Bale opener suction duct inversion for low flow resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bale openers with portal or tower designs face challenges in optimizing suction air flow due to complex constructions and high flow resistance, leading to inefficient removal of fiber material from compressed fiber bales.
Innovation Solution
The suction air duct is mounted on the bottom with a belt lifting unit arranged outside the column element, allowing the suction air to be guided directly through the column element, eliminating the need for additional hose guides and reducing flow resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the suction air duct is mounted on the top with a belt lifting unit, then the suction air can be introduced along the entire length of the duct, but the design becomes complex and requires elaborate hose routing that creates high flow resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The suction air duct is inverted from the conventional top-mounted position to a bottom-mounted position. The belt lifting unit lifts the cover belt from the bottom of the duct, allowing suction air to be introduced from below. This inversion eliminates the need for complex hose routing and reduces flow resistance, as the suction air can flow directly into the duct without navigating through elaborate pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction air introduction point is moved from the horizontal top surface to the vertical bottom surface of the duct. This dimensional change allows the suction air to enter the duct from a different orientation, simplifying the connection geometry and eliminating the need for complex hose routing that would be required for top-mounted introduction.
2Volume of moving object
If the belt lifting unit is arranged inside the column element, then the construction is compact, but the suction air flow path becomes longer and creates higher flow resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The belt lifting unit is extracted from the interior of the column element and positioned on the exterior. This allows the suction air duct to be directly connected to the belt lifting unit without requiring the air to travel through a longer path inside the column structure, thereby reducing flow resistance and energy loss while maintaining compact overall dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction air duct acts as an intermediary component that directly connects the bottom-mounted belt lifting unit to the suction air source. This direct connection eliminates the need for intermediate hose routing through the column element, reducing the flow path length and associated energy losses.
3Ease of manufacture
If elaborate hose routing is installed to guide suction air from the pickup unit to the belt lifting unit, then the top-mounted design is achieved, but the flow resistance increases and suction power must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of routing suction air from the pickup unit through complex hoses to a top-mounted belt lifting unit, the system is inverted: the belt lifting unit is positioned at the bottom with direct duct connection, eliminating the need for elaborate hose routing and reducing the suction power required to overcome flow resistance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design minimizes space requirements, enhances stability, and optimizes suction air flow, achieving low flow resistance and efficient fiber material removal with a simple construction.
Implementation Method 1
a suction device (14) for introducing the suction air into the suction air duct (13)
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a bale opener (1) for opening pressed fiber bales (100) placed in a placement direction (10), the bale opener comprising a removing unit (12) and a machine frame (11), which has a pillar element (17), on which the removing unit (12) is indirectly or directly arranged in such a way that the height of the removing unit can be varied, the removing unit being movable in the placement direction (10) such that the removing unit (12) can be moved over the fiber bales (100) and, in the process, fiber material can be removed from the fiber bales (100), and comprising a suction-air channel (13) which extends in the placement direction (10) and into which the suction air together with the fiber material from a suctioning device (14) can be introduced and which is covered at the top by a covering belt (15), and comprising a belt-lifting unit (16), by means of which the covering belt (15) can be locally lifted from the top side of the suction-air channel (13). According to the invention, the belt-lifting unit (16) is arranged on the pillar element (17), and a suction-air shaft (19) of the suctioning device (14) extends from the pillar element (17) into the belt-lifting unit (16).