Deformable Polymeric Screw Conveyor Casing for Aggregate Reclaiming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport devices for flowable materials, such as concrete residues, face issues with jamming and damage due to solid particles, leading to inefficiency, high energy consumption, and noise, particularly when transporting fluids with solid fractions or loose materials with varying particle sizes.
Innovation Solution
A transport device with a deformable polymeric casing that radially deforms to allow solid particles to pass between the spiral and the casing, reducing the risk of damage and enabling efficient operation with lower energy consumption and reduced noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid casing is used in the transport device, then structural strength and stability are improved, but solid particles can jam between the spiral and casing causing damage and requiring high power to disengage particles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by making the casing at least partially flexible rather than rigid. The flexible casing can radially deform to accommodate solid particles that become jammed between the spiral and casing, allowing the particle to pass through without causing damage or requiring high power to disengage. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining structural integrity while preventing jamming-related failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies this principle by changing the physical parameter of the casing from rigid to flexible. This parameter change allows the casing to dynamically adjust its properties (radial flexibility) in response to jamming conditions, enabling it to both maintain structural strength and prevent damage from solid particles.
2Reliability
If high installed power is used to deal with power peaks for disengaging solid particles, then the transport device can continue operating during jamming, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible casing passively accommodates solid particles through radial deformation, eliminating the need for high power peaks to disengage particles. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining continuous operation capability while dramatically reducing energy consumption, as the system no longer requires active high-power intervention to handle jamming events.
3Strength
If metallic casing material is used, then structural strength is improved, but noise level during transportation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible casing material inherently dampens noise during operation compared to rigid metallic materials. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining structural strength through proper material selection and design while significantly reducing the noise level generated during transportation of concrete residues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies this principle by using composite or specially selected materials that combine the strength properties traditionally associated with metals while incorporating noise-dampening characteristics. This allows the casing to maintain structural integrity while reducing harmful noise generation during operation.
4Productivity
If the spiral head surface is in continuous contact with the casing inner surface, then transport efficiency is improved, but solid particles can cause scratching, deformation, or cracking of the casing
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible casing maintains continuous contact with the spiral head surface for efficient transport while simultaneously accommodating solid particles through radial deformation. This prevents scratching, deformation, or cracking of the casing that would otherwise occur with rigid continuous contact, thus resolving the contradiction between transport efficiency and casing integrity.
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 effectively prevents jamming and wear, maintains high efficiency over time, and reduces energy consumption and noise levels during the transportation of flowable materials with varying particle sizes.
Implementation Method 1
the casing is made at least partly with a polymeric material deformable in such a way that the casing deforms radially and reversibly towards the outside when a solid particle of said flowable material, conveyed by the spiral, is interposed between a head surface of a turn of said plurality of turns and the inner surface of the casing
Data Source
AI summary
A transport device for conveying a flowable material, comprises a screw conveyor for collecting the fluid from a collecting zone and transporting the fluid to a destination zone. The screw conveyor comprises a spiral which is wound around a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and an outer casing which at least partly houses the spiral. The spiral has a plurality of turns. The outer casing has an inner surface facing respective head surfaces of at least some turns. Between two consecutive turns and the outer casing there is a compartment. The outer casing is made at least partly from a deformable polymeric material in such a way that the outer casing deforms radially and reversibly towards the outside when a solid particle of the flowable material conveyed by the spiral is interposed between a head surface of one turn and the inner surface of the outer casing, to allow the solid particle to be transferred from one compartment to a further compartment adjacent to said compartment passing between the head surface of the turn and the inner surface of the outer casing.