Rotatable Skip Pan With Hydraulic Balancing for Loose Material Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing material handling methods, such as using grapples and cable cranes, suffer from inefficiencies including material drop risks, limited volume handling, slow speed, and safety hazards, particularly when dealing with loose materials like steel scrap.
Innovation Solution
A skip pan with a rotatable base and hydraulic actuation system that maintains balance and inclination, allowing for safe and efficient handling and unloading of materials by ensuring the base remains horizontal despite external tilts, using a bridge connection and hydraulic cylinders for counterbalancing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a grapple is used to handle loose materials, then the handling speed is improved, but materials can be dropped from between the fingers resulting in loss and environmental harm
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the problematic finger structure from the grapple design and replaces it with a continuous pan structure. The pan removes the gaps between fingers that cause material drop, while maintaining the efficient handling capabilities through a different mechanical approach using a rotatable skip pan system.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a grapple that grabs materials from below with fingers, the invention inverts the approach by using a pan that contains materials from above and sides, with an open front for loading. This inversion eliminates the finger gap problem while maintaining handling efficiency.
2Quantity of substance
If a grapple is used to handle materials, then the volume to be handled is limited, but the handling speed is low
Solution Approach 1:
The skip pan is designed to be rotatable rather than fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment of the pan's orientation. This enables the pan to be positioned for optimal loading volume, then rotated for efficient unloading, combining large capacity with high handling speed. The bridge structure supports this dynamic movement while maintaining stability.
3Quantity of substance
If a pan is lifted using cables, then the pan can collect materials, but the equilibrium is fragile and the method is unsafe
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the cable suspension system with a bridge-based mechanical support structure. The bridge provides rigid, stable support for the skip pan, eliminating the fragile equilibrium of cable suspension. The bridge is designed to handle the loads safely while enabling controlled movement and positioning of the pan.
4Productivity
If cable cranes are used to lift pans, then materials can be transported, but the system is difficult and expensive to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the pan from the complex cable crane system and integrates it directly with a simplified bridge structure. This eliminates the need for separate cable cranes, reducing system complexity and maintenance requirements while maintaining material transport capability. The bridge-pan integration creates a more straightforward mechanical system.
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
The skip pan enables safer, faster, and more environmentally friendly material handling by minimizing material loss and optimizing volume utilization, reducing operational costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
an actuator to provide an adaptable inclination of the base of the skip pan with respect to the bridge to keep the base balanced when the connecting portion is tilted
Data Source
AI summary
A skip pan for handling materials comprising a base of the skip pan for containing the materials. A portion of a contour thereof has walls and a remainder of the contour is a wall-less edge. A bridge holds the base and comprises, at the top, a connecting portion for connecting to an arm of a material handler. The connecting portion is rotatable along a vertical axis thereof to provide a spinning movement to the skip pan. The connecting portion is tiltable by the arm of the material handler. An actuator provides an adaptable inclination of the base of the skip pan with respect to the bridge to keep the base balanced when the connecting portion is tilted to avoid contents to slide by the wall-less edge during movement.