Screen Panel Fixing System With Screw Threaded Projections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screening apparatus in the mining industry faces challenges with secure yet easily removable screen panel attachments, which are prone to wear and misalignment, leading to inefficiencies and structural integrity issues due to the abrasiveness of materials being screened.
Innovation Solution
A system using elongate fixing members with screw-threaded projections that engage with openings in the beam edges, allowing for easy installation, adjustment, and removal of screen panels, ensuring accurate alignment and minimizing gaps between panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If screen panels are securely fixed to the beam using robust attachment methods, then the reliability and structural integrity are improved, but the ease of removal and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is divided into separate components: fixing members with projections that engage with openings in the beam, and screen panels with corresponding engagement features. This segmentation allows the panel to be securely attached during operation but easily removed by disengaging the fixation mechanism, resolving the contradiction between secure fixation and easy removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment system transitions from a static permanent fixation to a dynamic reversible connection. The fixing members can be engaged to provide secure attachment during screening operation, and disengaged when panel replacement is needed, allowing the system to adapt its fixation strength based on operational requirements.
2Manufacturing precision
If screen panels are firmly attached to maintain alignment, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of adjustment and realignment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment system uses separate positioning elements (projections in openings) that can independently adjust panel position. The openings can be positioned at different locations along the beam to accommodate alignment adjustments, while the projections ensure precise positioning once aligned, resolving the contradiction between firm attachment and ease of adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the attachment system serve different functions: some features provide alignment adjustment capability, while others provide secure fixation. The openings in the beam can be positioned to allow alignment adjustment, while the fixing members provide local secure attachment points, enabling both precise alignment and easy adjustment.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the attachment system is made robust to withstand abrasive materials, then the durability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robust attachment system is segmented into simple, standardized components: fixing members with projections and beam openings. Each component has a single, well-defined function, avoiding complex multi-functional elements. This segmentation maintains durability while reducing overall system complexity compared to integrated robust attachment systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing members and beam openings serve multiple functions: they provide secure attachment, enable easy removal, allow alignment adjustment, and withstand abrasive forces. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining robustness.
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 solution provides a secure, quick, and easy method for attaching and realigning screen panels, reducing wear and improving the structural integrity and efficiency of the screening process by allowing for minor adjustments and easy replacement of damaged components.
Implementation Method 1
the releasable connection between the fixing members and the projections is a screw threaded connection, whereby a screw extends through the fixing member and into threaded connection with the projection
Data Source
AI summary
A screening apparatus 10, including a plurality of elongate beams 11, a plurality of screen panels 14 mounted to the beams to form a broad screening surface, each of the panels 14 being generally square or rectangular and the panels 14 being mounted adjacent to each other so that facing side edges of adjacent panels 14 are in close facing relationship. Each panel 14 being mounted to a pair of beams 11 along opposite side edges to bridge between two adjacent beams11. The panels 14 being mounted to the beams 11 by elongate fixing members 13 that extend in the longitudinal direction of the beams 11 and that are fixed to an edge of the beams 11 and that engage opposite side edges of the panels 14. The fixing members 13 are fixed to the edges of the beams 11 by projections 24, 25 that are spaced apart longitudinally of the fixing members 13 and that extend into openings 18, 19 provided in the edge of the beams 11. The projections 24, 25 being releasably connected to the openings 18, 19 in the beams 11 and extending out of the openings 18, 19 and into releasable connection with the fixing members 13.