Granular Metering Piston Control for Blockage Clearing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing metering devices for granular materials, such as sand, face blockages due to varying particle quality, particularly with coarser particles, leading to interruptions in spreading, especially when the gap between the feed and metering chamber is small, as defined by normative quantities and material quality.
Innovation Solution
The method involves actuating the metering piston to open the gap between the feed and metering chamber by a second distance for a predefined duration when a blockage is detected, using sensors to identify the issue, and then returning to the original position, minimizing granular material consumption and ensuring optimal spreading. This can be pneumatically or electromagnetically actuated, allowing for easy implementation and retrofitting of existing devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the gap between the feed and metering chamber is kept small to minimize granular material consumption, then material usage is reduced, but blockages occur more frequently with coarser particles
Solution Approach 1:
The gap between the feed and metering chamber is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The gap can be changed between different operating modes (spreading mode with smaller gap for material conservation, and clearing mode with larger gap for blockage removal), allowing the system to optimize both material consumption and reliability under different conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic clearing cycles where the gap is temporarily increased to dislodge and remove blockages. This periodic action between normal spreading operation and clearing operation ensures continuous reliable operation while maintaining small gap settings for material conservation during normal operation
2Reliability
If the gap is increased to clear blockages, then spreading continuity is restored, but granular material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gap increase for clearing blockages is implemented as a temporary periodic action rather than a continuous state. The system switches to the larger gap setting only when blockages are detected or at scheduled intervals, then returns to the smaller gap setting for normal operation, thus restoring reliability while minimizing additional material consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic adjustment of the gap size allows the system to maintain small gap settings during normal spreading operations to conserve material, and only temporarily increases the gap when necessary for clearing blockages, optimizing the trade-off between reliability and material consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a device for metering granular material and a metering device for metering granular material comprises a feed for the granular material from a container into a metering chamber. A metering piston can be actuated by a control device such that a gap between the feed and the metering chamber is opened by a predefined first distance and a second distance which is greater than the first distance. At least one sensor is arranged in a delivery line leading away from the metering chamber and is connected to the control device so that the metering piston can be actuated for a predefined duration such that the gap between the feed for the granular material and the metering chamber can be opened by the second distance if a blockage of the granular material is detected by the at least one sensor, so that the blockage is dispersed.