Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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DRUM FOR MIXING AND DISP~NSING FEED ~ATERIAL
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for
mixing and dispensing material such as feed for animals.
With the advent of more intensive farming of
animals and particularly cattle, there has been a need
for a machine or apparatus which will mix a feed lot for
the animals and then deposit the materials in the recep-
tacles from which the animals can eat. Various arrange-
ments have been proposed and used for this function and
generally they include a drum with a plurality of auger
flightings mounted within the drum and rotatable to mix
up the feed and then to transport it from the drum for
deposit into the feed receptacles. Such arrangements are
disadvantageous for a number of reasons. Firstly, the
mixing augers are mounted on bearings and with drive
arrangements which are exposed to the feed material and
thus to the juices which can be extracted from tha
material and are highly corrosive. Secondly, the rota-
tion of the augers requires considerable power which of
course increases the cost of the operation. Thirdly, the
mixing augers tend to compress and scrape the feed into a
less palatable mass thus reducing the cattles' desire to
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eat and thus the required rapid weight gain.
SUMMA~Y OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the present invention
therefore to provide an improved appa:ratus for mixing and
dispensing material such as feed which overcomes one or
more of the above disadvantages.
According to a first aspect of the invention,
therefore, there is provided an apparatus for mixing and
dispensing material comprising a cylindrical drum having
end walls and a cylindrical peripheral wall for receiving
and containing the material, means mounting the drum for
rotation about a substantially horizontal axis arranged
longitudinally of the drum, an inlet opening in the drum
through which said material ca~ be introduced into the
drum, means for preventing escape of said material from
said drum through said inlet opening during said rotation
thereof for mixing said material, a plurality of separate
outlet opening means in said peripheral wall at an axi-
ally aligned position, each extending angularly around
the wall and each in angularly spaced relation to an
adjacent opening whereby rotation of said drum causes
said material to be deposited from said drum by gravity
at said axially aligned position, cover means mounted on
said drum for corotation therewith and movable relative
thereto from a first position for closing said outlet
opening means to a second position in which all of said
opening means are opened and conveyor means for collect-
ing said deposi~ed material and conveying it from the
drum for dispensing.
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According to a second aspect of the invention
there is provided an apparatus for mixing and dispensing
material comprising a cylindrical dr~m having end walls
and a cylindrical peripheral wall for receiving and con-
taining the material, means mounting the drum for rota-
tion about a substantially horizontal axis arranged
longitudinally of the drum, an inlet opening in the drum
through wnich said material can be introduced into the
drum, means for preventing escape of said material from
said drum through said inlet opening during said rotation
thereof for mixing said material, a plurality of separate
outlet opening means in said peripheral wall at an axial-
ly aligned position, each extending angularl.y arollnd the
wall and each in angularly spaced relatlon to an ad~acent
opening whereby rotation of said drum causes said materi-
al to be deposited from said drum by ~ravity at said axi-
ally aligned position, cover means mounted on said drum
~or corotation therewith and movable relative thereto
from a first position for closing said outlet opening
means to a second position in which all of said opening
means are opened and conveyer means for collecting said
deposited material and conveying it from the drum for
dispensing, wherein the conveyer means comprises a belt
at least partly wrapped around the drum and spaced there-
.~rom at the bottom and to one side thereof to allow said
material to escape from the drum to deposit on the belt
at the bottom and said one side for conveying said mater-
ial from said drum.
According to a third aspect of the invention
there is provided an apparatus for mixing and dispensing
material comprising a cylindrical drum having end walls
and a cylindrical peripheral wall for receiving and con-
,i,
taining the material, means mounting the drum for rota-
tion about a substantially horlzontal axis arranged
longitudinally of the drum, an inlet opening in the drum
through which said material can be introduced into the
drum, means for preventing escape of said material from
said drum through said inlet opening during said rotation
thereof for mixing said material, a plurality of separate
outlet opening means in said peripheral wall at an axial-
ly aligned position, each extending angularly around the
wall and each in angularly spaced relation to an adjacent
opening whereby rotation of said drum causes said materi-
al to be deposited from said drum by gravity at said axi-
ally aligned position, cover means mounted on said drum
for corotation therewith and movable relative thereto
from a first position for closing said outlet opening
means to a second position in which all of sai.d opening
means are opened and conveyer means for collecting said
deposited material and conveying it ~rom the drum for
dispensing, wherein said means for closing said outlet
opening means and said means for preventing escape
through said inlet opening are arranged to be operated by
hydraulic cylinders and wherein there is provided means
for supplying hydraulic fluid under pressure to said cyl-
inders and withdrawing hydraulic fluid from said cyl-
inders, said cylinders being mounted on the drum and said
means being arranged to receive and return hydraulic flu-
id from said drum through common slip couplings at
respective ends of the drum and selectively operable
valve means mounted on the drum for actuating alternately
one of said hydraulic cylinders.
Most preferably therefore the drum of the pre-
sent invention is free from inner moving parts which are
exposed to the feed material and hence basically all
bearings and drives are outside the drum and kept well
clear of the feed material and corrosive juices.
The movement of the material from the drum to
the outlet can be obtained by providing the outlet as a
series of openings around the periphery of the drum at
one axially aligned position so that as the openings pass
a bottom position of the drum the material falls from the
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drum onto the conveyer. Thus, t~e movement of the mater-
ial is obtained effectively wholly by gravity.
The inlet opening can be provided as a longitu-
dinal opening in the peripheral wall of the drum with a
pair of doors pivoted on the drum so as to be able to
close the opening and also to open to a position in the
form of a chute.
With the foregoing in view, and other advan-
tages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art
to which this invention relates as this specification
proceeds, the inven-tion is herein described by reference
to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which
includes a description of the best mode known to the
applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of the
principles o~ the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an
apparatus according to the invention with the discharge
system omitted for simplicity of illustration.
Figure 2 is an end elevational view taken along
the lines 2-2 in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken along
the lines 3-3 in Figure 1 showing the discharge system.
Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along
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the lines 4-4 in Figure 1.
Figure 5 is an end elevational view taken alons
the lines 5-5 of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a cross sectional view similar to
Figure 3 showing an alternative arrangement of conveyer
apparatus for discharging feed material deposited from
the drum.
~ igure 7 is a partial side elevational view
similar to Figure 1 and showing the discharge system of
Figure 3.
In the drawings like characters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the different Eigures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The apparatus comprises a vehicle 10 in the
form of a frame 11 mounted on ground wheels 12 for trans-
port forwardly under power from a tractor not shown which
is coupled to a hitch 13.
Mounted upon the frame 11 is a drum 14 for
receiving and mixing the feed. The drum is mounted upon
four bearing members lS one at each corner of the frame
and each comprising a verti.cal strut 151 which supports a
pair of rollers 152 on an arcuate support plate 153. The
rollers 152 are thus arranged at th~ respective ends of
the drum one on either side of th~ frame for supporting
the drum in rotational movement about the axis of the
cylinder defining the shape of the drum. Tracks 16 are
defined on the outer surface of ~he drum at the ends for
receiving the rollers 15 so as to act as thrust bearings
to retain the drum in position on top of the frame.
The drum can be rotated about its axis by a
drive chain 17 cooperating with a gear 18 formed on the
front end of the drum. The chain 17 is driven via idler
gears 19 by a drive chain wheel 20 which can be driven by
a hydraulic motor or from a PTO shaft of the tractor
depending upon requirements.
The drum is effectively a closed cylinder with
end walls 21, 22 and a cylindrical peripheral wall 23.
The peripheral wall 23 is broken or perforated to provide
-firstly an inlet opening 24 which extends approximately
over ninety degrees of arc along approximately three-
quarters of the length of the drum in a direction longi-
tudinal of ~he axis of the drum. Along either side of
the opening is a tube 25 which extends outwardly to the
ends of the drum and each tube 25 carries a respective
door 26 which is flat and which cooperates with the oppo-
site door to close the opening 24. The tubes can be
rotated through an angle sufficient to open and close the
doors by hydraulic cylinders 27, one mounted at each end
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of the drum. The cylinders operate UpOIl a pair of cranks
28 which pass through slots 29 in a flange over hanging
the ends of the drum on which the track 16 is mounted.
The cranks 28 at one end operate directly upon the doors
26 and at the other end upon a pair of levers 30 connec-
ted to the tubes 25 and thence tG the doors 26.
The remaining quarter of the drum spaced from
the opening 2~ includes a plurality of outlets openings
31 spaced around the periphery of the drum and separated
by a wall portion 32. There are six such openings spaced
e~ui-distantly around the whole periphery of the drum. A
sleeve 33 surrounds the drum at the openings 31 and in-
cludes a plurality of openings 34 of the same size and
shape as the openings 31 so that they can align therewith
to allow material to escape from the drum. At the same
time the sleeve can be rotated so that the openings are
aligned with the wall portions 32 to prevent any escape
of material. The movement of the sleeve 33 is obtained
by pins 35, 37 driven by a lever 36 mounted on one end of
the drum. A central pivot point of the lever 36 is
coupled to the end face of the drum on the axis and the
lever can be actuated by a cylinder 38 to rotate the
sleeve around the drum to the open and closed positions.
~r~ The cylinder 38 is mounted on the end face of the drum
o~q~
and rotates therewith.
Hydraulic fluid is supplied to the cylinders 27
and 38 via slip couplings 39 and 40 mounted on the axis
of the drum at opposed ends thereof. Suitable hydraulic
supply which is valved so that it can be reversed in
direction is provided in a conventional manner (not
shown) with only the conduits leading to the slip coup-
lings being shown schematically in Figure 1 at 41. Fluid
from the slip coupling 39 passes to a T-valve 42 which
can supply either a conduit 43 leading to the cylinder 38
or a conduit 44 leading to the cyli.nders 27. A subsidi-
ary portion of the condu~t 44 indicated at 441 leads
through one of the tubes 25 to the rear end of the drum
for co~nunication to the cylinder 27 at that end. Return
fluid from the cylinder 38 passes along a conduit 45
through the other tube 25 to the remote end for coupling
to the slip coupling 40. Return couplings ~rom the
cylinders 27 communicate fluid to the slip coupling 40
via portions 46 and 461. Thus, it will be appreciated
that the valve 42 can be actuated to one or other of the
channels so as to operate either the cylinder 38 or the
cylinders 27 depending upon whether loading or discharge
of the material is required at that point. The remote
switch of conventional form in the hydraulic fluid supply
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allows retraction of the cylinders 38, 27 depending upon
the actuation position of the valve 42.
A conveyer shown in Figures 3 and 7 is arranged
around and beneath the drum for cooperation with the
outlet openings 31. The conveyer as shown in Figure 3 is
in the form of a belt 47 mounted on rollers 48 and
arranged such that an outer run of the belt rubs against
a pair of rings 47$, 472 coaxial to the drum and spaced
axially of the drum on respective sides of the openings
31. The rings 471, 472 are mounted on flanges 473, 474
radial to the drum so as to suppoxt the belt away Erom
the surface of the drum. As shown, the belt on one side
of the drum passes upwardly to a position approximately
half way up the drum in contact with the rings 471, 472
so as to prevent the material escaping from the drum at
that point. The belt then leaves the surface of the
rings at a position adjacent or just forwardly of the
bottom of the drum so as to carry material discharged
from the drum over an upwardly inclined portion of the
belt indicated at 49 to a discharge duct 50. ~he belt is
driven in any suitable manner for example a pulley and
drive belt 51 and is arranged to have a surface speed
slightly greater than the rotational speed of the drum so
that it slides over the rings at a slightly faster rate
s
to withdraw the material away from the drum up the
inclined portion 49. The surfaces of the belt and the
outer surface of the rings are coatled with the teflon
material so that the belt can run against the rings 33
without interfering with the rotation of the drum or
without causing undue wear.
An alternative conveying system is illustrated
in Figure 6 and comprises a fi~ed chute 52 which confines
the material so that any escaping from the drum falls to
the hottom o~ the drum for collection by a conveyer mem-
ber in the form of three flightings 53 rotatable in chan-
nels 5~. The flightings 53 ascend from the bottom of the
drum to a position at one side of the drum to the dis-
charge chute 50. Side guards 55 on the discharge side of
the drum again confine the material so that any material
discharging falls onto the flightings 53 for discharge
from the chute 50.
A spiral is formed on the inside of the drum by
a flat iron 56 welded onto the inside surface of the drum
which acts to work the material in the drum toward the
outlet openings so that all the material within the drum
is discharged to completely empty the drum at the end of
a batch.
In operation a batch of feed material including
various different portions of that material are fed into
the drum firstly by opening the doors 26 as previously
explained into the position shown iIl Figure 2. In the
position of the doors they act as a chute so as to guide
the material into the longitudinal inlet opening 24. The
doors are then closed and the drum rotated with the
sleeve 33 again in a closed position so the mixing of the
feed can occur. At the same time the feed is fluffed
up rather than compressed but an effective mixing takes
place. After a period of time depending upon the
materials involved, the drum is stopped and the valve 42
actuated to the opposite position so that the supply of
hydraulic fluid actuates the cylinder 38 to open the
sleeve 33. The drum is then restarted in its rotation
with the rotation causing the material to drop from the
drum onto the b~lt or onto the screw conveyer for dis-
charge from the chute 50. At the same time the vehicle
can be towed along a plurality of receptacles 60 so that
a continuous and constant speed rotation of the drum
continuously and constantly feeds material from the chute
50 into the receptacle 60 at a required rate.
Since various modifications can be made in my
invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently
widely different embodiments of same made within the
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spirit and scope of the claims without departing from
such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter
contained in the accompanying specification shall be
interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting
sense.
