trough chain conveyor

Abstract

Trough chain conveyor with at least one trough housing forming a conveying channel, which has a base plate and two edge plates laterally bounding the base plate, wherein the edge plates have flat-lying bends on the base plate whose bending lines face each other, characterized in that the trough housing (2) has at least one profile seal (10, 10', 14, 14', 18) arranged between the base plate (3) and the edge plates (4, 5), and that the profile seal (10, 10', 14, 14', 18) has at least one extended profile section (11, 11', 15, 15', 19) with which the spaces formed between the bending lines (8, 9) of the edge plates (4, 5) and the base plate (3) are filled.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a trough chain conveyor with at least one trough housing forming a conveyor channel, which has a base plate and two edge plates laterally delimiting the base plate, wherein the edge plates have flat, upstanding folds on the base plate, the bending lines of which face each other.

[0002] Trough chain conveyors are conveyor systems suitable for bulk material transport. Their conveyor channel is traversed by an endless chain with flights that carry the bulk material. Particularly in the food industry, modern trough chain conveyors are increasingly required to be able to convey different bulk materials alternately with as little entrainment as possible. Preventing the entrainment of individual bulk material particles from one bulk material into another is particularly important to prevent, for example, hypersensitivity reactions caused by certain substances in the entrained bulk material particles.

[0003] The invention is therefore based on the object of demonstrating a trough chain conveyor of the type mentioned at the outset, with which the risk of individual particles of one bulk material being carried into another bulk material is considerably reduced.

[0004] This object is achieved according to the invention by a trough chain conveyor having the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

[0005] The trough chain conveyor according to the invention is characterized in that the trough housing has at least one profile seal arranged between the base plate and the edge plates, and in that the profile seal has at least one extended profile section with which the gaps formed between the bending lines of the edge plates and the base plate are filled. The gaps formed between the edge plates on the one hand and the base plate on the other hand are at least those areas in which the edge plates lack material in the area of ​​their bending lines to form a sharp 90° corner. If the profile seal is now arranged between the base plate and the edge plates in such a way that these gaps are filled by the extended profile section of the profile seal, there is a significantly reduced risk of individual bulk material particles becoming trapped in the joining area between the base plate and the edge plates.Thus, when conveying different bulk materials alternately, the risk of individual particles of one bulk material being carried into another bulk material is significantly reduced.

[0006] According to a first development of the invention, the extended profile section of the profile seal is delimited by at least one contact surface that rests positively on the bending line of at least one of the edge sheets, as well as by a guide surface that rests on the conveying channel of the trough housing. The extended profile section thus has at least the shape of a rectangle reduced by a quarter circle, wherein the circle radius is equal to the smaller side length of the square, and the circular arc is the contact surface depicted in the profile view. The guide surface delimiting the conveying cross-section is the longest straight line depicted in this profile view, while the straight line opposite this straight line on the extended profile section is merely the imaginary boundary of the extended profile section from the rest of the profile seal.In this geometric design, a conveying channel with a rectangular conveying cross-section is formed, in which the guide surface is part of the surface structures that laterally limit the conveying cross-section.

[0007] According to a further development of the invention, it is proposed that the guide surface be concavely curved and that the base plate and one of the edge sheets be connected to one another in a 90° arc via the guide surface. The expanded profile section therefore preferably has a geometry in which the previously described shape is expanded with a square reduced by a larger quarter circle, wherein the circular radius of this larger quarter circle is equal to the radius of the smaller quarter circle plus the thickness of the profile seal in the non-expanded part. With this geometric configuration, a conveyor channel is formed whose conveyor cross-section is only approximately rectangular because its two inner corners located on the base plate are rounded. With such roundings, the adhesion or jamming of individual particles of a bulk material is almost impossible.Thus, when conveying different bulk materials alternately, the risk of individual particles of one bulk material being carried into another bulk material is further reduced.

[0008] According to another development of the invention, the extended profile section of the profile seal is delimited by two contact surfaces that form-fit along the bending lines of the two edged sheets, and by only a single guide surface that bears against the conveyor channel of the trough housing. The profile seal thus has a preferably mirror-symmetrical geometry, in which two profile seals, in one of the previously described embodiments, are integrally connected to one another via a type of bridge layer such that the guide surface that delimits the extended profile section on the upper side is preferably aligned parallel to the base plate and that the base plate is completely covered by the extended profile section. Consequently, in this third embodiment, bulk material conveyed in the conveyor channel no longer comes into direct contact with the base plate.With such a design, a particularly robust profile seal is created, since it does not require the formation of acute-angled and thus vulnerable sealing lips, but only requires the formation of right-angled body edges.

[0009] For an advantageously cost-effective production of the trough chain conveyor according to the invention, it is proposed that the profile seal is made of at least one plastic, in particular an abrasion-resistant and food-safe plastic.

[0010] An embodiment of the invention, from which further inventive features emerge, is illustrated in the drawing. They show: Fig. 1: a profile section through the conveyor channel of a trough chain conveyor according to the invention in a first embodiment; Fig. 2: a profile section through the conveyor channel of the trough chain conveyor in a second embodiment; and Fig. 3: a profile section through the conveyor channel of the trough chain conveyor in a third embodiment.

[0011] The Fig. 1 shows a profile section through the conveyor channel 1 of a trough chain conveyor according to the invention in a first exemplary embodiment, in which a trough housing 2 forming the conveyor channel 1 has a base plate 3 and two edge plates 4, 5 laterally delimiting the base plate 3, wherein the edge plates 4, 5 have flat, upstanding folds 6, 7 on the base plate 3, the bending lines 8, 9 of which face one another. According to the invention, the trough housing 2 has a profile seal 10, 10' arranged between the base plate 3 and the edge plates 4, 5. This profile seal 10, 10' has an extended profile section 11, 11', with which the spaces formed between the bending lines 8, 9 of the edge plates 4, 5 on the one hand and the base plate 3 on the other hand are filled.The extended profile section 11, 11' of the profile seal 10, 10' is defined by a contact surface 12, 12' that positively engages the bending lines 8, 9 of the edge plates 4, 5, as well as by a guide surface 13, 13' that engages the conveying channel 1 of the trough housing 2. The guide surface 13, 13' is flat and is positioned at a right angle to the base plate 3.

[0012] The Fig. 2 shows a profile section through the conveyor channel 1 of a trough chain conveyor according to the invention in a second exemplary embodiment, in which the trough housing 2 has a profile seal 14, 14' arranged between the base plate 3 and the edge plates 4, 5. This profile seal 14, 14' also has an extended profile section 15, 15', with which the spaces formed between the bending lines 8, 9 of the edge plates 4, 5 on the one hand and the base plate 3 on the other hand are filled. The extended profile section 15, 15' of the profile seal 14, 14' is delimited by a contact surface 16, 16' that bears positively against the bending lines 8, 9 of the edge plates 4, 5 and by a guide surface 17, 17' that bears against the conveyor channel 1 of the trough housing 2. The guide surface 17, 17' is concavely curved, with the base plate 3 and each of the edge plates 4, 5 being connected to one another in a 90° arc via the guide surface 17 or 17'.Identical components are provided with the same reference numbers.

[0013] The Fig.3 shows a profile section through the conveyor channel 1 of a trough chain conveyor according to the invention in a third exemplary embodiment, in which the trough housing 2 has a profile seal 18 arranged between the base plate 3 and the edge plates 4, 5. This profile seal 18 has an extended profile section 19, with which the spaces formed between the bending lines 8, 9 of the edge plates 4, 5, on the one hand, and the base plate 3, on the other hand, are filled. The extended profile section 19 of the profile seal 18 is delimited by two contact surfaces 20, 21 that form a positive fit against the bending lines 8, 9 of the edge plates 4, 5, and by a single guide surface 22 that bears against the conveyor channel 1 of the trough housing 2.The profile seal 18 thus has a mirror-symmetrical geometry, in which the guide surface 22 bordering the extended profile section 19 on the upper side is aligned parallel to the base plate 3, and in which the base plate 3 is completely covered by this extended profile section 19. Identical components are provided with the same reference numbers.

Claims

[1] Trough chain conveyor with at least one trough housing forming a conveyor channel, which has a base plate and two edge plates laterally delimiting the base plate, wherein the edge plates have flat, upstanding folds on the base plate, the bending lines of which face each other, characterized by that the trough housing (2) has at least one profile seal (10, 10', 14, 14', 18) arranged between the base plate (3) and the edge plates (4, 5), and that the profile seal (10, 10', 14, 14', 18) has at least one enlarged profile section (11, 11', 15, 15', 19) with which the spaces formed between the bending lines (8, 9) of the edge plates (4, 5) and the base plate (3) are filled. [2] Trough chain conveyor according to claim 1, characterized bythat the extended profile section (11, 11', 15, 15', 19) of the profile seal (10, 10', 14, 14', 18) is delimited by at least one contact surface (12, 12', 16, 16', 20, 21) which bears positively against the bending line of at least one of the edge sheets (4, 5) and by a guide surface (13, 13', 17, 17', 22) which bears against the conveying channel of the trough housing (2). [3] Trough chain conveyor according to claim 2, characterized by that the guide surface (13, 13', 22) is flat and that it is aligned at right angles to the base plate (3). [4] Trough chain conveyor according to claim 2, characterized by that the guide surface (17, 17') is concavely curved and that the base plate (3) and at least one of the edge plates (4, 5) are connected to one another in a 90° arc via the guide surface (17, 17'). [5] Trough chain conveyor according to claim 1, characterized bythat the extended profile section (19) of the profile seal (18) is limited by two contact surfaces (20, 21) which are in positive contact with the bending lines (8, 9) of the two edge plates (4, 5) and by only a single guide surface (22) which is in contact with the conveying channel (1) of the trough housing (2). [6] Trough chain conveyor according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the profile seal (10, 10', 14, 14', 18) is made of at least one plastic.

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