Sliding Frame Wear Bars for Silo Floor Protection
Solution Overview
Problem
Mechanical components in holding receptacles, such as bins and silos, experience significant wear due to the interaction between the sliding frame and the floor, especially when handling viscous materials like municipal sludge, which forms bridges and complicates discharge, leading to increased friction and erosion.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates hard plate inserts attached to the sliding frame and soft wear bars attached to the floor, which space the sliding frame off the floor, preventing direct contact and using a hydraulic cylinder with an extension shaft and wear indicator to monitor and manage mechanical erosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the sliding frame directly contacts the floor for structural support, then the structural stability is improved, but the wear on both the sliding frame and floor increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces wear bars as intermediary components between the sliding frame and the floor. These wear bars serve as sacrificial elements that contact the floor instead of the sliding frame, thereby protecting both the sliding frame and floor from direct contact and significant wear. The wear bars can be easily replaced when worn, maintaining the structural stability while minimizing loss of substance.
2Loss of substance
If wear bars are introduced to prevent contact between sliding frame and floor, then the wear is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the contact interface between the sliding frame and floor by introducing separate wear bar components. This segmentation allows the wear protection function to be isolated in replaceable wear bars, simplifying the overall maintenance strategy. The wear bars are positioned at specific locations where contact occurs, providing targeted protection without requiring complex systems throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The wear bars are designed as sacrificial, easily replaceable components with lower cost and simpler replacement procedures compared to the sliding frame or floor. By using inexpensive, short-lived wear bars that can be quickly replaced, the system achieves wear reduction without significantly increasing operational complexity or cost.
3Productivity
If the sliding frame is used to agitate viscous materials, then the discharge efficiency is improved, but the friction and wear on mechanical components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wear bars act as intermediary contact surfaces between the sliding frame and floor, absorbing the friction and wear generated during agitation of viscous materials. This allows the sliding frame to continue performing its essential function of agitating sludge and breaking bridges, maintaining high discharge efficiency while the wear is concentrated on the replaceable wear bars rather than the critical sliding frame components.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for reducing wear includes a receptacle having at least one wall and a floor for holding material within the receptacle. An opening is located in the floor for accessing material held in the receptacle. A sliding frame is located above and parallel to the floor for agitating material held in the receptacle. At least one component is included inside the receptacle to reduce wear on the floor and/or sliding frame, and/or a wear indicator is located outside of the receptacle to monitor wear on the floor and/or the sliding frame.