Bulk Material Carrier Vibration Control via Counter-Vibration Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screening machines for bulk materials face issues with contamination from lubricants due to moving parts and complex construction, leading to high costs and maintenance challenges, especially in the food industry.
Innovation Solution
A treatment device with a ball bearing-free articulated arm and crank drive, using flexurally soft rods and an unbalance motor coupled to a counter-vibration device, which reduces the risk of lubricant contamination and simplifies construction, allowing for adjustable vibration characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If moving machine parts such as articulated arm and crank drive are used to generate vibration, then the vibration characteristic can be controlled, but lubricant contamination of the bulk material occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the articulated arm and crank drive components that require lubrication from the system. Instead, it uses a counter-vibration device with exciter units directly mounted on the bulk material carrier, eliminating the source of lubricant contamination while maintaining vibration control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical linkage system (articulated arm and crank drive) with a direct vibration excitation system using counter-vibration devices and exciter units. This substitution eliminates the need for lubricated moving parts while achieving the desired vibration characteristics through direct mechanical excitation
2Reliability
If articulated arm and crank drive with mounting and gearing mechanism are used, then vibration excitation is achieved, but constructional outlay and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex mounting and gearing mechanism from the system. The vibration excitation is achieved directly through counter-vibration devices with exciter units mounted on the bulk material carrier, eliminating unnecessary mechanical complexity while maintaining the essential vibration function
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a complex mounting system to attach the bulk material carrier to the articulated arm, the patent inverts the approach by directly mounting exciter units on the bulk material carrier itself. This inversion simplifies the overall construction by eliminating the intermediary mounting mechanism
3Reliability
If bulk material carrier is mounted on crank arm of crank drive, then vibration motion is transmitted, but maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the crank arm mounting arrangement that creates maintenance difficulties. The bulk material carrier is instead supported directly on the base frame with exciter units mounted on it, providing easy access to all components for maintenance while maintaining effective vibration motion transmission
Solution Approach 2:
The simplified direct mounting arrangement allows operators to easily access and maintain the exciter units and bulk material carrier without requiring complex disassembly procedures. The system is designed for self-maintainability with all critical components accessible from the exterior
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
The solution achieves similar vibration characteristics with reduced contamination risk and lower construction costs, enabling efficient separation of bulk materials while maintaining a clean and maintenance-friendly setup.
Implementation Method 1
the vibration exciter is configured as an unbalance motor and is coupled to the counter-vibration device
Implementation Method 2
at least some of the supports can for example be embodied as flexurally soft rods with a round cross section. These allow large deflections of the bulk material carrier both in the transverse direction and in the longitudinal direction
Implementation Method 3
the vibration exciter is configured as an unbalance motor and is coupled to the counter-vibration device. Here, the unbalance motor has a rotation axis perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse direction of the counter-vibration device
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A treatment device for free-flowing bulk material comprises a bulk material carrier (10) with an inclined treatment area (11), a counter-vibration device (20), which extends longitudinally under the bulk material carrier (10) and runs horizontally or likewise in an inclined manner, a cable suspension (30) for suspending the counter-vibration device (20) on a supporting structure, supports (40) for supporting the bulk material carrier in the vertical direction on the counter-vibration device (20), a spring assembly (50) which has several springs (51, 52; 53) and connects the bulk material carrier (10) and the counter-vibration device (20) and which provides an elastic support perpendicular to the vertical direction both in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction of the counter-vibration device (20), and a vibration exciter (60) for exciting the treatment area (11) in the longitudinal and transverse direction of the counter-vibration device (20). The treatment device is distinguished by a small constructional outlay and low maintenance requirements. Moreover, the risk of a contamination of the bulk material and the environment with lubricant is small.