Dual-Motion Shutter Actuator for Shaft Furnace Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing valve arrangements for shaft furnace charging installations face challenges such as increased wear due to harsh conditions, dust damage, and high constructional height, as well as complexity and cost due to numerous movable parts.
Innovation Solution
A dual-motion shutter-actuating device with a primary motion assembly using an inner eccentric sleeve shaft and a secondary motion assembly with a tilting arm, which reduces the number of movable parts exposed to harsh conditions and allows for a compact design with rotational movements that minimize wear and dust exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flap-type valve with single-shaft tilting is used, then the valve can seal the hopper inlet and outlet, but the shutter has to be completely removed from the material flow path in the open position, requiring considerable space in the vertical direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from single-shaft tilting to dual-motion actuation with two perpendicular axes: a first axis for tilting the valve body and a second axis for pivoting the shutter. This dimensional change allows the shutter to be positioned laterally above the seat rather than completely removed vertically, reducing the required free height inside the sealing valve housing while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve actuation is segmented into two independent motions: tilting of the valve body about the first axis and pivoting of the shutter about the second axis. This segmentation allows each motion to be optimized independently, with the shutter pivot axis positioned to minimize vertical space requirements while maintaining sealing contact with the seat.
2Length of stationary object
If dual-motion shutter-actuating devices with multiple articulated parts are used, then the required constructional height is reduced, but the articulated parts are prone to wear and exposed to harsh conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the articulated parts from the harsh dusty environment by positioning the shutter pivot axis and associated articulations outside the hopper interior. The shutter is pivoted laterally above the seat rather than within the material flow path, removing wear-prone articulated components from direct exposure to dust and abrasive materials while maintaining the dual-motion capability for compact design.
3Ease of operation
If translational movement is done in a dusty environment, then the mechanism can actuate the shutter, but dust enters the seals and damages the sealing surfaces, shortening the life time
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of translating the shutter horizontally within the dusty hopper environment, the patent inverts the approach by pivoting the shutter laterally above the seat about a second axis. This reversal of motion direction removes the translational actuation from the dusty environment, preventing dust ingress into seals while maintaining full shutter actuation capability.
4Length of stationary object
If complex mechanisms with multiple movable parts are used, then the shutter can be moved into a higher parking position, but the number of articulated parts prone to wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the tilting and pivoting functions into an integrated dual-motion actuating device where the first and second axes work together as a unified system. The valve body tilting about the first axis and the shutter pivoting about the second axis are combined in a single coordinated mechanism, reducing the number of separate articulated parts compared to alternative designs while achieving the compact vertical profile.
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 achieves reduced wear, improved gas tightness, and a more compact design with fewer parts, allowing for easier maintenance and reduced operational costs while maintaining effective sealing.
Implementation Method 1
an inner eccentric sleeve shaft (20) rotationally mounted within said outer cylindrical sleeve (25) and a primary motion actuator (22) configured to impart angular rotation to said inner eccentric sleeve shaft (20), the primary motion being a function of the eccentricity and angular rotation of the inner eccentric sleeve shaft (20)
Implementation Method 2
a secondary motion assembly (30) for tilting said shutter (40) from said unclamped position to said open position remote from the valve seat (50), said secondary motion assembly comprising a tilting arm (30) attached to said shutter (40) and connected to a tilting shaft (37) that defines an axis of rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A sealing valve arrangement for a shaft furnace charging installation, said arrangement comprising: a shutter arranged for cooperating with a valve seat; an integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device for moving said shutter between a sealed closed position in sealing contact with the valve seat and an open position remote from the valve seat, said integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device comprising: a primary motion assembly for moving said shutter from said sealed closed position to an undamped position wherein the shutter is released from the valve seat; a secondary motion assembly for tilting said shutter from said undamped position to said open position remote from the valve seat, said secondary motion assembly comprising a tilting arm carrying said shutter and connected to a tilting shaft that defines an axis of rotation and a tilting shaft actuator configured to impart an angular rotation about said axis to said tilting arm; wherein said integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device further comprises a stationary outer cylindrical sleeve, wherein said primary motion assembly comprises an inner eccentric sleeve shaft rotationally mounted within said outer cylindrical sleeve and a primary motion actuator configured to impart angular rotation to said inner eccentric sleeve shaft, the primary motion being a function of the eccentricity and angular rotation of the inner eccentric sleeve shaft; and wherein said tilting shaft of said secondary motion assembly is rotationally mounted within said inner eccentric sleeve shaft of said primary motion assembly, the secondary motion being a function of the angular rotation of the tilting shaft.