Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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B~ackground of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning
or classifying granular material or wood chips and the like.
Machines for cleaning grain or separating wood
chips are well known and conventional devices in this art
normally have at least one deck for transporting the material
to be cleaned or classified and some form of mechanism for
vibrating the deck usually eccentric apparatus adapted to
shake the screens vertically or in a back and forth motion.
Conventional devices are not entirely satisfactory for
various reasons. As an example, there is normally a
mechanical connection between the drive mechanism and the
decks for moving the decks up and down. This provides
numerous areas of wear and many rotating parts. Due to
vertical movement, there are vertical reactions at the areas
where the decks are supported, often causing fatigue and
breakage of these parts.
Summary of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention provides
substantial improvements over the conventional devices
through having a first or fixed frame suspending a secandary
frame from it through universal joints. A secondary frame
in turn has attached to it one or more decks spaced into
upper and lower locations with an integrated driving mechanism
which is also attached to the secondary frame between the
upper and lower decks. The result of this novel arrangement
is that the driving mechanism and decks are all secured
together to form a single unit, all being rotated together
when the driving mechanism is actuated. The secondary frame
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and decks are carried on or suspended by four hangers from
the fixed frame. The present apparatus provides much higher
speeds due to the fact that the driving mechanism is
centrally located with an eccentric weight rotating on the
horizontal plane about a vertical axis, resulting radial
driving force being located at the centre of gravity in
the vertical and horizontal planes of the apparatus. Thus,
there are no vertical reactions at the hanger supports.
The weight of the driving mechanism and the decks are always
in balance to the eccentric weight of the driving mechanism.
Variation in flow loading of the apparatus is automatically
compensated for by a slight variation in the throw of the
eccentric.
Additionally, in the present invention there are
no mechanical connections between the driving means and the
decks. The hangers support the weight only and allow the
secondary frame, decks and driving mechanism to rotate in
a flat rotary motion. This motion covers a much greater
area per revolution than "up and down" or "in line" actions
as in conventional devices. Moreover, the highe- speeds
provided with this apparatus combined with the circular
sweeping area allow a much higher capacity of material to
pass through the machine.
As the throw of the eccentric can be fixed or adjusted
the apparatus can be varied to suit individual requirements.
The decks of the device can be arranged in a parallel flow
or counterflow configuration and the number of decks can
vary according to requirements. If necessary, an aspirator
can be`attached to the apparatus to pass air through the
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material flow thereby removing dust and providing a
pneumatic classification or reparation feature to the
apparatus.
According to a broad aspect, the invention relates``
to apparatus for classifying or cleaning granular
material, wood chips or the like comprising: a fixed
main, open box-like frame having upper and lower horizontal
beam members; a secondary, deck supporting frame positioned
within the main frame; a plurality of hanger members
with connecting means at each end thereof for inter-
connecting said secondary frame to the main frame; said
hanger connecting means providing freedom of gyratory
movement to the secondary frame with respect to said
main frame; upper and lower cleaning or classifying
decks supported in said secondary frame for movement
therewith; and a driving mechanism, including an eccentric
weight, located between said upper and lower decks and
secured to the secondary frame for applying a flat,
rotary motion to said secondary frame and the decks
supported therein.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention is illustrated by way of example in
the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspec-
tive view partially cut away showing the manner of
connection between the frames of the present invention,
Figure 2 is an elevation view of the apparatus of
Figure 1 in a parallel flow arrangement,
Figu.re 3 is an elevation view similar to Figure 2
but showing the decks in a counterflow arrangement, and
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Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through the
drive box used in the present apparatus.
Figure 1 schematically illustrates the manner in
which the frame members are interconnected and how the
drive mechanism is connected to one of the frames. Specifi-
cally, the apparatus generally indicated at 10 includes a
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fixed main frame 12 having vertical acquired posts 14 tonly
two of which are shown) and upper horizontal beams 16, 18
and lower horizontal beams 20. The movable, secondary frame
indicated generally at 22 comprises upper and lower horizontal
beams 24, 26 respectively joined by parallel vertical beam
members 28. Upper and lower deck assemblies 30, 32, shown
in phantom line are suitably secured to the beam members of
the secondary frame 22 such as by welding, bolting or the
like, and these decks are spaced above and below a centrally
located driving mechanism illustrated generally at 34 and
including a drive box 36 rigidly mounted to the upright beams
28 so that the drive mechanism is centrally located between
the upper and lower decks. Horizontal balance of the device
can also be obtained by equalizing the weight both in front
of and behind the dri~e box. The secondary frame 22 is
suspended from the main frame 12 through a plurality of
vertically extending hanger members 38 each of which has a
universal joint 40 at its upPer end connection with the main
frame 12 and a similar universal joint 42 at its lower end
connection to the secondary frame 22.
As seen in the schematic of Figure 1, the drive
mechanism includes a rotor with an eccentric weight 44, the
rotor being rotated through an electric or hydraulic motor
46, preferably mounted on the exterior of the drive box.
Referring to Figure 2, the apparatus is shown in
elevation view with a plurality of decks arranged in a
parallel flow configuration. In this arrangement, the main
frame 48 has a plurality of hanger members 50 interconnected
at their upper ends to the cross beams 52 by means of
universal joints 54. The lower portions of the hangers 50
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are not shown for reasons of clarity but, as in Figure 1,
they are connected also by means o~ universal joints to the
hori20ntal lower beam members 56 of the secondary frame 58.
A drive mechanism 60 is suitably secured to the secondary
frame 58 and deck assemblies 62 and 64 are mounted above
and below the driving mechanism 60 as illustrated.
Actuation of the driving ~echanism 60 causes rotary motion
to be applied to the secondary frame 58 and the decks and
driving mechanism connected thereto.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 2 an upper rubble
deck is mounted on the upper end of the apparatus at an angle
which will provide flow of the granular material, wood chips
or the like in the rubble deck so that the material feeds
downwardly into an infeed shoot assembly 68. Shoot 68 has
a plurality of feed spouts such as 72, 74 which feed material
into decks 76, 78 mounted over the drive mechanism 60 and
further feed spouts 80, 82 feeding material and the like
manner to decks 84 and 86 mounted below the driving mechanism
60. It wlll be observed that decks 76, 1~ and 84, 86 are
mounted on suitable slopes so that, when the secondary frame
and decks are put in a rotary motion, the granular material
is moved across the screens and downwardly towards discharge
shoots 90.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 3, the apparatus
includes a rubble deck 92 receiving granular material from a
gate type feeder 94 and discharging into a rotary feeder 96.
The feeder 96 drops the granular material into upper decks 98
which flow to the left in Figure 3 into an infeed shoot assembly
100 where the flow of the material is reversed and dropped
into one or more lower deck assemblies 110, 112 or 114,
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depending on the size of the granular material such as
baxley or wheat. In this arrangement, the rotary
feeder 96, rubble deck 10 and ~ate type feeder 94 are
optional devices and an aspirator can be attached to the
infeed shoot assembly to provide pneumatic separation
and dust removal of the granular material passing from the
upper to the lower decks.
The driving mechanism 60 includes a motor assembly
116 secured to a drive box 118 which is secured to the
vertical beams 120 of the secondary frame.
Referring to Figure 4, the drive mechanism preferably
is of the type shown in my co-pending Canadian Patent
application 324,331, filed March 28th, 1979. Referring to
Figure 4, the drive mechanism includes a box structure 124
having top, bottom and sidewalls suitably secured together
as by welding. The top and bottom walls include integral
hubs 126, 128 which structurally support a shaft 130 of
substantial diameter by way of bolts 132. A bearing assembly
134 is mounted for rotation on the shaft 130 on which is
mounted a rotatable housing 136 to which is secured a drive
pulley 138 and a rotor 140. A~ illustrated in Figure 1 a
motor of suitable power is mounted preferably on the exterior
of the drive box and is connected by V-belts or the like to
the pulley 138 on the rotor 136 so that the latter is rotated
together with its eccentric 140.
While the invention has been described in connection
with a specific embodiment thereof and in a specific use,
various modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in
the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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The terms and expressions which have been employed
in this specification are used as terms of description and
not of limi~tation, and there is no intention in the use
o~ such terms and expressions to exclude any equivalents
of the features shown and described or portions thereof,
but it is reco~nized that var~ous modi`fications are possible
within the scope of the invention claimed.
