Mineral Sizer Tooth Formation with Segmented Pick and Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mineral processing machine teeth, particularly in mineral sizers and breakers, face conflicting material requirements for strength and wear resistance, with the pick formation experiencing disproportionate wear, leading to premature failure and difficulty in replacement.
Innovation Solution
A tooth formation with a pick formation and support formation featuring complementary projections and recesses for secure engagement, allowing for rigid holding during use and easy replacement, using a shaft with a mineral breaking pick head and a support formation with a receiving aperture, facilitated by force-generating means like a threaded connection system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a detachable pick formation is provided to be received and anchored in a support body, then wear resistance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tooth is divided into two separate components: a support body and a detachable pick formation. The pick formation can be removed and replaced independently from the support body, allowing the wear-resistant pick to be renewed without replacing the entire tooth structure. This segmentation enables improved wear resistance while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the tooth are made from different materials with different properties. The pick formation is made from highly wear-resistant material suitable for engaging abrasive minerals, while the support body is made from strong and resilient material capable of transmitting breaking forces. This local differentiation of material properties optimizes both wear resistance and structural strength without requiring the entire tooth to be made from excessively complex composite structures.
2Reliability
If the pick formation is firmly anchored in the support body, then reliability is improved, but ease of repair deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring mechanism is designed to be dynamically adjustable between two states: a locked state during operation where the pick formation is firmly held in position to transmit breaking forces reliably, and an unlocked state for maintenance where the pick formation can be easily removed and replaced. This dynamic characteristic resolves the contradiction between reliable anchoring during use and ease of replacement during maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The support body includes pre-formed receiving structures (such as recesses, grooves, or threaded holes) that are prepared in advance to guide and secure the pick formation. These preliminary structural features enable quick alignment and secure attachment of the pick formation without requiring complex assembly procedures, thus facilitating easy replacement while ensuring reliable anchoring once installed.
Data Source
AI summary
A tooth formation for use in a mineral processing machine is described. The tooth formation has: a pick formation comprising an elongate body comprising a shaft having at one axial end a mineral breaking pick head extending radially beyond the elongate body to define a rearwardly facing first seating surface; and a support formation defining a receiving aperture of complementary shape and size to said shaft of said elongate body so as to receive the same, and a forwardly facing second seating surface configured to abut the first seating surface of the pick formation with the shaft so received. The first and second seating surfaces comprise arrangements of one or more complementary projections and recesses radially symmetrically disposed about an axial direction of the elongate body. A mineral processing machine including at least one and preferably a plurality of tooth assemblies or tooth cap assemblies according to any preceding claim. A drum assembly for a mineral processing machine having tooth assemblies thereon and a machine incorporating