Particulate Blasting Dosing Rotor for Abrasive Material Wear

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing dosing devices for particulate material blasting systems suffer from poor accuracy and wear due to close tolerances and abrasive effects, limiting their use to non-abrasive materials and complicating manufacturing with separate parts and pressure balancing conduits.

Innovation Solution

The dosing device is integrated within the pressurized storage reservoir, eliminating pressure gradients and using a delivery conduit that functions as both a pressure equalization conduit, allowing for the use of thinner, cheaper materials and reducing wear by scooping particulate material with a rotor that has scooping pockets.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If close tolerances are used between the rotor and dosing chamber walls to prevent material passage, then material containment is improved, but friction and wear on the rotor and chamber surfaces increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial containmentVSAvoidservice life of rotor and chamber
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the rotor from the pressurized dosing chamber environment by mounting it on the external side of the chamber wall. The rotor receives pressurized material through a feed conduit and delivers it to the delivery side, eliminating contact between the rotor and the pressurized chamber walls. This resolves the contradiction by preventing wear while maintaining material containment through the sealed conduit system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The feed conduit acts as an intermediary element that transfers pressurized particulate material from the dosing chamber to the rotor without requiring direct contact between the rotor and chamber walls. This mediator enables material transport while maintaining the separation needed to prevent friction and wear.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If the tank is pressurised to deliver material, then material delivery capability is improved, but large pressure gradients are generated across the tank wall requiring strong, expensive materials

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial delivery capabilityVSAvoidtank wall strength requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the pressurized environment from the rotor assembly by placing the rotor outside the pressurized chamber. Only the dosing chamber needs to be pressurized, not the entire tank structure, reducing the pressure gradient across tank walls and allowing use of thinner, cheaper materials while maintaining material delivery capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The rotor is positioned in a different spatial dimension (outside the pressurized chamber) rather than inside it, allowing the pressurized environment to be confined to a smaller volume. This dimensional separation reduces the structural requirements for the tank walls while maintaining effective material delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Stability of the object's composition

If a pressure equalisation conduit is added to balance pressure between the pressurised tank and dosing device, then pressure balance is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepressure balanceVSAvoidnumber of conduits and components
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The feed conduit serves dual functions: it delivers pressurized material to the rotor and simultaneously acts as the pressure equalisation conduit. By merging these two functions into a single component, the invention eliminates the need for a separate pressure equalisation conduit, reducing device complexity while maintaining pressure balance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The feed conduit is designed as a multi-functional component that performs both material delivery and pressure equalisation functions. This universal component eliminates the need for additional dedicated pressure balancing components, simplifying the overall device structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

This design simplifies manufacturing, reduces wear, and improves dosing accuracy while enabling the use of abrasive materials, all while maintaining consistent pressure within the system.

Implementation Method 1

a rotor having a series of scooping pockets mounted along a circumference of the rotor configured to rotate to scoop-up particulate material from a particulate material receiving side of the rotor and deliver it up and around to a delivery side

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Implementation Method 2

deliver it up and around to a delivery side of the rotor where it falls into the delivery conduit through the inlet and falls downwardly into a pressurised gas line

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure differential: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentEP4334085B1A particulate material blasting apparatus and method of blasting a surface
Publication Date: 2025.07.09 SWISS INDAL CONSULTING & TECH SA
  • EP4334085B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4334085B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A particulate material blasting apparatus (20) comprises a particulate material dosing device (3), a particulate material storage tank (1) having a base (23), top (22) and sidewalls (21) adapted to feed particulate material to the dosing device, and a delivery conduit (25) to deliver particular material into a pressurised gas line. The dosing device comprising a rotor (9) comprising a series of scooping pockets mounted along a circumference of the rotor configured to rotate to scoop-up particular material from a particulate material receiving side of the dosing device and deliver it up and around to a delivery side of the dosing device where it falls into the delivery conduit (25). The dosing device (3) is located in the particulate material storage tank and the delivery conduit comprises an upper part disposed within the particulate material storage tank (1) having a first inlet aperture (27) and a lower part disposed outside the particulate material storage tank (1) having an outlet (30) to deliver particular material into a pressurised gas line. disposed outside the particulate material storage tank (1).