Conveyor Chain Module Socket Design for Spiral Drum Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spiral drum conveyor chain driving devices face issues with the conveyor chain being dislodged from the spiral drum due to protrusions and have difficulty in adjusting width and accommodating load changes, leading to inefficiencies in force transmission and assembly.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor chain with interconnected modules featuring a traveling guide socket on the back surface that engages with the spiral drum, having a rectangular shape with inclined long sides and reverse taper, along with parallel ribs, to enhance stability and flexibility, allowing smooth operation and easy width adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a traveling guide protrusion is provided on the link of the conveyor chain to engage with the spiral drum, then the conveyor chain can be driven by the spiral drum, but the traveling guide protrusion gets on the flight portion of the spiral drum and generates a force that acts to dislodge the conveyor chain from the spiral drum
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional design by providing a traveling guide socket instead of a protrusion on the conveyor chain link. The socket receives the spiral drum's flight portion rather than the protrusion engaging the flight portion directly. This inversion changes the interaction mode from active engagement (protrusion pushing against flight portion) to passive reception (socket containing flight portion), thereby eliminating the dislodging force while maintaining driving force transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The traveling guide socket acts as an intermediary structure between the conveyor chain link and the spiral drum's flight portion. Instead of the flight portion directly engaging with a protrusion (which causes dislodgement), the socket serves as a mediating element that contains and guides the flight portion, allowing force transmission while preventing lateral displacement of the chain.
2Strength
If the conveyor chain is formed by slats extending across the full width of the transfer passage, then the conveyor chain can maintain structural integrity, but it is not easy to change the width of the conveyor chain driving device and the driving force increases or decreases in accordance with a load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the conveyor chain into modular units with standardized connecting structures. Each module can be independently connected through the traveling guide sockets and corresponding engagement features on the spiral drum. This segmentation allows the width of the conveyor chain to be adjusted by adding or removing modules without compromising structural integrity, as each module maintains its own load-bearing capability while connecting to adjacent modules.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor having conveyor chain 100 adapted to be engaged and driven by drums 180 and 190 having spiral flights. The conveyor chain has a number of interconnected conveying modules 120, 140, 150 and 160. Selected modules 120 are aligned in the direction of travel parallel to the axis of rotation of the drums. Each of the aligned modules has a traveling guide socket 122 on the back surface, which engages with flight portions 180a and 190a of the spiral drums, so that the chain is advanced by the rotation of the drums. The modules are rectangular and are interconnected in columns and rows, preferably in a brick pattern.