Exchangeable Helical Screw Conveyor Units for Worm Shaft Servicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing worm extruders require extensive welding or replacement of the entire worm shaft when helix elements wear out, leading to increased servicing costs and reduced dewatering efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The helical screw conveyor unit is designed to be radially exchangeable on the worm shaft, allowing for quick replacement without dismounting the worm shaft from its bearings, using a fastening element to securely attach the unit to the shank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If helix elements are fixedly connected to the worm shaft by welding, then the structural strength and reliability are improved, but the ease of repair and servicing cost worsen due to extensive welding work required when wear occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The worm shaft is divided into modular components: a reusable shaft body and replaceable helical screw conveyor units. Each unit can be independently removed and replaced without affecting the entire shaft structure, enabling quick servicing by simply detaching worn units rather than performing extensive welding or replacing the entire shaft.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the helical screw conveyor units and the shaft body is made dynamically changeable through detachable fastening elements. This allows the system to transition between assembled and disassembled states, facilitating easy removal and replacement of worn units while maintaining structural integrity during operation.
2Reliability
If the entire worm shaft is replaced when helix elements wear out, then the reliability is improved, but the loss of time and productivity worsen due to extensive dismounting and replacement work
Solution Approach 1:
The worm shaft is segmented into a permanent shaft body and replaceable helical screw conveyor units. When wear occurs, only the affected units need to be replaced while the shaft body remains in service, dramatically reducing replacement time and avoiding complete shaft downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
spare helical screw conveyor units can be pre-prepared and stored, ready for immediate installation. The detachable design allows these spare units to be quickly mounted on the shaft body without requiring dismounting from bearings or extensive preparation, enabling rapid replacement and minimizing operational downtime.
3Ease of repair
If the worm shaft is dismounted from bearings for helix element replacement, then the ease of repair is improved, but the loss of time and productivity worsen due to additional dismounting and remounting work
Solution Approach 1:
The helical screw conveyor units are designed as self-contained modules that can be detached from the shaft body while the shaft remains mounted in the extruder. The radial opening in the main body allows access to the shaft for unit replacement without requiring removal from bearings, maintaining accessibility while avoiding time-consuming dismounting procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The helical screw conveyor units are extracted as separate, independently replaceable components from the shaft body. This extraction design allows units to be removed and replaced at the shaft location without extracting the entire shaft from its mounting position, eliminating the need for bearing dismounting while maintaining repair accessibility.
4Ease of repair
If helix elements are made exchangeable, then the ease of repair is improved, but the device complexity worsens due to additional fastening elements and modular structure
Solution Approach 1:
The worm shaft is segmented into modular units connected by fastening elements. While this creates a modular structure, the fastening mechanism uses simple, standardized components (fastening elements with corresponding receptacles) that reduce overall complexity compared to permanent welding or complex coupling mechanisms, while enabling easy replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system uses detachable fastening elements that provide a dynamic, reversible connection between units and the shaft body. This dynamic connection mechanism is simpler than permanent welding or complex mechanical couplings, allowing easy assembly and disassembly without requiring sophisticated fastening systems or increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A helical screw conveyor unit, worm shaft, worm extruder and method for providing a worm shaft, wherein the helical screw conveyor unit is an exchangeable element for a helicoidally or spirally winding helix of a worm shaft, having a main body with a helicoidally winding helix element, wherein the helical screw conveyor unit is serviced with little outlay on servicing, the top side of the lateral surface is concavely curved in shell-like form about the longitudinal axis, and the main body has a radial opening for the leadthrough of a fastening region of a worm shaft shank, the helix element has at most one half of one helix turn, the the main body lateral surface has an inner surface for being seated on the fastening region, and the helical screw conveyor unit has at least one fastening element for detachably fastening the main body to the fastening region.