Refiner Plate Segment with Wear-Compensating Radial Channels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fiber refining machines in the pulp and paper industry face high wear and tear of fittings, leading to increased energy consumption and operational costs due to changes in machining efficiency over their service life.

Innovation Solution

The design of clothing segments with radially arranged channels in the base body, which partially overlap and have varying depths and orientations, ensuring that channels function as grooves and treatment elements even with wear, maintaining consistent open groove area and cutting edge length throughout the service life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If treatment elements are mounted on treatment surfaces with ribs and grooves, then grinding capability is provided, but wear leads to changes in machining effect and reduced service life

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice life of fittingsVSAvoidmachining effect consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The treatment surface is segmented into multiple zones with treatment elements arranged in specific patterns, allowing different sections to wear at different rates and maintain overall grinding effectiveness throughout service life

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the treatment surface have locally optimized characteristics with varying groove depths and treatment element densities, ensuring that wear in any local area does not compromise the overall machining effect

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of energy

If conventional fittings are used, then initial grinding performance is achieved, but energy consumption increases over time due to wear

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidservice life
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The fitting design allows wear to naturally transition the surface from one configuration to another that maintains grinding effectiveness, with the structure self-adjusting through controlled wear patterns to preserve low energy consumption throughout extended service life

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Duration of action of stationary object

If treatment elements wear down, then service life extends, but open groove area and cutting edge length change affecting grinding efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice lifeVSAvoidgrinding efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The fitting design embraces dynamic change through wear, with the structure evolving from initial configuration to worn configuration, where both states maintain grinding effectiveness through the interconnected groove and treatment element patterns

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3927883B1Refiner plate segment
Publication Date: 2025.08.06 VOITH PATENT GMBH
  • EP3927883B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4

AI summary

The invention relates to a plate segment (2) for refining aqueously suspended fibrous material (1) in a refining gap (3) delimited by two treatment surfaces, which rotate relative to one another and are formed by plate segments (2). The plate segment consists of a main body (4), which has elongate treatment elements (5), which face the refining gap (3) and run radially at least with one directional component, and which has grooves (6) running between the treatment elements (5). The invention aims to extend the service life of the plate segments by arranging in the main body (4) a plurality of channels (8), which run radially at least with one directional component and run parallel to the refining gap (3) and have different distances from the refining gap (3), the channels at least partially overlapping with one another or with the groove base in the direction of rotation (11).