Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CRUSHER CLEARING SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to comminuting devices and more particularly to systems
and
processes for clearing a crusher of tramp material.
A crusher is a machine designed to reduce larger materials such as large rocks
into
smaller rocks, gravel, sand, and/or dust. Crushers may be used to reduce the
size or change the
form of waste materials. Crushing involves transferring forces amplified by
mechanical
advantage through robust crushing surfaces which are generally parallel or
tangent to each other.
Entering material is held between the crushing surfaces, and sufficient forces
are applied to bring
the crushing surfaces together. Energy is delivered to the material being
crushed so that its
molecules separate (i.e., fracture), or change alignment in relation to each
other (i.e., deform).
Gyratory crushers can be used for primary or secondary crushing and generally
comprise
a conical head moveable with respect to a corresponding concave in close
proximity. The
surfaces of the head and concave are typically lined with manganese steel
liners. The head moves
slightly in a small circular motion via an eccentric arrangement, but does not
rotate, whereas the
concave remains stationary. Entering material falls between the head and
concave and resides
there while it is progressively crushed until its pieces are small enough to
escape through a
predetermined gap between the head and concave. The crushing action is caused
by progressive
opening and closing of the predetermined gap between the head and the concave.
Cone crushers, such as the one illustrated in FIG. I operate similarly to
gyratory crushers,
however, they generally comprise less steepness in the crushing chamber and
more of a parallel
zone between crushing surfaces 404, 504. Cone crusher 1 breaks up incoming
entrance feed
material 602 by squeezing it between a bowl 400 having a bowl liner 402 and a
wear resistant
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mantle 502 supported by a head 500 mounted over top of a main shaft 700. The
head 500
comprises a head bore 507 which receives an eccentric 900 spinning around main
shaft 700 by
virtue of a drive shaft 800 and one or more transmission members 802, 902
(e.g., bevel gears).
The eccentric 900 comprises a bore 907 which accepts main shaft 700. Main
shaft 700 is
received by a shaft receiving portion 307 in a main frame hub 310. As the
eccentric 900 rotates
about the shaft 700, it causes the head 500 and mantle 502 to gyrate with
respect to the bowl 400
and bowl liner 402. An axis 509 of the head bore 507 is generally offset from
the axis 709 of the
main shaft 700 as shown. One or more bushings (not shown) may be placed
between the
eccentric 900 and the head bore 507 and/or between the main shaft 700 and the
eccentric bore
907. As the larger entrance material 602 enters the top of the cone crusher 1,
it becomes wedged
and squeezed between the mantle 502 and the bowl liner 402. Large pieces of
ore are broken
once, and then fall to a lower position within the crusher 1 as they become
smaller in size. The
ore is subsequently broken and the process continues until the comminuted
material 604 is small
enough to fall through a narrow predetermined gap "G" between the bottoms of
the mantle 502
and the bowl liner 402.
When a crusher gets overloaded, it can jam, seize momentarily, or stall
completely,
leaving a large amount of material in the crushing chamber and hopper feeding
the crushing
chamber from above. To remove tramp iron or jammed material, the crushing
chamber must be
cleared of material. Some cone and gyratory crushers comprise hydraulic tramp
release systems
which serve to provide overload protection and minimize damage to the crusher
when tramp
passes through the crushing chamber. Such tramp release systems generally
comprise two sets
of hydraulic cylinders, as shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 4,750,681. A
first set of
cylinders is activated to separate an upper crushing member from a lower
crushing member and
open the crushing chamber. This is generally called a clearing stroke. Another
second set of
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cylinders serves to pull the upper crushing member towards the lower crushing
member to close
the crushing chamber so that crushing can take place. Having two sets of
hydraulic cylinders
adds to the cost, complexity, and failure mode of conventional crushers.
Moreover, as shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 4, 750, 681 prior
cylinders have
been either directly attached by their body to main frames without means for
angle compensation
and with no piston rod attachment to the adjustment ring, or alternatively,
have only been
attached to adjustment rings by the piston rod with the cylinder body
unattached to the main
frame. Such arrangements lead to premature wear or failure, especially under
high loads,
because they may become cocked or unseated under high loads,
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an improved crushing
system which
reduces the number of parts by providing dual-acting cylinders configured for
both maintaining a
constant crushing force between a head and mantle, and also providing a
clearing stroke to
facilitate passage of tramp material.
It is another object of the invention to provide improved means for coupling
cylinders
and piston rods thereof to crusher components, wherein said means for coupling
is configured to
compensate for small angular displacements, misalignments, and/or side loads
experienced by
the cylinders during operation of the crusher.
Moreover, it is an object of the invention to provide a crusher clearing
system wherein
accumulators need not be placed in close proximity with or directly attached
to the cylinders.
Additionally, it is an object of the invention to provide a crusher having an
improved
response time for tramp release.
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These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the drawings
and
description herein. Although every object of the invention is believed to be
attained by at least
one embodiment of the invention, there is not necessarily any one embodiment
of the invention
that achieves all of the objects of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A crusher comprises a first member such as an adjustment ring having a first
mounting
portion, a second member such as a main frame having a second mounting
portion, a dual-acting
cylinder having a body and a piston rod movably disposed in relation to said
body, the body
being securely mounted to the second mounting portion of the second member via
a cylinder
mount. The piston rod comprises first and second securing members, wherein the
first mounting
portion of the first member is captured between said first and second securing
members to secure
the piston rod thereto. The dual-acting cylinder provides both: a crushing
force between said
first member and said second member, and a clearing force between said first
member and said
second member. In some embodiments, the first member may comprise an alignment
ring, a
bowl, or a bowl liner. The first and second securing members may be integral
and monolithic
with said piston rod, or may be separately joined, non-integral portion of
said piston rod. The
piston rod may comprise at least one mount for supporting the first and second
securing
members. In some embodiments, the first securing member, second securing
member, and/or
cylinder mount may comprise one or more centering washers, centering cups,
centering portions,
centering bearing surfaces, or centering features. In some instances tapered,
conical, or spherical
surfaces may be provided to the first and second securing members. The dual-
acting cylinder
may comprise a relief valve, a first crossover port extending from a first
chamber, a second
crossover port extending from a second chamber, and a crossover tube extending
between the
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first crossover port and the second crossover port which connects the first
chamber and the
second chamber together. In some embodiments, the second securing member may
comprise
a seal and the first securing member may comprise a piston rod nut. The second
securing
member may comprise an annular collar which may be provided in separate
connectable
pieces, a single piece connectable to the piston rod, or integral with the
piston rod.
A crusher clearing system adapted for providing crushing forces to components
of a crusher and providing clearing forces to components of the crusher to
facilitate the
removal of tramp material from the crusher is also provided. The crusher
clearing system
comprises a dual-acting cylinder having a body and a piston rod movably
disposed in relation
to said body. The piston rod may comprise a first securing member adjacent a
distal end
portion of the piston rod and a second securing member adjacent a middle
portion of the
piston rod, wherein the first and second securing members are configured to
capture a
mounting portion of an adjustment ring therebetween. The body of the cylinder
may be
configured to be securely mounted to a mounting portion of a main frame with a
cylinder
mount.
The crusher clearing system may comprise: a dual acting cylinder having a
body and a piston rod movably disposed in relation to said body, the piston
rod further
comprising a first securing member adjacent a distal portion of the piston rod
and a second
securing member adjacent a proximal portion of the piston rod, wherein the
first and second
securing members are configured to capture a mounting portion of an adjustment
ring
therebetween; wherein the first securing member is configured to seat against
an upper surface
of said mounting portion and apply a crushing force to the adjustment ring;
and the second
securing member is configured to seat against a lower surface of said mounting
portion and
apply a clearing force to the adjustment ring; and wherein the body of the
cylinder is
configured to be securely mounted to a second mounting portion of a second
member by a
cylinder mount.
A method of clearing a crusher upon overload is also provided. The method
includes the step of providing a crusher comprising a first member having a
first mounting
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portion, a second member having a second mounting portion, a dual-acting
cylinder having a
body and a piston rod movably disposed in relation to said body, the body
being securely
mounted to the second mounting portion of the second member via a cylinder
mount. The
piston rod comprises first and second securing members which capture the first
member and
secure the piston rod thereto. The method further comprises the step of
filling a first chamber
of the dual-acting cylinder to provide a crushing force between said first
member and said
second member. The method further comprises the step of filling a second
chamber of the
dual-acting cylinder to provide a clearing force between said first member and
said second
member. In some embodiments, the method may comprise the step of passing a
fluid directly
from the first chamber to the second chamber via a crossover tube extending
between a first
crossover port communicating with the first chamber and a second crossover
port
communicating with the second chamber. In other embodiments, the method
comprises the
step of passing a fluid through a relief valve separating the first and second
chambers.
The method may comprise: providing a crusher comprising: a first member
having a first mounting portion; a second member having a second mounting
portion; a dual-
acting cylinder having a body and a piston rod movably disposed in relation to
said body, the
body being securely mounted to the second mounting portion of the second
member by a
cylinder mount; wherein the piston rod further comprises a first securing
member and a
second securing member; wherein the first mounting portion of the first member
is captured
between said first securing member and second securing member to secure the
piston rod
thereto; filling a first chamber of the dual-acting cylinder to provide a
crushing force between
said first member and said second member; and filling a second chamber of the
dual-acting
cylinder to provide a clearing force between said first member and said second
member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a crusher having a crusher clearing system
according to some embodiments;
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FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the crusher clearing system shown
in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a cylinder mount shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 depicts a crusher clearing system as shown in FIGS. 1-3 in operation
during a clearing stroke;
FIG. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a crusher clearing system
according
to other embodiments; and,
FIG. 6 depicts an alternative piston rod arrangement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a crusher 1 and or a comminuting process for the
recovery of a mineral or metal from ore may comprise, in accordance with some
embodiments
of the invention, a clearing system 100 operatively connected between a main
frame 300 and
any one or more of an adjustment ring 200, bowl 400, or bowl liner 402. The
system 100 may
comprise one or more dual-acting cylinders 70 (i.e., having both push and pull
functionality)
attached in non-pivoting arrangement to a mounting portion 302 of a main frame
300 via a
cylinder mount
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40. Piston rods 30 extending from each cylinder 70 extend through openings 304
in the
mounting portion 302.
Each cylinder mount 40 may comprise a support 44 disposed around the piston
rod 30
having a mounting flange 41 and a lower supporting lip 43 extending radially-
inwardly towards
the piston rod 30. The support 44 may be wedged, welded, adhered, threaded to,
or otherwise
bolted to the mounting portion 302 of the main frame 300 with one or more
fasteners 46.
Fasteners 46 may extend through openings in the support 44 as shown, or
alternatively, may be
integrally provided to the support (e.g., in the form of a protruding
dovetail, a threaded collar
extending around the perimeter of the support 44, or an aperture or track
portion which accepts a
protrusion or boss extending from the mounting portion 302). The fasteners 46
are received by
one or more corresponding receiving portions 306 located on the mounting
portion 302 of main
frame 300. Receiving portions 306 may comprise threaded apertures as shown,
but may also
comprise grooves, tracks, protrusions, slots, keyways, or recesses which
correspond to fasteners
46.
Lip 43 may comprise one or more self-centering and/or self-seating lower
bearing
surfaces 47. For example, a lower bearing surface 47 may comprise a tapered,
conical, or
spherical centering geometry as shown. A centering washer or cup 42 may be
disposed within
the support 44, the centering cup 42 providing a self-centering and/or self-
seating upper bearing
surface 49 adjacent the mounting portion 302 of the main frame 300. A
centering bushing 48
may also be provided within the support 44 which contacts bearing surfaces 47
and 49. The
centering bushing 48 may have upper and lower bearing surfaces which are
complimentary to
bearing surfaces 47 and 49 of the lip and centering cup 42, respectively. For
example, the
centering bushing 48 may have upper and/or lower bearing surfaces which are
also conical or
spherical as shown. In some embodiments, the centering bushing 48 may be an
integral portion
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of a dual-acting cylinder 70, but may also be separately provided to the
cylinder 70 as shown. In
the event of the latter, the centering bushing 48 may comprise a female thread
45 which
corresponds to a male thread 58 on a boss 52 extending from a cap 50 provided
on an end of the
cylinder 70. In such embodiments the cylinder 70 may be easily removed for
maintenance and
replaced by rotating the cylinder body 82 until threaded boss 52 becomes de-
coupled with
centering bushing 48.
Dual-acting cylinder 70 may comprise a body having cylinder wall 82, a piston
rod 30
connected (e.g., by threaded interface 34) to a piston 39 located within the
cylinder 70 at its
proximal end 38, a first upper chamber 84 defined between a first end plate 54
and the piston 39
which, when expanded, moves the piston rod 30 toward the cylinder 70, and a
second lower
chamber 86 defined between the piston 39 and a second end plate 80 of the
cylinder which is
opposite the first end plate 54 and cap 50. A crossover tube 87 connects the
first upper chamber
84 with the second lower chamber 86 via first upper crossover port 85 and
second lower
crossover port 88, respectively. Crossover tube 87 serves as a "fail safe"
hydraulic protection
system, which, in the event of an accumulator bladder or line failure or other
hydraulic system
failure, will still allow the bowl 400 and liner 402 to move away from the
mantle 500 and main
frame 300, thereby allowing tramp material to pass through the crusher 1
without mechanical
overload.
First end plate 54 may serve to secure cap 50 to the cylinder wall 82 and seal
off the first
upper chamber 84, and it may be secured to the cylinder wall 82 via one or
more fasteners 56. A
seal 60 comprising one or more o-rings 62, 64, 66 disposed in annular
circumferential groves
between the piston rod 30 and the cap 50 may be provided. The grooves which
support and
contain the o-rings 62, 64, 66 may be provided in the piston rod 30, in the
cap 50, or
combinations thereof. A relief valve 90 may be provided on or within the
second end plate 80 to
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allow fluid to quickly pressurize the second lower chamber 86 of cylinder 70.
Accordingly, the
crushing chamber defined between bowl liner 402 and mantle 502 may be cleared
quickly to
allow passage of tramp material. Relief valve 90 may be secured to the
cylinder by insertion into
the second end plate 80 by press fit or screw threads.
Provided to the piston rod 30 is a first securing member 10 and a second
securing
member 20 which captures or otherwise "sandwiches" a mounting portion 202 of
the adjustment
ring 200. The piston rod 30 passes through an opening 204 (e.g., an aperture)
in the mounting
portion 202. The second securing member 20 generally extends radially-
outwardly from the
piston rod 30 between the mounting portions 302, 202 of the main frame 300 and
the adjustment
ring 200, respectively. The first securing member 10 generally extends
radially-outwardly from
the piston rod 30 above the mounting portion 202 of the adjustment ring 200 on
a side opposite
the second securing member 20. The first securing member 10 may rest within a
receiving
portion 206 of the mounting portion 202, which may be, for example, a
counterbore in the
opening 204. While not shown, the second securing member 20 may similarly be
accepted
within a receiving portion provided within the mounting portion 202.
In some embodiments, the first securing member 10 may comprise a lower
centering cup
18 having a tapered, conical, or spherical bearing surface, said centering cup
18 being received
by the mounting portion 202, an upper centering bushing or washer 16 having a
complimentary
tapered, conical, or spherical bearing surface which abuts the bearing surface
of the centering
cup 18. The first securing member 10 may further comprise a piston rod nut 14
which is secured
to a thread 35 provided on a distal end 36 of the piston rod 30. The piston
rod nut 14 may
contact the centering washer 16 until the washer 16 is flush with a first
securing member mount
33, which may comprise a step, flange, groove, or keyway. One or more locking
members (not
shown) such as set screws, locknuts, or deformable washers may be provided to
the first securing
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member 10 to lock the piston rod nut 14 to the piston rod 30 and/or prevent
relative rotation
therebetween. In some non-limiting embodiments, a plug member 12 such as a set
screw may be
provided to the distal end 36 of the piston rod 30 as shown. The plug member
12 may be
inserted into a recess 31 axially disposed within a distal end 36 of piston
rod 30. The plug
member 12 may be threadedly advanced within recess 31 or otherwise "cap" the
recess 31 in
order to protect threads or other removal features located within the recess
31. Recess 31 may
aid in the installation and/or removal of the dual-acting cylinder 70. For
example, to install
cylinder 70, a lifting member provided above the crusher 1 and having threads
corresponding to
those within recess 31 may be passed through openings 204, 304 and threadedly
engage recess
31 to secure the lifting member to the piston rod 30. The lifting member may
then be raised to
hoist the piston rod 30 through openings 204, 304 until the cylinder 70 can be
mounted to the
mounting portion 300 via cylinder mount 40. A lifting member may be used in a
similar fashion
to lower the cylinder 70 for replacement or refurbishing.
A shield 15 may be provided to cover various portions of the first securing
member 10
and prevent tile ingress of dirt and dust between components. The shield 15
may be secured to
the mounting portion 202 of the adjustment ring 200 by any means including
welding, tacking,
screwing, pressing, adhesives, or one or more fasteners or connectors 17 such
as the screws
shown in FIG. 4.
In some embodiments, the second securing member 20 may comprise a collar 22,
an
outer seal 24, and an inner seal 26 to prevent ingress of dirt and dust
between piston rod 30 and
cylinder cap 50. Inner 26 and outer 24 seals may be connected to be single
seal 1024 as shown
in FIG. 5 or may be separable during a clearing stroke as shown in FIG. 4.
Collar 22 may be
provided as a two-piece clamshell ring secured within a collar mount 32.
Collar mount 32 may
comprise a reduced diameter circumferentially-extending groove as shown in
FIGS. 1-3.
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Alternatively, a dual-acting cylinder 1170 may comprise a second securing
member 1120 having
a collar mount 1132 which includes a gradual or step change in diameter of the
piston rod 1130
between a smaller diameter distal section 1134 and a larger diameter proximal
section 1136 as
shown in FIG. 6. In such embodiments, the collar 1122 may be configured to
slide freely over
the distal section 1134 and stop at the collar mount 1132. One or more male
threads 1131 may
be provided to the piston rod 1130 adjacent the mount 1132 as shown, and the
collar may be
provided with one or more complimentary female threads, so as to prevent
relative movement
between the piston rod 1130 and collar 1122 during operation, particularly
during and shortly
after clearing strokes. Threads 1131 may also enable fine adjustment of the
distance between
first 1010 and second 1020 securing members or may allow the collar 1122 to be
tightened
against the mounting portion 1202 of the adjustment ring 1200. Even more
alternatively, as
shown in FIG. 5, a second securing member 1020 may comprise a collar 1022
which is integral
with the piston rod 1030 and provided as a single unitary piece.
In operation, under normal crushing load conditions, hydraulic fluid such as
oil is
pumped through a first port 92 of the dual-acting cylinder 70, into a transfer
tube 95 at T-
junction 94, then past a second lower crossover port 88, subsequently through
crossover tube 87,
and then through the first upper crossover port 85, and finally into the first
upper chamber 84.
Accordingly, the first upper chamber 84 expands, pushing the piston 39 and the
piston rod 30
attached thereto down towards the second end plate 80. As the piston rod 30
moves
downwardly, it pulls the adjustment ring 200, bowl 400, and bowl liner 402
down towards the
mantle 402 (by virtue of the first securing member 10) until the first mating
surface 208 of the
adjustment ring 200 contacts the second mating surface 308 of the main frame
300. Gap "G"
(representing a "close size setting" for the crusher 1) generally determines
the average size of the
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comminuted material 604, and may be adjusted by moving bowl 400 along
adjusting surfaces
210, 406.
As shown in FIG. 4, during operation, if at any point in time the crusher 1
seizes due to
non-crushable tramp material entering the crusher 1 or jamming in the gap "G"
between the
bowl liner 402 and mantle 502, fluid from an accumulator (not shown) may be
pumped into the
second port 96, past relief valve 90, through second lower chamber feed
channel 98, and then
into the second lower chamber 86 to provide a clearing stroke to piston 39,
which moves (by
virtue of the piston rod 30) the adjustment ring 200, bowl 400, and bowl liner
402 far enough
away from the mantle 502 to allow tramp material to pass therebetween. During
the clearing
stroke, collar 22 contacts, supports, and urges the mounting portion 202 of
the adjustment ring
200 upward. In turn, the bowl 400 and bowl liner 402 are moved upward to widen
the
predetermined gap "G" between bowl liner 402 and mantle 502. Though not shown,
contact
between the mounting portion 202 and collar 22 may improved by providing a
self-
centering/self-seating frustoconical, tapered, or spherical upper surface to
the collar 22 which is
configured to mate with a corresponding frustoconical, tapered, or spherical
lower surface on
mounting portion 202 (e.g., provided on a tapered counterbore within opening
204).
In addition to or in lieu of the above, if tramp material enters into the
crusher 1 between
the mantle 502 and bowl liner 402, an inherent increase in reaction forces
between the bowl 400
and head 500 is experienced and pressure builds in the first upper chamber
until it exceeds a
predetermined blow off pressure regulated by relief valve 90. Accordingly,
hydraulic fluid
automatically flows from the first upper chamber 84, through the first upper
crossover port 85,
subsequently through crossover tube 87, and then past the second lower
crossover port 88, along
transfer tube 95, through relief valve 90, out the second lower chamber feed
channel 98, and
finally into the second lower chamber 86. As fluid enters the second lower
chamber 86, the
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piston 39 moves piston rod 30 upwards until collar 22 contacts a lower surface
of the mounting
portion 202, thereby pushing the adjustment ring 200, bowl 400, and bowl liner
402 upwards
away from the mantle 502. As the bowl liner 402 moves away from the mantle
502, tramp is
allowed to pass through the crusher 1 without mechanical overload.
FIG. 5 illustrates a clearing system 1000 according to other embodiments. The
clearing
system 1000 may comprise one or more dual-acting cylinders 1070 (i.e., having
both push and
pull functionality) attached to a mounting portion 1302 of a main frame 1300
via a cylinder
mount 1040. Piston rods 1030 extending from pistons 1039 in cylinders 1070
extend through
openings 1304 in the mounting portion 1302. The body of each cylinder 1070 is
generally
constrained in all degrees of freedom with respect to mounting portion 1302 by
support 1044.
However, in some instances, cylinder 1070 may have a freedom of rotation about
a longitudinal
axis of the piston rod 1030. Support 1044 prevents the cylinder 1070 from
falling downwards
away from the mounting portion 1302 of the main frame 1300 which is common
with
conventional tramp clearing systems.
Each cylinder mount 1040 may comprise a support 1044 disposed around the
piston rod
1030 having a mounting flange 1041 and a lower supporting lip 1043 extending
radially-
inwardly towards the piston rod 1030. The support 1044 may be wedged, welded,
adhered,
threaded to, pressed, swaged, captured within, or otherwise bolted to the
mounting portion 1302
of the main frame 1300 with one or more fasteners. Fasteners may extend
through openings in
the support 1044, or may be integrally provided to the support 1044 (e.g., in
the form of a
protruding dovetail, a threaded collar extending around the perimeter of the
support 1044, or a
hole configured to receive a protrusion from mounting portion 1302). If used,
fasteners may
communicate with one or more corresponding receiving portions located within
mounting
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portion 1302. Receiving portions (not shown) may comprise threaded apertures,
but may also
comprise grooves, tracks, protrusions, or recesses which correspond to
fasteners.
To improve self-seating and re-seating of the cylinder 1070 during a clearing
stroke and
to prevent excessive bending moments to piston rod 1030, lip 1043 may comprise
one or more
bearing surfaces or features (e.g., conical, spherical, or tapered centering
geometries), but may be
generally planar as shown, in order to allow the cylinder 1070 small amounts
of sideways
movement. Likewise, a centering portion 1042 may also be integrally provided
to an upper
portion of the support 1044 adjacent the mounting portion 1302 of the main
frame 1300 to assist
with self-seating and re-seating of the cylinder 1070 after a clearing stroke
and during normal
crushing operation. A centering bushing 1048 may also be provided within the
support 1044
which contacts bearing surfaces on the lip 1043 and/or centering portion 1042.
The centering
bushing 1048 may have upper and lower bearing surfaces which are complimentary
to bearing
surfaces on the lip 1043 and centering portion 1042. The support 1044 may be
provided in
clamshell form so as to be assembled by combining radially-partitioned halves
or quarters of the
support 1044 around the centering bushing 1048 to capture the centering
bushing 1048 therein.
By bifurcating the support 1044 in at least two sections, the centering
bushing 1048 may be
captured and restrained from movement. Centering portion 1042 may serve a
similar purpose as
the centering cup 42 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4. In some
embodiments, the
centering bushing 1048 may be an integral portion of a dual-acting cylinder
1070, an integral
portion of support 1044, or may be separately provided to the cylinder 1070 as
shown. In the
event of the latter, the centering bushing 1048 may comprise a female thread
which corresponds
to a male thread on a boss 1052 extending from a cap 1050 provided on an end
of the cylinder
1070. In such embodiments the cylinder 1070 may be easily removed for
maintenance and
replaced by rotating the cylinder body 1082 until threaded boss 1052 becomes
de-coupled with
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centering bushing 1048. To facilitate removal of the cylinder 1070, one or
more anti-rotation
features rnay be provided between support 1044 and bushing 1048.
Dual-acting cylinder 1070 may comprise a body having cylinder wall 1082, a
piston rod
1030 connected to a piston 1039 located within the cylinder 1070 at a proximal
end of the piston
rod, a first upper chamber 1084 defined between a first end plate 1054 and the
piston 1039
which, when expanded, moves the piston rod 1030 toward the cylinder 1070, and
a second lower
chamber 1086 defined between the piston and a second end plate 1080 of the
cylinder 1070
which is opposite the first end plate 1054 and cap 1050. First end plate 1054
may be secured to
the cylinder wall 1082 via one or more fasteners 1056, and may serve to secure
cap 1050 to the
cylinder wall 1082 and/or seal off the first upper chamber 1084.
Provided to the piston rod 1030 is a first securing member 1010 and a second
securing
member 1020 which capture or collectively "sandwich" a mounting portion 1202
of the
adjustment ring 1200. The piston rod 1030 passes through an opening 1204
(e.g., an aperture or
slot) in the mounting portion 1202. The second securing member 1020 generally
extends
radially-outwardly from the piston rod 1030 between the mounting portions
1302, 1202 of the
main frame 1300 and the adjustment ring 1200, respectively. The first securing
member 1010
generally extends radially-outwardly from the piston rod 1030 above the
mounting portion 1202
of the adjustment ring 1200 on a side opposite the second securing member
1020. The first
securing member 1010 may rest within a receiving portion 1206 of the mounting
portion 1202,
which may be a counterbore in the opening 1204. While not shown, the second
securing
member 1020 may also be accepted within a receiving portion (e.g.,
counterbore) provided
within the mounting portion 1202.
In some non-limiting embodiments, the first securing member 1010 may comprise
a
lower centering cup 1018 having an upper tapered, conical, or spherical
bearing surface, said
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centering cup 1018 being received by the mounting portion 1202. First securing
member 1010
may further comprise a piston rod nut 1014 having a complimentary tapered,
conical, or
spherical lower bearing surface which is received by the upper bearing surface
of the centering
cup 1018. While not shown, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate
that a bottom
portion of the piston rod nut 1014 may instead be concave, and the upper
portion of centering
cup 1018 may instead be convex. Centering cup 1018 may be loosely-seated,
soldered, adhered,
welded, or pressed within a receiving portion 1206 located in the mounting
portion 1202. The
piston rod nut 1014 may be secured to a thread 1035 provided at a distal end
of the piston rod
1030. The piston rod nut 1014 may contact the centering cup 1018 until flush
with the centering
cup 1018. While not shown, nut 1014 may rest directly within receiving portion
1206 without
the use of centering cup 1018. A locking member may be provided to lock the
piston rod nut
1014 to the piston rod 1030. Locking members may include locknuts, castellated
nuts, wire,
clevis pins, detents, cotter pins, cotter rings, deformable washers,
deformable threads, and swage
ferrules, without limitation. In some embodiments, a recess 1031 may be
axially disposed within
the distal end of piston rod 1030 in order to aid in the installation and/or
removal of the dual-
acting cylinder 1070 by a lifting member such as a hoist.
A shield 1015 may be provided to cover various portions of the first securing
member
1010 and prevent the ingress of dirt and dust between components 1014, 1018,
1206. The shield
1 015 may be secured to the mounting portion 1202 of the adjustment ring 1200
by any means
including, but not limited to: welding, tacking, screwing, pressing,
adhesives, connectors, or
fasteners as shown in FIG. 4.
In some non-limiting embodiments, the second securing member 1020 comprises a
radially-outwardly extending collar 1022 which is integral with the piston rod
1030, and a seal
1024 to prevent ingress of dirt and dust between the piston rod 1030 and
cylinder cap 1050.
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However, collar 1022 may instead be provided as a two-piece clamshell ring as
shown in FIGS.
1-3. Collar 1022 may also comprise an annular shoulder or a gradual or step
change in diameter
of the piston rod 1030 between a smaller diameter distal section and a larger
diameter proximal
section, without the use of a separate flange. Though not shown, in some
instances, collar 1022
may comprise a self-centering and/or self-seating frustoconical, tapered, or
spherical upper
surface which mates with a corresponding frustoconical, tapered, or spherical
lower surface
provided on mounting portion 1202 (e.g., a tapered counterbore within opening
1204).
As the piston rod 1030 moves downwardly, it pulls the adjustment ring 1200
downward
towards the main body 1300 (by virtue of the first securing member 1010) until
the first mating
surface 1208 of the adjustment ring 1200 contacts the second mating surface
1308 of the main
frame 1300.
A contractor or other entity may provide a crusher clearing system 100, 1000
or process
for passage of material in part or in whole as shown and described. For
instance, the contractor
may receive a bid request for a project related to designing a crusher
clearing system 100, 1000
or process, or the contractor may offer to design such a system 100, 1000 or a
process for a
client. The contractor may then provide, for example, any one or more of the
devices or features
thereof shown and/or described in the embodiments discussed above. The
contractor may
provide such devices by selling those devices or by offering to sell those
devices. The contractor
may provide various embodiments that are sized, shaped, and/or otherwise
configured to meet
the design criteria of a particular client or customer or work advantageously
with a particular
crusher. The contractor may subcontract the fabrication, delivery, sale, or
installation of one or
more components of the crusher clearing system 100, 1000 or of other devices
used to provide
such one or more components. The contractor may also survey a site and design
or designate
one or more storage areas for stacking the material used to manufacture the
systems discussed
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herein. The contractor may also maintain, modify, or upgrade the provided
crushers, clearing
systems, and components thereof. The contractor may provide such maintenance
or
modifications by subcontracting such services or by directly providing those
services or
components needed for said maintenance or modifications. In some cases, the
contractor may
modify an existing crusher with a "crusher clearing system retrofit kit" to
arrive at a modified
crushing process, modified crushing system, or modified crusher clearing
system having one or
more of the process steps, devices, components, or features of the systems
discussed herein.
Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments
and
applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can
generate additional
embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or
exceeding the scope of
the claimed invention. For example, while not shown, dual-acting cylinders 70,
1070, 1170
described herein may be inverted such that first 10, 1010 and second 20, 1020
securing members
of the piston rod 30, 1030 capture the mounting portion 302 of the main frame
300 and the
bodies of the cylinders are mounted to the mounting portion 102 of the
alignment ring 200. In
such instances, a crushing equilibrium state would be maintained with a
pushing force on the
piston 39, 1039, rather than a pulling force as shown, and tramp release would
be facilitated by a
pulling force on the piston relative to the cylinder body 82, 1082.
Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein
are proffered
by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not
be construed to
limit the scope thereof
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Reference numeral identifiers 300, 1300 Main frame (second
member)
302, 1302 Mounting portion
1 Crusher 304, 1304 Opening
First securing member 306 Receiving portion
12 Locking member 307 Shaft receiving portion
14 Piston rod nut 308, 1308 Second mating surface
Shield 310 Main frame hub
16 Centering washer (e.g., spherical, conical) 400 Bowl
17 Fastener/connector 402 Bowl liner
18 Centering cup (e.g., spherical, conical) 404 Bowl liner crushing
surface
Second securing member 406 Adjusting surface
22 Collar 500 Head
24 Outer seal 502 Mantle
26 Inner seal 504 Mantle crushing surface
Piston rod 507 Head bow
31 Locking recess 509 Head axis
32 Collar mount 602 Entrance material
33 First securing member mount 604 Crushed material
34 Threaded interface 700 Main shaft
Thread 709 Main shall axis
36 Distal end 800 Drive shaft
38 Proximal end 802 Gear or transmission member
39 Piston 900 Eccentric
Cylinder mount 902 Gear or transmission member
41 Mounting flange 907 Eccentric bore
42 Centering cup (e.g., spherical, conical) 1010 First securing member
43 Lip 1014 Piston rod nut
44 Support 1015 Shield
Thread 1018 Centering cup (e.g., spherical,
conical)
46 Fastener 1020 Second securing member
47 Lower bearing surface 1022 Collar
48 Threaded centering bushing (e.g., spherical, conical) 1024 Seal
49 Upper bearing surface 1030 Piston rod
Cap 1031 Locking recess
52 Threaded boss 1032 Collar mount
54 First end plate 1035 Thread
56 Fastener/connector 1039 Piston
58 Thread 1040 Cylinder mount
Seal 1041 Mounting flange
62 0-ring 1042 Centering portion (e.g.,
spherical, conical)
64 0-ring 1043 Lip
66 0-ring 1044 Support
Dual acting cylinder 1048 Threaded centering bushing (e.g.,
spherical, conical)
Second end plate 1050 Cap
82 Cylinder wall 1052 Threaded boss
84 Upper (first) chamber 1054 Endplate
Upper (first) crossover port 1056 Fastener/connector
86 Lower (second) chamber 1070 Dual acting cylinder
87 Crossover tube 1082 Cylinder wall
88 Lower (second) crossover port 1084 Upper (first) chamber
Relief valve 1086 Lower (second) chamber
92 First port 1120 Second securing member
94 1-junction 1122 Threaded collar
Transfer tube 1130 Piston rod
96 Second port 1131 Male thread
98 Lower (second) chamber feed channel 1132 Collar mount
100, 1000 Clearing system 1134 Smaller diameter distal
portion
200, 1200 Adjustment ring (first member) 1136 Larger diameter proximal
portion
202, 1202 Mounting portion 1170 Dual-acting cylinder
204, 1204 Opening
206, 1206 Receiving portion
208, 1208 First mating surface
210 Adjusting surface
19
