Mixing device
The kneading apparatus addresses slipping and uneven mixing issues by using anchors with pins on the roller end face to generate additional friction, ensuring uniform mixing and reducing costs through adjustable friction and easy replacement.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TAIYANG MOSINARI CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-10-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
AI Technical Summary
Conventional kneading devices face issues with slipping of rolling rollers due to insufficient frictional force, especially when the kneaded material has high moisture content or is in small amounts, leading to uneven mixing and pressure application.
The kneading apparatus incorporates anchors with multiple pins protruding from the roller end face, which generate additional frictional force to prevent slipping and ensure uniform mixing, while allowing for adjustable friction adjustment and easy replacement.
The solution effectively prevents rolling roller slippage, ensures uniform mixing, and reduces cost by maintaining a simple structure with adjustable friction, enhancing mixing efficiency and uniformity.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a kneading device that kneads a kneaded material introduced into a kneading chamber by a rolling roller.
Background Art
[0002] This type of kneading device is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. The kneading device of Patent Document 1 includes a bottomed cylindrical kneading chamber (stirring chamber), a drive shaft provided along the central axis of the kneading chamber, a support arm whose tip side is fixed to the drive shaft so as to be vertically swingable, and a rolling roller (stirring roller) that is rotatably supported by a horizontal rotating shaft provided at the tip of the support arm. The rolling roller rotates (revolves) around the coaxial center by the rotation of the drive shaft, and rotates (rotates on its own axis) around the rotating shaft along the bottom surface of the kneading chamber due to the friction with the kneaded material accompanying the revolution. The kneaded material enters between the rolling roller and the bottom surface of the kneading chamber, and is kneaded by being pressed by the weight of the rotating (rotating on its own axis) rolling roller.
[0003] In this type of kneading device, when the moisture content of the kneaded material is high and the fluidity is high, or when the amount of the kneaded material is small with respect to the appropriate processing amount of the device, the frictional force between the rolling roller and the kneaded material is insufficient, and the rolling roller may not rotate (rotate on its own axis) properly, and the rolling roller may slip with respect to the kneaded material. In order to prevent such slipping of the rolling roller, the kneading device of Patent Document has provided ridges on the circumferential surface of the rolling roller that intersect the circumferential direction of the roller. In the kneading device (roller mill) of Patent Document 2, grooves are recessed on the circumferential surface of the rolling roller that intersect the circumferential direction of the roller.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Patent Document 2
Summary of the Invention
[0005] According to the kneading device of Patent Document 1, the protrusions bite into the kneaded material, increasing the frictional force between the rolling roller and the kneaded material, thereby preventing the rolling roller from slipping. Similarly, according to the kneading device (roller mill) of Patent Document 2, the kneaded material fills the grooves, increasing the frictional force between the rolling roller and the kneaded material, thereby preventing the rolling roller from slipping. However, in these conventional kneading devices, when the kneaded material adheres to the circumferential surface of the rolling roller so as to fill the protrusions and grooves, the frictional force between the rolling roller and the kneaded material decreases, leaving a risk of the rolling roller slipping. Moreover, if there are protrusions or grooves on the circumferential surface of the rolling roller that intersect with the circumferential direction of the roller, the distance between the circumferential surface of the rolling roller and the bottom surface of the kneading chamber changes in magnitude between the parts where protrusions or grooves are formed and the parts where these protrusions or grooves are not formed, and therefore the pressing force acting on the kneaded material also changes in magnitude. Therefore, it may not be possible to apply uniform pressure to the mixture, potentially resulting in uneven mixing.
[0006] The present invention aims to enable efficient mixing of a mixture in a mixing apparatus equipped with rolling rollers that rotate due to friction with the mixture, by properly rotating (self-rotating) the rolling rollers within the mixing chamber. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The kneading apparatus of the present invention comprises a housing 2 having a bottomed cylindrical kneading chamber 1 into which the kneaded material is introduced; a drive shaft 27 that penetrates vertically through the center of the bottom wall 8 of the kneading chamber 1 and is rotationally driven by a driving force from a drive source 32; a support arm 28 connected to the drive shaft 27 and rotationally driven within the kneading chamber 1 with the drive shaft 27 as the center of rotation; a roller shaft 42 provided at the tip of the support arm 28 and extending horizontally; and a cylindrical rolling roller 29 that is rotatably supported by the roller shaft 42. , an anchor 61 provided on the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29 and It is equipped with. The anchor 61 comprises a plurality of anchor bases 64 fixed to the roller end face 60, and a plurality of pins 63 supported by each anchor base 64 and projecting horizontally from the roller end face 60. The anchor bases 64 are fixed at equally spaced positions on the roller end face 60 with respect to the axis of the roller shaft 42, and the pins 63 are distributed on the roller end face 60. It is characterized by being such.
[0010] When two concentric circles C1 and C2 with different diameters are defined with respect to the axis of the roller shaft 42, each pin 63 is positioned on either of the two concentric circles C1 and C2. [Effects of the Invention]
[0012] As in the kneading apparatus of the present invention, if an anchor 61 that contacts the kneaded material is provided protruding from the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29, then in addition to the frictional force generated between the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 and the kneaded material, the frictional force generated between the anchor 61 that contacts the kneaded material and the kneaded material can be applied to the rolling roller 29. In this way, by applying the frictional force generated between the anchor 61 and the kneaded material in addition to the frictional force generated between the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 and the kneaded material, slippage of the rolling roller 29 can be prevented more reliably than in a configuration where the rolling roller 29 is rotated by the former frictional force alone, so that the rolling roller 29 can be rotated properly and the kneaded material can be kneaded efficiently. Furthermore, as mentioned above, in conventional configurations where protrusions or grooves are provided on the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29, unevenness in the degree of mixing is unavoidable. However, according to the present invention, there is no need to provide protrusions or grooves on the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29, and a uniform pressing force can be applied to the mixture. This prevents unevenness in the degree of mixing of the mixture, allowing for more uniform mixing of the mixture.
[0013] If the anchor 61 is composed of multiple pins 63 extending horizontally from the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29, the anchor 61 can be formed with a simple configuration, thus suppressing the cost increase of the mixing device associated with the provision of the anchor 61. Furthermore, by changing the length dimension of the pins 63 or the number of pins 63, the frictional force generated between the anchor 61 and the mixed material can be adjusted to a large or small size, which is advantageous because it makes it easy to adjust the frictional force according to the properties of the mixed material.
[0014] When multiple pins 63 are distributed on the roller end face 60, the distance between the pins 63 and the roller shaft 42, in other words, the distance between the pins 63 and the bottom wall 8, can be made to be of different magnitudes. This allows that even when the amount of material to be mixed that comes into contact with the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29 fluctuates during the mixing operation, one of the pins 63 at different distances from the bottom wall 8 can be brought into contact with the material, generating frictional force between the anchor 61 and the material, thereby more reliably preventing the rolling roller 29 from slipping.
[0015] Specifically, for example, when two concentric circles C1 and C2 with different diameters are defined with respect to the axis of the roller shaft 42, if a configuration is adopted in which multiple pins 63 are arranged on either of the two concentric circles C1 and C2 on the roller end face 60, the distance from the roller shaft 42 to the pins 63 can be of two types, long and short. As a result, even when the amount of material to be mixed that faces the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29 fluctuates in size during the mixing operation, one of the pins 63 at different distances from the bottom wall 8 can be brought into contact with the material to generate frictional force between the anchor 61 and the material, thereby more reliably preventing the rolling roller 29 from slipping.
[0016] If the anchor base 64 is equipped with multiple pins 63 and a fastener 65 is provided to fasten and fix the anchor base 64 to the roller end face 60, the pins 63 can be attached to the rolling roller 29 together with the anchor base 64 by fastening the fastener 65 to the roller end face 60, and the pins 63 can be separated from the rolling roller 29 together with the anchor base 64 by releasing the fastener 65 to the roller end face 60 in the reverse procedure. As a result, if the anchor 61 needs to be replaced, such as when a pin 63 breaks, the pins 63 can be removed from the rolling roller 29 together with the anchor base 64, and a new anchor base 64 can be attached to the rolling roller 29, allowing for easy replacement with a new anchor 61. Furthermore, it is possible to easily and quickly replace anchors 61 with pins 63 of different lengths. In addition, if multiple anchor bases 64 are arranged at equally spaced positions in the circumferential direction of the roller end face 60, the pins 63 located upstream of the rolling roller 29 in the rotational direction (direction of rotation) will contact the kneaded material regularly and sequentially. This will always generate frictional force between the pins 63 and the kneaded material, thus more reliably preventing the rolling roller 29 from slipping. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0017] [Figure 1] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional front view of a kneading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view showing the entire mixing apparatus. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of the mixing apparatus. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along line BB. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0018] (Embodiment) Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of a kneading device according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are in accordance with the cross arrows shown in Figures 1 to 3 and the front-rear, left-right, and up-down indications marked near each arrow. In Figure 2, the kneading device includes a housing 2 that partitions the kneading chamber 1, a frame 3 that supports the housing 2, a kneading structure 4 assembled to the housing 2 and the frame 3, etc.
[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the housing 2 includes a hollow cylindrical peripheral wall 7 and a bottom wall 8 that closes the lower opening of the peripheral wall 7. The kneading chamber 1 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with an upper opening by both walls 7 and 8. A circumferential liner 9 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 7, and a bottom liner 10 is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom wall 8. Although not shown, the circumferential liner 9 and the bottom liner 10 are each divided into a plurality of pieces and are each configured to be detachable from the housing 2.
[0020] The kneading device of this embodiment is a batch type. As shown in Figure 2, above the housing 2, a first hopper 11, a second hopper 12, and a water sprinkler pipe 13 are installed. Various materials (kneading materials) are introduced into the kneading chamber 1 from these hoppers 11, 12, etc. through the upper opening of the housing 2. In the kneading device of this embodiment, a specified amount of sand is introduced into the kneading chamber 1 from the first hopper 11, a specified amount of bentonite is introduced into the kneading chamber 1 from the second hopper 12, and a specified amount of water is introduced into the kneading chamber 1 from the water sprinkler pipe 13. The kneading device kneads and mixes the sand, bentonite, and water introduced into the kneading chamber 1 to generate a kneaded product. From such a kneaded product, for example, raw materials for covering blocks used in civil engineering works are manufactured.
[0021] The frame 3 includes a frame base 16 placed on the ground and columns 17 erected at the four upper corners of the upper surface of the frame base 16 to support the housing 2. Each column 17 is composed of a square pipe, the lower end is welded and fixed to the upper surface of the frame base 16, and the upper end is welded and fixed to the lower surface of the bottom wall 8 forming the housing 2.
[0022] As shown in Fig. 3, at the front part of the bottom wall 8 of the housing 2, a discharge port 18 is provided which is a rectangular hole (a horizontally long rectangular opening) for discharging the kneaded material in the kneading chamber 1 to the outside of the housing 2. The discharge port 18 is opened and closed by a discharge lid 19, and the discharge lid 19 is operated by an opening and closing structure 20. As shown in Fig. 2, the opening and closing structure 20 includes a link body 21 which is a three-link mechanism with one end rotatably supported by the bottom wall 8 and the other end rotatably supported by the frame base 16, and a cylinder 22 having a rod that advances and retreats to displace the joint part of the link body 21. The cylinder 22 is operated by pressurized air supplied from an air compressor (not shown).
[0023] When the rod of the cylinder 22 is in the advanced position, the discharge port 18 is closed by the discharge lid 19 (the state shown in Fig. 2). When the rod of the cylinder 22 is set to the retracted position from this state, the joint part of the link body 21 is displaced, and as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 2, the discharge lid 19 is swung downward to open the discharge port 18. When the rod of the cylinder 22 is set to the advanced position in the state where the discharge port 18 is open, the discharge port 18 is closed again by the discharge lid 19. In Fig. 2, reference numeral 23 is a shooter for receiving and guiding the kneaded material discharged from the discharge port 18.
[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, the kneading structure 4 includes a drive unit 26 that outputs rotational power, a drive shaft 27 that is rotationally driven by the drive unit 26, a pair of support arms 28·28 connected to the drive shaft 27, and rolling rollers 29 rotatably supported by each support arm 28, etc. The drive unit 26 includes an electric motor (drive source) 32 and a speed reducer 33 that decelerates and outputs the rotation of the electric motor 32. The output shaft of the speed reducer 33 is connected to the drive shaft 27 via a coupling 34. When the electric motor 32 is driven, the drive shaft 27 is rotationally driven counterclockwise in a plan view of the kneading device.
[0025] At the center of the bottom wall 8 of the kneading chamber 1, a bearing cylinder 35 is positioned so as to penetrate the bottom wall 8 vertically, rotatably supporting the drive shaft 27. Therefore, the central axis of the kneading chamber 1 and the central axis of the drive shaft 27 coincide. The upper and lower ends of the drive shaft 27 protrude from the bearing cylinder 35, and the lower end of the drive shaft 27, which protrudes downward from the bearing cylinder 35, is connected to a coupling 34. An arm block 36, which supports a support arm 28, is fixed to the upper end of the drive shaft 27, which protrudes upward from the bearing cylinder 35. The space between the upper end of the bearing cylinder 35 and the arm block 36 is sealed by an arbitrary seal structure.
[0026] As shown in Figure 1, each support arm 28 is formed by a crank-shaped shaft extending radially in the kneading chamber 1, and its base end is connected to an arm bracket 39 provided on the arm block 36 via an arm shaft 40 consisting of a horizontal axis. The arm brackets 39 are provided on the left and right sides of the arm block 36, and the support arms 28 are provided so as to extend radially to the left and right of the arm block 36 (see Figure 3). The support arms 28 connected by the arm shaft 40 are supported so that their tip ends can swing vertically relative to the arm block 36. The lower swing limit of the support arm 28 is defined by a stopper 41 provided on the lower surface of the base end of the support arm 28, and in the normal state, the support arm 28 is at the lower swing limit because the stopper 41 abuts against the side surface (circumferential surface) of the arm block 36.
[0027] The rolling roller 29 is formed in a flat, drum-like shape with large diameters at both ends in the width direction of its circumferential surface and a smaller diameter in the center. The tip (protruding end) of the support arm 28 is provided with a roller shaft 42, which is a horizontal axis extending in the radial direction of the kneading chamber 1, and the rolling roller 29 is rotatably supported by this roller shaft 42. In a plan view of the housing 2, the axis of the roller shaft 42 is slightly offset clockwise (downstream in the orbital direction of the rolling roller 29, described later) with respect to a virtual line V passing through the center of the kneading chamber 1 in the left-right direction, while being parallel to the virtual line V (see Figure 3). When the support arm 28 is at its lower swing limit, the lower side of the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 is floating a predetermined distance away from the bottom liner 10 (bottom wall 8) of the housing 2.
[0028] As shown by the arrows in Figure 3, when the drive shaft 27 rotates, both rolling rollers 29 rotate (revolve) counterclockwise around the drive shaft 27 in a plan view of the mixing device. At this time, the rolling rollers 29 are only supported by the roller shaft 42, and no force acts on the rolling rollers 29 to rotate (spin) around the roller shaft 42. Therefore, when there is no material to be mixed in the mixing chamber 1, the rolling rollers 29 do not rotate (spin) around the roller shaft 42. In contrast, when material to be mixed is introduced into the mixing chamber 1 and a frictional force is generated between the rolling rollers 29 and the material to be mixed, this frictional force, combined with the force that causes rotation (revolve) around the drive shaft 27, causes the rolling rollers 29 to rotate (spin) around the roller shaft 42. As described above, the rolling roller 29 rotates on its own axis around the roller shaft 42 while "revolving" around the drive shaft 27 within the kneading chamber 1, thereby allowing the kneaded material to be pressed and mixed in the gap between the bottom liner 10 and the rolling roller 29.
[0029] A roller scraper 43 is provided opposite the downstream circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 in the direction of its revolution in order to scrape off the kneaded material that has adhered to the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 due to the pressure between the bottom liner 10 and the rolling roller 29. The roller scraper 43 is connected to a support arm 28, and its tip shape is formed in a mountain shape corresponding to the drum-shaped circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29. The circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 and the tip of the roller scraper 43 are positioned with a small gap between them.
[0030] The kneading structure 4 includes an internal scraper 44 that scrapes the kneaded material from the center of the kneading chamber 1 outward, an external scraper 45 that scrapes the kneaded material from the outer circumference of the kneading chamber 1 inward, and a side scraper 46 that scrapes off the kneaded material adhering to the circumferential liner 9 (circumferential wall 7). In Figure 3, the arm block 36 is provided with a first arm 49 that extends radially forward of the kneading chamber 1, with the internal scraper 44 located midway along the first arm 49 and the side scraper 46 located at the tip of the first arm 49. The arm block 36 is also provided with a second arm 50 that extends radially rearward of the kneading chamber 1, with the external scraper 45 located at the tip of the second arm 50. When the drive shaft 27 rotates, these scrapers 44, 45, and 46 rotate (revolve) counterclockwise around the drive shaft 27 in a plan view. The internal and external scrapers 44 and 45 are provided to improve the efficiency of the mixing operation by scraping the mixture toward the orbital path of the rolling roller 29.
[0031] As shown in Figure 3, the internal scraper 44 is formed in an outward-convex arc shape in a plan view of the kneading apparatus. As shown in Figure 2, the internal scraper 44 is integrally fixed to the lower end of the first holding shaft 51 which hangs down from the middle of the first arm 49. The side scraper 46 is formed in a vertically elongated blade shape and is integrally fixed to the tip of the first arm 49. The first holding shaft 51 is connected to the first arm 49 via an adjustment structure (not shown) for changing the orientation and height position of the coaxial shaft 51. The orientation of the internal scraper 44 can be changed by rotating the first holding shaft 51 around its axis and displacing it vertically using the adjustment structure. The side scraper 46 is connected to the first arm 49 via an adjustment structure (not shown) for adjusting the distance between it and the circumferential liner 9. A small gap is provided between the internal scraper 44 and the bottom liner 10, and between the side scraper 46 and the circumferential liner 9.
[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the outer scraper 45 is formed in an outward-convex arc shape in a plan view of the kneading apparatus. As shown in Figure 2, the outer scraper 45 is integrally fixed to the lower end of the second holding shaft 52 which hangs down from the tip of the second arm 50. The second holding shaft 52 is connected to the second arm 50 via an adjustment structure (not shown) for changing the orientation and height position of the coaxial shaft 52. The orientation of the outer scraper 45 can be changed by rotating the second holding shaft 52 around its axis and displacing it up and down using the adjustment structure. A small gap is provided between the outer scraper 45 and the bottom liner 10.
[0033] As shown in Figure 1, a swing restrictor 55 is provided between the two support arms 28, 28 to limit the upward swing of each support arm 28. The swing restrictor 55 consists of an action arm 56, 56 extending upward from each support arm 28, a pair of rods 57, 57 rotatably connected to each action arm 56, and a biasing spring 58 consisting of a compression coil spring positioned between the two rods 57, 57. The restoring force of the biasing spring 58 acts on the support arms 28 via the rods 57 and the action arms 56, and each support arm 28 is biased downward by the restoring force of the biasing spring 58.
[0034] Each rod 57 is configured to be extendable and retractable, and by changing the length of the rod 57, the restoring force corresponding to the amount of compression of the biasing spring 58 can be varied, and the biasing force acting on each support arm 28 can be adjusted. The support arm 28 swings upward when the moment that attempts to push the rolling roller 29 upward due to the compound that has entered the gap between the bottom liner 10 and the rolling roller 29 exceeds the sum of the downward moment due to the combined weight of the support arm 28 and the rolling roller 29 and the downward moment due to the biasing force of the swing restrictor 55 acting on the support arm 28.
[0035] As mentioned earlier, the rolling roller 29 rotates due to friction between the rolling roller 29 and the mixed material, particularly friction with the mixed material that has entered the gap between the bottom liner 10 and the rolling roller 29. Therefore, if the mixed material has a high moisture content and high fluidity, or if the amount of mixed material is less than the appropriate processing capacity of the mixing device, the frictional force between the rolling roller 29 and the mixed material may be insufficient, causing the rolling roller 29 to not rotate properly and to slip against the mixed material. To prevent such slippage of the rolling roller 29, in the mixing device of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, an anchor 61 is provided protruding from the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29, which rotates in conjunction with the revolving rolling roller 29 and contacts the mixed material to improve the frictional force. The anchor 61 is provided on the outer roller end face 60 (the roller end face 60 opposite to the side supported by the roller shaft 42).
[0036] As shown in Figure 4, the anchor 61 is composed of four anchor bodies 62. Each anchor body 62 is provided at four locations near the outer circumference of the roller end face 60, with each location offset by 90 degrees. The distance from the center of the roller end face 60 (the axis of the roller shaft 42) to each anchor body 62 is set to the same dimension. Each anchor body 62 is equipped with four (or more) pins 63 extending horizontally from the roller end face 60, and a total of 16 pins 63 are provided on each rolling roller 29. Each pin 63 is composed of a shaft with a circular cross-section.
[0037] These pins 63 are arranged on one of two concentric circles of different diameters, centered on the axis of the roller shaft 42. Specifically, the two pins 63 closest to the outer circumference of the rolling rollers 29 that make up each anchor body 62 are arranged on a concentric circle C1 with the same diameter. The two pins 63 further inside are arranged on a concentric circle C2 with a smaller diameter than the aforementioned concentric circle C1. Thus, the pins 63 are dispersed on concentric circles C1 and C2, which have different diameters, centered on the axis of the roller shaft 42. Consequently, the distance from the pin 63 on concentric circle C1 to the bottom wall 8 when the pin 63 is closest to the bottom wall 8 is different from the distance from the pin 63 on concentric circle C2 to the bottom wall 8.
[0038] Each anchor body 62 comprises a disc-shaped anchor base 64, four pins 63 supported by the anchor base 64, and a fastener 65 consisting of a socket head cap screw that secures the anchor base 64 to the roller end face 60. The base ends of each pin 63 are welded to the anchor base 64. Between adjacent pins 63 in the circumferential direction, through holes 66 for the fastener 65 are provided, penetrating the anchor base 64 in the thickness direction. The anchor body 62, having the above configuration, can be fixed to the roller end face 60 by screwing the fastener 65 into a threaded hole 67 provided in the roller end face 60 via the through hole 66, and can be separated from the roller end face 60 by releasing the fastener 65 from the threaded hole 67 in the reverse procedure. As described above, the anchor body 62 is configured to be detachable from the rolling roller 29.
[0039] Here, the mixing operation by the mixing device will be explained. When the mixing operation is started, if the discharge port 18 is open, the cylinder 22 is changed to the extended position and the discharge port 18 is closed with the discharge cover 19. After confirming that the discharge port 18 is closed with the discharge cover 19, the electric motor 32 is started and the drive shaft 27 is rotated, causing the pair of rolling rollers 29 and each scraper 44, 45, and 46 connected to the arm block 36 to rotate (revolve) around the drive shaft 27. In this state, there is no material to be mixed in the mixing chamber 1, so the rolling rollers 29 do not rotate (spin) around the roller shaft 42, but rotate (revolve) around the drive shaft 27.
[0040] Next, a specified amount of sand and bentonite is introduced into the mixing chamber 1 from both hoppers 11 and 12, and a specified amount of water is also introduced into the mixing chamber 1 from the sprinkler pipe 13. Once the mixture is introduced into the mixing chamber 1, the rolling roller 29 rotates (spins on its own axis) around the roller shaft 42 due to friction between the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 and the mixture, and friction between the pins 63 and the mixture. In other words, the rolling roller 29 rotates (spins on its own axis) around the roller shaft 42 while simultaneously rotating (revolving) around the drive shaft 27. As the rolling roller 29 rotates (spins on its own axis) around the roller shaft 42, the pins 63 repeatedly enter and exit the mixture, thereby maintaining a frictional force between them and the mixture. In other words, since the pins 63 of the anchor body 62 located upstream of the rotation direction (spinning direction) of the rolling roller 29 successively come into contact with the mixture, a frictional force is always generated between the pins 63 and the mixture.
[0041] The mixing structure 4 is driven for a predetermined time until the mixture is homogeneously mixed, at which point the mixing operation for one batch is terminated. Specifically, a container is placed below the chute 23, and the cylinder 22 is moved to the retracted position to open the discharge port 18. The mixture is gathered by the revolving internal and external scrapers 44 and 45, and gradually discharged from the discharge port 18 into the chute 23 and contained in the container. To continue the mixing operation for the next batch, the discharge port 18 is closed again with the discharge lid 19, and then the mixture (mixing material) is added. To completely terminate the mixing operation, the electric motor 32 is stopped.
[0042] As described above, in the kneading apparatus of this embodiment, an anchor 61 that contacts the kneaded material is provided protruding from the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29. Therefore, in addition to the frictional force generated between the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 and the kneaded material, the frictional force generated between the anchor 61 that contacts the kneaded material and the kneaded material can be applied to the rolling roller 29. In this way, by applying the frictional force generated between the anchor 61 and the kneaded material in addition to the frictional force generated between the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29 and the kneaded material, slippage of the rolling roller 29 can be prevented more reliably compared to a configuration in which the rolling roller 29 is rotated by the former frictional force alone. As a result, the rolling roller 29 can be rotated properly, and the kneaded material can be kneaded efficiently. Furthermore, in conventional configurations where protrusions or grooves are provided on the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29, unevenness in the degree of mixing is unavoidable. However, according to this embodiment, there is no need to provide protrusions or grooves on the circumferential surface of the rolling roller 29, and a uniform pressing force can be applied to the mixture. This prevents unevenness in the degree of mixing of the mixture, allowing for more uniform mixing of the mixture.
[0043] Since the anchor 61 is constructed including multiple pins 63 extending horizontally from the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29, the anchor 61 can be formed with a simple structure. Therefore, the cost increase of the mixing device due to the provision of the anchor 61 can be suppressed. In addition, by changing the length dimension of the pins 63 and the number of pins 63, the frictional force generated between the anchor 61 (anchor body 62) and the mixed material can be adjusted to a large or small size, which is also advantageous because it is easy to adjust the frictional force according to the properties of the mixed material.
[0044] Since multiple pins 63 are distributed on the roller end face 60, the distance between the pins 63 and the roller shaft 42, in other words, the distance between the pins 63 and the bottom wall 8, can be made to be of different lengths. Specifically, when two concentric circles C1 and C2 with different diameters are defined with respect to the axis of the roller shaft 42, the multiple pins 63 are configured to be positioned on either of the two concentric circles C1 and C2 on the roller end face 60, so that the distance from the roller shaft 42 to the pins 63 can be of two types, long and short. As a result, even when the amount of material to be mixed facing the roller end face 60 of the rolling roller 29 fluctuates during the mixing operation, one of the pins 63 with different distances from the bottom wall 8 can be brought into contact with the material, generating frictional force between the anchor 61 (anchor body 62) and the material to more reliably prevent the rolling roller 29 from slipping.
[0045] The anchor body 62 is provided with an anchor base 64 having multiple pins 63 and a fastener 65 that fastens and fixes the anchor base 64 to the roller end face 60. By fastening the fastener 65 to the roller end face 60, the pins 63 can be attached to the rolling roller 29 together with the anchor base 64. Conversely, by releasing the fastener 65 to the roller end face 60 in the reverse procedure, the pins 63 can be separated from the rolling roller 29 together with the anchor base 64. As a result, if the anchor body 62 needs to be replaced, such as when a pin 63 breaks, the pins 63 can be removed from the rolling roller 29 together with the anchor base 64, and a new anchor base 64 can be attached to the rolling roller 29, allowing for easy replacement with a new anchor body 62. Furthermore, it is possible to easily and quickly replace the anchor body 62 with one having pins of a different length. In addition, since multiple anchor bases 64 are arranged at equally spaced positions in the circumferential direction of the roller end face 60, the pins 63 located upstream of the rolling roller 29 in the rotational direction (direction of rotation) come into regular and sequential contact with the kneaded material. As a result, frictional force is always generated between the pins 63 and the kneaded material, thus more reliably preventing the rolling roller 29 from slipping.
[0046] In the above, the number and arrangement of the pins 63 constituting the anchor body 62 are not limited to those of the above embodiment. The pins 63 may have elliptical or polygonal axes, and may also be made of flat steel or angle steel. The compound is not limited to those of the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]
[0047] 1. Mixing Room 2 Housing 8 Bottom wall 27 Drive shaft 28 Support Arm 29 Rolling rollers 32. Power source (electric motor) 42 Roller shaft 60 Roller end face 61 Anchor 63 pins 64 Anchor base
Claims
1. A housing (2) having a bottomed cylindrical kneading chamber (1) into which the kneaded material is introduced, A drive shaft (27) penetrates vertically through the center of the bottom wall (8) of the mixing chamber (1) and is rotationally driven by a driving force from a drive source (32), A support arm (28) is connected to a drive shaft (27) and rotated within the kneading chamber (1) with the drive shaft (27) as the center of rotation, A roller shaft (42) is provided at the tip of the support arm (28) and extends horizontally, A cylindrical rolling roller (29) is rotatably supported by a roller shaft (42), An anchor (61) provided on the roller end face (60) of the rolling roller (29), Equipped with, The anchor (61) comprises a plurality of anchor bases (64) fixed to the roller end face (60), and a plurality of pins (63) supported by each anchor base (64) and protruding horizontally from the roller end face (60). The anchor base (64) is fixed at equally spaced positions on the roller end face (60) with respect to the axis of the roller shaft (42), and the pins (63) are distributed on the roller end face (60). When the rotation of the rolling roller (29) around the drive shaft (27) is defined as "revolution" and the rotation of the rolling roller (29) around the roller axis (42) is defined as "rotation", the device is configured such that when the drive shaft (27) is rotated, the rolling roller (29) revolves around the drive shaft (27), but no force acts on the rolling roller (29) to cause it to rotate. When there is no mixture in the mixing chamber (1), the rolling roller (29) does not rotate on its own axis around the roller shaft (42), and is configured to only revolve around the drive shaft (27). A mixing apparatus characterized in that, when a mixture is introduced into the mixing chamber (1), friction occurs between the circumferential surface of the rolling roller (29) and the mixture, and friction occurs between the pin (63) and the mixture, the rolling roller (29) revolves around the drive shaft (27) and rotates on its own axis (42), and as it rotates, the pin (63) repeatedly moves in and out of the mixture, thereby maintaining the frictional force between the rolling roller (29) and the mixture necessary for the rotation of the rolling roller (29), and the mixture is pressed and mixed in the gap between the rolling roller (29) and the bottom wall (8) of the mixing chamber (1).
2. When two concentric circles (C1 and C2) with different diameters are defined with respect to the axis of the roller shaft (42), The kneading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each pin (63) is arranged on either of the two concentric circles (C1 and C2).