AU631775B2

AU631775B2 -

Info

Publication number: AU631775B2
Application number: AU1047592A
Authority: AU
Priority date: 1992-01-24
Filing date: 1992-01-24
Publication date: 1992-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1993-12-03
Also published as: AU1047592A

Description

P/00/012 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PETTY P T N o 0 o ooe Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS PTY. LTD.

61 South West Highway South Wokalup 6221 Western Australia STANLEY JOHN JACEK GRIFFITH HACK CO.

6th Floor, 256 Adelaide Tce Perth W.A. 6000 o a 0 O 6 a Petty Complete Specification for the invention entitled: A PARTICULATE MATERIAL MIXER The following is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- L _Y~U 2 A PARTICULATE MATERIAL MIXER The present invention relates to a particulate material mixer particularly, although not exclusively, envisaged for use in mixing one or more particulate materials into a uniform state capable of flowing under the action of gravity.

The present invention also relates to the use of a particulate material mixer as a doper for doping small quantities of a dopant particulate material into a relatively 10 large flow of a further particulate material. For example, doping of calcium, copper, bentonite, and/or salt or the like into a flow of grain feed being provided to pigs or milking cows or other commerical livestock. Although, the particulate material mixer could be used for other particulate materials 0 15 for other purposes. For example, it could be used to mix components for making fertilizer mixes and the like.

It is known to provide milking cows with grain feed which is doped with various materials such as, calcium, copper, lime, bentonite and salt. such doping is undertaken to o0 20 compensate for dietary deficiencies in the cows usually due to :::the nature of the feed that they are generally placed on and the nature of the soil in which that feed is grown. For oo commercial reasons predoped grain feed is made in predetermined ratios of the above mentioned dopants. However, in some o eo circumstances it is necessary to use dopants in ratios other than those which are predetermined. In this case a special run of grain feed must be made with the required dopant levels.

Such grain is much more expensive than grain feed having predetermined levels of dopants.

Accordingly, it would be more expedient to mix the dopants into the grain feed as it is dispensed to the milking cows. Hence, pre-mixing of the dopaiits into the bulk grain feed would be obviated and dairymen could tailor their own dopant mixes to suit their local conditions and specific requirements at an ecomomic price. Ideally, all of the dopants are administered into the grain feed in a single doping I~ 3 operation. In order to achieve this it is essential that a store of all the dopant materials be made and tha- the mixture of the dopants in the store be uniform. However, it has been found that certain ones of the dopants tend to rise and others tend to settle. Also, dopants such as salt are hyd'vophillic and become very sticky.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a particulate material mixer capable of mixing a store of particulate material for free flowing out of an outlet.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a particulate material mixer for mixing one or more particulate materials, the particulate material mixer Scomprising: 15 a bin for receiving the particulate material, the bin having an outlet at its lower end; a mixer means rotatably mounted within the bin, the mixer means having a helical screw centred on its axis of rotation and terminating proximate the outlet; and, a wiper disposed about the helical screw, the wiper being rotatable with the helical screw and terminating proximate the outlet; the helical screw being oriented for driving the particulate material away from the outlet and outwardly towards the wiper and the wiper being oriented for driving the particulate material away from the outlet and inwardly towards the helical screw; and, a dispenser means located at the outlet of the bin for dispensing portions of the particulate material; whereby, in use, the particulate material can be mixed and dispensed from the outlet.

Preferably, the mixer means has a disk L overlying the outlet, the disk rotating with the mixer means for periodic overlying of cutout segments of the disk with Al 4 apertures in the outlet.

Preferably, the size of the apertures in the outlet are variable so as to vary the quantity of particulate material dispensed therethrough.

Preferably, the speed and rotation of the mixer means is variable to vary the rate of dispensing of the particulate material. Although, the speed cf rotation of the mixer means could be fixed.

The present invention will hereinafter be described with particular reference to the use of the particulate material mixer as a doper used in the feeding of milking cows.

One embodiment, being an example only, of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective cut away view of a doper; Figure 2 is a perspective view, from below, of the doper of Figure 1; and, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a lower portion of a mixer of the doper of Figure 1.

In Figure 1 there is shown a doper 10 having a bin 12, a mixer 14 and a dispenser 16.

The bin 12 is typically cylindrical at its upper end 18, at which there is an inlet 19, and tapers towards its lower end 20 at which there is an outlet 22. The bin 12 could have a cover at the inlet 19 to resist ingress of moisture since some of the particulate materials to be mixed may be hydrophillic.

The mixer 14 has a shaft 24 located coaxially within the bin 12 and mounted by bearings 26 and 28 (see Figure 2) to the bin 12. Mounted upon the shaft 24 is a helical screw 30. In the present embodiment the screw has a pitch of about 17°. In the exemplary embodiment the helical screw 30 has about 5.08 rotations of the shaft 24 in a height of 410mm. The helical screw 30 has a height of approximately 85mm for each

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u JC I 5 rotation about the shaft 24. The mixer 14 also has a wiper 32, which in the present embodiment is a spiral. The wiper 32 is of substantially similar length to the helical screw 30. The wiper 32 is typically directed in the same direction as the helical screw 30 and is disposed proximate an inside wall 34 of the bin 12. Accordingly, the wiper 32, in this embodiment, tapers from adjacent the upper end 18 to adjacent the lower end The spiral 32 has a rise of approximately 340 and extends approximately once around the shaft 24. The mixer 14 also includes a disk 36 fixed to the shaft 24 at a lower end and stationed in the outlet 22 of the bin 12. The disk 36 of the 99 9 present embodiment has two cutout segments 38 as shown in Figure 3. The cutout segments 38 are substantially segment 99 shaped and each describe an arc of approximately 40 0

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trailing edge 40 of each cutout segment 38 is provided with a 999999 deflector 42 disposed at an angle of approximately 300 to the horizontal. Each cutout segment 38 is also provided with a leading edge 44 which has a bevel 45 at an angle of approximately 400. The deflector 42 causes particulate material located in the cutout segment 38 to be deflected downwardly to fall out of the cutout segment 38. The leading edge 44, by the bevel 45, assists in the fall of the particulate material through the cutout segment 38 so as to further inhibit clogging of the cutout segment 38.

o 25 The dispenser 16 is formed of an end plate 46 conveniently bolted to the lower end 20 of the bin 12 as shown in Figure 1. The end plate 46 has two apertures 48 located diametrically opposed with respect to the shaft 24. Typically, the apertures 48 are rectangular when viewed in plan and are disposed upon a diameter of the end plate 46. The dispenser 16 also has two shut off plates 50 one located below each of the apertures 48. The shut off plates 50 are typically driven by screw threads so as to close off a desired portion of the apertures 48 so as to vary the area of the apertures 48. A bracket 52 is fixed to the end plate 46 for carrying the bearing 28 which mounts one end of the shaft 24 onto the bin 6 In use, one or more particulate materials to be mixed are loaded into the bin 12 via the inlet 19. During this operation the cutout segments 38 are at a circumferential location which does not overlie the apertures 48, so as to prevent dispensing of the particulate material out of the outlet 22 of the bin 12. The shut off plates 50 are adjusted so as to completely shut off the apertures 48 prior to mixing of the particulate materials in the bin 12. Then, the shaft 24 is rotated by a motor and/or via a reduction mechanism attached to a pulley 54 fixed onto the shaft 24. Rotation of the pulley 54 results in rotation of the shaft 24 and consequent rotation of the helical screw 30 and che wiper 32.

Rotation of the helical screw 30 causes a flow of the particulate material from proximate the lower end 20 towards the upper end 18 of the bin 12. Simultaneously, the wiper 32 S moves proximate the inside wall 34 of the bin 12 towards the helical screw 30 for inhibiting stagnation of the particulate material at the inside wall 34. Continued rotation of the S shaft 34 results in uniform mixing of the particulate materials in the bin 24, aeration of the particulate materials and renders the particulate materials in an "alive" state. The process of mixing the particulate materials is now completed.

In order to prepare the doper 10 for doping of the o particulate materials into a stream of particulate grain feed the shut off plates 50 are opened to an amount dependent upon the rate at which the particulate material is to be doped from the bin 12 into the grain feed. Also, the shaft 24 is set to rotate at a speed at which the cutout segment 38 overlie the apertures 48 a given number of times per minute required to achieve the desired amount of doping of the particulate materials into the grain feed. Once these elements are set the shaft 24 may be set into rotation and the apertures 48 coupled to the stream of the grain feed. It is envisaged that the stream of grain feed could be within a horizontally disposed auger. In such a case the doper 10 is timed to dope one or more quantities of the particulate material in a given period of time corresponding to the time taken for a single turn of I 7 the screw of the auger to pass the doper It is to be noted that prior art conveying systems, such as a cable driven transport system as commonly used in feeding livestock, are sealed and thus are intended to receive predoped grain feed. Thus, the doper of the present invention requires a coupling into the feed line of the system, after the feed bin. Such doping has not been considered previously and leads to great cost advantages in the feeding of custom dopant mixes to cows and other livestock.

The particulate material mixer 10 has an advantage that the loc Ltion, disposition and rotation of the helical screw 30 leads to uniform mixing of the particulate material within the bin 12. Also, the helical screw 30 has the effect of aerating the particulate material and rendering it free to flow out through the cutout segments 38 and the apertures 48 when the same overlie, and thus renders the particulate material "alive". By the provision of the wiper 32 stalling of particulate material at the inside wall 34 of the bin 12 is substantial.ly overcome. Also, the angle chosen for the helical screw 30 and the wiper 32 tend to inhibit sticking of the t particulate material on to the helical screw 30 and the wiper 32, even where the particulate material is prone to sticking, such as, for example, salt.

Modifications and variations such as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed within the scope of the present invention. For example, the shutoff plates could be activated by other than screw threads, such as, by push closing of the plates 50 by reference to notches on a guiding shaft. Also, the end plate 46 could have a spigot for rotatably mounting the mixer 14 thereon. The apertures 48 could then be coupled into an auger or the like by a frustoconical chute. Further, the apertures 48 could have bevels at their edges opposite the shutoff plates 50. The bevelled edges would assist in cutting off flow of the particulate material out of the apertures 48.

Claims

1. A particulate material mixer for mixing one or more particulate materials, the particulate material mixer comprising: a bin for receiving the particulate material, the bin having an outlet at its lower end; a mixer means rotatably mounted within the bin, the mixer means having a helical screw centred on its axis of rotation and terminating proximate the outlet; and, a wiper disposed about the helical screw, the wiper being rotatable with the helical screw and t terminating proximate the outlet; the helical screw being oriented for driving the particulate material away from the outlet and outwardly towards the wiper and the wiper being oriented for driving the particulate material away from the outlet and inwardly towards the helical screw; and, a dispenser means located at the outlet of the bin for dispensing portions of the par'iculate material; whereby, in use, the particulate material can be mixed and dispensed from the outlet.

2. A particulate material mixer according to claim 1, in which the helical screw traverses about 4 revolutions for each revolution of the wiper about their respective axes.

3. A particulate material mixer according to claim 1 or 2, in which: the mixer means also has a disk rotating with the helical screw and the wiper, the disk having a cuto ut segment for allowing outflow of the particulate material; and, the bin has an end plate with an aperture, the aperture C2AI. 1 being capable of overlying the cutout segment once during each rotation of the mixer means, the area of the aperture S being adjustable for outflow of differing amounts of the 13 par t i1: Ulate mt er ial wh er ebyI in Use, 'bie area of the aperture is adjusted for dispensing a desired amoIZunt o:f the partiCUlate material eac:h time the cuLtouLt segment o--verlies the aperture dur ing each rotation the mixing means. Dated this 10t h day of Augutst 19S)2 I NNOVATIVYE AG3RI CULTURAL PRODUCTS PTY. LTD. By Their Patent Attorney CLINTON IBIRAUDO Fellow of the Institute of Patent Atto--rneys cf Australia.