Dryer Bin With Staggered Slot Columns for Drainage and Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current removable bins for centrifugal spin dryers are either ineffective in water drainage due to insufficient holes or compromise structural integrity with excessive holes, requiring tedious manual drilling and inconsistent performance.
Innovation Solution
A removable bin design featuring a circular floor with staggered elongated slot openings in columns and strategically placed handholds, providing balanced structural integrity and efficient water drainage while allowing for nesting configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple holes are manually drilled through bin walls to improve water drainage, then water drainage effectiveness is improved, but structural integrity of the bin deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wall openings are segmented into multiple vertical columns, with each column containing multiple individual openings. This segmentation allows water to drain through numerous small openings distributed across the wall surface, achieving effective drainage while maintaining structural integrity better than fewer large holes would provide.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening pattern is not uniformly distributed but strategically arranged in specific columns at specific heights. The columns are positioned to optimize water drainage paths while preserving structural strength in critical areas. The staggered arrangement within columns further optimizes local drainage efficiency without compromising overall structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual drilling is used to create holes in bin walls, then flexibility in hole placement is improved, but manufacturing time and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The opening pattern is pre-designed and pre-positioned in the bin wall structure during manufacturing. The columns and staggered openings are built into the bin as integral features rather than being added through manual drilling after bin production. This preliminary action eliminates time-consuming manual drilling operations while maintaining the flexibility benefits of a thoughtfully designed opening pattern.
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 bin effectively balances structural soundness with efficient water drainage, reducing manpower and time in manufacturing while ensuring consistent performance across various rotational speeds.
Implementation Method 1
As the dryer increases its rotational speed (e.g. to up to 200 rpm), water on the produce may be forced outward and downward (through centrifugal force and gravity) from the produce.
Implementation Method 2
water on the produce may be forced outward and downward (through centrifugal force and gravity) from the produce
Data Source
AI summary
In a removable bin for a dryer, the bin includes a floor and one or more walls extending from the floor. The one or more walls include a lower wall portion, a middle wall portion, and an upper wall portion. The lower wall portion is attached to the floor. The middle wall portion extends from the lower wall portion and includes a plurality of columns. Each of the columns includes a plurality of elongated slot openings extending through the one or more walls. The slot openings in adjacent ones of the columns are arranged in a staggered arrangement. The upper wall portion extends from the middle wall portion and includes a plurality of handholds.