Spiral Hook Mixer Tool With Eccentric Dough-Discharge Protuberance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spiral hook mixers face issues with dough heating, significant force requirements, and inefficient kneading due to the distance between the mixing tool and the bowl, leading to dough rising and forming a ball, which increases working time and motor power needs.
Innovation Solution
A hook tool with a protuberance that performs a planetary movement, positioned near the active working zone, prevents dough rise and enhances kneading by maintaining a minimal distance from the bowl, reducing forces and heating, and allowing effective dough discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the distance between the spiral hook tool and the bowl is reduced to improve mixing efficiency, then kneading efficiency is improved, but dough heating increases and significant forces are generated requiring powerful motors
Solution Approach 1:
The hook tool is segmented into multiple functional zones: an active working zone for kneading, a discharge zone with the protuberance for dough discharge, and a connection zone for structural support. This segmentation allows the active zone to maintain close proximity to the bowl for efficient kneading while the discharge zone handles dough removal, distributing the functional load and reducing excessive force concentration that would cause heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The protuberance is positioned eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation, creating a discharge zone that operates in a different spatial dimension than the primary kneading zone. This dimensional separation allows the hook to maintain close proximity to the bowl bottom for effective kneading while the eccentric protuberance provides an alternative pathway for dough discharge, reducing the mechanical stress and heat generation associated with forced dough removal.
2Power
If the distance between the spiral hook tool and the bowl is increased to reduce heating and force requirements, then motor power needs are reduced, but dough wraps around the tool and forms a ball increasing working time
Solution Approach 1:
The protuberance is strategically positioned in the discharge zone to preemptively intercept and discharge dough before it can wrap around the hook tool and form a ball. This preliminary action of dough discharge prevents the problematic ball formation that would otherwise require additional working time to resolve, while the eccentric positioning allows the main body of the hook to maintain an optimized distance from the bowl for efficient kneading without excessive motor power requirements.
3Temperature
If a significant distance is maintained between the tool and bowl to reduce heating, then dough does not form a ball, but dough rises towards the hub and darkens on contact with dust formed between the hub and drive shaft
Solution Approach 1:
Different zones of the hook tool are assigned different functional qualities: the active working zone maintains close proximity to the bowl for efficient kneading, while the discharge zone with the protuberance is specifically designed for dough discharge. The protuberance creates a localized discharge pathway that directs dough away from the hub area, preventing contact with dust and darkening, while the overall distance from the bowl is optimized to minimize heating. This local differentiation of functional zones resolves the contradiction between preventing dough rise and maintaining effective kneading distance.
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 solution reduces dough heating, eliminates ball formation, shortens working time, improves kneading efficiency, and allows for reduced motor power usage while maintaining effective dough discharge and kneading performance.
Implementation Method 1
the mixing tool is preferably a spiral hook tool which is used to mix the ingredients... In the case of a beater fitted with a spiral-shaped hook tool, the movement applied to the tool is a planetary movement... under the action of an epicyclic train driven by a motor 21, the tool 24 performs a rotation on itself, around the axis 26, while its axis 26 moves in a circle around the axis 22 of the epicyclic train
Implementation Method 2
a protuberance for discharging the paste which rises towards the hub during the movement of the hook tool, the junction between the protuberance and the hook tool being eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the hub, said protrusion thus performing a planetary movement with the active working zone
Data Source
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AI summary
The beater comprises a motor for setting in motion a drive shaft and a bowl. The hook tool (50) comprises: - a hub (37) for fixing the hook tool to the drive shaft, - an active working zone (33), of general spiral shape, extending as far as at the free end of the hook tool and configured so that each element of the active zone passes, during the movement of the hook tool, at a predetermined distance (34) from the internal surface of the tank and - a connection zone (36) between the fixing hub and the active work zone. Characteristically, the hook tool comprises, in the half of the active working zone closest to the connection zone, a protrusion (35) for discharging the paste which rises towards the hub during the movement of the tool. hook, the junction between the protuberance and the hook tool being eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the hub, said protuberance thus performing a planetary movement with the active working zone.