Agitating – With specified discharge means – Valve or gate
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-01-30
Cooley, Charles E. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
With specified discharge means
Valve or gate
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179462
ABSTRACT:
This application claims Paris Convention Priority of German patent application number 198 13 867.9 filed Mar. 28, 1998, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a device for the production of solid and/or solid-liquid mixtures in a mixer having a substantially cylindrical horizontally directed mixing drum comprising end walls defining a mixing region of the mixing drum, with mixing tools disposed in the mixing region which mix the product components located in the mixing region during operation of the device and having at least one opening provided in the cylinder wall extending over the entire axial length of the mixing region for suppling and/or discharging the mixing region, wherein the opening can be closed for operation of the device.
A mixing device of this kind has become known in the art through German patent publication DE 32 36 780 C2.
The conventional device for mixing of solids has a two-part discharge door in the floor region of the mixer which can be opened along nearly the entire floor region. The discharge doors must adapt to the cylindrical-shaped mixing volume in the closed state so that they must be curved in correspondence with the drum radius. Both the curved edges as well as the linearly extending edges of the discharge doors must be sealed relative to the mixing region to seal the conventional mixer in a dust-tight manner during operation. Towards this end, seals are provided in the edges of the door. When the mixing region is discharged, it is then necessary for the doors to be opened and the product flowing out also covers the seals on the doors so that the seals can be become damaged as well as soiled by the discharging product. It is therefore necessary to clean the seals after each batch or after several batches to maintain dust-tight sealing of the mixing region by the doors. In addition, the seals extend along curved surfaces of the doors or of the drum sections and are constantly in motion along with the doors.
It is therefore the purpose of the present invention to create a simplified sealing surface at a large area opening of a cylindrical-shaped mixing region which is largely maintenance-free and inexpensive to produce.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This purpose is achieved in accordance with the invention in that the opening in the mixing drum is bordered by a first edge which extends at least partially into the end walls with the first edge extending in the cylinder wall and in the end walls within a plane.
The configuration of the opening on a mixing region in accordance with the invention has the advantage that curved edges no longer border the opening. A linear edge is formed along the entire periphery of the opening which lies in a plane. The first edge extending in a plane borders an opening which extends over the entire mixing region to facilitate complete discharge of the residual product located in the mixing region. The mixing region has no portion in the floor region which is not completely freed when the door is opened. The flat edge dependence also facilitates a simple door construction to allow the opening to be sealed in a dust-tight manner, since only a peripheral edge lying in a plane must be sealed. Not only small machines can therefore operate with one single door which can effectively close the entire opening if required. This advantage facilitates economical manufacture of the door as well as the opening to be created at the mixing region. When the opening can be satisfactorily closed by only one single door, only one single locking and opening mechanism is required for moving the door into a closing or into an opening position.
In an additional preferred embodiment of the invention, the opening can be closed via a door having a bulge whose inner surface ends in a peripheral edge lying in a plane which seats on the first edge in a closed state of the door and the inner surface of the bulge extends directly and without steps into an inner surface of the bordering cylindrical wall of the mixing drum.
This has the advantage that by no dead zones can occur in the mixing region during a mixing process. The second edge lying in a plane can be simply pressed onto the first edge to seal the opening. The bulge in the one single door facilitates a continuous extension of the cylindrical-shaped mixing region dependence so that mixing elements in close proximity to the inner surface can also effectively sweep over the inner surface of the bulge during operation of the device to frequently move the material to be mixed. The opening can be closed without gaps along the first and s econd edges so that when the edges are ground flat, the mixing region c an be properly sealed without additional seals when the two edges seat tightly against each other. The width of the edges can be freely chosen according to need.
In a further improvement of the invention, a seal is disposed between the first and the second edges.
This has the advantage that a more complete sealing of the mixing region is guaranteed via the seal even when the finest of dusts are processed.
The seal is preferentially disposed in the vicinity of the first edge.
This has the advantage that the seal must no longer be moved along with the door and is removed from the production flow. The seal can be disposed behind the border of the first edge, and the planar dependence of the first edge guarantees simple attachment of the seal.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the seal is configured as a rectangular endless peripheral sealing band. The sealing band can be configured as a closed band having a quadratic, round or rectangular cross-section. In particular, flat sealing bands can also be accommodated on the first edge.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the device, a metal band is disposed along the first edge in the vicinity of the mixing drum and directed outwardly in the plane defined by the first edge in which a groove is provided for accepting the seal.
This has the advantage that the first edge is stiffened in the region of the opening. In addition, the seal can be introduced at a separation from the border of the first edge. A groove is formed in the metal band which likewise lies in the plane of the first edge for accepting the seal in a precise fashion. Depending on its width, the metal band can present a large area seating surface for the second edge of the door so that a very good sealing of the opening is guaranteed when the door is closed.
In the event that the metal band is supported by a brace, an additional stiffening in the vicinity of the seal is achieved. The second edge of the door can be pressed with a stronger sealing strength against the first edge.
End surfaces are preferentially fashioned on the end walls in the plane of the first edge having a width which is at least sufficient for the acceptance of a seal within a groove fashioned in one of the end surfaces.
This has the advantage that the same seal can be inserted into the end surfaces of the end walls that is used in the remaining part of the first edge. The first edge extends peripherally about the entire opening and also in the end walls. The end surfaces correspond to the first edge.
In an additional configuration of the invention, the end walls are formed from round members which end in the plane of the first edge and from wall members which project beyond the round members.
This has the advantage of providing an easy method with which the end surfaces on the end walls can be created for the first edge, and the projecting wall members facilitate configurations for the device which allow the walls to be used as constructive support members for the device or as acceptance plates for additional instruments which are to be introduced onto the device.
Should a stiffening angle be provided along the mixing drum between the end walls at least at one lengthwise side of the mixing drum, a sufficient stiffening of the entire device is guaranteed even for smaller mixing drum wall thicknesses.
A shaft is provided on the
Böltner-Brand Werner
Hagemeier Heinz-Dieter
Cooley Charles E.
Gebr{umlaut over (u)}der Lödige Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft mit be
Vincent Paul
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