Food Waste Disposer Grating Ring with Segmented Teeth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional food waste disposers face challenges in effectively grinding food scraps into small enough particles to safely pass through household drain plumbing, often resulting in inefficiencies and potential clogging due to the design of grinding mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
The proposed food waste disposer incorporates a grinding mechanism with a stationary grinding ring featuring multiple rows of grater teeth and a rotating shredder plate with lugs, designed to efficiently comminute food waste into particles that can safely pass through plumbing, incorporating features like diverter teeth and adjustable gap sizes to prevent jamming and ensure smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional grinding mechanism with a stationary grind ring and rotating shredder plate is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the grinding efficiency is insufficient and particles may be too large to pass through plumbing safely
Solution Approach 1:
The stationary grind ring is segmented into multiple rows of grater teeth (first row, second row, third row) with varying tooth configurations. Each row serves a specific grinding function, creating a progressive comminution process that efficiently reduces particle size while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the grind ring have locally optimized tooth characteristics. The first row has teeth spaced to initial comminution, the second row has differently spaced teeth for intermediate grinding, and the third row has teeth configured for final size control. This local differentiation enhances grinding efficiency without requiring complete redesign of the entire mechanism.
2Manufacturing precision
If the gap between the shredder plate and grind ring is reduced to control particle size, then particles become small enough to pass through plumbing, but the risk of jamming increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates adjustable gap mechanisms that allow the spacing between the rotating shredder plate and stationary grind ring to be dynamically adjusted. This enables optimization of the gap size to balance particle size control with prevention of jamming, improving both precision and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tooth spacing and gap dimensions are treated as adjustable parameters rather than fixed values. By optimizing these parameters, the system achieves effective particle size control while maintaining adequate clearance to prevent food waste from jamming between the grinding surfaces.
3Productivity
If multiple rows of grater teeth are added to the grind ring to improve grinding effectiveness, then comminution efficiency increases, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The grind ring is designed as a segmented structure with multiple rows of teeth that can be manufactured and assembled in a systematic manner. Each row can be independently configured and positioned, allowing for modular manufacturing approaches that improve comminution efficiency while managing manufacturing complexity through standardization.
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
This design enhances the efficiency of food waste comminution, reducing the risk of clogging and ensuring that particles are sufficiently small to pass through drain plumbing, thereby improving the overall performance and reliability of the food waste disposer.
Implementation Method 1
The motor section 14 includes a motor imparting rotational movement to a shaft to operate the grinding section
Implementation Method 2
The edges of the teeth 34 grind the food waste into particulate matter sufficiently small to pass from above the grinding plate 24 to below the grinding plate 24
Implementation Method 3
Due to gravity, the particulate matter that passes through the gaps between the teeth 34 drops onto the upper end frame 40
Data Source
AI summary
Grinding mechanisms for food waste disposers, and food waste disposers having grinding mechanisms are disclosed herein. The grinding mechanisms include a stationary grinding ring that includes a plurality of grater teeth, and a rotating shredder plate that includes at least one lug. The at least one lug may have at least a portion that is movable with respect to the top surface of the rotating shredder plate, or may be fin shaped.