Solid material comminution or disintegration – Apparatus – Combined or convertible
Patent
1997-10-20
1999-10-19
Husar, John M.
Solid material comminution or disintegration
Apparatus
Combined or convertible
24110176, 2411865, 241243, 241605, B02C 1912, B02C 2102
Patent
active
059674334
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to apparatus for mixing and dispensing material, and in particular, fibrous type material, for example, animal feed which contains relatively long fibrous matter, such as, for example, hay, straw, silage and the like, and in particular, though not limited to such fibrous matter when delivered to the apparatus in the form of a relatively large bale or part thereof, typically, a relatively large cylindrical bale, commonly referred to as a round bale or a relatively large square or rectangular bale.
It is common nowadays to bale silage, hay and straw in relatively large bales, typically, bales of up to 2 M in diameter and greater. Such fibrous material, is used extensively for mixing with other ingredients in the preparation of animal feed. Apparatus for mixing and dispensing animal feed of this type is disclosed in British Patent Specification No. GB-A-2,139,911 and European Patent Specification No. EP-A-0,427,483. However, such mixing and dispensing apparatus while it is quite adequate for mixing and dispensing animal feed containing fibrous type material, where the fibrous material is hay, straw or relatively long cut silage, in general, the fibrous material remains in relatively long lengths when mixed with other ingredients to form the animal feed. This, in many cases is undesirable.
There is therefore a need for a mixing and dispensing apparatus which overcomes this problem.
The present invention is directed towards providing such apparatus for mixing and dispensing material of a generally fibrous nature, and for cutting the fibrous material into relatively short lengths.
According to the invention there is provided apparatus for mixing and dispensing material of a fibrous nature, the apparatus comprising a container defining a hollow interior region which forms a mixing compartment for the material, the mixing compartment defining a longitudinally extending central axis, a mixing rotor in the mixing compartment for mixing material therein, the mixing rotor being rotatable in the mixing compartment about a rotational axis substantially coinciding with the central axis, wherein the mixing rotor comprises a plurality of first blades spaced apart longitudinally along the mixing rotor relative to the central axis and extending in a generally radial direction from the mixing rotor, and a plurality of second blades are connected to the container, the second blades being spaced apart longitudinally relative to the central axis and extending towards the mixing rotor and co-operating with the first blades for cutting the fibrous material as the mixing rotor rotates.
The advantages of the invention are many. The first blades on the mixing rotor co-operate with the second blades as the mixing rotor rotates, and on fibrous material being engaged between co-operating first and second blades, the fibrous material is cut into relatively short lengths. The lengths into which the fibrous material is cut is dependent on the spacing between the pairs of second blades, and also, is dependent on the clearance between the first and second blades. It has been found that by providing a clearance of between 20 mm and 50 mm between the first and second blades, and also providing the spacing between pairs of second blades of the order of 210 mm, the fibrous material is cut into lengths of approximately 100 mm after the mixing rotor has completed many rotational cycles. Needless to say, the more rotational cycles completed by the mixing rotor, in general, the shorter will be the length to which the fibrous material is cut, subject to a minimum length of approximately 30 mm which in general will be just greater than the clearance between the first and second blades. Once the fibrous material has been cut to length which is just greater than the clearance between adjacent first and second blades, the first and second blades will have little further cutting effect on the fibrous material, since the lengths of fibrous material at that stage would be insufficient to extend across a gap between adjacent fir
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Foley Thomas
Keenan Richard
O'Neill Oliver
Husar John M.
Salford Engineering Limited
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