Lifting Trough Design for Grain Grading Inlet Leakage

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing length grading machines experience reduced efficiency due to inlet leakage and pinching caused by enlarged lifting troughs, which restrict the flow of granules into the rotating cylinder.

Innovation Solution

The lifting trough is redesigned with a configuration that provides increased clearance at the inlet passageway, including a longer upper opening and offset bottom wall, allowing for improved granule flow and reducing pinching, while maintaining the capacity to receive lifted granules.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the lifting trough is made larger to handle increased amount of lifted granules, then the capacity to receive separated granules is improved, but the flow of granules entering the rotating cylinder is restricted causing inlet leakage and pinching that reduces efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapacity to receive lifted granulesVSAvoidseparation process efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The trough configuration is optimized locally at the inlet passageway area, where the upper opening is extended and the bottom wall is offset to provide increased clearance. This localized geometric modification allows improved granule flow without compromising the overall trough capacity to receive lifted granules, thereby resolving the contradiction between capacity and efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Quantity of substance

If the lifting trough is made larger to handle increased amount of lifted granules, then the capacity to receive separated granules is improved, but inlet leakage and pinching occur that reduce separation process efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapacity to receive lifted granulesVSAvoidseparation process efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The trough configuration is optimized locally at the inlet passageway area, where the upper opening is extended and the bottom wall is offset to provide increased clearance. This localized geometric modification allows improved granule flow without compromising the overall trough capacity to receive lifted granules, thereby resolving the contradiction between capacity and efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS7891498B2High capacity length grading machine

Publication Date: 2011.02.22 CARTER DAY INDS

AI summary

A liftings trough for mounting in an interior space of a rotatable member of a length grading machine is defined by walls that are contoured to provide a maximum clearance between the mounted trough and an inlet opening through which grain flows into the interior space of the rotatable member, while maintaining a maximum capacity of the trough to receive granules in a particular size range, which are lifted by pockets located along an interior surface of the rotatable member, when the grain flows into the interior space of the member and the member rotates about the trough.