AU682217B2 - Screening arrangement - Google Patents

Description

P/UL)/U1 1 2dS'gI Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 04 0b 9 9e*@ *0 .9 9* 9 9 94*9 4* *4 *44* 0#S* 9* 0* 4 Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: SCREENING ARRANGEMENT 9SeSS* 9 4* 94 4 4 9 The following statement Is a full description of this Invention, Including the best method of performing It known to me 2 THIS INVENTION relates to a screening arrangement. More particularly the invention relates to a screening arrangement for screening particulate material such as mineral ores. Still more particularly the invention relates to a sieve bend and a sioeve bend panel.

The applicant is aware of a sieve bend which is formed from sieve bend panels, each having fastening means along two of its sides. The fastening means are complementary to each other so that fastening means on similar panels placed adjacent each other can engage with the fastening means on the two sides to thereby locate the panels side-by-side and to fasten the panels to each other. Panels which are thus fastened together &Are positioned on a support frame and are secured to the support frame by means of a bonding material, the panels thereby being permanently secured to the support frame.

A disadvantage of the known arrangement is that in order to replace a panel in the sieve bend, for example for the purposes of repair, the panel has to be cut loose f rom the support f rame, and the wDW replacement p~tnel has to be welded in position. This is a time consuming operation.

it is an object of the invention to overcome or alleviate at least some of the disadvantagos of the known sieve bend.

According to the invention there is provided a sieve bend panel which is at least partly of a synthetic plastics material and which has a screening surface and a plurality of sides and which further has fastening means along at least two of its sides, the fastening means being complementary to each other so that fastening means on similar panels placed adjacent to each other can co-operate with the fastening means on the two adjacent sides to thereby locate the panels side-by-side and to fasten the panels to each other, the fastening means along at least one of the sides of the panel being releasably engageable with a support frame to releasably secure the panels, when fastened together, to the support frame.

The fastening means may include interengageable protrusions and recessed formations, which may be sockets, holes, or grooves, the protrusions being provided along one side of the panel and the recessed formations being provided along another side of the panel so that the protrusions on one panel are engageable with the recessed formations on a similar adjacent panel.

ys'i The protrusions may be releasably engageable with complementary formations such as holes or sockets provided in the support frame.

Conveniently, the protrusions may engage the recessed formations in a snap-fit manner. The free end of each protrusion may be of frusto-conical shape to facilitate the insertion of the protrusion in the recessed formation. An annular shoulder may be provided on the protrusion inwardly of the frustoconical end which may be of a marginally larger dimension than the dimension of the recessed formation so that when the protrusion is forced through the recessed formation it can engage the body of the panel defining the recessed formation, to thereby effect a snap-fit fastening.

In one arrangement the protrusions may be of spigot-form and may be unitary with the panel, the protrusions being spaced from each other along one peripheral side of the panel, and the recessed formations being provided along another peripheral side of the panel.

In an alternative arrangement, recessed formations may be provided spaced from each other along two sides of the panel, the recessed formations :19. in the two sides being complementary to each other.

In this arrangement, protrusions may be provided in the form of loose pins adapted to the fitted through the recessed formations in adjacent panels to thereby fasten the panels to eoh other. The loose pins may each h-ve a head at one end, and a shoulder spaced from the head, the recessed formations in adjacent panels being receivable between the head and the shoulder of the pin.

The protrusions may be provided on a rib fast with and projecting from one peripheral side of the panel. The recessed formations may likewise be provided in a rib fast with and projecting from the other side of the panel, or alternatively the recessed formations may be provided in spaced formations projecting from the periphery of the panel.

A stepped formation may be provided in the rib to seat in a complementary stepped formation provided in the rib or in the projecting formations in which the recessed formations are provided. Conveniently, the rib may have a partly curved cross-sectional profile.

I I I Additional fastening means may be provided on the panel which may be in the form of additional protrusions interengageable with additional recessed formations, which may be sockets, holes or grooves.

The additional protrusions may be provided along the side of the panel in which the recessed formations are provided, while the additional recessed formations may be provided along the side of the panel in which the protrusions are provided.

The additional protrusions and the additional recessed formations may be of an elongate configuration, and a plurality of such protrusions and recessed formations may be provided, the protrusions 1. being spaced from each other along one side of the panel, an the recessed formations being spaced from each other along the another side of the panels The fastening means as well as the additional fastening means may be of a suitable synthetic plastics material such as polyurethane which is 'resiliently deformable and which permits the fastening means to be resiliently deformed for effecting a snapfit fastening. The polyurethane may have a Shore •2 9 hardness of 85 to The screening surface of the sieve bend panel may comprise a plurality of slotted apertures extending across the panel. The apertures may be defined between ribs extending across the panel, and the apertures may diverge in the direction of flow of material through the panel to resist blocking or blinding of the apertures.

The invention further extends to a sieve bend formed from a plurality of sieve bend panels in accordance with the invention. The sieve bend may be formed by fastening together a plurality of sieve bend panels in accordance with the invention so that the panels are located side-by-side with each other with grooves formed between the panels where the fastening means on adjacent panels are fastened to each other.

A support frame having a plurality of spaced holes corresponding to the spacing of the fastening means is positioned in the groove. The protrusions of the fastening means of the fastened together panels are secured to the support frame by being inserted into the recessed formations in the sieve bend panels and into the holes in the support frame in a snap-fit attachment so that thereby the sieve bend panels are secured to the support frame to form a sieve bend.

The support frame may be a tube of square crosssection. It may be curved to a desired radius so that the sieve bend thus formed will have a corresponding radius of curvature. The radius may be in the order of 2000 mm. The rib projecting from one side of the panel and on which the fastening protrusions are provided may form a deflecting ridge covering the groove formed between the fastened together sieve bend panels in which the support frame is located. The S'i deflecting ridge in use is adapted to deflect particulate material to be screened away from the joint between the panels and onto the screening surfaces of the panels.

The invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure I shows a plan view of a sieve bend panel in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows on an enlarged scale a section on line II II of Figure 2; II Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 shows on an enlarged scale detail A of Figure 2; shows on an enlarged scale detail B of Figure 2; shows a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a sieve bend formed from a plurality of sieve bend panels as shown in Figure 2 fastened to each other in a side-by-side arrangement; shows on an enlarged scale the detail C of Figure shows a view similar to Figure 6 but with an alternative fastening arrangement.

Figure 6 Figure 7 0.~ 0 *r a, 4e a

S

Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates in general a sieve bend panel. The panel is of a mouldable synthetic plastics material, more specifically polyurethane of a Shore hardness in the region of to 90. The panel is rectangular in shape and has a screening surface 12 consisting of a plurality of elongate slotted apertures 14 spaced from each other and extending across the panel Fastening means are provided along the two longitudinal sides 16 and 18 of the panel 10. The fastening means along the side 16 comprise a plurality of protrusions 20 of spigot form projecting downwardly from a deflecting ridge 22 which is provided fast with and unitary with the panel 10 along the side 16. The protrusion 20 has a frusto-conical end 24, an annular shoulder 26 inwardly of the end 24, and a groove 28 between the end 24 and the shoulder 26. By being of polyurethane the protrusion 20 with its end 24 and its annular shoulder 26 is resiliently deformable.

Along the side 18 of the panel 10 there are provided a plurality of spaced projections 30 in each of which there is provided a recessed formation in the form of a socket 32. The protrusion 20 is complementary to the socket 32, and the length of the protrusion 20 between the ridge 22 and the annular shoulder 26 is equal to the length of the socket 32.

The annular shoulder 26 is larger than the diameter of the socket 32. The protrusion 20 on a panel can be fitted into the socket 32 of an adjacent panel by forcing the frusto-conical end 26 and the annular shoulder 26 through the socket 32. This is possible since the end 24 and the annular shoulder 26 can deform resiliently. When the shoulder 26 has passed through the socket 32 it snaps back to its original

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condition and engages the end of the formation defining the socket 32, whereby the protrusion 20 is snap-fitted into the socket 32.

The panel 10 has adCttional fastening means in the form of elongate protrusions 34 fast with and spaced from each other between the projections along the side 18. Recessed formations 36 which are complementary in shape, size and spacing to the protrusions 34 are provided in the deflecting ridge 22 along the side 16. The recessed formations 36 in one panel can receive in a friction fit the protrusions 34 of an adjacent panel to thereby locate the panels with respect to each other and to provide additional fastening of the panels to each other.

Yi The deflecting ridge 22 has a curved top, and a bottom surface 38 in which there is provided a step A complementary step 42 is provided in the spaced projections 30. Consequently, when two panels 10 are fitted adjacent each other with the protrusions '0 engaging the sockets 32 and the protrusions 34 engaging the recessed formations 36, the deflecting ridge 22 of one panel seats over the project 4 '0 of an adjacent panel with the face 38 of the .s.latng ridge 22 seating on top of the projection S re step 40 engaging the step 42.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, there is shown a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a sieve bend 44 formed from a plurality of sieve bend panels 10. The tsieve bend panels 10 are positioned side-by-side alongside each other and are secured to each other by snap-fifting the protrusions 20 and the recessed formations 36 on one panel into the sockets 32 and the protrusions 34 respectively of an adjacent panel. The deflecting ridge 22 is thus positioned over the :i projection 30 with the step 40 seating in the step 42.

Thereby elongate grooves 46 are formed between the adjacent panels 10 with the deflecting rices 22 covering the grooves. A support frame 48 comprising square metal tubing is positioned in the grooves 46.

The support frame 48 has holes 50 in its upper web 52, the spacing of the holes 50 corresponding to the spacing of the protrusions 20 from each other. The diameter of the hole 50 is slightly smaller than the annular shoulder 26 and the end 24. The end 24 of the protrusion 20 is forced through the hole 50 until the top web 52 in which the hole 50 is defined seats in the groove 28 between the end 24 and the annular shoulder 26 of the protrusion 20. Thereby the panels which are fastened together by the protrusion are also secured to the support frame 48, and a unitary sieve bend 44 is thus formed, The square tubing forming the support frame 48 may be curved into a desired radius, for example 2000 mm so that thereby the sieve bend 44 has a corresponding curvature with a radius of 200C mm.

The function of the deflecting ridge 22 is to cover the joint where the adjacent panels 10 are fastened to each other, and to deflect particulate material ywh,.ch is to be screened, away from the ridge 22 onto the screening surfaces 12.

Since the protrusion 20 and its end 24 and its annular shoulder 26, as well as the projections defining the sockets 32, are resiliently deformable, the protrusions 20 may be withdrawn from the sockets 32 by resilient deformation of the component parts.

Likewise, by resilient deformation of the end 24 the protrusion 20 may be withdrawn from the hole 50 in the support frame 48, whereby the panels 10 may be released from the support frame 48 and from each other.

9*O Referring to Figure 7, there is shown an arrangement similar to that shown in Figure 6, but with an alternative fastening arrangement being provided. In this arrangement a pin 54 is provided in the place of the protrusion 20 on the deflecting ridge 22 as shown in Figure 6. The pin 54 has an enlarged head 56, and a frusto-conical end 58 similar to the end 24 of the protrusion 20 and an annular shoulder similar to the annular shoulder 26 of the protrusion The end 58 and the annular shoulder 60 define between them a groove 62 similar to the groove 28 in the protrusion 20 in which the web 52 of the support frame 48 can seat. The deflecting ridge 22, instead of having a protrusion 20,has a socket 64 complementary to the shape of the head 56 and the top portion of the pin 54. In order to fasten the adjacent panels 10 to each other the pin 54 is inserted through the socket 64 in the deflecting ridge 22 and through the socket 32 in the projection 30 so that the annular shoulder 60 snapu behind the projection 30. The pin is further forced via its end 58 through the hole 50 in the web 52 of the support frame 48 until the web 52 seats in the groove 62 between the head 58 and the annular shoulder thereby the panels 10 are fastened to each other and are secured to the support frame 48. The pin 54 is of a resilient synthetic plastics material, for example polyurethane and by rsil.ent deformation may be fitted into a fastening and securing position, and may be withdrawn to release the panels 10 from each and e. from the support frame 48.

The sieve bend 48 may be used for screening ores more particulary for dewatering ores such as coal.

The elongate screening apertures 14 diverge in the direction of th. flow of material through the screening surface 12 to resist the blocking or blinding of the screening surface 12.

The sieve bend 48 has several advantagesi since the sieve bend panels are releasable from each other and from the support frame the replacement of panels within the sieve bend is facilitated the support frame can be reused; the use of a bonding material for bonding the sieve bend panels to each other and to a support frame is eliminated) the installation of sieve bend panels is facilitated; 12 maintenance of the sieve bend is facilitated since the panels are releasable from each other and from the support frame and the replacement of a panel is thereby facilitated; since the removal a~nd replac~ment of a panel is facilitated the down time of a plant in which the sieve bend incorporated is reduced,

Claims (14)

1. A sieve bend panel which is at least partly of a synthetic plastics material and which has a screening surface and a plurality of sides and which further has fastening means along at least two of its sides, the fastening means being complementary to each other so that fastening means on similar panels placed adjacent to each other can co-operate with the fastening means on the two adjacent sides to thereby locate the panels side-by-side and to fasten the panels to each other, the fastening means along at least one of the sides of the panel being releasably engageable with a support *r frame to releasably secure the panels, when fastened *together, to the support frame. too*

2, A sieve bend panel as claimed in Claim 1, in which the fastening means include interengageable protrusions and recessed formations, the protrusions being provided along one side of the panel and the recessed formations being provided along another side of the panel so that the protrusions on one panel are engageable with the recessed formations on a similar adjacent panel.

3. A sieve bend panej as claimed in Claim 2, in which the protrusions are releasably engageable with complementary formations provided in the support frame.

4. A sieve bend panel as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, in which the protrusions engage the recessed formationa in a snap-fit manner.

A sieve bend panel as claimed in Claim 4, in which the free end of each protrusion is of frusto- conical shape and an annular shoulder is provided on the protrusion inwardly of the frusto-conical end which is of a marginally larger dimension than the dimension of the recessed formation so that when the protrusion is forced through the recessed formation it can engage the body of the panel defining the recessed formation, to thereby effect a snap-fit fastening.

6. A sieve bend panel as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, in which the protrusions are provided spaced from each other along one peripheral side of the panel and the recessed formations are provided spaced from each other along another peripheral side of the panel.

7. A sieve bend panel as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, in which the recessed formations are provided spaced from each other along two sides of the panel, the recessed formations in the two sides being complementary to each other, and the protrusions are S* 4-0 ba- provided in the form of loose pins adapted -te--he fitted through the recessed formations in adjacent panels to thereby fasten the panels to each other.

8. A sieve bend panel as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 6, in which the protrusions are provided on a rib fast with and projecting from one peripheral side of the panel and the recessed formations are provided in spaced formations projecting from another peripheral side of the panel.

9. A sieve bend panel as claimed in Claim 8, in which a stepped formation is provided in the rib to seat in complementary stepped formations provided in /Kip the spaced projecting formations.

A sieve bend panel as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 9, which includes additional protrusions interengageable with additional recessed formations, the additional protrusions being provided along the side of the panel in which the recessed formations are provided and the additional recessed formations being provided along the side of the panel in which the protrusions are provided.

11. A sieve bend panel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures.

12. A sieve bend which includes a plurality of sieve bend panels as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 11 fastened together and located side-by side with each other with grooves formed brytween the panels where the fastelling means on adjacent panels are fastened to each other, further Including a support frame positioned in the grooves between the panels, and wherein the protrusions on the sieve bend panels are spaced from each other and the recessed formations on the sieve bend panels are spaced in corresponding spacings from each other and in which the support frame has a plurality of spaced holes lO". corresponding to the spacing of the protrusions, the sieve bend panels being fastened to each other and to the support frame by the protrusions on the sieve S bend panels engaging the recessed formations on adjacent panels and further engaging the holes in the support frame.

13. A sieve bend as claimed in Claim 12, in which the suport frame Is a tube of square cross-section and is curved to a desired radius to form a curved sieve bend, i I-I 16

14. A sieve bend substantially as hereinbefore, described with reference to the accompanying figures. DATED this 21 st day of May 1997 MANFRED FRANZ AXEL FRIESSLE. WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 4TH FLOOR "DURACK CENTRE" 263 ADELAIDE TERRACE PERTH WA 6000 goo goo 40*0 m f ABSTRACT The invention provides for a sieve bend panel which is at least partly of a synthetic plastics material and which has a screening surface 12 and a plurality of sides and which further has fastening means 20, 32 along at least two of its sides. The fastening means are complementary to each other so that fastening means 20 on similar panels placed adjacent to each other can co-operate with the fastening means 32 on the two adjacent sides to thereby locate the panels side-by-side and to fasten the panels to each other. The fastening means along at least one of the sides of the panel are releasably engageable with a support frame 48 to releasably 900o secure the panels, when fastened together, to the support frame. -I WA