Diamond-Arm Screen Cleaner for Plansifter Edge Clogging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The edge and corner areas of sieve surfaces in plan sifters tend to become clogged due to inadequate cleaning, especially since the vibrating movement of existing screen cleaners often misses these areas, leading to impaired sifting processes.
Innovation Solution
A screen cleaner with arrow-shaped outer edges and diamond-shaped arms, equipped with cleaning heads along the edges and a central projection, designed to reach into corners and edges effectively, and featuring a combination of brushes or nubs for sweeping and a cleaning cam for material removal, which also acts as a bottom scraper to prevent clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional screen cleaners with straight or simple-shaped arms are used, then the cleaning mechanism is simple and easy to manufacture, but the edge and corner areas of the sieve surface are not adequately cleaned, leading to clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The arms are designed with asymmetric diamond-shaped cross-sections and arrow-shaped outer edges, where the width and shape vary along the length of each arm. This asymmetric geometry enables the cleaning heads to effectively reach corner and edge areas of the sieve surface that conventional symmetric designs cannot access, thereby improving cleaning reliability without significantly complicating manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The arrow-shaped outer edges of the arms feature curved contours rather than straight lines, allowing the cleaning heads to follow the curved paths needed to access corner and edge regions. This curvature in the arm geometry enables comprehensive coverage of the sieve surface including difficult-to-reach areas
2Reliability
If the screen cleaner is designed to reach corner areas effectively, then cleaning coverage is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The screen cleaner is divided into multiple discrete arms (typically three), each equipped with its own cleaning heads at strategic positions. This segmentation allows each arm to independently target specific zones of the sieve surface, particularly corners and edges, while maintaining overall system simplicity through modular construction
Solution Approach 2:
The diamond-shaped arms with arrow-shaped edges serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support, guide the cleaning heads along optimal paths, and their geometry itself contributes to reaching corner areas. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting complexity increase
3Device complexity
If cleaning heads are arranged only in a row along the arms, then the structure is simple, but the entire sieve surface including corners cannot be evenly cleaned
Solution Approach 1:
Cleaning heads are strategically positioned at specific locations along the arms, particularly at the arrow-shaped outer edges and diamond-shaped corners, rather than being uniformly distributed. This localized arrangement ensures that cleaning heads are concentrated where they are most needed - at the corners and edges of the sieve surface - achieving even cleaning across the entire surface without requiring complex overall structures
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 screen cleaner efficiently cleans the entire sieve surface, including corners and edges, reducing material accumulation and ensuring continuous operation by effectively sweeping away debris and facilitating material transport to discharge slots.
Implementation Method 1
cleaning heads for sweeping over a sieve surface
Implementation Method 2
Due to the vibrating movement of the sieve generated by the plansifter, the sieve cleaner performs tilting movements and thus hits the sieve surface
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The cleaner (10) has a base body (20) comprising rhombic arms (30) outwardly extending from a middle region. The arms have cleaning heads (40) at its contact side for sweeping a sieve surface of a plansifter. The arms have V-shaped outer edges (32) at its outer ends, where the cleaning heads are arranged along the outer edges of the arms in V-shape. A recess (44) is formed along the arms, and the cleaning heads are formed as brushes or burls. The arms have a projection at tips of the outer edges of the arms, where the cleaner is made of a flexible plastic material.