Grinding Mill Lifter Bar for External Discharge-End Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Grinding mills, particularly semi-autogenous and autogenous mills, face performance restrictions due to limited material transfer rates and grinding efficiency caused by slurry flow back and short circuiting, which complicates maintenance and poses safety risks for workers as it often requires them to enter the mill for disassembly and assembly of parts.
Innovation Solution
A new lifter bar configuration and method for disassembling the discharge end of open-ended grinding mills that allows for external mounting and unmounting, enabling quicker and safer maintenance, reducing the need for workers to enter the mill and facilitating more efficient use of machinery and automation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If workers enter the grinding mill for maintenance of discharge end parts, then maintenance tasks can be performed, but occupational safety risks increase and maintenance time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional maintenance approach by enabling access to the discharge end components from the outside of the grinding mill rather than requiring entry from the inside. The lifter bar design with external mounting features allows maintenance personnel to service components from the mill exterior, eliminating the safety risks and time losses associated with entering the mill volume.
2Ease of repair
If workers enter the grinding mill for maintenance of discharge end parts, then maintenance tasks can be performed, but maintenance duration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional maintenance approach by enabling access to the discharge end components from the outside of the grinding mill rather than requiring entry from the inside. The lifter bar design with external mounting features allows maintenance personnel to service components from the mill exterior, eliminating the time losses associated with entering and exiting the mill during maintenance operations.
3Device complexity
If traditional lifter bar configuration is used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but maintenance requires internal access to the mill
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lifter bar into distinct functional parts: a body portion and an extension portion with mounting features. This segmentation allows the extension portion to protrude externally for maintenance access while the body portion remains internally mounted for structural support, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and maintenance accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional maintenance approach by enabling access to the discharge end components from the outside of the grinding mill rather than requiring entry from the inside. The lifter bar design with external mounting features allows maintenance personnel to service components from the mill exterior, eliminating the safety risks and time losses associated with entering the mill volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A lifter bar for an open-ended grinding mill that includes an elongated bar structure and at least one groove portion provided in the elongated bar structure. The groove portion is configured to open on the side of the lifter bar facing outwards from the grinding mill volume, when the lifter bar is mounted onto the grinding mill. The groove portion is provided with at least one through hole opening for a mounting member.