Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02717551 2016-10-03
AUGER CONVEYOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to auger conveyors in general, and to
auger conveyors
engaged with a storage silo in particular.
2. Background Information
[0002] Auger conveyors can be used to convey rice, grain and other bulk
material, to
load and unload storage silos, and to feed processing equipment. Auger
conveyors typically
include a helical auger screw disposed within a housing or trough. In
operation, the auger screw
rotates about its longitudinal axis to convey material along the length of the
conveyor. A bearing
assembly at one end of the conveyor and a drive assembly at the other end of
the conveyor
enable the auger screw to rotate within the housing.
[0003] Some auger conveyors have a considerable length that can create
operational
issues under certain circumstances. For example, if the auger conveyor
includes a series of
lengthy and conjoined auger screw sections mounted on a common drive shaft and
surrounded
by a conveyor housing or trough, it is necessary to support the auger screw to
prevent deflection
of the auger screw during operation. Supports are usually attached to bearings
which are
rotatably engaged with the auger screw. Proper support and alignment of the
auger screw within
a trough is crucial since deflection of the drive shaft and auger screw
sections during operation,
or misalignment between auger screw sections during operation, can cause the
auger screw's
helical flights to contact the interior of the conveyor housing, depositing
abraded metal shavings
or other foreign matter within the conveyed product. Misalignment further
results in reduced
component life due to wear and abrasion, unsafe work conditions, and products
contaminated by
the worn components.
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[0004] In the case of food handling or processing systems, since the food
products are in
intimate contact with the auger screw, sanitation and health regulations
require that the auger
conveyers be capable of thorough cleaning. Removal of the auger screw from the
conveyor
housing is necessary to properly clean the auger screw, and thus most auger
conveyors are
designed such that the auger screw can be removed from the conveyor housing.
When cleaning
of the auger conveyer is required on a routine basis, it is desirable to keep
the process to a
minimum in terms of the time, tools and personnel skills required. Most auger
conveyors are
designed, however, such that lengthy and laborious disassembly and reassembly
is required to
remove the auger screw from the conveyor housing.
[0005] What is needed is an auger conveyor that overcomes these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0006] According to an aspect of the present invention, an auger conveyor
is provided
that includes a housing, a first mounting bracket, a second mounting bracket,
a first auger screw
section, a second auger screw section, a coupling shaft, and an auger support
assembly. The
housing has at least one end. The first mounting bracket comprises a pair of
parallel rails that
form a first landing. The second mounting bracket comprises a pair of parallel
rails that form a
second landing. The first mounting bracket and the second mounting bracket are
attached to the
housing at locations so as to be positioned diametrically opposite one
another. The first auger
screw section is attached to a first end of the coupling shaft. The second
auger screw section is
attached to a second end of the coupling shaft. The auger support assembly
includes a lateral
member connected to a bushing assembly. The lateral member has a first end and
a second end.
The coupling shaft is rotatably mounted within the bushing assembly. The first
end and second
end of the lateral member have geometries that are adapted to slidably engage
with the first
landing of the first mounting bracket and the second landing of the second
mounting bracket,
respectively. The auger support assembly and the coupling shaft are located
within the housing.
The first end and second end of the lateral member are engaged with, but not
affixed to, the first
landing of the first mounting bracket and the second landing of the second
mounting bracket,
respectively, to support the coupling shaft within the housing and enable
slidable insertion and
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removal of the auger support assembly, coupling shaft and first and second
auger screw sections
from an end of the housing.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, an auger
conveyor is
provided that includes a housing, at least one first mounting bracket, at
least one second
mounting bracket, an auger screw, and one or more auger support assemblies.
The housing has a
first end and a second end. Each first mounting bracket has a first landing,
and each second
mounting bracket has a second landing. The first and second mounting brackets
are attached to
the housing and are positioned diametrically opposite one another. The auger
screw has a
rotational axis. The one or more auger support assemblies each have a lateral
member connected
to a bushing assembly. The lateral member has a first end and a second end.
The auger screw is
rotatably mounted relative to the bushing assembly. The first end and second
end of the lateral
member each have a geometry adapted to slidably engage with the first landing
of the first
mounting bracket and the second landing of the second mounting bracket,
respectively. The
auger screw and the one or more auger support assemblies are adapted to be
received within the
housing as an assembled unit, by insertion through the first end of the
housing. Upon full
insertion into the housing, the first and second ends of each lateral member
are engaged with, but
not affixed to, the first landing of the first mounting bracket and the second
landing of the second
mounting bracket, respectively, to support the auger screw within the housing.
The auger screw
and auger support assembly are further adapted to be slidably removed from the
housing as an
assembled unit through the first end of the housing.
[0008] These and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will
become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of
preferred embodiments
thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one embodiment of an
auger conveyor.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross-section diagrammatic illustration of an auger
conveyor housing.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of one embodiment of a
mounting bracket.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of one embodiment of an
auger support
assembly.
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[0013] FIG. 5 is an axial cross-section diagrammatic illustration of the
auger support
assembly in FIG. 4.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a cross-section diagrammatic illustration of an auger
conveyor engaged
with a storage silo.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a cross-section diagrammatic illustration of the
assembly of an auger
conveyor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one embodiment of an
auger conveyor 10.
The auger conveyor 10 includes a conveyor housing 12, at least one mounting
bracket 14, at least
one auger support assembly 16, and an auger screw that includes a plurality of
auger screw
sections 18,20.
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1,2, 6 and 7, the conveyor housing 12 has a
first side 22, a
second side 24, a base 26, and a top 28. The conveyor housing 12 extends
longitudinally
between an inlet 27 and an outlet 29. The inlet 27 and outlet 29 of the
conveyor housing 12 can
have any geometry that permits the bulk material to enter into the auger
conveyor 10 and be
moved out of the auger conveyor 10, respectively. The conveyor housing 12
illustrated in FIGS.
1,2, 6 and 7 has a "U-shaped" cross-sectional geometry extending
longitudinally between the
first end 23 and the second end 25. The invention is not limited to a U-shaped
geometry,
however. As is shown in FIG. 6, the auger conveyor 10 is engaged with a
storage silo 13. The
storage silo 13 has an interior 15 and an exterior 17. The auger conveyor 10
passes through an
opening 19 in the siding 21 of the storage silo 13. The auger conveyor 10 is
located towards the
base of the storage silo 13, and thus the bulk materials stored in the storage
silo 13 rest atop the
portion of the conveyor housing 12 that is located in the interior 15 of the
storage silo 13. The
bulk materials stored in the interior 15 of the storage silo 13 pass through
the inlet 27 of the
conveyor housing 12 and, upon operation of the auger conveyor 10, are moved
through the
conveyor housing 12 until they reach the outlet 29 of the conveyor housing 12.
[0018] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 7, the (at least one)
pair of
mounting brackets includes a first mounting bracket 14 and a second mounting
bracket 14. Each
of the first and second mounting brackets 14 includes a plate 30, a forward
tapered region 32, an
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aft tapered region 34, and a landing 36. Each of the tapered regions 32, 34 is
formed by a pair of
rails 38 attached to the plate 30. The rails 38 taper from an open end 40 to
landing end 42. A
pair of parallel rails 44 forms the landing 36 extending between the landing
ends 42 of the
forward and aft tapered regions 32, 34. The landing rails 44 are separated by
a gap having a
height 45. Each mounting bracket 14 has a geometry adapted to mate with one or
both of first
side 22 and second side 24 of the conveyor housing 12. The mounting brackets
14 are
constructed from a rigid durable material; e.g., steel.
[0019] The auger support assembly 16 includes a housing support 46,
a bushing
assembly 48, and a coupling shaft 50. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 6
and 7 illustrates a
T-shaped housing support 46 that includes a connecting member 52 and a lateral
member 54.
The connecting member 52 extends between the bushing assembly 48 and the
lateral member 54.
The lateral member 54 has a width 56, a thickness 58, and a length 60 that
extends between a
first end 62 and a second end 64. The bushing assembly 48 has a bore 66 for
receiving the
coupling shaft 50. In some embodiments, the bushing assembly 48 includes a
bushing 67 (or
bearing) mounted within the bushing assembly 48. The bushing 67 permits
substantially
unimpeded rotation of the coupling shaft 50 within the bore 66; e.g., the
coupling shaft 50 acts as
a bearing journal received within the bushing 67. In other embodiments, a
bushing could be
mounted on the coupling shaft 50 and the bushing assembly 48 could have a
bearing journal that
allows relative rotation. Each end of the coupling shaft 50 includes means for
attaching the
coupling shaft 50 to an auger screw section (e.g., mechanical fastener, screw
thread, etc.). In
some embodiments, the auger screw comprises only one continuous section (i.e.,
the auger screw
does not comprise multiple sections). In such embodiments, the bushing
assembly 48 may have
a bore 66 that is adapted to receive the center shaft 70 of the auger screw
or, alternatively, a
bushing may be mounted on the center shaft 70 and the bushing assembly 48 may
have a bearing
journal that allows relative rotation.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 7, each auger screw section
18, 20 includes a
helical flight 68 attached to a center shaft 70. The helical flight 68 extends
around the
circumference of the center shaft 70 at a pitch that defines the distance bulk
material will move
on average in one rotation of the auger screw. For ease of description, the
present invention will
be described in terms of an auger conveyor 10, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5,
having only two
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auger screw sections: a drive auger screw section 18 and a distal auger screw
section 20. The
drive auger screw section 18 has a coupling end 72 and a drive end (not
shown). The coupling
end 72 is configured to mate with the coupling shaft 50; e.g., a male/female
configuration
wherein the coupling end 72 has an aperture for receiving a portion of the
coupling shaft 50. The
drive end has a configuration that allows the drive auger screw section 18 to
be directly or
indirectly coupled with a drive unit for driving the auger screw. The distal
auger screw section
20 includes a coupling end 74 and a support end (not shown). The coupling end
74 is similar to
that of the drive auger screw section 18; e.g., a female end that receives the
male coupling shaft
50. The support end is typically configured to cooperate with a bearing
supported by the
conveyor housing 12.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, in an alternative auger conveyor
10 embodiment, the
auger screw has more than two auger screw sections: a drive auger screw
section 18, a distal
auger screw section 20, and at least one middle auger screw section 31
disposed therebetween. In
such configurations, the middle auger screw sections 31 will have end
configurations that allow
connection to an auger support assembly 16; e.g., coupling ends.
[0022] When the auger conveyor 10 is assembled, the first and the
second mounting
brackets 14 are attached to the conveyor housing sides 22, 24, diametrically
opposed to one
another at a particular position along the longitudinal length of the conveyor
housing 12, and
aligned with one another; e.g., so that the landings 36 from each plate 30 are
aligned with one
another, etc.
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, before installation of the auger
screw into the
conveyor housing 12, the drive auger screw section 18 and the distal auger
screw section 20 are
coupled to an auger support assembly 16. The combined auger screw sections 18,
20 and auger
support assembly 16 are then slid into the conveyor housing 12 from an end of
the conveyor
housing 12. The U-shaped geometry of the conveyor housing 12 is preferable
because the
geometry maintains the housing support 46 of the auger support assembly 16 in
a desired
position as it is inserted into the conveyor housing 12 (e.g., the housing
support 46 geometry
prevents the auger support assembly 16 from rotating within the conveyor
housing 12). As the
auger screw is pushed further into the housing, the lateral member 54 of the
auger support
assembly 16 will encounter the forward tapered region 32 of each mounting
bracket 14. Each
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end 62, 64 of the lateral member 54 will be received within an open end 40 of
one of the forward
tapered regions 32, and will be guided into the landing 36 of the respective
mounting bracket 14.
The thickness 58 of the lateral member 54 and the height 45 of the landing 36
form a slide fit that
prevents the lateral member 54 from any substantial non-longitudinal movement
within the
conveyor housing 12. The two section auger screw is thereby supported at each
end of the
conveyor housing 12 and in the middle of the conveyor housing 12 as well. The
bushing 67
within the auger support assembly 16 allows the coupling shaft 50 and attached
auger screw
sections 18,20 to rotate freely. This configuration prevents deflection of the
auger screw during
operation and achieves alignment of the multiple conjoined sections 18, 20 of
the auger screw
within the conveyor housing, thus preventing the auger screw's helical flights
68 from contact
the interior of the conveyor housing 12 and depositing abraded metal shavings
or other foreign
matter within the conveyed product.
[0024]
As indicated above, in some auger conveyor 10 embodiments, the auger screw has
more than two auger screw sections (e.g., drive auger screw section 18, distal
auger screw
section 20, and at least one middle auger screw section 31), and the auger
screw assembly (e.g.,
the combined auger screw sections 18, 20, 31 and auger support assembly 16)
has more than one
auger support assembly 16, which are assembled as described above. FIG. 6
illustrates one such
embodiment, and FIG. 7 illustrates assembly thereof. The first auger support
assembly 16 will
encounter a first pair of mounting brackets 14 as the auger screw is inserted
into the conveyor
housing 12. The lateral member 54 of the first auger support assembly 16 will
be guided into the
aligned landings 36 of the first pair of mounting brackets 14 as described
above. As the auger
screw is inserted further into the housing 12, the lateral member 54 of the
first auger support
assembly 16 will pass through the landings 36 of the first pair of mounting
brackets 14 and into
the aft tapered region 34, and will eventually pass out of engagement with the
first pair of
mounting brackets 14. Further screw insertion will cause the first auger
support assembly 16 to
encounter a second pair of mounting brackets 14. At the same time, a second
auger support
assembly 16 will encounter the first pair of mounting brackets 14. The lateral
members 54 of
each auger support assembly 16 will be guided into the landings 36 of the
respective pairs of
mounting brackets 14.
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[0025] When the auger screw is removed from the conveyor housing 12, the
aft tapered
regions 34 of the mounting brackets 14 guide the lateral members 54 into the
landings 36 in the
same manner as described above for screw insertion. As a result, the auger
screw assembly can
be "blindly" inserted and removed from the conveyor housing 12 with the auger
support
assemblies 16 guided into the respective mounting brackets 14, where the
support assemblies 16
provide desirable support to the auger screw and help prevent undesirable
movement of the
screw within the conveyor housing 12. This insertion and removal of the auger
screw is
advantageously achieved with relatively minimal disassembly and reassembly of
the auger
conveyor 10 system. Moreover, the insertion and removal of the auger screw is
advantageously
achieved without causing the auger screw's helical flights 68 to contact the
interior of the
conveyor housing 12, thus preventing damage to the interior of the conveyor
housing 12 and the
deposition of abraded metal shavings or other foreign matter within the
conveyed product.
[0026] While various embodiments of the present invention have been
disclosed, it will
be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments
and
implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Accordingly,
the present
invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and
their equivalents.
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