Arcuate Sealing Element for Comminuting Rotor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for comminuting feedstock face issues with non-uniform sealing gaps between the screen deck and rotor, leading to inconsistent sealing effects and limited adaptability to different materials, particularly due to production-related tolerances in perforated screens.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an arcuate sealing element fabricated by cutting, rotating, or milling from a plate, allowing for precise control of curvature and uniform radial width, enabling adjustable positioning of the sealing gap relative to the rotor axis, and the formation of multiple sealing gaps to optimize material processing based on the type and size of feedstock.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a perforated screen is produced by rolling, then production is simplified, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to production-related tolerances in curvature
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is separated from the perforated screen, allowing the sealing element to be produced by precise cutting, rotating, or milling from a plate while the screen can be produced by rolling. This segmentation enables different manufacturing methods optimized for each component's functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the screen the sealing element (conventional approach), the invention inverts the approach by adding a separate sealing element to the screen deck. This allows the sealing function to be optimized independently from the screen function, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and manufacturing precision.
2Device complexity
If the sealing gap aligns axially with the inner circumference of the perforated screen, then the structure is simplified, but adaptability deteriorates as the operator is restricted to this fixed geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element's position is made adjustable rather than fixed, allowing the sealing gap to be positioned radially inward, outward, or axially aligned with the screen. This dynamic positioning capability enables adaptation to different feedstock types while maintaining structural simplicity through a single adjustable mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable sealing element design allows the same device structure to handle multiple material types (fibers, wires, rubber granules, film-like materials) by simply repositioning the sealing element, making the device universally adaptable without requiring multiple specialized configurations.
3Ease of manufacture
If the radial width of the sealing gap varies over the circumference, then manufacturing is easier, but sealing effectiveness deteriorates due to non-uniform sealing action
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is pre-formed with the precise curvature required for uniform sealing before installation. By preparing the sealing element in advance with high manufacturing precision through cutting, rotating, or milling, the uniform sealing action is guaranteed before the device operates, eliminating the reliability issue while maintaining manufacturing ease.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for comminuting feedstock with a rotor which is disposed within a housing and rotates about an axis of rotation and is equipped over its circumference with comminuting tools. A ring disc is attached to front sides of the rotor in each case concentrically to the axis of rotation. The removal of the sufficiently comminuted material occurs via a screen deck extending over part of the rotor circumference. On axial front sides of the screen deck an arcuate sealing element following the outer circumference of the ring disc is disposed in each case, the element which to form a sealing gap in the plane of the ring disc lies radially opposite to the disc. The sealing effect of the sealing gap between the screen deck and rotor uniformly over the entire length is successfully achieved in this way.