Modular Hopper Tee With Replaceable Wear Liner and Adapters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hopper tees require expensive repairs or replacement when wear damage occurs, as they are designed as integral units, making it necessary to replace the entire device even if only specific parts are damaged.
Innovation Solution
A modular bottom drop hopper tee with a detachable elastomeric polymer liner and adapters, allowing for the replacement of worn parts without removing the hopper tee from the trailer, using a metal box with elastomeric polymer adapters that can be easily swapped out when damaged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional hopper tees are designed as integral units, then structural strength and simplicity are improved, but repairability and cost-effectiveness deteriorate when wear damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The hopper tee is divided into separate modular components: a wear-resistant liner, adapters, and a housing structure. The liner can be independently removed and replaced without replacing the entire hopper tee, enabling selective repair of worn components while maintaining the structural integrity of the main body.
2Device complexity
If conventional hopper tees are designed as integral units, then device complexity is reduced, but maintenance costs and downtime increase when repairs are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The hopper tee system is segmented into removable modules including the liner and adapters. When wear damage occurs, only the affected liner or adapter needs to be replaced, not the entire device. This modular approach reduces maintenance downtime while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through standardized connection interfaces.
3Reliability
If the entire hopper tee is replaced when parts are damaged, then reliability is maintained, but loss of substance and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The modular design enables discarding only the worn liner or adapter components while recovering and reusing the main hopper tee housing and other intact components. This selective replacement approach maintains system reliability by ensuring worn parts are replaced, while minimizing material waste by preserving functional components.
4Ease of repair
If modular components are introduced, then ease of repair and component replacement are improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hopper tee is segmented into modular components (liner, adapters, housing) that can be independently replaced. This segmentation improves repairability by allowing selective component replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapters serve multiple functions: they connect the liner to the housing, provide sealing interfaces, and enable easy removal and replacement of the liner. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular hopper tee including a modified tee box, a tee box liner, a readily detachable inflow adapter for coupling a first pipe to the tee box and a readily detachable outflow adapter for coupling a second pipe to the tee box, the liner and adapters being constructed from an elastomeric polymer such as polyurethane. Each of the inflow and outflow adapters includes a flange portion and a cylinder portion extending through the flange portion, the flange portion dividing the cylinder portion into a first cylinder portion that extends through a sidewall opening of the tee box and sealingly engages the liner and a second cylinder portion that is located outside of the box. A metal cylinder member, which is embedded within the first cylinder portion and surrounds an exterior of the second cylinder portion, is provided for reinforcing the adapter.