Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
32886
1 This invention relates to vertical shaft impact
crushers, and particularly to protective guard rings for such
crushers to protect against the abrasive action of rock fragments
and rock dust.
The vertical shaft impact crusher has a cylindrical
rotor which rotates on a vertical axis within a crusher tank and
throws rock, which is fed axially into the rotor, radially
outward against a breaker ring where the rock shatters and falls
through an opening in the bottom of the tank. Crushers of this
variety are relatively inexpensive and reliable and are in wide
use because their advantages are well recognized. However, there
are some defects in existing vertical shaft impact crushers which
have retarded their adoption by the industry, because the
inefficiencies which they introduce tend to offset the inherent
advantages to this type of crusher.
One of the persistent problems which users of this type
crusher have encountered is a high rate of erosive wear of the
surfaces which face that breaker ring. This erosive wear is a
result of rock fragments rebounding from the breaker ring.
numerous efforts have been made to solve the problem but they
have been either unsuccessful or too expensive. One technique is
to manufacture wear plates which lie on the floor and the ceiling
of the rotor impeller chamber and have a flange which covers the
radially facing surfaces of the rotor. This is generally
satisfactory from the wear point of view; however, it is
expensive and requires replacement of the entire plate when
either the flange or the plate becomes worn.
Another problem with prior art vertical shaft impact
crushers is intrusion of rock dust or rock fragments into the
radially interior region above the rotor and into the bearing
cartridge beneath the rotor. Intrusion of rock fragments above
the rotor is undesirable because the fragments do not tend to be
expelled naturally and simply tumble about causing continuous
erosion of the structures at the top of the rotor until they are
reduced to dust and are blown out, or until they are manually
removed. Intrusion of dust and rock particles into the bearing
cartridge can cause damage to the bearing if they actually
I,
1~32886
1 intrude into the bearing itself. The rock dust is particularly
abrasive and can cause rapid damage to a bearing. Most bearings
have some sort of dust seal, but the dust seal can be overwhelmed
and contaminated with dust if the vicinity of the seal is not
maintained relatively clean.
Accordingly, there has long existed in the industry a
need for a vertical shaft impact crusher in which the top and
bottom wear plates are separate from the radially facing wear
surfaces, and in which provision is made for protection of the
radially inner regions of the rotor top and bottom structures
from intrusion by rock dust and particles to protect against
erosive damage thereby.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide
a vertical shaft impact rock crusher which has simple and
inexpensive top and bottom wear plates for the interior of the
rotor which are separate from the radially facing wear resistant
members. It is another object of the invention to provide a
vertical shaft impact rock crusher having cooperating telescoping
nesting rings for exclusion of rock dust and particles from the
interior regions above and below the rotor.
These and other objects of the invention are provided
in a preferred embodiment having a rotor mounted for rotation
about a vertical axis on a bearing within a crusher tank for
receiving rock axially from above and throwing the rock outward
against a breaker ring where it breaks and falls through an
opening in the bottom of the tank. A stationary shell is
attached to the structure fixed in operation with respect to the
crusher frame and nesting telescopically within a guard ring
which is attached to and rotates with the rotor. The shell and
guard ring cooperate together to form a labyrinth seal which
restricts the entrance of dust and rock particles into the
interior regions above and below the rotor to maintain erosive
dame thereby to a minimum.
A more thorough understanding of the present invention
will be gained by reading the following description of the
preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which:
2;~Z~3~6
1 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vertical shaft
impact crusher made in accordance with this invention:
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the vertical shaft
imp actor shown in Figure 1 with the anvil breaker ring installed;
Figure 3 is a partial sectional perspective of the
vertical shaft imp actor shown in Figure 1 with the cover and
rotor removed and a fragment of the breaker ring exploded out of
the machine;
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the bearing
cartridge for the vertical shaft imp actor shown in Figure 1 and a
portion of the rotor mounted on the top end thereof;
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the upper end of a
vertical shaft imp actor shown in Figure 1 showing, on the left
side, the autogenous breaker ring and, on the right side, the
anvil breaker ring;
Figure 6 is a plan view of the rotor and anvil breaker
ring in the vertical shaft imp actor shown in Figure 2;
Figure 7 is an enlarged plan view of the rotor shown in
Figure 6;
Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the
rotor shown in Figure 7, and
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the two wear plates
in one quadrant of the rotor shown in Figures 7 and 8.
Turning now to the drawings wherein like characters
designate identical or corresponding parts, and more particularly
to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, a vertical shaft imp actor according
to the present invention includes a frame 10 on which is mounted
a drive motor 12, a crusher tank 14 bolted to the frame
concentrically around a pair of segmental openings 15
there through, a crane 16, and a grease reservoir 18. A bearing
cartridge 20 is also mounted directly to the frame 10 coccal
within the crusher tank 14. The bearing cartridge 20 supports
for rotation about a vertical axis a shaft 22 which has mounted
on its top end a rotor 24 and, mounted on its lower end, a sheave
26 which is connected by way of a drive belt 28 to a
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1 corresponding sheave 30 mounted on the lower end of the motor
shaft 32.
A cover 34 is mounted on top of the crusher tank 14 and
includes a feed funnel 36 mounted on a collar 38 which is welded
to a cover plate 40 concentrically with a central hole 42 in the
cover plate 40. A series of three radially extending tapered
braces 44 are welded to the collar 38 and to the cover plate 40
to strengthen the cover and provide, by virtue of holes 46 in the
braces 44, means for attaching a hoist cable from the crane 16
when it is desired to lift the cover off of the crusher tank 14.
The feed tube 36 has a floor plate 48 having a central
opening 50. A feed tube 52 is welded to the underside of the
floor plate 48 and depends downwardly therefrom to a level
approximately equal to the cover plate 40. A replaceable feed
tube extension 54 is telescopically disposed around the feed tube
52 and is provided with an extension adjustment mechanism for
adjusting the length of its extension through the hole 42 in the
cover plate 40. The adjustment extension mechanism includes an
outwardly projecting flange 56 most clearly shown in Figure 5,
and a series of spacers 58 lined between the flange 56 and the
region of the cover plate around the hole 42. The spacers 58 are
held in position by a bolt 60 which extends through the flange,
the spacers and the top plate 40. A series of access openings 62
in the collar 38 allows access to the bolt 60 for removing or
adding spacers 58 to change the vertical position of the feed
tube extension 54. The spacers 58 are u-shaped in plan view so
that there is no need to remove the bolt 60 when adding or
removing spacers.
A guard shell 63 made of a series of shell segments 64
is bolted to the underside of the cover plate 40 concentrically
around the central hole 42. The shell segments are arcuate in
form and include an inwardly extending upper flange by which the
segments 64 are bolted to the cover plate. The liner segments 64
protect the top of the rotor 24 from damage by broken rock
bouncing off of a breaker ring 70 mounted in the crusher tank 14
horizontally aligned with the rotor 24.
The breaker ring 70 shown in Figure 2 and shown in
--5--
1232~386
1 greater detail in Figures 3, 5 and 6 includes an annular hoop 72
of heavy steel construction having an annular seal 73 fastened to
its top surface for sealing the space between the hoop I and the
crusher tank 14. Three depending vertical legs 74 are welded to
the underside of the hoop 72 at equally spaced angular positions
around the hoop. The legs 74 are supported by three stepped
mounting blocks 76 welded to the inside of the crusher tank 14,
as shown most clearly in Figure 3. The support blocks 76 have a
plurality of steps formed thereon at different angular positions
and elevations to provide a plurality of elevation settings for
the breaker ring. This enables the elevation of the breaker ring
to be adjusted within the crusher tank 14 so that the vertical
position of the breaker ring relative to the rotor can be
optimized for optimal breaking efficiency and use of material, as
explained more fully below.
The breaker ring 70 has welded thereon a series of
brackets 78, each having two legs 77 fastened to and extending
inwardly from the hoop 72 on a secant to the circle defined by
the hoop. A cross arm 79 is welded to and extends between the
outside ends of each pair of legs 77 and has a vertical slot 81
completely through the arm 79. The cross arm 79 is actually made
of two separate pieces, one each welded to the end of each leg
77. Three lifting lugs 75 are welded to three legs 77 at equally
spaced angular positions around the breaker ring for attachment
of a cable to hoist the breaker ring in and out of the tank 14.
An anvil 80 is supported by each bracket 78. Each anvil
80 includes an octagonal head 82 having a flat octagonal face 83,
a square foot 84, and a square neck connecting the head 82 and
the foot 84. The head, foot and neck of the anvil 80 are
symmetrical about a horizontal axis 88 forming an angle with
the tangent 87 of the rotor through the anvil of about 5-15,
with 10 being preferred as shown in Figure 6. This angle
represents the radial component of velocity exerted by the rotor
on the rock as it is propelled from the rotor. The radial
component of velocity is a function of the rotor pocket face
angle, as discussed below.
Each anvil 80 is supported on a bracket 78 by lowering
~232886
1 the anvil neck 87 into the slot 81 in the cross arm 78 until the
anvil foot 84 contacts a support plate 89 welded to the bottom
the bracket legs 77 and cross arm 79. The support plates 89
support the vertical weight of the anvils 80 and also rigidity
5 the brackets 78.
The brackets 78 are welded from simple flame-cut pieces
for great economy and precision of manufacture, and also great
strength. The anvils 80 each weigh about 200 lobs. and it is
desirable that they be held securely to the breaker ring. The
pieces all overlap each other slightly to provide convenient and
economical outside rabbits in which the pieces can be quickly and
securely welded. The structure is so open and accessible that it
is particularly suitable for automatic welding operations.
The octagonal faces 83 of the anvil heads 82 represent
an efficient utilization of anvil material, since the corners of
a square or rectangular anvil are not impacted by rock in a
centrifugal impact crusher. The octagonal face is symmetrical
about the axis 88 of the anvil so that the anvils may be rotated
by multiples of 90 without changing the pattern of anvil faces
presented to the rotor 24. It is thus possible to maintain a
substantially uniform and consistent anvil array throughout the
useful life of the anvil.
The support blocks 76, spaced at equal angular
positions around the crusher tank 14, enable the breaker ring 70
to be rotated to as many positions as there are support blocks
76, three being disclosed herein. In practice, the rocks tend to
be thrown predominantly in one angular region because they tend
to fall into the rotor predominantly toward one side because of
the conveyor feeder. Consequently, the anvils 80 in that one
angular region tend to wear faster then in other regions. By
periodically rotating the breaker ring incrementally, it is thus
possible to distribute the anvil wear more evenly.
The rotor, as seen in Figures 2 and 6 through 9,
includes a circular base plate 90 having an axial hub 92 formed
integrally on the vertical centerline 94 of the rotor. A top
plate 96 is disposed vertically above and parallel to the base
plate 90 and coaxial therewith. The top plate 96 is held in
~23~886
1 space relationship to the base plate 90 by a series of vertically
oriented partitions or plates which form four autogenous pockets
98 spaced equally around the rotor. Each pocket 98 is formed of
a arcuate circumferential or peripheral plate 100 and a radial
plate 102 welded to the trailing end of the circumferential plate
100 in the sense of the direction of rotation thereof. A pocket
floor plate 104 is welded at an angle of about 76 between the
radial plate 102 and the arcuate plate 100. The angle is
selected to lie approximately parallel to the top face 106 of the
dirt and rock bed which collects and is held in the pocket 98
while the machine is in operation, although the angle of face
106 may be adjustable by the technique disclosed below. The
pocket floor plate 104 reduces the mess of the rock bed in the
pocket to minimize the severity of the imbalance if one rock bed
becomes dislodged.
The leading edge of each arcuate plate 100, on the end
remote from the end to which the radial plate 102 is connected,
has attached thereto a wear resistant bar 110. The wear
resistant bar 110 is attached to the leading edge of the arcuate
plate 100 by two bolts 112 which pass through a back-up bar 114
on the outside of the arcuate plate 100 to protect the bolts 112
from erosion by broken rock ricocheting off the anvils 80. The
leading inside edge of the wear resistant bar 110 includes a slot
in which is fixed, as by silver soldering, a piece of hard wear
resistant material such as silicon carbide.
The radial inside edge of the radial plate 102 is
protected from erosion by a wear bar 118. The wear bar 118 is an
L-shaped member which is held in place on the radial plate 102 by
tack welding and is removed by burning through the tack welds
with a torch. The wear bar 118 is made of a high chrome steel
and does not require the silicon carbide insert as used in the
wear bar 110 because the wear bar 118 is much closer to the axis
of the rotor than the wear bar 110, so it is not subjected to the
same degree of erosive action that the wear bar 110 experiences
as rocks are accelerated off its leading edge.
The angle selected for the face 106 of the rock bed in
the pocket 98 is controlled by length of the radial plate 102 and
1~3~886
1 the effective length of the peripheral actuate plate 100. The
effective length of both plates can be varied by the use of
different wear bars 110 and 118 having greater length so they
effectively extend either the radial plate 102 (for a smaller
angle of the face of the rock bed) or the arcuate plate 100 (for
a greater angle of the rock bed face).
To increase the shattering effect of the rotor itself
on the rock, it may be desirable to replace the autogenous rotor
pocket structure with conventional cast iron impeller shoes. The
rotor 24 of this invention will accommodate the installation of
conventional shoes mounted directly to the walls 100, 102 and
104, or could be mounted directly to the rotor base plate 90 in
place of the autogenous pocket walls.
A pair of wear plates 120 and 122 is fixed to the rotor
base plate 90 and the rotor top plate 96, respectively, in each
of the four quadrants of the rotor. The bottom wear plate 120 is
fixed to the top surface of the rotor base plate 90 by a pair of
bolts 124 which pass through the wear plate 120 and the rotor
base plate 90 and are locked into position by suitable locking
nuts such as beam nuts 125 or the like. The upper wear plate 122
is fixed to the underside of the rotor top plate 96 by a pair of
bolts 126 which pass through the wear plate 122 and the top plate
96 and are held into position by similar beam nuts 125. The
portion of the upper wear plate nuts 125 and bolts 126 which
project above the top surface of the rotor top plate 96 are
protected from erosion by ferrules 128 which are welded to the
top surface of the top plate 96 coaxial with the bolts 126.
As shown in Figure 9, the bottom and upper wear plates
120 and 122 have an arcuate outer edge 130 and 132, respectively,
which conforms to the outer circumferential configuration of the
rotor base plate 90 and the rotor top plate 96, respectively, and
arcuate radial inner edges 134 and 136, respectively, which are
at different radii from each other. The plates 120 and 122 are
otherwise identical. The radius of the inside edge 136 of the
upper wear plate 122 is equal to or slightly smaller than the
radius of the central opening in the rotor top plate 96, and the
radius of the inside edge 136 of the bottom wear plate 120 is
1232886
1 equal to the radius of a protective cap 138 which is bolted to a
cover plate 14~ which lies over the top of the hub 92. The other
three edges of the wear plates 120 and 122 are straight and
orthogonally oriented so that the wear plates may be slid
straight into and out of the rotor when they are being replaced.
The plates 120 and 122 are simple designs that are easy
to manufacture economically. They can be made from rectangular
plates by flame cutting an outside radius on one side which will
be the same for both top and bottom plates, and a circular arc on
one corner concentric with the outside radius. The cutting can
be done at high volume and low expense by automated ganged plasma
arc. The plates are very easy to handle because they are flat
and can be stacked flat or on edge.
A protective skirt or lower outer guard ring 142 is
tack welded around the outside periphery of the rotor base plate
90, projecting vertically slightly above the top surface thereof
and vertically below the top surface thereof a distance
approximately equal to the thickness of the rotor base plate
90. The skirt 142 protects the edge of the rotor base plate 90
from erosion and also provides a shoulder by which the position
of the bottom wear plate 120 can be located for ease of insertion
of the bolts 124 when the wear plate 120 is replaced. The bottom
extension of the skirt 122 protects the lower projection of the
bolts 124 and the nuts 125 from erosion by rock fragments
ricocheting off of the anvils 80.
The skirt 142 is attached to the rotor base plate 90 by
placing a split, which becomes the skirt 142 after attachment,
around the base plate 90 and supporting it in position for
welding or other fusion joining, such as brazing. The annular
hoop has a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the
base plate 90 so there is a gap between adjacent edges of the
hoop at the split when it is placed on the base plate 90. The
hoop is then tack welded to the base plate 90 at the shoulder
formed at the junction of the lower outside edge of the rotor
base plate 90 and the hoop adjacent to one edge of the hoop at
the split. The hoop is progressively tack welded to the base
plate 90 around the full circumference of the hoop. The welding
-lo- ~232886
1 heats the hoop so that it thermally expands and the gap at the
parting line closes as the hoop gets hot. At the conclusion of
the tack welding, the hoop is welded closed at the parting line
to produce a full circumferential skirt 142 which is welded and
shrunk fit to the rotor base plate 90 for secure attachment.
A top guard ring or rim 144 is welded to the rotor top
plate 96 in the same manner used to weld the protective skirt 142
to the rotor base plate 90. The top of the top rim 144 projects
above the top surface of the top plate 96 and forms a shoulder
145 therewith. The guard shell 63 extends down from the cover 34
just inside of and closely adjacent to the top rim 144. The
closely spaced top rim 144 and guard shell 63 cooperate together
in the manner of a labyrinth seal to restrict the entrance of
rock chips and dust from the region above the rotor where they
could cause erosive damage to the rotor top plate and adjacent
structures.
The skirt 142 and the top rim 144 provide a prestressed
support ring to radially support the wear plates 120 and 122.
Under high centrifugal force, the skirt and rim, if not
prestressed, could expand slightly and lessen the radial support
provided to the wear plates. Although the bolts 124 and 126 are
sized to hold the wear plates in place, the prestressed skirt and
rim provide additional security to relieve the load on these
bolts.
When the skirt 142 and rim 144 become worn, they are
easily replaced during servicing of the rotor by burning out the
tack welds which hold the skirt and rim to the rotor base plate
90 and top plate 96, and then welding on a new pair. When the
wear plates 120 and 122 become worn, they are easily removed by
removing the bolts 124 and 126 and sliding the wear plates out
over the protective lip provided by the skirt 142 and top guard
ring or rim 144. The parallel edges of the wear plates
facilitate easy removal and replacement. It is an advantage to
be able to replace the guard rings and wear plates separately
only when they become worn. Even though the replacement
procedure is very fast, the cost of the replacement parts is
better saved if there is useful life remaining in the part.
12328~36
1 As is shown most clearly in Fig. 8, the rotor hub 92 is
held to the top of the shaft 22 by a tapered collar 146 having a
lower radial flange 148. A series of tapped holes in the flange
148 threadedly receive the threaded ends of bolts lS0 which
extend through aligned holes in the cover plate 140 and the hub
92. The collar 146 may be slotted at 152 to receive a key on the
end of the shaft 22. The bolts 150 are tightened to force the
tapered collar 146 into the tapered bore of the hub 92 which
squeezes the collar down against the shaft to firmly lock the
rotor 24 onto the end of the shaft 22.
The shaft 22 is supported by a cylindrical bearing
cartridge 20 shown best in Fig. 4. A heavy cylindrical cartridge
housing 154 is attached to a bridge 155 in the base between the
two segmental openings 15 by bolting a lower flange 156, integral
with the housing 154, and in which is drilled a plurality of
holes 158 which receive bolts 160 by which the bearing cartridge
housing 154 is fastened to frame bridge 155.
A lower cartridge closure 162 is bolted to the lower
axial end of the housing 154 coccal with the housing axis. A
special ring 163 is held on the lower end of the shaft 22 with a
suitable set screw or the like, and includes a flange 165 having
a labyrinth seal configuration on its upper surface which mates
with a complementary labyrinth seal configuration on the lower
surface of the lower cartridge closure 162. The cartridge
closure 162 has a shoulder 164 which receives the outside race
166 of a thrust bearing 168. The weight of the shaft and the
rotor which it supports is borne on the inside race 170 of the
thrust bearing 168. The shaft load is exerted on the inside race
170 through the inside race 172 of a radial bearing 174
positioned immediately above the thrust bearing 168. The shaft
load is carried by the inside race 172 by virtue of its
engagement with a shoulder 176 on the shaft 22.
A radial bearing 180 provides radial support of the
shaft 22 at the top end of the bearing cartridge housing 154. A
bearing cup 182 is supported on an inside shoulder 184 on the
inside of the bearing cartridge housing 154. The bearing cup 182
restricts drainage of lubricant from the top radial bearing
123~:886
180. A top cartridge closure 186 is bolted to the top of the
bearing cartridge housing 154 and includes on its top inner
periphery a labyrinth seal configuration which mates with a
corresponding labyrinth seal configuration on the lower face of a
flange 188 on an annular seal ring 190 which seats on a shoulder
192 on the shaft 22. When the rotor is placed onto the top end
of the shaft 22, the weight of the rotor is borne on the seal
ring 190 and the weight is transmitted to the shaft 22 through
the engagement of the lower end of the seal ring with the
shoulder 192 on the shaft 22.
A cylindrical dust shell 194 surrounds the bearing
cartridge 20 and is supported thereon by a radially inwardly
extending flange 196 which is bolted to a radially outwardly
extending flange 198 adjacent the top of the cartridge housing
154. A rubber bumper 200 is fitted on the lower end of the dust
shell 194 and is slightly compressed between the dust shell and
the frame 10 to exclude dust from the bearing cartridge and to
dampen vibration and minimize noise. A urethane shield 202 is
secured to the outside surface of the dust shell 194 to prevent
abrasive damage to the dust shell and also to dampen vibration
and minimize noise. The urethane shield 202 may be bolted to the
dust shell or may be bonded directly to the shell.
A lower inner dust guard ring 203 is welded to the
underside of the rotor base plate 90 concentric with the rotor
axis, adjacent to and outside of the dust shell 194, and
immediately above the urethane shield 202. The close spacing of
the guard ring 203 to the dust shell 194 and the shield 202, and
the rotation of the guard ring relative to the stationary shell
and shield tends to exclude dust so that the interior of the dust
shell 194 stays clean. All of the outside guard rings, namely,
the skirt 142, the top rim 144 and the dust guard ring 203 are
attached to the rotor 24 and rotate with it. Since most rock
fragments that strike the guard rings on the rebound from the
anvils 80 will have a component of velocity in the direction of
rotor motion, the erosive action of the rock on the guard rings
will be lessened.
The bearing cartridge is sealed and lubricated by an
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1232886
automated grease injection system that injects grease from the
reservoir 18 into the labyrinth seals for sealing and into the
bearings for lubrication. The grease injection system includes a
grease line 204 which runs from a grease distributor 206 to a
fitting 208 through which the grease is conveyed into and through
a radial passage 209 in the top cartridge closure 186 to the
annular space immediately above the top radial bearing 180. The
lower radial bearing 174 and the thrust bearing 168 are
lubricated through a grease line 210 which runs from the grease
distributor 206 to a fitting 212 on the cartridge housing 154
through which grease is conveyed to and through a radial passage
214 in the housing 154 to the space immediately above the radial
bearing 172. Grease works through the lower radial bearing 174
and into the thrust bearing 168.
The upper and lower grease seal utilize the labyrinth
seal configuration between the upper and lower seal rings 190 and
163, and the upper and lower cartridge closures 186 and 162.
Grease passages 215 and 216 in the cartridge closures 186 and
162, respectively are connected by grease lines 217 and 218 to
the distributor 206 for injection of grease into the labyrinth
seal cavities to prevent the entrance of stone dust or other
abrasive foreign matter into the bearing housing, which could
damage the bearings. The grease is injected into the bearings
and the seal cavities by a pump 219 controlled by a timer 220.
The timer causes the pump to operate periodically and the
distributor 206 causes the grease to be distributed evenly
through each of the four lines so that grease is distributed to
the seals and the bearings for certain lubrication and sealing
action. If there is a failure in the distributor or the pump, an
internal alarm operates to alert the operator of the problem so
that corrective action may be taken immediately.
The use of a common grease injection system for both
sealing and lubrication greatly simplifies and improves the
bearing system. Conventional lubrication uses an oil circulation
system for flushing dirt and heat out of the bearing, but such a
system is more expensive than the grease system disclosed herein
because it requires an oil return and filter network, continuous
-14-
32886
1 pump operation, and is more susceptible to catastrophic bearing
failure in the event of pump malfunction. By properly sizing and
sealing the bearings in this application, a simple, reliable and
inexpensive grease lubrication has been provided the positively
seals and lubricates using the same fluid.
Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the crusher tank 14 is
a cylindrical tank having a rubber bumper 222 placed on the top
lip of the tank to act as a dust seal and also to dampen
vibration and attenuate noise. An annular bracket 224 is welded
around the outside surface of the tank slightly below the top lip
and provides a support to which the bottom edge of a plurality of
upright locking tongues 226 are welded. Each of locking tongues
has a rectangular hole 228 punched in its upper end for receiving
a lock wedge 230. The cover plate 40 has a series of short
radial slots 232 at its outside edge at angular positions
corresponding to the angular positions of the locking tongues 226
around the tank 14, so that when the cover is placed on the top
of the tank 14 with the locking tongues lined up with the slots
232, the tongues 226 will extend through the slots 232 and the
lock wedges 230 may be driven into the holes 228 to lock the
cover in place.
A series of spacer blocks 234 is welded on a horizontal
line around the inside of the tank just beneath the stepped
support blocks 76. The spacer blocks 234 are each drilled and
tapped to accept a bolt 236 which fastens a rubber curtain 238 at
its top edge to the spacer blocks. The rubber curtain 238 hangs
down to the floor around the full inside circumference of the
crusher tank 14. It prevents abrasion to the tank wall and is
extremely effective in damping vibration and noise during
operation.
The anvil breaker ring 70 can be removed by attaching a
cable hook to each of three lifting lugs 75 attached to three
bracket legs 77 at equally spaced positions around the annular
hoop 72 of the breaker ring 70, and lifting the breaker ring out
of the crusher tank 14. The breaker ring 70 may be replaced with
a similar breaker ring 70 or may be replaced with an autogenous
breaker ring 70' shown in cross section on the left-hand side of
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1 Figure 5. The autogenous breaker ring 70' is an inwardly opening
channel which is arranged horizontally opposite the rotor 24 for
receiving and holding rock thrown by the rotor so that additional
rock will impact the rock in the autogenous breaker ring 70' and
the rock breaking action will be rock on rock rather than rock on
metal.
The autogenous breaker ring 70' includes an annular
cylinder 242 to the top and bottom of which are welded an annular
top disk 244 and annular bottom disk 246, respectively. The top
disk 244 is of a slightly larger radius than the bottom disk and
extends almost to the inside surface of the crusher tank 14. A
full annular seal 248 is fastened to the top of the top disk 244
for the same purpose as the seal 73, namely, to prevent rock and
dust from settling down behind the breaker ring 70' and falling
between the rubber curtain 238 and the crusher tank 14. The
seals 73 and 248 also prevent rock from becoming wedged between
the breaker ring and crusher tank 14 when the breaker ring is
lifted out of the tank so that rocks do not become jammed between
the ring and the tank 14. Three equally spaced lifting lugs 249
are welded to the top surface of the top disk 244 for use in
hoisting the breaker ring 70' into and out of the tank 14.
Three legs 250 are welded to the outside surface of the
annular cylinder 242 for supporting the autogenous breaker ring
70' on the stepped support blocks 76. The vertical extension of
the annular cylinder 242 on the autogenous breaker ring 70' is
greater than the vertical extent of the annular hoop 72 of the
anvil breaker ring 70 so that space between the cylinder 242 and
the inside wall of the crusher tank 14 accommodates the upper
steps of the stepped support blocks 76 when the autogenous
breaker ring is set on the lower steps.
The crane 16 includes a support pillar 254 to which a
pair of brackets 256 are attached for supporting a crane control
box 258 by which the crane 16 is controlled. A bearing trot
shown) around the upper portion of the support pillar 254
rotatable supports the upper end of the crane 16 which includes a
vertical extension 260 and a cantilevered horizontal arm 262. A
support bracket 264 is welded to the lower end of the vertical
I 3 2 88 6
1 extension 260 and supports an electric motor 266 coupled to a
gear pump 268.
A hydraulic rotation motor (not shown) is coupled
between the upper portion of the crane 16 and the support pillar
to allow the upper portion of the crane to be rotated about the
support pillar. A hydraulic winch motor 270 is coupled to a
hydraulic winch 272 which allows a hook 274 to be raised or
lowered by taking up or playing out cable from a winch drum 276.
The power functions of the crane 16 are controlled from
the control box 258 which contains pilot valves or electric
switches for controlling the control valves 278 by which motive
fluid from the pump 268 is delivered to the winch motor 270 and
the rotation control motor (not shown).
In operation, rock to be crushed is continuously fed
into the feed funnel 36 and falls through the feed tube 52 and
the feed tube extension 54 and into the center of the rotor 24.
The rotor rotates at a speed on the order of about 1,000 RPM
which throws the rock radially outward where it is caught and
accelerated by the rotor pockets 98. The rotor pockets are
covered with a blanket of rock which is held within the pocket to
protect the pocket members from erosion by the rock as it is
thrown outward. The only surfaces which encounter erosion within
the pocket are the top and bottom wear plates 122 and 120 and the
inner and outer wear bars 118 and 110. These wear pieces are all
easily and quickly replaceable when they wear down.
The rock is thrown by the pockets 98 outward against
either the anvil breaker ring 70 or the autogenous breaker ring
70'. The trajectory of the rock is shown in Figure 6 and is
about 5-15 out from the tangent to the rotor. The deviation
from tangential trajectory is caused by the angle of the rock
face within the pocket 98 and coefficient of friction of the rock
on rock as the rocks are thrown radially outwardly. The brackets
78 are set in the breaker ring 70' at an angle such that the
faces of the anvils 80 lie perpendicular to the flight trajectory
of the rock which is about 10 out of the tangent to the rotor.
In this way, the rocks will strike the anvil faces exactly
perpendicular so that the full momentum of the rock is converted
~232886
1 to an internal shattering force and little of the energy is
wasted on ricochet force.
The broken rock then falls vertically downward between
the rubber curtain 238 and the dust shell 194 and falls through
the openings 15 on the two sides of the cartridge support ridge
155. The rock is then carried away by suitable conveyor belt
(not shown).
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the
above-described preferred embodiment will occur to those skilled
in the art in light of this disclosure. Accordingly, it is
expressly to be understood that these modifications and
variations, and the equivalents thereof, may be practiced while
remaining within the spirit and scope of this invention as
defined in the following claims, wherein I claim:
