Flexible Conveyor Chain for Bulk Material Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing discharge devices for small bulk materials, such as wood chips and straw, face issues with screw conveyor breakage due to compression and mineral impurities, limiting distance and efficiency, and are complex in design with multiple components and steps.
Innovation Solution
Replacing the screw conveyor with a flexible conveyor chain that serves both as a transport and drive mechanism, using a block chain design with transverse extensions to guide material through a U-shaped channel, and incorporating a return channel for the slack side, driven by a motor and gear system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw conveyor is used to convey bulk material, then the bulk material can be transported from the store to the combustion device, but the conveyor is subject to high compression forces and mineral contamination that cause breakage and limit transport distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid screw conveyor with a flexible conveyor chain that can bend and deform to accommodate compaction and mineral impurities without breaking. The chain's flexibility allows it to navigate longer transport distances and absorb shocks from heterogeneous bulk material, eliminating the breakage issues that plague rigid screw conveyors.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental mechanical parameter of the conveyor from a rigid rotating screw to a flexible articulated chain. This parameter change allows the conveyor to operate under varying compression forces and mineral contamination conditions without failure, while also enabling extended transport distances beyond what screw conveyors can achieve.
2Productivity
If a screw conveyor compresses bulk material to transport it, then the material can be moved through the conveyor, but the bulk material structure is undesirably changed and microstructure is altered
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible conveyor chain transports bulk material through gentle lifting and deposition motions rather than compression. The chain's articulation allows it to accommodate material volume variations without applying crushing forces, thereby preserving the bulk material's microstructure and chemical composition while maintaining efficient transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor chain uses simple, replaceable link elements that can withstand wear from mineral impurities without degrading the bulk material. Unlike screw conveyors that continuously compress material, the chain's modular design allows individual links to absorb contamination impacts while maintaining gentle handling of the fuel material.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a screw conveyor is used with hydraulic drive and eccentric cylinders, then the conveyor can handle variable loads, but the device structure becomes very complex and impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex hydraulic drive system with eccentric cylinders from the conveyor design. The simplified chain conveyor uses a straightforward motor-driven sprocket system that naturally handles variable loads through the chain's inherent flexibility, removing unnecessary complexity while maintaining load adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor chain system is self-accommodating to variable loads through its flexible articulation, eliminating the need for complex hydraulic control systems. The chain automatically adjusts to different material densities and volumes without requiring external control mechanisms, simplifying the overall device structure.
4Productivity
If multiple separate units are used for storage, conveying, separation, and shredding, then each function can be optimized, but the overall system becomes very complicated with many individual steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the storage, conveying, separation, and shredding functions into an integrated system where the flexible conveyor chain serves as the central element connecting all functions. The chain conveyor replaces multiple separate conveying units, and the mill is directly coupled to the chain drive, reducing the number of individual steps and components while maintaining functional optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor chain serves multiple functions simultaneously: it conveys bulk material from storage to combustion, provides the drive mechanism for the milling device through direct coupling, and accommodates separation functions. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated systems for each operation, simplifying the overall device structure.
Data Source
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Figure 3
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AI summary
Discharge device for small bulk material with a milling device arranged in a bulk material storage unit and with a conveyor chain (9) as a conveyor which feeds a combustion device from the bulk material storage unit.