Device for mixing and / or cutting feed, feed system and method for manufacturing an auger

Abstract

A feed-mixing wagon or other device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals, such as cows, comprises a container for accommodating feed. An auger is arranged in the container, and rotatable and drivable for mixing and / or cutting feed accommodated in the container. The auger comprises a core body, and an auger flight which extends around the core body, in particular helical. The auger flight comprises a plurality of curved auger flight parts which are attached to the core body and to each other. The auger is manufactured by means of a manufacturing method which comprises (i) casting the auger flight parts, and (ii) attaching the cast auger flight parts to the core body and to each other.

Description

[0001] Device for mixing and / or cutting feed, feed system and method for manufacturing an auger

[0002] The invention relates to a device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals, such as cows.

[0003] The automatic feed system Vector® by Lely is known. This feed system comprises an autonous feed-mixing wagon which is mobile on a surface, such as a floor. The feed-mixing wagon comprises a mixing container for accommodating a batch of feed. A mixing auger is arranged in the container which is rotatably drivable about a substantially vertical axis of rotation for mixing and cutting feed accommodated in the mixing container. The mixing auger comprises a core body which forms the auger shaft. An auger flight extends around the core body substantially in the shape of a spiral. A plurality of cutting blades are arranged on the radial outer edge of the auger flight in order to cut the feed. The auger flight starts at the bottom of the mixing container with a front edge which picks up feed from the bottom upon rotation of the mixing auger, so that feed which has already been picked up is moved upwards along the auger flight. At the top end of the auger flight, the feed drops down again. During rotation of the mixing auger, the feed is mixed and cut in the mixing container.

[0004] The core body of the auger is tubular. The tubular core body is produced by bending a flat metal plate to form a cylindrical shape. The auger flight comprises a plurality of metal auger flight parts which are welded to the core body and to each other. Each auger flight part has a curved shape. The auger flight part is produced by cutting a flat metal plate which corresponds to the auger flight part to be formed, and subsequently bending the cut-out flat metal plate into the curved shape of the auger flight part. In practice, manufacturing the curved auger flight parts is very difficult and can only be performed by specialised, experienced persons skilled in the art using particular machines and tools. Since such persons skilled in the art and machines are scarce and expensive, the mixing auger is an expensive part.

[0005] It is an object of the invention to provide a device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals, wherein the auger can be manufactured in a simpler and more costefficient manner.

[0006] According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of a device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals, such as cows, in particular dairy cows or meat cows, wherein the device comprises:

[0007] - a container for accommodating feed, for example a batch of feed, - an auger which is arranged in the container and is rotatable and drivable for mixing and / or cutting feed accommodated in the container, and wherein the auger comprises:

[0008] • a core body, for example a tubular or cylindrical shaft body,

[0009] • an auger flight which extends around the core body, in particular in a spiral or helical manner, i.e. according to a helix, wherein the auger flight comprises a plurality of curved auger flight parts which are attached to the core body and to each other, wherein the auger is manufactured by means of a manufacturing method which comprises (i) casting the auger flight parts, and (ii) attaching the cast auger flight parts to the core body and to each other.

[0010] According to the invention, one or more of the curved auger flight parts, preferably all auger flight parts, are cast. During the manufacture of the auger, the cast auger flight parts are attached to the core body and to each other after casting, i.e. in a subsequent step, in particular by welding. Thus, the auger of the device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals according to the invention comprises cast auger flight parts which are attached to the core body and to each other. The auger according to the invention is formed by an assembly comprising the core body and the cast auger flight parts. The core body and the cast auger flight parts are assembled during the manufacture of the auger. After that, the core body and the auger flight form a single part.

[0011] Compared to bending the curved auger flight parts from a flat plate part, as is known from the prior art, in which case it is very difficult to achieve the curved shape according to the required specifications and which requires specialised, experienced persons skilled in the art with particular machines and tools, casting the curved auger flight parts is simple. The casting process can remain simple because initially only the auger flight parts are cast and subsequently the cast auger flight parts are attached to the core body and to each other, and thus the auger is not cast in one piece. The shape of the cast auger flight parts can easily be released from the mould. The required casting mould for the individual auger flight parts is also simple, and can be produced relatively inexpensively using the currently available techniques, such as 3D printing. In other words, once the casting mould has been produced, the curved auger flight parts can be made easily and accurately according to the specifications. The costs of the cast auger flight parts are therefore comparable to, or even lower than the auger flight parts which have been produced using the known bending process.

[0012] The subsequent assembly of the core body and the cast auger flight parts according to the invention is also relatively simple, i.e. may be performed by less specialised people skilled in the art than the bending of the curved auger flight parts according to the prior art. The cast auger flight parts are attached to the core body and to each other, for example by welding. Thus, the auger according to the invention is produced by assembling the core body and the cast auger flight parts. The auger is composed of various components which comprise the core body and the cast auger flight parts.

[0013] In terms of production engineering, the production of the auger according to the invention which comprises at least the abovementioned two steps, i.e. casting the auger flight parts and subsequently attaching them to each other and joining them to the core body, is optimized. As a result thereof, the auger of the device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals can be manufactured in a parrticularly simple and cost-efficient way.

[0014] It should be noted that the casting of ship screws is generally known. However, the casting of ship screws is a remotely connected technical field. In addition, ship screws are cast as a single entity, i.e. both the hub and the propeller blades of the ship screws are cast in a mould in a single operation. This differs from the manufacture of the auger of the device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals according to the invention, wherein only the curved auger flight parts of the auger are cast and the cast auger flight parts are subsequently attached to the core body and to each other.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the auger flight parts each have a curved feed-displacement surface for displacing feed over it. The feeddisplacement surface partly extends around the core body. The feed accommodated in the container is transported along the feed-displacement surface for mixing and / or cutting this feed during rotation of the auger. In particular, the feed-displacement surface has the shape of a spiral or helix or screw blade. In addition, the feed-displacement surface may be substantially continuously curved, at least viewed in the circumferential direction. It is also possible for the curved feed-displacement surface, viewed in a radial cross section, to be substantially straight.

[0016] According to the invention, it is preferable for at least one of the auger flight parts to comprise a blade-carrying portion on the side situated opposite the feeddisplacement surface which comprises a substantially flat attachment surface for attaching a flat cutting blade thereto, wherein the blade-carrying portion is cast concomitantly when this auger flight part is being cast. For example, each cutting blade comprises a cutting blade with a serrated cutting edge which protrudes with respect to the outer edge of the auger flight.

[0017] During the manufacture of the auger of the feed-mixing wagon for the abovementioned known automatic feed system Vector® by Lely, a plurality of auger flight parts are provided with cutting blades having a flat cutting blade. In order to be able to attach the flat cutting blades without flexural stresses, a portion of the curved auger flight part is cut out and replaced by a flat plate part, which is attached by welding. The flat plate part forms a blade-carrying portion. A flat cutting blade can be reliably attached to the flat plate part, for example by means of bolt connections. However, cutting out a portion of the curved auger flight parts and welding them onto a flat plate part is laborious and expensive. Because the auger flight parts according to the invention are cast, it is possible to directly cast concomitantly the blade-carrying portion with the flat attachment surface. According to the invention, the blade-carrying portion is formed simultaneously with the auger flight part by means of casting. The blade-carrying portion is incorporated with the auger flight part. As a result thereof, it is possible to attach cutting blades to the cast auger flight parts in a simple and reliable manner and substantially without flexural stresses.

[0018] It should be noted that a mixing device is known from EP1634494 A1 which is configured as a feed-mixing wagon. The mixing device comprises a mixing container with a mixing auger which is rotatably driven about a substantially vertical axis of rotation. The mixing auger comprises an auger shaft and an auger flight which extends around the auger shaft in a helical fashion. A plurality of cutting blades are arranged on the auger flight. Each cutting blade is connected by means of two bolts which extend through holes in the edge of the auger flight. The auger flight has a curved shape, while the knife blade is flat. In order to attach the flat knife blade to the curved auger flight without flexural stresses, the cutting blade is fitted by means of curved connecting portions. As a result of the curved connecting portions, it is not necessary to cut out a portion of the auger flight part and replace it by a flat plate part. However, the curved connecting portions of the cutting blades make the auger complicated and expensive.

[0019] According to the invention, it is possible for the auger flight part with the blade-carrying portion to be provided with a plurality of bolt holes for attaching the cutting blade by means of bolts, wherein the bolt holes are each provided with a recess on the feed-displacement surface for accommodating the bolts in a substantially countersunk manner when attaching the cutting blade, and wherein the bolt holes with the recesses are cast concomitantly during the casting of this auger flight part.

[0020] The cutting blades have bolt holes which can be aligned with the bolt holes of the auger flight. If the cutting blades are attached to the blade-carrying portion of the auger flight by means of bolts, the bolt heads of the bolts are accommodated in the recesses of the bolt holes of the auger flight in a countersunk manner. As a result thereof, the bolt heads do not, or hardly, protrude with respect to the feed-displacement surface. This is advantageous for effective transportation and mixing of the feed by the auger. In addition, when forming the bolt holes with the recesses directly during casting of the auger flight part, there are no additional costs or treatments of the metal required.

[0021] In addition, it is for example also possible to make the bolt holes substantially square in cross section during casting of the auger flight. By means of the square bolt holes, it is possible to achieve a particularly reliable attachment of the cutting blades to the auger flight parts. Due to the casting, it is easy to achieve the square shape of the bolt holes.

[0022] According to the invention, it is furthermore preferred if the auger flight parts each comprise an inner edge and an opposite outer edge, wherein the outer edges of the auger flight parts each comprise a thickening which is cast concomitantly during the casting of this auger flight part, and wherein the inner edges of the auger flight parts are attached to the core body and the auger flight parts are attached to each other in such a way that the outer edges with the concomitantly cast thickenings form an outer spiral or helical, thickened wear edge of the auger flight. The wear edge is sacrificial material.

[0023] The feed for animals, such as cows, is usually slightly acidic, for example silage, such as grass silage. This causes wear of the auger flight. The wear is also, and sometimes mainly, caused by sand or soil in the feed. The free outer edges of the auger flight parts are subjected to wear the most. By providing the outer edges with a thickening, it is possible to significantly increase the service life of the auger. The thickenings form sacrificial material which slowly wears away during use of the auger. Since the thickenings are cast concomitantly during casting of the auger flight parts, there are no additional costs involved with manufacturing the thickened wear edge of the auger flight.

[0024] In a specific embodiment according to the invention, the thickening, viewed in the axial direction of the auger, has a height and, viewed in the radial direction of the auger, a width, with the height being smaller than the width. The cast, curved auger flight part forms a plate-shaped body which, viewed in the radial direction, has a substantially constant thickness. The thickening on the outer edge of the auger flight protrudes from the feed-displacement surface, i.e. forms an upright edge. Due to the fact that the height of the thickening is smaller than its width, the thickening has no, or hardly any, adverse effect on the transportation of feed through the auger, i.e. the transportation function of the auger is ensured, while the auger is able to resist wear for a longer period of time.

[0025] Preferably, the thickening is drop-shaped in cross section. The drop shape can easily be cast concomitantly. In addition, it has surprisingly been found in practice that the drop shape has a particularly positive effect on the service life of the auger.

[0026] The casting of the auger flight parts has the advantage that shaped parts with added feed-related functions in addition to the general function of displacing feed over the feed-displacement surface of the auger flight part, for example the blade-carrying portion, the bolt holes and the thickened wear edge, as described above, are easily achievable and without additional costs, i.e. by concomitantly casting these shaped parts during the casting of the auger flight parts.

[0027] It is therefore preferable, according to the invention, for the auger flight parts to each have a curved feed-displacement surface for displacing feed over it, wherein at least one of the auger flight parts is provided with one or more shaped parts which deviate from the shape of this feed-displacement surface, and wherein these shaped parts are cast concomitantly during the casting of this auger flight part. The feed-displacement surface determines a curved screw blade surface. The shaped parts have a shape which deviates from the shape of the curved screw blade surface in order to fulfil an additional feed-related function. In addition to the blade-carrying portions, the bolt holes and thickenings, the auger flight parts may have other shaped parts in order to provide additional feed-related functions.

[0028] In a specific embodiment according to the invention, the auger is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis of rotation. In this case, the auger is a vertical auger. In this case, the curved feed-displacement surface of the auger flight parts is situated on a top side, i.e. forms a top surface. The container has a bottom and a circumferential side wall which extend from the bottom upwards. The auger is arranged substantially vertically in the container. The auger flight starts at the bottom of the container with a front edge which picks up feed from the bottom upon rotation of the auger, so that feed which has already been picked up is moved upwards along the upper surface of the auger flight. At the top end of the auger flight, the feed drops down again. The feed dropping down forms a kind of enclosure which helps to keep the feed moving upwards along the auger flight on the auger flight. With a vertical auger, the agressive action of feed, sand and / or soil in the feed has a greater adverse effect on the service life than with a horizontal auger, so that the above-described advantages of the invention become particularly evident.

[0029] In an embodiment according to the invention, the core body and the auger flight parts are made of steel, in particular stainless steel. Stainless steel is particularly well able to withstand the agressive action of feed for cows, such as dairy cows or meat cows, for example grass silage, and also to withstand sand and / or soil in the feed. The use of stainless steel prolongs the service life of the auger. The core body and the auger flight parts may also be made of steel and are coated with a corrosion-resistant coating which comprises, for example, a hardener.

[0030] In an preferred embodiment according to the invention, the device is a feedmixing wagon. The feed-mixing wagon is configured for mixing and / or cutting feed and dispensing and / or depositing the mixed and / or cut feed at a feeding area for animals, such as cows, in particular along a feed fence for the animals. According to the invention, it is possible for the feed-mixing wagon to be self-propelled, unmanned and / or autonomous. The advantages of the invention are particularly evident in an autonomous feed-mixing wagon which usually mixes smaller amounts of feed, but is on average used for a relatively longer period, resulting in the auger wearing more quickly.

[0031] However, the auger according to the invention also has advantages with other mixing devices for animal feed. The device according to the invention may be a conventional feed-mixing wagon which is, for example, self-propelled or is designed to be towed, such as by a tractor. The device according to the invention may furthermore form a stationary mixer which is used, for example, in a feed system for feeding animals, such as an automatic feed system.

[0032] The invention also relates to a feed system for feeding animals, such as cows, wherein the feed system comprises:

[0033] - a feed fence, for example in an animal shed with a dwelling space for keeping animals, and

[0034] - a feeding alley which extends along the feed fence, in particular on the side of the feed fence opposite the dwelling space, wherein the feed system comprises a feed-mixing wagon as described above, and the feed-mixing wagon is preferably configured to move autonomously through the feeding alley and to dispense feed along the feed fence.

[0035] The invention furthermore relates to a method for manufacturing an auger for use with a device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals, such as cows, in particular with a device as described above, wherein the method comprises:

[0036] - manufacturing or providing a core body,

[0037] - casting a plurality of curved auger flight parts, or providing a plurality of curved auger flight parts which have been manufactured by means of casting, - attaching, in particular by means of welding, the cast auger flight parts to the core body and to each other for forming an auger flight which extends around the core body, in particular in a spiral or helical manner, i.e. according to a helix.

[0038] According to the invention, it is preferable in this case if, when casting at least one of the auger flight parts, on a side thereof which is opposite a curved feeddisplacement surface for displacing feed along the latter, a blade-carrying portion is cast concomitantly which comprises a substantially flat attachment surface for attaching a flat cutting blade thereto.

[0039] According to the invention, it is furthermore possible to form an inner edge and an opposite outer edge when casting each auger flight part, wherein a thickening is concomitantly cast on the outer edge of each auger flight part, and wherein the inner edges of the auger flight parts are attached to the core body and the auger flight parts are attached to each other in such a manner that the outer edges with the concomitantly cast thickenings form an outer spiral or helical, thickened wear edge of the auger flight.

[0040] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures, in which:

[0041] Figure 1 diagrammatically shows a plan view of a feed system for feeding animals according to the invention;

[0042] Figure 2 shows a partially cut-away view in perspective of a feed-mixing wagon of the feed system according to the invention illustrated in Figure 1 ;

[0043] Figure 3 shows a partially cut-away view in perspective of the auger of the feed-mixing wagon illustrated in Figure 2;

[0044] Figures 4A, 4B, 4C show various views of an auger flight part of the auger illustrated in Figure 3;

[0045] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the auger of the feed-mixing wagon illustrated in Figure 2.

[0046] A feed system for feeding animals, in particular cows 4, such as dairy cows or meat cows, is denoted overall by reference numeral 1 in Figure 1. In this exemplary embodiment, the feed system 1 is arranged in an animal shed 2 with a dwelling space 3 for keeping the cows 4, in which there are cubicles 5. In this exemplary embodiment, the dwelling space 3 comprises two feed fences 6. A feeding alley 7 extends on the side opposite the dwelling space 3 of each feed fence 6.

[0047] In this exemplary embodiment, the feed system 1 forms an automatic feed system. This feed system comprises a feed store system which is situated outside the animal shed 2 (not shown). A plurality of feed types are stored in the feed store system, such as grass silage, hay and maize. The feed store system contains, for example, an amount of feed for several days, for example 1-5 days, or for a longer period, such as a number of weeks or even months.

[0048] The feed system 1 comprises an autonomous feed-mixing wagon 9. The feed-mixing wagon 9 is self-propelled and unmanned. The feed-mixing wagon 9 is configured to be loaded with feed from the feed store system. The feed-mixing wagon 9 is furthermore configured for mixing and cutting the loaded feed, and for dispensing the mixed and cut feed to the cows 4. Thus, the cows 4 are fed automatically.

[0049] The feed-mixing wagon 9 comprises a chassis with wheels 11 , as a result of which the feed-mixing wagon 9 is mobile across a floor of the feeding alley 7, the yard of a farm or another surface. In this exemplary embodiment, the feed-mixing wagon 9 comprises one front wheel and two rear wheels. However, the feed-mixing wagon 9 may also be designed differently.

[0050] The feed-mixing wagon 9 comprises a driving and steering system for driving and steering the feed wagon (not shown). The driving and steering system comprises at least one electrical drive motor. An electronic control system is connected to the driving and steering system in order to control it (not shown). The feed-mixing wagon 9 furthermore comprises a battery system for storing electrical energy (not shown). The battery system is connected to the driving and steering system and the control system.

[0051] A charging station 8 is provided for charging the battery system of the feedmixing wagon 9. In this exemplary embodiment, the charging station 8 comprises a charging station coupling 10a which can be connected mechanically to a feed-mixing wagon coupling 10b in order to bring about a plug connection. Although the charging station 8 in Figure 1 is shown at the end of the feeding alley 7, the charging station 8 is usually positioned near the feed store system in practice. While the feed-mixing wagon 9 is placed in the charging station 8 in order to charge the battery system, the feed-mixing wagon 9 can meanwhile be filled with feed. In this case, the charging station 8 forms a feed loading station.

[0052] By controlling the driving and steering system, the speed and the direction of movement of the feed-mixing wagon 9 can be determined. By means of the control system, the feed-mixing wagon 9 can autonomously travel along a route to deliver feed to the cows 4. However, it is also possible for the feed-mixing wagon 9 to be suspended from a guide rail (not shown). As is illustrated in Figure 2, the feed-mixing wagon 9 comprises a container 12 for accommodating a batch of feed. The container 12 is arranged on the chassis of the feed-mixing wagon 9. The container 12 comprises a bottom 14 and a circumferential side wall 15 which extends upwards from the bottom 14. In Figure 2, the circumferential side wall 15 is partially cut-away in order to make the inside of the container 12 visible.

[0053] In order to distribute the feed along one or more of the feed fences 6 in the animal shed 2, an elongate dispensing opening is provided in the side wall 15 of the container 12 which is closable by means of an elongate sliding door (not shown). The sliding door is displaceable between a closed and an open position. In the closed position of the sliding door, the dispensing opening is completely closed. In the open position, the sliding door at least partly opens the dispensing opening for dispensing feed from the container 12.

[0054] The feed-mixing wagon 9 comprises a feed-pushing device for pushing remaining feed which is situated along the feed fence 6 and feed dispensed from the container 12 in a direction at right angles to the direction of travel T of the feed-mixing wagon 9, in particular for forming windrow-shaped pile of pushed feed along a feed fence 6. In this exemplary embodiment, the feed-pushing device comprises a rotating skirt 18.

[0055] An auger 13 for mixing and / or cutting feed accommodated in the container

[0056] 12 is arranged in the container 12. The auger 13 is drivable and rotatable about a substantially vertical axis of rotation 16, i.e. the auger 13 is a vertical auger. The auger

[0057] 13 comprises a tubular core body 20 which froms the auger shaft. At the top, the core body 20 is substantially closed off by a flat closing plate 23 (see Figure 3) which is covered by a lid 19. In this exemplary embodiment, the core body 20 is made of stainless steel.

[0058] The auger 13 comprises an auger flight 21 which extends around the core body 20. The auger flight 21 starts at the bottom 14 of the container 12 with a front edge 25 (see also Figure 5) which picks up feed from the bottom 14 upon rotation of the auger 13, so that feed which has already been picked up is moved upwards along the auger flight 21. At the top end of the auger flight 21 , the feed drops down again. The feed dropping down forms a kind of enclosure which helps to keep the feed moving upwards along the auger flight 21 on the auger flight 21.

[0059] The auger flight 21 extends in a helical or screw-shaped manner around the core body 20. As is shown in the figures, the radius of the auger flight 21 , viewed from the top to the bottom, becomes gradually larger. In other words, the auger flight 21 becomes increasingly wider towards the bottom. As is shown in Figure 2, a plurality of cutting blades 22 for cutting feed are attached on the auger flight 21 which protrude radially with respect to the outer helical edge of the auger flight 21 .

[0060] The auger flight 21 comprises a plurality of curved auger flight parts 24 (see Figure 3). In this exemplary embodiment, the auger flight parts 24 are made of stainless steel. By way of example, one of the auger flight parts 24 is drawn separately in Figure 3, but the auger flight parts 24 are welded to the core body 20 and to each other, as is shown in Figure 2. The core body 20 and the auger flight 21 with the auger flight parts 24 form a single entity.

[0061] The auger flight part 24 drawn separately in Figure 3 is furthermore shown in Figures 4A, 4B and 4C. Although the shape and dimensions of the other auger flight parts 24 are different, each auger flight part 24 comprises an inner edge 26 and an opposite outer edge 27, in the same way as the auger flight part 24 illustrated in Figure 3. The inner edges 26 of the auger flight parts 24 are welded to the core body 20. The auger flight parts 24 are attached to the core body 20 and to each other in such a way that the outer edges 27 of the auger flight parts 24 form the outer helical edge of the auger flight 21.

[0062] The auger flight parts 24 each have a curved feed-displacement surface 28 for displacing feed over it. With the vertical auger 13 according to this exemplary embodiment, the feed-displacement surfaces 28 of the auger flight parts 24 form the curved upper surface of the auger flight 21. Upon rotation of the auger 13, feed is transported upwards over the curved, upwardly facing feed-displacement surface 28.

[0063] The tubular core body 20 may be manufactured in various ways, for example by bending a flat plate part or by extrusion. According to the invention, the curved auger flight parts 24 are manufactured by means of a casting process. After the casting, the cast auger flight parts 24 are welded to the core body 20 and to each other in order to form the auger 13. This has advantages in terms of production engineering.

[0064] As is illustrated in Figures 4B and 5, various auger flight parts 24 comprise one or more blade-carrying portions 29 on the side opposite the feed-displacement surface 28. The blade-carrying portion 29 comprises a substantially flat attachment surface or plateau for attaching a cutting blade 22 with a flat cutting blade thereto. As a result thereof, no, or hardly any, flexural stresses are produced, so that the cutting blades 22 can be fitted in a reliable and durable way.

[0065] The blade-carrying portions 29 are cast concomitantly during casting of the auger flight parts 24. As a result thereof, no additional treatments of the metal are required in order to form the flat attachment surface to fit the cutting blades 22 substantially without flexural stresses. The blade-carrying portions 29 can be formed integrally in a cost- efficient manner.

[0066] The cutting blades 22 are attached to the blade-carrying portions 29 of the auger flight parts 24 by means of bolt connections. In this exemplary embodiment, the auger flights 24 have two bolt holes 31 for every cutting blade 22. The cutting blades 22 each have two corresponding bolt holes (not shown). The bolt holes of the cutting blades 22 can be aligned with the bolt holes 31 of the auger flights 24, so that bolts can be inserted therein.

[0067] The bolt holes 31 of the auger flight parts 24 are substantially square in cross section. By means of the square bolt holes 31 , a particularly durable attachment of the cutting blades 22 is possible. The square bolt holes 31 are also formed concomitantly during the casting of the auger flight parts 24, so that no additional treatments of the metal, such as laser-cutting, are required to produce the bolt holes 31.

[0068] The bolt holes 31 of the auger flight parts 24 are provided with a recess 32 on the feed-displacement surface 28 for accommodating the bolt heads of the bolts in a substantially countersunk manner when attaching the cutting blades 22. The recesses 32 may be concomitantly formed directly during the casting of the auger flight parts 21 , so that they can be produced in a simple and cost-efficient way.

[0069] After the cutting blades 22 have been fastened to the blade-carrying portion

[0070] 29 of the auger flight part 24 by means of the bolt connections, the bolt heads do not, or hardly, protrude with respect to the feed-displacement surface 28. The feed-displacement surface 28 remains substantially smooth. This is advantageous for the effective mixing of the feed by the auger 13.

[0071] As has been shown most clearly in Figures 3, 4B and 4C, the outer edges 27 of the auger flight parts 24 each comprise a thickening 30. The free outer edges 27 of the auger flight parts 24 are subject to wear the most by the agressive action of feed. By providing these outer edges 27 with the thickenings 30, it is possible to increase the service life of the auger 13 significantly. The thickenings 30 form sacrificial material which slowly wears away during use of the auger 13. Together, the outer edges 27 with the thickenings 30 of the auger flight parts 24 which have been welded to each other form an outer helical, thickened wear edge 33 of the auger flight 21.

[0072] Viewed in the axial direction of the auger 13, the thickening 30 of each auger flight part 24 has a height h and, viewed in the radial direction of the auger 13, a width w. The height h is smaller than the width w. In this exemplary embodiment, the thickening

[0073] 30 has a drop shape in cross section. In practice, it has surprisingly been found that, when using a thickening 30 designed in this way, the mixing action of the auger 13 is ensured, while the auger 13 is able to resist wear caused by the action of feed for longer.

[0074] The thickenings 30 are cast concomitantly when casting the auger flight parts 24. Since the thickenings 30 are concomitantly cast directly during casting of the auger flight parts 24, there are no additional costs in connection with the production of the thickened wear edge of the auger flight 21.

[0075] The casting of the auger flight parts 24 has the advantage that shaped parts with added feed-related functions in addition to the general function of displacing feed over the feed-displacement surface of the auger flight part, such as the above-described shaped parts, i.e. the blade-carrying portion, the square bolt holes, the recesses for accommodating the bolt heads in a countersunk manner, the thickened wear edge, are easily achievable and without additional costs, i.e. by concomitantly casting these shaped parts during the casting of the auger flight parts. In addition to the above-described shaped parts, the auger flight parts 24 may have further shaped parts which have been cast concomitantly in order to achieve yet other feed-related functions.

[0076] The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures. For example, the feed-mixing wagon does not have to be autonomous, but may also be steered by a driver, such as a farmer. The feed-mixing wagon may furthermore be designed to be towed by a tractor instead of being self-propelled. In addition, the auger of the above-described feed-mixing wagon may be used with a stationary mixer. Furthermore, it is possible for the radius of the auger flight 21 not to increase from the top to the bottom, but to be constant.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . Device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals (4), such as cows, wherein the device comprises:- a container (12) for accommodating feed,- an auger (13) which is arranged in the container and is rotatable and drivable for mixing and / or cutting feed accommodated in the container, and wherein the auger comprises:• a core body (20),• an auger flight (21) which extends around the core body, in particular in a helical manner, wherein the auger flight comprises a plurality of curved auger flight parts (24) which are attached to the core body and to each other, characterized in that the auger has been manufactured by means of a manufacturing method which comprises (i) casting the auger flight parts (24), and (ii) attaching the cast auger flight parts to the core body (20) and to each other.

2. Device according to Claim 1 , wherein the auger flight parts each have a curved feed-displacement surface (28) for displacing feed over it, and wherein at least one of the auger flight parts is provided with a blade-carrying portion (29) on the side situated opposite the feed-displacement surface which comprises a substantially flat attachment surface for attaching a flat cutting blade (22) thereto, and wherein the bladecarrying portion has been cast concomitantly during the casting of said auger flight part.

3. Device according to Claim 1 of 2, wherein the auger flight part with the blade-carrying portion is provided with a plurality of bolt holes (31) for attaching the cutting blade by means of bolts, wherein the bolt holes are each provided with a recess (32) on the feed-displacement surface for accommodating the bolts in a substantially countersunk manner when attaching the cutting blade, and wherein the bolt holes with the recesses have been cast concomitantly during the casting of said auger flight part.

4. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the auger flight parts each comprise an inner edge (26) and an opposite outer edge (27), wherein the outer edges of the auger flight parts each comprise a thickening (30) which has been cast concomitantly during the casting of said auger flight part, and wherein the inner edges of the auger flight parts are attached to the core body and the auger flight parts are attached to each other in such a way that the outer edges with the concomitantly cast thickenings form an outer helical, thickened wear edge (33) of the auger flight.

5. Device according to Claim 4, wherein the thickening, viewed in an axial direction of the auger (13), has a height and, viewed in a radial direction of the auger (13), has a width, wherein the height is smaller than the width, and wherein the thickening preferably has a drop shape in cross section.

6. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the auger flight parts each have a curved feed-displacement surface (28) for displacing feed over it, wherein at least one of the auger flight parts is provided with one or more shaped parts (29, 30, 31 , 32) which deviate from the shape of said feed-displacement surface, and wherein said shaped parts have been cast concomitantly during the casting of said auger flight part.

7. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the auger is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis of rotation (16).

8. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the core body and the auger flight parts are made of steel, in particular stainless steel.

9. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the cast auger flight parts are welded to the core body.

10. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the device is a feed-mixing wagon (9).11 . Feed system for feeding animals (4), such as cows, wherein the feed system (1) comprises:- a feed fence (6), for example in an animal shed (2) with a dwelling space (3) for keeping animals, and- a feeding alley (7) which extends along the feed fence, in particular on the side of the feed fence opposite the dwelling space, wherein the feed system comprises a feed-mixing wagon (9) according to Claim 10, and the feed-mixing wagon is preferably configured to move autonomously through the feeding alley and to dispense feed along the feed fence.

12. Method for manufacturing an auger (13) for use with a device for mixing and / or cutting feed for animals, such as cows, in particular with a device according to one or more of the Claims 1-10, wherein the method comprises:- manufacturing or providing a core body (20),- casting a plurality of curved auger flight parts (24), or providing a plurality of curved auger flight parts (24) which have been manufactured by means of casting,- attaching the cast auger flight parts to the core body and to each other forforming an auger flight (21) which extends around the core body, in particular in a helical manner.

13. Method according to Claim 12, wherein, during the casting of at least one of the auger flight parts, on a side thereof which is situated opposite a curved feed- displacement surface (28) for displacing feed over it, a blade-carrying portion (29) is concomitantly cast which comprises a substantially flat attachment surface for attaching a flat cutting blade (22) thereto.

14. Method according to Claim 12 or 13, wherein, during the casting of each auger flight part, an inner edge (26) and an opposite outer edge (27) are formed, wherein a thickening (30) is concomitantly cast on the outer edge of each auger flight part, and wherein the inner edges of the auger flight parts are attached to the core body and the auger flight parts are attached to each other in such a manner that the outer edges with the concomitantly cast thickenings form an outer helical, thickened wear edge (33) of the auger flight.

15. Method according to one or more of the Claims 11-13, wherein the cast auger flight parts are attached to the core body and to each other by means of welding.

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