Storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture, and method for eliminating discharge problems

Abstract

To provide a storage container of recycled material or asphalt mixture and a resolution to discharge failures thereof which can safely and effectively resolve discharge failures caused by arching, adhesion, and hardening of stored materials from the outside of the storage container.SOLUTION: A hollow cylindrical guide part 8 penetrating obliquely downward toward a discharge port 5 is provided on the side wall of an inverted conical part 3 which is formed by tapering downward the lower part of a cylindrical body 2 of a surge bin 1, a nail-like striker 9 formed so as to maintain the airtightness of the surge bin 1 is loosely fitted in the guide part 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage container for recycled materials (heat-recycled road pavement waste materials) or asphalt mixtures, and a method for eliminating discharge problems from the storage container.

[0002] In asphalt plants that manufacture asphalt mixtures for road paving, waste blocks of asphalt pavement dug up during road construction, etc. are crushed to a specified particle size, then heated and recycled in a recycling dryer to produce recycled material. This recycled material is temporarily stored in a surge bin, and the recycled material is mixed with heated new aggregate, etc. in a mixer in the desired proportions to produce the desired asphalt mixture.

[0003] If the asphalt mixture is to be shipped immediately, it is discharged directly to a transport vehicle after production, but if there is sufficient time before shipping, the asphalt mixture is transferred to a mixture silo that can keep the mixture warm and stored temporarily.

[0004] Storage containers such as surge bins and mixed material silos consist of a vertically-set cylindrical body whose lower part tapers downward to form an inverted cone section. However, because the recycled materials and asphalt mixtures stored therein are both highly adhesive and sticky, arching is likely to occur near the inverted cone section where the inner diameter is smaller, and the gate at the bottom of the inverted cone section is also likely to stick and malfunction, which in some cases may even result in discharge problems.

[0005] When such discharge problems occur, workers must enter the storage container directly each time to perform removal work such as chipping. Therefore, for example, the present applicant has proposed a storage container that has an opening in the side wall of the cylindrical body of the storage container, allowing workers to safely and easily enter and exit the inside of the container to perform work such as removing arching and adhered / hardened stored material (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-239350 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, from the perspective of work safety, it is not desirable for workers to enter the inside of the storage container as in the above-mentioned conventional device. On the other hand, it is possible to consider a method of striking the side wall of the storage container body from the outside to indirectly impact the stored material and break down the arching, but in the case of recycled materials and asphalt mixtures which are highly sticky and adhesive, this method is unlikely to be sufficiently effective, and it is even more difficult to deal with arching or gate sticking that occurs near the discharge outlet. Therefore, a method of eliminating poor discharge problems from storage containers which is both safe and effective is desired.

[0008] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a storage container for recycled materials or asphalt mixtures, and a method for resolving discharge problems caused by arching, adhesion, hardening, etc. of stored materials, which can be safely and effectively resolved from outside the storage container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture according to claim 1 of the present invention is characterized in that the lower part of the cylindrical body tapers downward to form an inverted cone section, and the storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture is equipped with a discharge outlet with a gate at the lower end of the inverted cone section, and is equipped with a hollow cylindrical guide section that penetrates the side wall of the inverted cone section diagonally downward toward the discharge outlet, and a nail-shaped striker that is formed so as to maintain the airtightness of the storage container is loosely fitted into the guide section.

[0010] Furthermore, the storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the nail-shaped striker is detachable from the guide part, and a rod-shaped thruster is separately provided which is slidable in the approximate axial direction of the guide part when the nail-shaped striker is removed, and the tip of the rod-shaped thruster is long enough to reach at least the periphery of the discharge outlet.

[0011] The method for solving discharge problems in a storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture according to claim 3 of the present invention is a storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture, in which the lower part of the cylindrical body is tapered downward to form an inverted cone part, and the container is provided with a discharge outlet having a gate at the lower end of the inverted cone part, and a hollow cylindrical guide part is provided in the side wall of the inverted cone part, penetrating obliquely downward towards the discharge outlet, and a nail-shaped striking piece is detachably fitted loosely in the guide part, while a rod-shaped thruster having a length that allows the tip part to reach at least the periphery of the discharge outlet is separately provided, When discharge failure occurs due to arching or adhesion / hardening of the material, the base end of the nail-shaped striking tool is struck, and the impact force of the strike vibrates the side wall of the inverted cone part of the storage container, while when discharge failure occurs in a position near the discharge outlet where the vibration is difficult to propagate, the nail-shaped striking tool is removed from the guide part, and the base end of the rod-shaped thrusting tool is grasped and inserted into the guide part and urged toward the discharge outlet, so that the tip end of the rod-shaped thrusting tool is directly struck against the position near the discharge outlet where discharge failure has occurred. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the storage container for recycled materials or asphalt mixtures described in claim 1 of the present invention, the impact force applied to the base end of the nail-shaped striking element can be effectively transmitted to the stored material inside the storage container, making it relatively easy to break up arching or stuck / hardened stored material, and making it possible to safely resolve discharge problems from outside the storage container.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture described in claim 2 of the present invention, the rod-shaped thruster can directly apply impact force to arching or adhered / hardened stored material that occurs near the bottom end of the storage container, which is far away from the nail-shaped striker and where impact force is difficult to transmit, and discharge problems can be safely resolved from outside the storage container.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the method for resolving discharge problems in a storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture as set forth in claim 3 of the present invention, discharge problems can be safely and effectively resolved from outside the storage container regardless of the location or manner in which the discharge problems occur. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing one embodiment of a storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an enlarged explanatory view showing the state in which arching occurs, with a portion near the inverted cone portion cut away. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of removing arching using a nail-shaped striker. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the removal of arching using a rod-shaped thrusting tool. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the removal of adhered and hardened stored material using a rod-shaped protruding tool. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture according to the present invention comprises a vertically extending cylindrical body, the lower portion of which tapers downward to form an inverted cone, a discharge outlet with a gate at the lower end of the inverted cone, a hollow cylindrical guide portion penetrating the side wall of the inverted cone diagonally downward toward the discharge outlet, and a nail-shaped striker loosely fitted into the guide portion.

[0017] The nail-shaped striker has a head at its base end that is formed with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the guide part, while the rod-shaped main body (body) of the nail-shaped striker is formed with a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the guide part, and when the body is loosely inserted into the guide part, the head fits over the upper end opening of the guide part so as to seal it.

[0018] When the recycled material or asphalt mixture stored in the storage container is exposed to the outside air, it may lose temperature and oxidize and deteriorate, causing adhesion and hardening. However, by configuring the nail-shaped striking element to seal the upper opening of the guide part, the inside of the storage container is kept airtight, thereby making it possible to prevent the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems.

[0019] Preferably, a buffer member is further provided at the contact point between the back side of the head of the nail-shaped striking element and the upper edge of the upper opening of the guide element. An elastic body made of, for example, rubber, resin, or other high-molecular elastic material can be suitably used as the buffer member. This increases the adhesion between the nail-shaped striking element and the guide element, further improving the airtightness inside the storage container. As a result, it is possible to suppress unnecessary temperature drops and adhesion and hardening of the stored material due to oxidative deterioration that occur when the hollow cylindrical guide element penetrates the side wall of the inverted cone portion of the storage container, and also to reduce problems such as damage and wear to the guide element when the nail-shaped striking element is struck.

[0020] More preferably, when the nail-shaped striking element is loosely fitted in the guide portion, the tip of the body of the nail-shaped striking element protrudes at least from the lower end opening of the guide portion. This restricts the flow of stored material into the guide portion through the lower end opening of the guide portion when stored material is stored inside the storage container, thereby preventing problems such as the guide portion being clogged with hardened stored material. Furthermore, since the tip of the body of the nail-shaped striking element can be brought into direct contact with the stored material inside the storage container, the impact force generated when the nail-shaped striking element strikes the stored material is easily transmitted effectively not only to the side wall of the inverted cone portion of the storage container, but also to the stored material inside the storage container, making it relatively easy to break up arching and stuck / hardened stored material inside the container from outside the storage container, which is even more advantageous in eliminating discharge problems.

[0021] Furthermore, more preferably, the nail-shaped striker is detachable from the guide portion, and a rod-shaped thruster is provided separately, which is slidable in the approximate axial direction of the cylindrical guide portion when the nail-shaped striker is detached, and the tip of the rod-shaped thruster is long enough to reach at least the periphery of the discharge port.

[0022] Furthermore, it is more preferable that the rod-shaped thruster be formed to a length such that its base end protrudes somewhat upward (outside the container) from the upper opening of the guide portion (enough for an operator to hold it with both hands) while its tip is in contact with the periphery of the discharge outlet. This allows an operator to hold the rod-shaped thruster with both hands from outside the storage container and relatively easily break down and crush arching and stuck / hardened stored material near the discharge outlet.

[0023] If discharge failure occurs inside the storage container having the above-mentioned configuration due to arching of the stored material or adhesion or hardening of the stored material, an operator applies an impact force by striking the base end (head) of the nail-shaped striker from outside the storage container with striking means such as a hammer, causing the side wall of the inverted cone part of the storage container adjacent to the nail-shaped striker and via the guide part to vibrate, and also applying the impact force directly to the stored material inside the storage container that is in contact with the tip end of the body part of the nail-shaped striker that has been struck.

[0024] At this time, the stored items inside the storage container are subjected to a combination of the impact forces (vibration of the side wall and impact force from the tip of the body of the nail-shaped impactor), and since the nail-shaped impactor is loosely fitted in the guide section provided toward the discharge outlet of the storage container, the impact force transmitted from the tip of the body when the nail-shaped impactor is struck can be applied in the direction of the discharge outlet of the storage container where arching and the like are likely to form, and as a result, the arching and adhered / hardened stored items can be effectively collapsed and broken down, thereby eliminating poor discharge problems.

[0025] On the other hand, if a discharge problem occurs at a location away from the nail-shaped striking element where the vibration and impact force are not easily transmitted, for example, near the discharge outlet (near the gate), the worker, while remaining outside the storage container as described above, first removes (pulls out) the nail-shaped striking element from the guide portion and opens the upper opening of the cylindrical guide portion. Next, the worker grasps the base end of the rod-shaped thruster, which has been prepared separately, and inserts the tip of the rod-shaped thruster into the storage container through the upper opening of the guide portion, while urging it toward the discharge outlet, so that the tip of the rod-shaped thruster directly hits the location near the discharge outlet where the discharge problem has occurred (arching or stuck / hardened stored material).

[0026] At this time, the rod-shaped thruster is inserted so that it slides along the guide portion, so the worker can relatively easily rest the rod-shaped thruster against the inner wall surface of the guide portion, effectively utilize the weight of the rod-shaped thruster itself, and thrust the tip of the rod-shaped thruster against areas where discharge problems are likely to occur, such as the periphery of the discharge port or the gate, which are located approximately in the axial direction of the guide portion, and can effectively and safely remove arching or stuck / hardened stored material from the lower part of the storage container in a pinpoint manner.

[0027] Thus, with the storage container of the present invention, workers can select the nail-shaped striking element and the rod-shaped thrusting tool appropriately according to the location and nature of the arching and adhesion / hardening of the stored material, and for example, not only can this be used for arching that occurs in a relatively high position above the discharge outlet, but also when arching occurs in a position near the discharge outlet or when the adhesion / hardening of the stored material has progressed to block the gate, and in other cases where discharge problems have occurred that previously required workers to enter the inside of the storage container, workers can remain outside the storage container and apply a direct impact to the location where the discharge problems have occurred, thereby effectively and safely removing them. [Example]

[0028] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a surge bin, which is a storage container for recycled material R according to the present invention, and is composed of a vertically-mounted cylindrical body 2, the lower part of which tapers downward to form an inverted cone section 3, an inlet 4 at the upper end of the cylindrical body 2 and a discharge outlet 5 at the lower end of the inverted cone section 3, and the discharge outlet 5 is equipped with a double-hinged gate 6, and a cylinder 7 for driving the gate 6 to open and close is provided on the side wall of the inverted cone section 3.

[0030] At least one hollow cylindrical guide section 8 penetrates the side wall of the inverted cone section 3 diagonally downward toward the gate 6, and a nail-shaped striker 9 with a generally T-shaped cross section is detachably fitted into the guide section 8 with looseness. The nail-shaped striker 9 is provided with a head 10 at its base end that is formed with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the guide section 8, and a body section 11 that is the rod-shaped main body of the nail-shaped striker 9 is formed with a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the guide section 8, and when the body section 11 is loosely inserted into the guide section 8, the head section 10 fits over the upper end opening of the guide section 8 so as to seal it.

[0031] The head 10 of the nail-shaped striking element 9 is provided with a rubber annular buffer member 12 on its back surface (where it abuts against the upper edge of the guide portion 8), which improves the adhesion between the nail-shaped striking element 9 and the guide portion 8 and increases the airtightness inside the surge bin 1. Although not shown, the head 10 of the nail-shaped striking element 9 and the upper end portion of the guide portion 8 are fastened and fixed by fastening means such as bolts and nuts, and this fastening operation presses the buffer member 12, further increasing the airtightness inside the surge bin 1.

[0032] Furthermore, a discharge port 5 (gate 6) is located in the direction of the axis of the guide portion 8 (dash line in the drawing), and the tip portion 11a of the body portion 11 of the nail-shaped striking element 9 loosely fitted in the guide portion 8 also faces in the direction of the discharge port 5 (gate 6). Furthermore, when the nail-shaped striking element 9 is loosely fitted in the guide portion 8, the tip portion 11a of the body portion 11 of the nail-shaped striking element 9 protrudes downward (into the inverted cone portion 3 of the surge bin 1) from at least the lower end opening of the guide portion 8. Reference numeral 13 in the drawing denotes an abrasion-resistant liner.

[0033] Figure 2 shows a state in which arching A of the recycled material has occurred inside the inverted cone section 3 of the surge bin 1, particularly at a position slightly above the discharge outlet 5. In this case, as shown in Figure 3, an operator applies an impact force from outside the surge bin 1 by using an appropriate impact means, for example a hammer H, to strike the head 10 of the nail-shaped striker 9 that is loosely fitted in the guide section 8, vibrating the side wall of the adjacent inverted cone section 3 of the surge bin 1 via the nail-shaped striker 9 and the guide section 8, and also directly applying the impact force to the arching A inside the inverted cone section 3 that is in contact with the tip 11a of the body 11 of the nail-shaped striker 9 that has been struck.

[0034] At this time, the arching A formed on the upper side of the inverted cone section 3 is subjected to a combination of the above-mentioned impact forces (vibrations from the side wall of the inverted cone section 3 and impact force from the tip 11a of the body 11 of the nail-shaped striker 9), but since the upper side of the inverted cone section 3 is close to the guide section 8, the impact forces are easily transmitted without being weakened much, and in addition, the inner diameter of the upper side of the inverted cone section 3 is larger than that of the area near the discharge outlet 5 on the lower side, so the arching A formed is less likely to be extremely consolidated and tends to be somewhat brittle, and is relatively easily broken up by the application of the above-mentioned impact forces, etc., and collapses and is removed.

[0035] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4, when arching A' occurs inside the inverted cone section 3 of the surge bin 1, particularly in a position near the discharge outlet 5, since it is located away from the guide section 8, even if an impact is applied to the nail-shaped striker 9, the impact force is not easily transmitted (it tends to weaken), and since the inner diameter of the lower side of the inverted cone section 3 is small, the arching A' that is formed tends to be easily consolidated and somewhat hard, making it difficult to effectively break down even by applying the above-mentioned impact force, etc.

[0036] In this case, the worker first, while remaining outside the surge bin 1, loosens the fastening bolts and removes (pulls out) the nail-shaped striking element 9 from the guide portion 8, thereby opening the upper opening of the guide portion 8. Next, he grasps the base end of a separately prepared steel rod-shaped thrusting tool L and inserts the tip end of the rod-shaped thrusting tool L into the surge bin 1 through the upper opening of the guide portion 8, while urging it in the direction of the discharge outlet 5, so that the tip end La of the rod-shaped thrusting tool L directly hits the arching A' formed in a position near the discharge outlet 5, thereby breaking it up and collapsing it for removal.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, even if some of the recycled material R stored in the surge bin 1 adheres and hardens to the periphery of the discharge outlet 5 as solid matter R', causing the gate 6 to become stuck and malfunction (unable to open), the worker, while remaining outside the surge bin 1 as described above, can insert the rod-shaped thruster L through the upper opening of the guide section 8 and directly thrust the tip La of the rod-shaped thruster L against the solid matter R' that has adhered and hardened to the periphery of the gate 6 at the lower part, thereby crushing it and peeling it off and removing it.

[0038] In either case shown in Figures 4 and 5 above, the worker can remain outside the surge bin 1 and hold and operate the rod-shaped thruster L while resting it on the inner wall surface of the guide section 8, and while effectively utilizing the weight of the rod-shaped thruster L itself, can easily perform operations such as hitting the tip La against areas where discharge problems are likely to occur, such as the periphery of the discharge outlet 5 located approximately in the axial direction of the guide section 8 or near the gate 6, thereby enabling pinpoint, effective and safe removal of arching A' formed in the lower part of the inverted cone section 3 of the surge bin 1 and adhered and hardened solid matter R'.

[0039] As described above, according to the present invention, when resolving discharge problems in a surge bin 1, which is a storage container, workers can, in principle, work from outside the surge bin 1, which reduces the opportunity for workers to enter the inside of the surge bin 1 and is advantageous in terms of worker safety.In addition, even though the work is done from outside the surge bin 1, discharge problems can be effectively resolved, providing a method for resolving discharge problems in a storage container that is both safe and effective.

[0040] Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to a surge bin, which is a storage container for recycled materials, the present invention is also applicable to a mixture silo for storing asphalt mixtures.

[0041] Furthermore, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the positional relationship between the guide portion 8 and the discharge port 5 (gate 6) is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment. The position near the discharge port 5 given in this embodiment is one example of a location where discharge defects are likely to occur, but it is advisable to appropriately design the axial direction and length of the guide portion 8 so that the tip portion 11a of the body portion 11 of the nail-shaped striking element 9 and the tip portion La of the rod-shaped thruster L can be guided to a location where discharge defects frequently occur depending on the shape of the storage container. Furthermore, there is no particular limitation on the number of guide portions 8 or the number of gates 6. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] The present invention can be widely applied to various facilities that store sticky and adhesive materials in asphalt plant ancillary facilities, such as surge bins, mixture silos, and satellite silos that serve as intermediate storage facilities for asphalt mixtures. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1...Surge bin (storage container) 2...Cylindrical body 3...Inverted cone section 4...Inlet 5...Discharge outlet 6...Gate 8... Guide portion 9... Nail-shaped striking element 12...Buffer material R...Recycled material (storage material) A, A'...Arching H...Hammer L... Rod-shaped thrusting tool R': solid matter (adhered and hardened recycled material)

Claims

1. A storage container for recycled materials or asphalt mixtures, characterized in that the lower part of the cylindrical body tapers downward to form an inverted cone section, and the container has a discharge outlet with a gate at the lower end of the inverted cone section, and the side wall of the inverted cone section has a hollow cylindrical guide section that penetrates diagonally downward toward the discharge outlet, and a nail-shaped striker that is formed to maintain the airtightness of the storage container is loosely fitted into the guide section.

2. A storage container for recycled material or asphalt mixture as described in claim 1, characterized in that the nail-shaped striker is detachable from the guide part, and a rod-shaped thruster is separately provided which is slidable in the approximate axial direction of the guide part when the nail-shaped striker is detached, and the tip of the rod-shaped thruster is long enough to reach at least the periphery of the discharge outlet.

3. In a storage container for recycled materials or asphalt mixtures, the bottom of the cylindrical body is tapered downward to form an inverted cone, and the container is provided with a discharge outlet with a gate at the bottom end of the inverted cone. A hollow cylindrical guide section is provided in the side wall of the inverted cone, penetrating obliquely downward toward the discharge outlet. A nail-shaped striking piece is loosely fitted in the guide section, and a rod-shaped thruster is separately provided, the tip of which is long enough to reach at least the periphery of the discharge outlet. When discharge problems occur due to arching or adhesion / hardening of the stored material, the base of the nail-shaped striking piece is pressed against the discharge outlet. a nail-shaped striker that strikes the end of the inverted cone portion of the storage container, and the impact force of the strike vibrates the side wall of the inverted cone portion of the storage container; and if a discharge problem occurs near the discharge outlet where the vibration is not easily transmitted, the nail-shaped striker is removed from the guide portion, the base end of the rod-shaped thruster is grasped and inserted into the guide portion while being urged toward the discharge outlet, and the tip of the rod-shaped thruster is directly struck against the location near the discharge outlet where the discharge problem has occurred.

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