Device for comminuting pellets, in particular straw pellets, and use of such a device for comminuting pellets, in particular straw pellets

Abstract

Device (10) for comminuting pellets, in particular straw pellets, with the following features: • a comminution housing (14), • a shaft (22) with a shaft longitudinal axis (23), • at least one comminution disc (24) with a comminution section (26), and • a comminution block (28) fixedly arranged in the comminution housing (14) with at least one recess (30), wherein • the at least one comminution disc (24) is arranged on the shaft (22) in a rotationally fixed manner, and • the shaft (22) is mounted in the comminution housing (14) so ​​as to be rotatable about the shaft longitudinal axis (23) such that by means of a rotation of the shaft (22) about the shaft longitudinal axis (23), the comminution section (26) of the at least one comminution disc (24) can be moved through the at least one recess (30) of the comminution block (28), and use of such a device (10) for crushing pellets, in particular straw pellets.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for comminuting pellets, in particular straw pellets, and to the use of such a device for comminuting pellets, in particular straw pellets.

[0002] Straw compressed into pellets is often used as bedding for livestock. Such straw pellets have the advantage of being easy to handle as bulk material. This allows them to be transported and stored in silos, for example. However, compared to loose straw, straw pellets have lower absorbency, which is particularly disadvantageous when used as bedding. To improve the absorbency of the bedding, the straw pellets are often shredded after being removed from the storage container.

[0003] In order to effectively crush larger quantities of pellets, especially straw pellets, motorized grain crushers are sometimes used, which are actually intended for processing grain for feed preparation. Common grain crushers for livestock production typically have two counter-rotating rollers between which the individual grains are crushed.

[0004] When used to crush pellets, especially straw pellets, the known grain crushers are subject to significantly higher mechanical stress than when crushing grain as intended, which leads to premature failure of such devices.

[0005] The object of the invention is to provide a device with which straw pellets can be effectively shredded, which has a long service life and can be manufactured cost-effectively.

[0006] The object is achieved according to the invention by a device having the features of patent claim 1.

[0007] Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0008] A device according to the invention for comminuting pellets, in particular straw pellets, comprises a comminution housing, a shaft with a longitudinal shaft axis, at least one comminution disc with a comminution section, and a comminution block fixedly arranged in the comminution housing and having at least one recess. The at least one comminution disc is arranged on the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, and the shaft is mounted in the comminution housing so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal shaft axis in such a way that, by rotating the shaft about the longitudinal shaft axis, the comminution section of the at least one comminution disc can be moved through the at least one recess of the comminution block. In this way, the pellets, in particular straw pellets, can be comminuted between the at least one comminution disc rotating about the longitudinal shaft axis and the stationary comminution block.Preferably, the pellets, in particular straw pellets, are sheared between the at least one comminution disc and the comminution block. Thus, with a relatively small load on the device, in particular on the at least one comminution disc and the comminution block, a force can be exerted that effectively commins the pellets, in particular straw pellets.

[0009] The at least one comminution disk is preferably also arranged in the comminution housing. The at least one comminution disk can have comminution disk bores arranged between the comminution section and the shaft. This allows the mass of the at least one comminution disk to be reduced. The shaft is preferably mounted in a wall of the comminution housing by means of a shaft bearing. To axially secure the shaft bearing, in particular bearings encompassed by the shaft bearing, the device can have bearing covers arranged on the wall. The bearing covers are preferably arranged on an outer side of the wall. At least one of the bearing covers can have a bore for the shaft to pass through. The shaft is preferably designed to be drivable.Preferably, outside the shredding housing, the shaft may have a drive section suitable for transmitting a drive torque to the shaft. The drive section may, for example, have a keyway. The device may have a motor for providing the drive torque. The drive torque may, for example, be transmittable to the drive section of the shaft by means of a belt.

[0010] The comminution block is preferably arranged so firmly in the comminution housing that any relative movement of the comminution block relative to the comminution housing is precluded. The comminution block is preferably arranged so that it can be removed without causing damage, for example, by means of one or more screw connections. The comminution block can be designed as a flat component with a top side and a bottom side.

[0011] The at least one comminution disc preferably has a cylindrical base body with a central disc bore, by means of which the at least one comminution disc can be arranged on the shaft. The rotationally fixed arrangement of the at least one comminution disc relative to the shaft can be realized, for example, by means of an internal hexagon profile of the disc bore. The shaft can have an external hexagon profile. The comminution section can be formed by a radially outer section of the at least one comminution disc. The comminution section can have a disc-side comminution surface intended to come into direct contact with the pellets, in particular straw pellets, for comminution of the pellets, in particular straw pellets. The at least one recess of the comminution block can have a block-side comminution surface.The disc-side and / or block-side comminution surface can in particular have one or more cutting edges.

[0012] Unless otherwise stated, the terms "radial" and "axial" here and below refer to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

[0013] The comminution section can have at least one radially and / or axially projecting tooth. Preferably, the at least one tooth is designed to project in such a way that it projects axially and / or radially beyond the cylindrical base body of the at least one comminution disk. The at least one projecting tooth makes the comminution of the pellets, in particular straw pellets, particularly effective. Preferably, the at least one disk-side comminution effective surface is arranged on the at least one tooth. If the at least one tooth is designed to project radially, it is preferably designed to project radially outwards. In this case, it preferably has a larger radius relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft than sections of the at least one comminution disk adjacent to the at least one tooth along a circumference of the at least one comminution disk.

[0014] Preferably, the at least one tooth is inclined in a circumferential direction of the at least one comminution disk. The term "circumferential direction" preferably refers to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. As a result, the pellets, in particular straw pellets, can be effectively fixed between the at least one comminution disk, in particular the comminution section, and the comminution block immediately before the comminution process, whereby the comminution process can be made more effective overall. Preferably, the at least one tooth is inclined in a direction of rotation of the shaft. In particular, if the at least one tooth is designed to project radially, it can be inclined relative to a radial direction of the comminution disk.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the comminution section has a plurality of radially and / or axially projecting teeth. Preferably, each of the teeth corresponds to the at least one tooth described above. Particularly preferably, the teeth are evenly distributed along the circumference of the at least one comminution disk.

[0016] Each of the at least one comminution disks can be arranged axially adjacent to a spacer disk arranged on the shaft. The spacer disk can be arranged on the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, for example by means of a hexagon socket. By means of the spacer disk, the device can be easily adjusted such that the at least one comminution disk is arranged such that the comminution section is arranged radially opposite the at least one recess of the comminution block. The comminution section can thus have a position along the longitudinal axis of the shaft corresponding to the at least one recess, so that by rotating the shaft about the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the comminution section can be moved through the at least one recess.To axially secure the at least one comminution disc and / or the spacer disc on the shaft, a locking disc with a locking disc diameter and / or a shaft nut with a locking plate can be arranged on the shaft. The locking disc diameter is preferably smaller than a comminution disc diameter of the at least one comminution disc and / or an outer diameter of the spacer disc.

[0017] The shredding block can have at least one shredding block projection delimiting the at least one recess, wherein at least one of the at least one shredding block projections is arranged radially opposite the spacer disc. The shredding block projection can thus have a position along the longitudinal axis of the shaft corresponding to the spacer disc. This prevents unshredded pellets, in particular straw pellets, from falling through the device.

[0018] The spacer disc can have a ring body on which at least one radially outwardly projecting spacer disc projection is arranged. This can prevent pellets, in particular straw pellets, from becoming stuck between the spacer disc and the at least one shredding block projection. A plurality of spacer disc projections can be arranged on the ring body, wherein each of the spacer disc projections is preferably designed correspondingly to the at least one spacer disc projection. Particularly preferably, the spacer disc projections are arranged uniformly distributed along a circumference of the spacer disc.

[0019] The spacer disc can have a hub body arranged radially inside the rim body and spaced apart from the rim body. The rim body and the hub body can be connected to each other by means of several spokes. Preferably, the spacer disc is arranged on the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner by means of the hub body. The hub body can have the hexagon socket profile of the spacer disc.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a plurality of comminution disks are arranged on the shaft. Preferably, each of the comminution disks corresponds to the at least one comminution disk. Each of the comminution disks can be arranged rotationally offset relative to the axially following comminution disk with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. Thus, comminution disks arranged successively along the longitudinal axis of the shaft can be moved alternately through the corresponding recess of the at least one recess.

[0021] According to a further development of the invention, a plurality of spacer discs are arranged on the shaft, wherein the spacer discs and the at least one shredding disc are arranged alternately along the shaft's longitudinal axis. Thus, one of the spacer discs can be arranged between each of the at least one shredding discs that are axially adjacent. This allows the most effective shredding of the pellets, in particular straw pellets, to be achieved with each of the at least one shredding disc.

[0022] Preferably, the device is designed such that the at least one recess corresponds in number and / or arrangement along the shaft's longitudinal axis to the at least one comminution disk. Thus, preferably, exactly one of the at least one comminution disks can be moved through each of the at least one recess.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an upper side of the comminution block is inclined toward the shaft such that an angle of inclination of between 0° and 90°, preferably 25° to 80°, and particularly preferably 60° to 70°, is arranged between the upper side and a vertical line passing through the shaft. The pellets, in particular straw pellets, located in the comminution housing can thus slide over the upper side of the comminution block toward the at least one comminution disk. This allows for simple and automatic feeding of the pellets, in particular straw pellets, located in the comminution housing to the at least one comminution disk.

[0024] The comminution housing is preferably open at the top and / or bottom. This allows the pellets to be comminuted, in particular straw pellets, to be easily introduced into the comminution housing from above, particularly with the aid of gravity, and / or the comminuted pellets, in particular straw pellets, to be easily discharged downwards from the comminution housing. A hopper can be arranged at an upper end of the comminution housing to aid in the introduction of the pellets to be comminuted, in particular straw pellets. The device can comprise a frame on which the comminution housing and / or the motor are arranged.

[0025] Unless otherwise stated, the terms used in the description of the present invention, such as top, bottom, horizontal and vertical, are preferably to be understood in the context of the direction of gravity during the intended use of the device.

[0026] In a further development of the invention, a retaining element is arranged between a shredding housing wall of the shredding housing opposite the shredding block and the at least one shredding disc. This allows parts of the pellets adhering to the at least one shredding disc after the shredding process, in particular straw pellets, and / or dust generated during shredding to be retained. Starting from the shredding block, the retaining element is preferably arranged beyond the vertical line running through the longitudinal shaft axis. The shredding housing wall is preferably arranged parallel to the longitudinal shaft axis. The retaining element can have at least one retaining recess, which preferably corresponds in arrangement along the longitudinal shaft axis and / or number to the at least one shredding disc.The retaining element may have at least one retaining projection, which preferably corresponds in arrangement along the shaft longitudinal axis and / or number to the spacer disc or the spacer discs.

[0027] According to the invention, the device described above is used for crushing pellets, in particular straw pellets.

[0028] An embodiment of the invention is explained with reference to the following figures. It shows: Figure 1a perspective view of an embodiment of a device for crushing pellets, in particular straw pellets,, Figure 2aa perspective view of a crushing housing of the in Fig. 1 shown embodiment, Figure 2b top view of the Fig. 2a shown crushing housing with drawn section plane AA, Figure 2c, which in Fig. 2b drawn sectional view AA of the Fig. 2a shown crushing housing, Figure 3 a top view of a shaft with crushing discs, spacer discs and locking disc of the Fig. 1 shown embodiment, Figure 4a a perspective view of one of the Fig. 3 shown crushing discs, Figure 4b side view of the Fig. 4a shown crushing disc, Figure 5a a perspective view of one of the Fig. 3 shown spacers, Figure 5b side view of the Fig. 5a shown spacer disc, Figure 6a a perspective view of the Fig. 3 shown locking washer, Figure 6b side view of the Fig. 6a shown lock washer.

[0029] The Figuren 1 bis 6b show various views of an embodiment. For clarity, not all reference numerals are used in every figure.

[0030] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a device 10 for shredding pellets, in particular straw pellets, with a frame 12, wherein a shredding housing 14 and a motor 16 are arranged on the frame 12. A hopper 20 can be arranged at an upper end 18 of the shredding housing 14 as an introduction aid for the pellets to be shredded, in particular straw pellets.

[0031] Fig. 2a shows a perspective view of the shredding housing 14. As the view of the upper end 18 of the shredding housing 14 in Fig. 2a shows, the comminution housing 14 is particularly open at the top. The sectional view in Fig. 2c also shows that the comminution housing 14 is also open at the bottom. As can be seen in particular from Fig. 2b As can be seen, a shaft 22 with a longitudinal shaft axis 23 is arranged in the comminution housing 14. Several comminution discs 24 are arranged on the shaft 22 in a rotationally fixed manner.

[0032] Each of the comminution discs has a radially outer section which is designed as a comminution section 26 (see also Fig. 4b ). Furthermore, the device 10 comprises a comminution block 28 with a plurality of recesses 30. The comminution block 28 is fixedly arranged in the comminution housing 14 by means of a plurality of screw connections 29.

[0033] The shaft 22 is mounted in the comminution housing 14 so as to be rotatable about the shaft's longitudinal axis 23 such that, by rotating the shaft 22 about the shaft's longitudinal axis 23, the comminution sections 26 of the comminution discs 24 can each be moved through one of the recesses 30 of the comminution block 28. In this way, the pellets, in particular straw pellets, can be comminuted between the comminution discs rotating about the shaft's longitudinal axis 23 and the stationary comminution block 28, in particular by being sheared off between the comminution discs 24 and the comminution block 28.

[0034] How Fig. 2b , especially in conjunction with Fig. 3 As shown, a plurality of spacer discs 32 are arranged on the shaft 22. The spacer discs 32 and the comminution discs 24 are arranged alternately along the shaft longitudinal axis 23. One of the spacer discs 32 is arranged between each two axially successive comminution discs 24. Each of the comminution discs 24 is arranged adjacent to one of the spacer discs 32. By means of the spacer discs 32, the device 10 can be easily adjusted such that the comminution discs 24 are arranged such that the respective comminution section 26 is arranged radially opposite one of the recesses 30 of the comminution block 28.The comminution section 26 of each of the comminution discs 24 can thus have a position along the shaft longitudinal axis 23 which corresponds to the position of one of the recesses 30, so that by means of a rotation of the shaft 22 about the shaft longitudinal axis 23 each comminution section 26 can be moved through one of the recesses 30.

[0035] How Fig. 2a 2 and 2b, in the illustrated embodiment, the shaft 22 is mounted by means of a shaft bearing in a wall 34 of the comminution housing 14. For axially securing the shaft bearing, in particular the bearings encompassed by the shaft bearing, the device 10 has bearing covers 36 arranged on the wall 34, which are arranged on an outer side 38 of the wall 34. At least one of the bearing covers 36 has a bore for the passage of the shaft 22.

[0036] The shaft 22 is designed to be drivable. As the Fig. 2a As shown in Figures 2 and 2b, the shaft 22 has a drive section 40 outside the comminution housing 14, which is suitable for transmitting a drive torque to the shaft 22. The drive section 40 can, for example, have a keyway. The drive torque can be provided by the motor 16 and can be transmitted to the drive section 40 of the shaft 22, for example, by means of a belt.

[0037] Like the sectional view in Fig. 2c shows, the shaft 22 has an external hexagon profile 42, by means of which the spacer discs 32 and / or the comminution discs 24 can be arranged on the shaft 22 in a rotationally fixed manner.

[0038] In conjunction with Fig. 2b shows Fig. 2c Furthermore, the crushing block 28 is designed as a flat component with an upper side 44 and a lower side 46. The upper side 44 is inclined towards the shaft 22 in such a way that an angle of inclination 50 is arranged between the upper side 44 and a vertical 48 extending through the shaft 22, which angle of inclination in the illustrated embodiment is 60° to 70° ( Fig. 2c ). The pellets located in the shredding housing 14, in particular straw pellets, can thus be fed to the shredding discs 24 by sliding over the upper side 44 of the shredding block 28.

[0039] The shredding block 28 has a plurality of shredding block projections 51 that delimit the recesses 30 and are arranged radially opposite the spacer discs 32. The shredding block projections 51 can thus have positions corresponding to the spacer discs 32 along the shaft longitudinal axis 23. This prevents unshredded pellets, in particular straw pellets, from falling through the device 10.

[0040] How Fig. 2c As further shown, a retaining element 54 is arranged between a comminution housing wall 52 of the comminution housing 14, which is arranged parallel to the longitudinal shaft axis 23, and the comminution discs 24. This allows parts of the pellets adhering to the comminution discs 24 after the comminution process, in particular straw pellets, and / or dust generated during comminution to be retained. Starting from the comminution block 28, the retaining element 54 is arranged beyond the vertical 48 running through the longitudinal shaft axis 23. The retaining element 54 can have retaining recesses which, in terms of arrangement along the longitudinal shaft axis 23 and / or number, correspond to the comminution discs 24. Likewise, the retaining element 54 can have retaining projections which, in terms of arrangement along the longitudinal shaft axis and / or number, correspond to the spacer discs 32.

[0041] The Fig. 4a 4b show an example of one of the comminution discs 24 in a single view. This shows that each of the comminution discs 24 has a cylindrical base body 56 with a central disc bore 58, by means of which the respective comminution disc 24 can be arranged on the shaft 22. For a rotationally fixed arrangement relative to the shaft 22, the central disc bore 58 can have a hexagon socket profile 60.

[0042] The comminution section 26 can have a disc-side comminution surface 62 with cutting edges 64, which is intended to come into direct contact with the pellets, in particular straw pellets, for comminution. The recesses 30 of the comminution block 28 can have block-side comminution surfaces 66, also with cutting edges 64 ( Fig. 2b ). The comminution section 26 has a plurality of teeth 68 that project radially outward beyond the base body 56 and are evenly distributed along the circumference of the comminution disk 24. The disk-side comminution surfaces 62 are arranged on the teeth 68.

[0043] Fig. 4b illustrates that the teeth 68 are inclined in a circumferential direction 70 of the comminution disk 24. As a result, the pellets, in particular straw pellets, can be effectively fixed between the comminution section 26 and the comminution block 28 immediately before the comminution process, whereby the comminution process can be made more effective overall. The circumferential direction 70 preferably corresponds to a designated, in Fig. 2c shown direction of rotation 72 of the shaft 22. As the Fig. 4a 4b also show, there are comminution disc bores 74 between the comminution section 26 and the central disc bore 58. This allows the mass of the comminution disc 24 to be reduced.

[0044] Fig. 3 shows that for the axial securing of the crushing discs 24 and the spacer discs 32 on the shaft 22, on the one hand, a locking disc 76 with a locking disc diameter 78 (see also Fig. 6b ) and, on the other hand, a shaft nut 80 with a locking washer are arranged on the shaft 22. The locking washer diameter is smaller than a crushing disc diameter 82 of the crushing discs 24 ( Fig. 4b ) and a spacer outer diameter of 84 of the spacer washers 32. Fig. 3 also shows that each of the comminution discs 24 is arranged rotationally offset relative to the axially following comminution discs 24 with respect to the shaft longitudinal axis 23. Thus, the comminution discs 24 arranged successively along the shaft longitudinal axis 23 can be moved alternately through the respective corresponding recess 30.

[0045] The Fig. 5a 5b show an example of one of the spacer discs 32 in a single view. Each of the spacer discs 32 has a crown body 86 on which radially outwardly projecting spacer disc projections 88 are arranged. This prevents pellets, in particular straw pellets, from becoming stuck between the respective spacer disc 32 and the corresponding shredding block projection 51. The spacer disc projections 88 are evenly distributed along a circumference of the spacer disc 32.

[0046] Each of the spacer discs 32 has a hub body 90 arranged radially within the rim body 86 and spaced from the rim body 86, wherein the rim body 86 and the hub body 90 are connected to one another by means of a plurality of spokes 92. Each of the spacer discs 32 is arranged on the shaft 22 in a rotationally fixed manner by means of the hub body 90. The hub body 90 has a hexagon socket profile 94 for this purpose. List of reference symbols

[0047] 10Device 12Frame 14Crushing housing 16Motor 18Upper end 20Funnel 22Shaft 23Shaft longitudinal axis 24Crushing disc 26Crushing section 28Crushing block 29Screw connection 30Recess 32Spacer disc 34Wall 36Bearing cover 38Outside 40Drive section 42External hexagon profile 44Top side 46Bottom side 48Vertical 50Incline angle 51Crushing block projection 52Crushing housing wall 54Retaining element 56Base body 58Central disc bore 60Inner hexagon profile 62Crushing effective surface on the disc 64Cutting edge 66Crushing effective surfaces on the block 68Tooth 70Circumferential direction 72Direction of rotation 74Crushing disc bore 76Locking disc 78Locking disc diameter 80Shaft nut 82Crushing disc diameter 84Spacer disc outer diameter 86Crown body 88Spacer disc projection 90Hub body 92Spoke 94Hexagonal profile

Claims

1. Device (10) for comminuting pellets, in particular straw pellets, with the following features: • a comminution housing (14), • a shaft (22) with a longitudinal shaft axis (23), • at least one comminution disc (24) with a comminution section (26), and • a comminution block (28) fixedly arranged in the comminution housing (14) with at least one recess (30), wherein • the at least one comminution disc (24) is arranged on the shaft (22) in a rotationally fixed manner, and • the shaft (22) is mounted in the comminution housing (14) so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal shaft axis (23) such that by means of a rotation of the shaft (22) about the longitudinal shaft axis (23) the comminution section (26) of the at least one comminution disc (24) can be moved through the at least one recess (30) of the comminution block (28).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe comminution section (26) has at least one radially and / or axially projecting tooth (68).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the at least one tooth (68) is inclined in a circumferential direction (70) of the at least one comminution disc (24).

4. Device according to one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that the comminution section (26) has a plurality of radially and / or axially projecting teeth (68).

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of the at least one comminution disc (24) is arranged axially adjacent to a spacer disc (32) arranged on the shaft (22).

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in thatthe comminution block (28) has at least one comminution block projection (51) delimiting the at least one recess (30), wherein at least one of the at least one comminution block projection (51) is arranged radially opposite the spacer disc (32).

7. Device according to one of claims 5 to 6, characterized in that the spacer disc (32) has a ring body (86) on which at least one radially outwardly projecting spacer disc projection (88) is arranged.

8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the spacer disc (32) has a hub body (90) arranged radially inside the rim body (86) and at a distance from the rim body (86), wherein the rim body (86) and the hub body (90) are connected to one another by means of a plurality of spokes (92).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe at least one recess (30) corresponds in number and / or arrangement along the shaft longitudinal axis (23) of the at least one comminution disc (24).

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of comminution discs (24) are arranged on the shaft (22).

11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of spacer discs (32) are arranged on the shaft (22), wherein the spacer discs (32) and the at least one comminution disc (24) are arranged alternately along the shaft longitudinal axis (23).

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one recess (30) corresponds in number and / or arrangement along the shaft longitudinal axis (23) of the at least one comminution disc (24).

13. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatan upper side (44) of the comminution block (28) is inclined towards the shaft (22) in such a way that an angle of inclination (50) is arranged between the upper side (44) and a vertical (48) running through the shaft (22), which angle is between 0° and 90°, preferably 25° to 80°, particularly preferably 60° to 70°.

14. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shredding housing (14) is open upwards and / or downwards.

15. Use of a device (10) according to one of the preceding claims for comminuting pellets, in particular straw pellets.

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