Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MACHINE W R PRE~ARING HOTHOU~E SOIL
MIXTUR~S
This invention relates to agriculture, and more par-
ticularly to a machine ~or preparing multi-component nut-
rient soil substrates.
~ uch ~ubstrates can be used for growing ve~etables,
flowers, and meadow mushrooms.
There are presently ~nown a range of machines for
preparing nothouse soil mixtures.
There are ~no~n machines having no hoppers and comp-
risingr a mixing chamber with inlet and outlet ports, a
bla~e rotor (worm), mounted inside the mixing chamber,
and a discharge conveyer. Mixture components preliminarily
batched by volume are charged tnrough the inlet port to
the mixin~ chamber where the components are reduced in
size by the bladed rotor (worm)~ mixed, and carried
to the outlet port to be dischar~ed onto the dischar~e
conveyer.
~ disadvanta~e inheient in the machines of this type
resides in lo~i accuracy o~` the volumetric relationship
between the components, because the components are pre-
liminarily for~ed as a layered storage pile Yrom which
tne loa~er scoops vertically a batcn faiiing to ~nsure
accurate relationship between t~e components.
There are also ~nown single-hopper machines for
preparing hothouse soil mixtures comprising a storage
hopper with a movable bottom, a mixing chamber witn inlet
and outlet ports accommodating crushing and mixing drums,
and a discharge conveyer.
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Components of the mixture are cnarged in layers
to the storage hopper to be conveyed by the conveyer to
the mixin~ chamber, ~here they are comminuted, mixed,
and evacuated through the outlet port to the discharge con-
veyer.
A disadvantage of this prior art machine i3 that,
as is tne case with machines without hoppers, there is a
tendency o~ scatter in the relationship between the
mixture components, since the components are charged to
tne storage hopper in layers--virtually uncontrollably.
There is further ~nown a multi-hopper machine for
preparing hothouse soil mixtures comprising several storage
hoppers with a movable bottom, a system of conveyers
Ieeding the initial rlixture components to an inlet port
of the mixing chamber accommodating a bladed rotor, which
comminutes, mixes the components and carries the mixture
to the outlet port wherethrough it is dumpe~ onto the
dischar~e conveyer. 'rhe inlet port ol the mixing chamber
is provided with a sizing screen to separate large ~oreign
inclusions.
The metering noppers are arranged above tne charging
conveyer at the sides and at the end. ~he components
charged to tne metering ho~pers with movable bottoms are
delivered through ~ates to the charging conveyer, wherefrom
tney are further conveyed through the inlet port and sizing
screen to the mixing chamber.
In the mixing chamber the components are comminuted,
mixed, and I`orced bj7 the bladed rotor through the outlet
port onto the discharge conveyer, whereIrom the mixture
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is àelivered to vehicles or to a storing pile.
Among disadvanta~es Or t~e aforeaescribed machine are
much metal consumed for its fabric~tion and large overall
size, since eacn mixture component necessitates the
provision of a separate metering hopper with a drive and
frame; another disadvantage being a guestionable use of
the charg~ing conveyer as a link between the metering hoppers
and mixing chamber.
~ he principle object of this invention is to combine
several process procedures ~or obtaining nigh-guality
hothouse soil mixtures o~ several components.
Another object is to reduce tne amount of metal
to be consumed f`or fabricating a machine capable of prepar-
ing multi-component rlothouse soil mixtures.
One more object is to reduce the size of the machine.
'l'he aims o~ the invention are attained by that in a
machine for preparing hothouse soil mixtures comprising
a metering hopper with a movable bottom ~or feeding initial
mixture components to an inlet port of a mixing chamber
accolmoaating a bladed rotor carrying the components being
mixed to an outlet port of` the chamber to De unloaded
onto a discharge conve~er, according to the invention, the
meterin~ hopper, mixin~ chamber and discharge conveJer
are mounted on a common ~rame of the ~achine so that the
mixing chamber underlies the metering hopper with its
rotor extendinæ along the longitudinal axis of the movable
bottom of the hopper, wriereas end blaaes of the rotor are
àisposed directly above an outlet port of the mixing
chamber.
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Prel'erably, a humidifier of the mixture is secured in
the inlet port of the mixing chamber at its wall opposite
to the àirection of rotation of t~e rotor.
Desirably, the end blades of the rotor are turned
to~vard the other bl~des thereof.
One of alternative modifications of the proposed
machine envisages that the longitudinal axis of the
discharge conveyer be perpendicular to t~e longitudinal
axis of the metering hopper.
This construction of t`ne machine for preparing
hotnouse soil mixtures ensures tne minimum amount of
metal to be consumed for its manu~acture through reducing
the overall dimensions, and af~'ords a more economical
preparation of hotnouse soil mixtures of ~esired charac-
teristics.
The essence of tne invention resides in tne ~ollowing.
I'heoretical and experimental researcn has shown that
multilayer batching by volume o~ mixture components in a
single metering hopper, simultaneous execution OI' several
operations in an integrated unit, as well as mounting the
metering hopper, mixing chamber, and àischarging conveyer
on a common frame structurally attainable by virtue of
reducing the size of frame members, using less number of
meterin~ hoppers and linking conveyers allow to substan-
tially reduce the amount of metal to be consu~ d for the
support structure. '~'ihen mounted on a single ~rame, the
mebering hopper, mixing chamber and disc~arge conveyer
also facilitate servicing and charging of the metering
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hopper with mixture compon~nts, and make the ~achine
more reliable in operation.
'rhe humiàifier secured in tne inlet port at t~e wall
onto which the rotor blades ~hrow particles of the compo-
nents bein~ mixed causing conjection of the inlet port
and clog~in~ o~ the sieve acts to wash away tnese particles
and performs two ~unctions, viz., humidiIies the mixture
and cleans tne inlet port from the mixture particles.
Tur~in~ the end blades of the rotor toward the otner
blades thereof ensures a more vigorous escape of the mixture
from the outlet port OI' tne mixing chamber, and simultaneously
produces a counterflow of particles, which facilitates
mixing of the components.
lilounting the discharge conveyer on the common frame
of the machine with its axis extending perpendicular to
the longitudinal axis o~ the metering hopper provides a
greater ease of servlcing and ensures a more f`hvour~ble
structural arrangement of the machine.
Tne machine according to the invention affords prepa-
ration of hothouse soil mixtur~s of two or ~r~ater number
of components wit~ a aigh accuracy of `oatching by volume,
comminution and mixing of the components.
.High auality of nothouse mixtures pr~pared by the
proposed machine is conductive to higher productivity of
cultures. li~or example, the yield of me~dow l~ushrooms grolvn
in such soil mixtures c~n be increased by 5j~.
I~he invention is ~herefore capable to provide a much
smaller-size machine reducing to one-third the amount of
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metal cons~lme~ for its manu~`acture versus tne similar
prior ~rt m~chines.
The invention ~ill now be describ~d in gre~ter detail
~ith reLerence to a specific embodiment thereof taken in
conjunction ~ith the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is ~ longitudinal s~ctional view of a machine
~or preparing hothouse soil mixtures;
Fig. 2 is a view of the proposed machine ~rom the
side of tne mixing chamber; and
~ ig. 3 is a top plan view of the inlet port of the
mixing chamber with a mixture humidifier.
A machine for preparing hothouse soil mixtures compris-
es an inteOral all-metal carrying frame 1 on which there
is mounted a metering hopper 2 for the mixture components
charged in one of the nopper sections formed by a trans-
verse partition 3.
'rhe hopper 2 has gates 4 to ba~h the mixture components
by volume by opening the gates to a certain height, and a
movable bottom of any cnown suitable construction, such
as in the form of a conveyer 5.
- '~he movable bottom of the metering hopper 2 is in-
clined with a rise toward an inlet port 6 of a mixing
chamber 7 with the aim of reducing the amount of pressure
exerted by the mixture components on the transverse
partitions of the metering hopper 2. The mixin~ chamber 7
is secured on the frame 1 and disposed under ~he metering
hopper 2. 'l'he upper part of the inlet port 6 accommodates
a sieve ~ of the mixture components, whereas provided
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inside the mixing chamber 7 is a rotor 9 arranged length-
wise of the longituàinal axis of the movable bottom of the
metering hopper 2. ,~ounted betwetn tne rotor 9 and sieve
~ in proximity to the latter is a humidifier 10 secured to
a wall (not indicated by a ref'erence numeral) of' the inlet
port 6 opposite to the direction of rotation of the rotor 9.
The humidifier 10 can be fashioned, for example, as a pipe
having perforations 11 at its sur~ace. ~ater is delivered
under pressure through the perforations 11 to humidif~ the
mixture components. Mounted-on the rotor 9 are blades 12
secured in helical guides and forming a mu~tistart broken
worm ensuring highly uniform mixing of the components and
their movement along the chamber 7 to an outlet port 13.
The end blades 12 of the rotor 9 are turned toward the
other blades 1~ thereof to rest directly above the outlet
port 13 of the mixing chamber 7. ~uch an arrangement of the
blades of the rotor prevents the mixture from sticking to
the end wall of the mixing chamber and ensures a more vigorous
dischar~e of the mixture to a discharge conveyer 14. '~fe
discharge conveyer 14 is attached to the frame 1, and its
longitudinal axis is parallel witn the longitudinal axis
of the met~rin~ hopper 2.
'l'he machine according to the invention operates in
the following manner.
In accordance with the adopted process conditions
the gates 4 act to set the volumetric relationship between
the mixture components charged into the sections of the
metering hopper 2 in terms o~' the height of the layers of
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such components. A component of hi~her density is charged
to the section of the metering hopper remote fro~ the
mixing chamber. The drive of the conveyer 5 is energized to
move tne metered component layer to the inlet port 6,
Then another section of the hopper is charged with a bottom
component. i'he initial components are metered in layers
hei~ht-wize by the ~ates to be delivered in the f`orm of a
laminated cake to the inlet port 6 of the mixing chamber 7.
Th~ mixture components are tnerea~ter sieved, humi-
dified and mixed according to the adopted procedures. As
the components are fed for mixing, the sections of' the
metering rlopper ~re replenished with more of' the mixture
co~ponents, The ready nothouse mixture is carried by the
discharge conveyer to a vehicle or to a stora~e pile.
When preparing multi-component mixtures, such as
tnree-component ~ Nres~ the procedure is as follows: tae
preliminarily prepared two-component substrate (mixture)
is charged into one of the hopper sections, whereas the
other section is loaded with a third compon~nt. Volumetric
relationship 'between the components is set by t~le gates,
whereas subseguent procedures are substantially similar
to those described with reference to the preparation of a
tw~-component mi~ture.
The invention can be used in every branch of` agriculture
enga~ed in growing I'arm cultures on artificially prepared
soil substrates.
The invention can find a wide application f'or hOthouse
soils using nutrient mixtures to grow vegetables, flowers
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and mushrooms.
l`he proposed machine for preparing nothou~ soil mix-
tures i5 preferable for use in hothouse combines Or
roo1`ed soil areas 1 to 6 hectares.
