower circumferential wall section 10 extends from the base 2 to a height h1 (Fig. 2), which in the illustrated embodiment is approximately 23%–24% of the total height H of the circumferential wall 4. Other heights h1 are readily possible. In the illustrated embodiment, the height h1 is constant along the circumference of the circumferential wall 4, but it can also vary along the circumference. The upper edge of the lower circumferential wall section 10 is designated by reference numeral 12. The lower circumferential wall section 10 consists of a material that has a higher wear resistance than the upper circumferential wall section 11. Advantageously, the lower circumferential wall section 10 consists of stainless steel, in particular a high-alloy steel with a chromium content of 10.5% - 12.5% ​​and a nickel content of 0.3% - 1% (mass percent). The upper circumferential wall section 11 is butt-jointed with its lower edge 13 onto the upper edge 12 of the lower circumferential wall section 12 and is expediently welded to it in such a way that a smooth, continuous transition exists between the lower and upper circumferential wall sections 10, 11. The edge profiles 9 of the upper and lower circumferential wall sections 10, 11 are expediently aligned. The upper circumferential wall section 11 is subject to less wear during the mixing of the feed than the lower circumferential wall section 10. It is therefore sufficient to use a more cost-effective material with lower wear resistance for the upper circumferential wall section 11, in particular a steel sheet made of an unalloyed or low-alloy basic steel (structural steel).

Claims

Feed mixer wagon container for receiving and mixing feedstuffs, with a bottom (2) and a circumferential wall (4) extending upwards from the bottom (2), characterized in that the circumferential wall (4) has circumferential wall sections (10, 11) arranged at different heights with different wear resistances, wherein the circumferential wall sections (10, 11) comprise a lower circumferential wall section (10) near the bottom and an upper circumferential wall section (11) which is attached to the lower circumferential wall section (10), wherein the lower circumferential wall section (10) has a higher wear resistance than the upper circumferential wall section (11). Feed mixer wagon container according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower circumferential wall section (10) extends from the bottom (2) to a height (h1) which is 10% - 50% of the total height (H) of the circumferential wall (4). Feed mixer wagon container according to claim 2, characterized in that the height (h1) of the lower circumferential wall section (10) is constant over the entire circumference of the feed mixer wagon container (1). Feed mixer wagon container according to claim 2, characterized in that the height (h1) of the lower circumferential wall section (10) varies along the circumference of the feed mixer wagon container (1). Feed mixer wagon container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower circumferential wall section (10) is made of a chromium-nickel steel. Feed mixer wagon container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower circumferential wall section (10) consists of a chromium-nickel steel with a chromium content of at least 8% and a nickel content of at least 0.2%. Feed mixer wagon container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper circumferential wall section (11) consists of base steel or a plastic material. Feed mixer wagon container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper circumferential wall section (11) is butt-jointed onto the lower circumferential wall section (10) and welded to it. Feed mixer wagon with a feed mixer wagon container (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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