Modular Conveyor Sprocket With Replaceable Tooth Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modular plastic conveyor belts and sprockets used in the food industry experience wear and tear at high speeds, leading to deteriorated belt-sprocket engagement and uneven conveying speeds due to tooth wear, necessitating frequent replacements.
Innovation Solution
A sprocket design featuring outer rings with axial bores, spacers for separation, and tooth blades that are locked in place by locking rings with protrusions, allowing for adjustable pitch and easy maintenance, while being made from durable materials like stainless or carbon steel for extended wear life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If modular plastic conveyor belts and plastic sprockets are used, then ease of manufacture and assembly are improved, but wear resistance and durability deteriorate at high speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The sprocket combines plastic components (outer rings, spacers, locking rings) with metal tooth blades to create a composite structure that leverages the corrosion resistance and ease of manufacturing of plastics while incorporating the wear resistance and strength of metal blades, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and wear resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The sprocket is divided into separable modules including outer rings, tooth blades, and locking rings that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular production
2Reliability
If tooth blades are securely locked to outer rings, then reliability and engagement stability are improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tooth blade assembly is segmented into the blade itself, the locking ring, and protrusion elements that can be separately manufactured and then easily assembled together through a simple interlocking mechanism, reducing overall assembly complexity while maintaining secure engagement
Solution Approach 2:
The locking ring with protrusions automatically secures the tooth blade to the outer ring through a self-aligning interlocking mechanism that requires minimal assembly steps and no additional fastening operations, achieving reliable engagement while keeping assembly simple
3Ease of repair
If tooth blades are made replaceable, then maintenance ease and operational continuity are improved, but structural complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tooth blade is designed as a separate replaceable component that can be independently removed and replaced without affecting other parts of the sprocket, enabling easy maintenance while the modular structure keeps manufacturing complexity manageable
Solution Approach 2:
The tooth blade is designed as a consumable component that can be easily discarded when worn and replaced with a new blade, while the durable outer rings and locking mechanisms are recovered and reused, optimizing maintenance economics
Data Source
AI summary
A sprocket having a series of circumferentially spaced tooth blades bridging the peripheries of two axially spaced outer rings. An optional locking ring between the outer rings provides additional support for the tooth blades or the outer rings and helps lock the tooth blades in place. The sprocket can be a split sprocket for easier installation onto and removal from a shaft.