Hinged Motor Unit Frame for Concrete Mixer Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional concrete mixers require complex and risky maintenance procedures for attachment units due to their location near heavy motor units, necessitating the disassembly of gear motors and belts, which poses safety hazards and operational challenges, especially when working at heights or in confined spaces.
Innovation Solution
The motor units are supported by a single frame with hinges, allowing for easy rotation and removal from the tank border, eliminating the need for disassembling belts and using lifting devices, and incorporating a two-part coupling system for simplified access to mixing shaft attachments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If motor units are directly fixed to the tank border, then structural stability is improved, but maintenance complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motor unit assembly is segmented from the tank structure by introducing a removable coupling mechanism. The motor unit can be detached from the tank border without damaging either component, allowing independent maintenance of the motor unit while preserving the tank's structural integrity. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling easy maintenance access without compromising structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixed connection between the motor unit and tank border is replaced with a dynamic, removable coupling system. This allows the motor unit to transition between a fixed operational state (providing structural stability) and a removable maintenance state (reducing maintenance complexity). The coupling mechanism enables the system to adapt between these two states as needed.
2Area of stationary object
If motor units are positioned near the tank border, then space utilization is improved, but operator safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful element (motor unit requiring maintenance) is extracted from its fixed position near the tank border and removed to a safe location for maintenance. The removable coupling enables the motor unit to be taken out without permanent disconnection, allowing maintenance to be performed away from hazardous areas while maintaining operational efficiency when installed.
Solution Approach 2:
A removable coupling mechanism acts as an intermediary between the motor unit and the tank border. This intermediary allows the motor unit to be easily disconnected and removed from the hazardous area near the tank border, while still enabling efficient power transmission when connected. The coupling serves as a safe interface that protects operators during maintenance operations.
3Ease of operation
If complex disassembly procedures are used for maintenance, then access to attachment units is achieved, but maintenance time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism is pre-designed with quick-release features that eliminate the need for complex disassembly procedures. The attachment units are accessible through a pre-planned, simplified removal process that requires minimal steps and no specialized tools, significantly reducing maintenance time while ensuring proper access to all necessary components.
Solution Approach 2:
Complex mechanical disassembly procedures are replaced with a simplified coupling system that uses basic operational movements (such as unlocking and detaching) instead of multiple fastener removals and component separations. This substitution dramatically reduces the time and skill required for maintenance while maintaining secure operational connections.
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
Facilitates quick, safe, and single-operator maintenance by enabling motor units to be moved from a working to an inoperative position without requiring cranes, reducing physical effort and safety risks, and streamlining the maintenance process by avoiding the need to disassemble intermediate gears.
Implementation Method 1
the use of hinges as support means for the motor units makes it possible to remove the motor unit by means of a simple backward rotation with respect to the vertical axis that passes through the pivots of the hinges
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a mixer for concrete and similar mixtures, of the type composed of a parallelepiped tank (2) internally provided with one or more mixing shafts (3), each of them driven into rotation by a corresponding motor unit (UM) in external position with respect to the tank (2), which comprises, with the necessary connections, an electric motor (4), a gear motor (6) and an intermediate gear (7) interfaced with the end of the corresponding mixing shaft (3), characterised by the fact that the electrical motor (4) and the corresponding gear motor (6) of each motor unit (UM) are fixed to a single bearing frame (8) that is hung to the border of the tank (2) by means of one or more hinges (9).