Belt conveyor with wheels for large capacities of bulk material

Abstract

Transport device (10) suitable for handling bulk materials, comprising: ▪ a belt conveyor (101) configured as a loop, in turn presenting: o metal plates (1), arranged in sequence according to a longitudinal transport direction (L) and partially overlapping each other according to such direction, configured to define a loading surface (11) for the material; o a wire mesh (2) subjected to said plates (1) and fixed thereto, which acts as the transmission organ of the motion; ▪ a plurality of support and guide wheels (3), connected to said plates (1); ▪ a pair of longitudinal rails (4) arranged one on each side of the belt conveyor (101) and fixed internally to a relative casing (5).

Description

[0001] BELT CONVEYOR WITH WHEELS

[0002] FOR LARGE CAPACITIES OF BULK MATERIAL

[0003] DESCRIPTION

[0004] Technical field of the invention

[0005] The present invention relates to a transport device of the belt type suitable for handling bulk materials. The device is particularly suitable for transporting I evacuating machine tool swarf and the like.

[0006] Analysis of the prior art and its drawbacks

[0007] Systems for dry transporting bulk materials, even at high temperatures, for example bottom ash exiting a combustion chamber, are known in the art. Such systems are based on a conveyor of the metal belt type with a closed loop configuration, which is wound around a drive motor and a return drum arranged at the opposite longitudinal ends of the belt itself. The drums are rotatable around axes transverse to the direction of motion of the belt. The transport path of the latter comprises a forward section, from a loading region to an unloading region, and an unladen return section to the loading region. The loading surface of the conveyor is defined by a plurality of plates partially overlapping each other in the direction of motion. Such plates bear lateral banks, orthogonal or angled with respect to the loading surface, with the function of volumetric containment of the transported material. The plates are fixed, by means of screws or rivets, to a wire mesh that acts as a transmission organ of the motion generated on the drive motor.

[0008] The aforementioned belt conveyors allow the treatment of high capacities of bulk material with very satisfactory efficiency and effectiveness.

[0009] However, even this type of conveyors can be perfectible.

[0010] In particular, such conveyors generally provide support idle rollers for the forward and return sections of the belt, which may also perform an anti-skid function to keep the belt centred on its line of movement. Such rollers are connected, with its fixed support frame, to the wall of a stationary casing receiving the conveyor. The need for access to the rollers for inspection and / or maintenance may limit the applicability of the machine to specific areas or lead to shutdowns. Moreover, the rollers may have a mechanical support external to the casing, with the need to pass through the fixed wall of the latter. In uses that require confining the internal environment from the external environment with a specific seal, it is necessary to install sealing elements at said crossings.

[0011] Again, to enable the handling of high capacities of material, known devices of the type considered herein may have to ensure transport speeds greater than 0.30 m / s. However, at such speeds, in some applications, noise and vibration associated with the discontinuity of support provided by the necessarily discrete roller pitch may occur.

[0012] On the basis of the above, therefore, a need is felt to improve transport systems of the type considered, especially to maintain efficiency features even when handling specific bulk materials, such as swarf and / or mixed with machine tool coolant.

[0013] Summary of the invention

[0014] The technical problem posed and solved by the present invention is, therefore, to provide a transport device of the belt type allowing to meet the aforementioned need with reference to the known art.

[0015] Such problem is solved by a device according to claim 1 and a transport system that includes it.

[0016] Preferred features of the present invention are the subject of dependent claims.

[0017] The transport device of the invention is suitable for receiving, extracting, selecting and / or discharging heavy, abrasive and / or wet material.

[0018] The device comprises primarily a belt conveyor based on plate elements for containing and transporting material. Such plates are arranged in sequence along a transport direction and, advantageously, partially overlapping each other according to such direction. The plates are connected to a belt of the wire mesh type subjected thereto and equipped, according to the invention, with sliding wheels. Advantageously, the latter may be associated with the plates in a removable manner, for example with a release device allowing for their maintenance and / or replacement. The wheelbase of said wheels may vary according to specific embodiments and applications. In a preferred embodiment, the wheels run on lateral fixed rails.

[0019] In preferred embodiment variants, the device has a cleaning system for the bottom of a containment casing of the belt conveyor.

[0020] Other advantages, features and methods of use of the present invention will result evident from the following detailed description of some embodiments, presented by way of example and not for limitative purposes.

[0021] Brief description of the figures

[0022] The figures of the enclosed drawings will be referred to, wherein:

[0023] ■ Figure 1 refers to a preferred embodiment of a transport device of the belt type according to the invention, showing a lateral view with a slit to highlight the internal components;

[0024] ■ Figure 2 shows a bipartite cross-sectional view of the device of Figure 1 ; in particular, the left-hand side shows a section performed at an end portion of the device, wherein a belt conveyor wounds around a drive motor, and the right-hand side a section performed at an intermediate portion;

[0025] ■ Figure 3 refers to an embodiment variant of a transport device of the belt type according to the invention, showing a schematic lateral view of a related belt conveyor and omitting an outer casing in order to highlight some internal components;

[0026] ■ Figure 4 refers to another embodiment variant of a transport device of the belt type according to the invention, showing a schematic cross-sectional view.

[0027] The dimensions represented in the figures above introduced should be understood as examples and not necessarily in proportion.

[0028] Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

[0029] Various embodiments and variants of the invention will be described hereinafter, with reference to the figures introduced above. In the following detailed description, further embodiments and variants with respect to embodiments and variants already dealt with in the same description will be illustrated limited to the differences with what has already been set out. Moreover, the different embodiments and variants described hereinafter are capable of being used in combination, where compatible.

[0030] With initial reference to Figure 1 , a transport system 100 for transporting bulk materials - in particular machine tool swarf - according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown schematically. The system 100 includes a transport device 10, a related drive motor system 107 and a control unit 102.

[0031] The transport system 100, and in particular the device 10, may be configured for dry, wet or bath transport.

[0032] The device 10 comprises a belt conveyor 101 configured as a loop. Such configuration provides for a forward stroke, or upper section, 111 , in which the material is moved between a loading position, or station, S1 and an unloading station, or position, S2, according to a transport, or longitudinal, direction L. As shown, such direction L may provide for a substantially horizontal section L1 and an inclined section L2.

[0033] The belt conveyor 101 also includes a return stroke, or lower section, 112, in which it is unloaded.

[0034] With reference also to Figure 2, the belt conveyor 101 is made of a plurality of plate elements 1 , or plates, for loading, containing and transporting the material, arranged in sequence along the direction L and partially overlapping each other according to such direction. In other words, each plate 1 has an upstream end portion with respect to the direction L that is superimposed or subjected to a downstream end portion of an adjacent plate.

[0035] The top surface of plates 1 is substantially flat or planar and defines a loading central surface 11 for the material.

[0036] Each plate 1 has end lateral wings, or banks, 12, that is transversely opposite portions, substantially orthogonal to the loading surface 11 and configured to act as lateral containment elements for the transported material.

[0037] The plates 1 are connected to - and in particular fixed to, that is blocked with - a strip of wire mesh 2 subjected thereto. The mesh 2 acts as a transmission organ of the motion, being configured to engage, for example by friction, a traction drive motor 7 of the drive system 107 arranged at a bend section of the ring. In other words, the mesh 2 drags the plates 1 , enabling the application of the drive torque from the drum 7. In Figure 2, such drum 7 is shown schematically as also associated with a drive shaft 71 and a coupling flange 9 to a half motor.

[0038] The device 10 further includes a stationary casing 5, or case or frame, for containing the belt conveyor 101.

[0039] The plates 1 are provided with sliding idle wheels 3, which are arranged at end lateral portions 13 of the plates 1 protruding with respect to the mesh 2 and on the opposite face of the same plates with respect to those defining the loading surface 11. In particular, each wheel 3 has a hub 32 fixed to a respective plate 1 and a rotatable body 31 rotating about an axis A orthogonal to the transport direction L and parallel to the loading surface 11 . The wheels 3 are therefore arranged bilaterally on the plates 1 .

[0040] Advantageously, the wheels 3 may be attached to the plates 1 in a detachable manner, for example with a release device allowing for their maintenance and / or replacement. The wheelbase of the wheels 3 may vary according to specific embodiments and applications.

[0041] The wheels 3 are configured to slide on continuous and stationary rails, or tracks, 4, fixed to, or integral with, inner lateral walls of the casing 5.

[0042] Each rail 4 has a substantially L-shaped cross-sectional configuration, with a first leg 41 parallel to and fixed to the aforementioned wall of the casing 5 and a second leg 42 orthogonal to the first and configured to receive in support the wheels 3, thus performing the actual function of support and guide.

[0043] The rotatable body 31 of the wheels 3 may have a double diameter cross-section, defining an edge or step 33 that may engage the respective track 4 in abutment, allowing to guide the movement of the conveyor 101 without requiring specific guide rollers and / or performing a centring function.

[0044] In particular, as shown in the right-hand side of Figure 2, the rotatable body 31 has a first portion of smaller diameter 311 sliding on the track 42 and a second portion of larger diameter 312. At the interface between two portions 311 and 312 is defined the step 33, which is abutting on, or nearby, the end of the leg 42 of the rail 4.

[0045] The wheels 3 are preferably arranged symmetrically on both side of the plates 1.

[0046] Such separate configuration between wheels 3 and mesh 2, together with possibly the frictional transmission of the motion between drum 7 and mesh 2, allows to compensate for asymmetrical stresses during operation, without causing the belt conveyor 101 to stall.

[0047] The casing 5 has a pair of stationary longitudinal appendages, or banks, 50, each substantially in the form of a foil, which project internally thereto from one of its upper walls so as to contain bilaterally the material received on said loading surface 11 , creating a kind of suspended banks with respect to the belt conveyor 101.

[0048] Advantageously, the longitudinal appendages 50 of the casing 5 are arranged internally with respect to the lateral wings, or banks, 12 of the plates 1.

[0049] Advantageously, the belt conveyor 101 is movable with forward speed even up to 0.5 m / s or higher.

[0050] It will be appreciated that the same section of the belt conveyor 101 exhibits constancy of dynamic constraint, being always supported by the same wheels 3 during movement. This results in a clear reduction in noise and vibration, allowing for transport speeds considerably higher than the known art, as mentioned even up to 0.5 m / s. Therefore, a higher material throughput is possible for the same size of belt conveyor.

[0051] In one embodiment, the casing 5 is closed and may be air-tight, liquid-tight, or other substance-tight, conveniently isolating the internal environment from the external environment and preventing contamination between the atmosphere, process auxiliary materials and / or transported material.

[0052] In a completely closed configuration, the device 10 is suitable for installation in whole or in part in rooms that cannot be reached during operation. However, the movable elements, in particular the belt conveyor 101 and its wheels 3, remain fully inspectionable and serviceable from the discharge point or equivalent fixed position along the same device by sliding such movable elements to a predetermined maintenance area.

[0053] In some applications, for example for the evacuation of machine tool swarf, it is possible that the aforementioned machine may be, for all its length or part thereof, in an environment flooded by coolant, and therefore the swarf material may also be wet or impregnated with liquid. In such a case, the proposed device may allow such material to be extracted and drained from the coolant and transported to the discharge point. In the described configuration, from the upper section of the conveyor 101 the liquid is drained to the area below confined by means of an inclined septum, for example a metal sheet, 8, and passes the wall of the casing 5 through suitable slots 6, to be discharged externally to the same casing.

[0054] The system 100 described can also be used effectively for handling bottom ash exiting a combustion chamber or cement clinker exiting a rotary kiln.

[0055] Figure 3 refers to an embodiment variant of the transport device 10 of the previous figures, which will be described only with reference to the differences with respect to what has been set out above. In particular, each plate 1 - or at least some of the plates - has a cleaning element 501 of the pendulum or spoon type configured to collect from the bottom of the container 5 - in the return section 112 - any material accumulated therein. Such material may be returned to the forward section 111 of the conveyor 101 by suitably guiding the cleaning elements 501 in a recovery motion.

[0056] In addition to or as an alternative to said cleaning elements 501 , the transport device comprises one or more further cleaning elements 502 of the brush type, in particular metal. The latter are configured to sweep the bottom of the container 5 of any residual swarf and sludge, advantageously delivering them to a container 503 for recovery and filtering. Such container 503 is only shown as an example in Figure 3.

[0057] In a further variant, referred to in Figure 4, the device comprises a cleaning system of the jet type or nozzles 510.

[0058] Such system 510 includes a first set of nozzles, for example of the blade type, each denoted by 511 and located at the bottom of the container 5, in a transversely centred position. The nozzles 511 , for example five in number, are configured to clean the plates, in the return section 112, from any swarf and sludge that may be deposited thereon.

[0059] There are also two further side nozzles, each denoted by 512, facing sideways within the container 5 and configured to clean the wheels 3 and the tracks or rails 4.

[0060] Naturally, the nozzles are supplied with a cleaning liquid, or fluid, in particular water, and thus associated with a supply and regulation system schematically represented in Figure 4 and generally located externally to the casing 5.

[0061] The present invention has thus far been described with reference to its preferred embodiments. It is to be understood that other embodiments pertaining to the same inventive core may exist, as defined by the scope of protection of the claims reported hereinafter.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A transport device (10) suitable for handling bulk materials, in particular swarf from a machine tool, which conveyor device (10) comprises:■ a belt conveyor (101) configured as a loop, in turn comprising: o a plurality of metal plates (1), arranged in sequence according to a longitudinal transport direction (L), configured to define a loading surface (11) for the material; o a wire mesh (2) under said plates (1) and fixed thereto, which acts as a transmission organ of the motion, being configured to engage, for example by friction, a drive drum (7) arranged in a return section of the ring;■ a plurality of support and guide idle wheels (3), connected to said plates (1) and arranged at both sides of said plates (1);■ a stationary casing (5) for containing said belt conveyor (101);■ a pair of longitudinal rails (4) arranged one on each side of said belt conveyor (101) and fixed internally to said casing (5).

2. The transport device (10) according to claim 1 , wherein each of said rails (4) has a conformation in cross-section substantially L-shaped, with a first leg (41) parallel to and fixed to a wall of said casing (5) and a second supporting and guiding leg (42) orthogonal to the first one and configured to receive in support said wheels (3).

3. The transport device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said casing (5) has a pair of stationary longitudinal side edges (50), each substantially in the form of a foil, which project internally thereto from an upper wall thereof so as to contain bilaterally the material received on said loading surface (11).

4. The transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said plates (1) has end side edges (12) substantially orthogonal to said loading surface (11) and configured to act as lateral containment elements of the transported material.

5. The transport device (10) according to claims 3 and 4, wherein said longitudinal side rails (50) of said casing are arranged internally with respect to said side edges (12) of said plates (1).

6. The transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein adjacent plates are partially overlapping each other according to said longitudinal transport direction (L).

7. The transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said wheels (3) has a hub (32) fixed to a respective plate (1) and a pivoting body (31)rotating about an axis (A) orthogonal to the transport direction (L) and parallel to the loading surface (11).

8. The transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said wheels (3) comprises a rotatable body (31) having a double diameter cross-section, defining an edge or step (33) configured to engage a respective track (4).

9. The transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said wheels (3) are arranged symmetrically on both sides of said plates (1).

10. The transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said casing (5) has an inclined internal septum (8) configured to allow drainage of any liquid, and wherein said casing (5) also has lateral slots (6) for the escape of the liquid.

11. The transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising means for cleaning (501 ; 502) the bottom of said casing (5) of the pendulum, spoon or brush type.

12. The transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising cleaning means (510) of the jet or nozzle type, configured for cleaning said plates (1) and / or said wheels (3) and / or said tracks (4) in a return section (112) of said belt conveyor (101).

13. A transport system (100) for handling, preferably dry, high temperature bulk materials in industrial plants, comprising: o a transport device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims; o a drive drum (7) engaged by said network (2); and o a control unit (102).

14. The transport system (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein said belt conveyor (101) is movable with a forward speed of about 0.5 m / s.

15. The transport system (100) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein said web (2) engages said drive drum (7) by friction.

16. . The transport system (100) according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein said transport system is a machine tool chip transport system.

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