BE1023713B1 - APPARATUS FOR HOMOGENIZATION - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a homogenization apparatus. The apparatus includes at least one element adapted to vibrate in the presence of induced excitation. The apparatus further includes at least one support assembly for supporting the at least one element. A container is adapted to be fixed relative to at least one element. An exciter device is configured to induce vibrations such that the induced vibrations cause the at least one support assembly, the at least one element and the container to vibrate at their natural frequency in the presence of resonance, thereby to facilitate homogenization. multi-phase particles contained in the container.

Description

APPARATUS FOR HOMOGENIZATION

FIELD

The present invention belongs to the field of mechanical engineering. The present invention relates in particular to material processing equipment.

CONTEXT

In the processing sector, many applications require the homogenization of raw materials of different sizes to produce a final product. Homogenization means the mixture of raw materials so that the dimensions of all the particles of the mixture are homogeneous. Conventional methods for homogenizing raw materials of different sizes use manual or automated mixing by means of mechanical components such as spoons and stirrers. These conventional methods do not make it possible to obtain the desired homogeneity in the case of a mixture of raw materials whose particle size is of nanometric / submicrometer order. In addition, during the mixing process, the raw materials tend to stick to the agitator and the container in which the mixing takes place. This is also disadvantageous because the cleaning of the container and the agitator is a long process which is accompanied by a loss of raw materials. In addition, in conventional methods, the systems are designed to operate only with a specific container size. There is therefore a lack of adaptability and it is not possible to use containers of different sizes.

Thus, to overcome the above disadvantages associated with conventional homogenization processes, there is a need for a homogenization system to dispense with mechanical components such as agitators, and operating with containers of different sizes.

GOALS

Some of the purposes of this disclosure, which are satisfied by at least one embodiment hereinafter, are as set forth below.

The present disclosure aims to provide an improvement to one or more of the problems of the prior art or to provide at least one useful alternative.

The present disclosure aims to provide a homogenizer that does not require the use of mechanical components such as stirrers.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a homogenizer capable of operating with containers of different sizes. Other objects and advantages of this presentation will be apparent from reading the following description, the purpose of which is not to limit the scope of the present invention. ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a homogenizer. The apparatus comprises at least one element adapted to vibrate in the presence of induced excitation. The apparatus further includes at least one support assembly for supporting the at least one element. A container is adapted to be fixed relative to the at least one element. An exciter device is configured to induce vibrations such that the induced vibrations cause the at least one support assembly, the at least one element and the container to oscillate at their natural frequency in the presence of resonance, thereby facilitating homogenization multi-phase particles contained in the container.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes a pair of support assemblies for supporting a pair of elements such that a first set of one element of the pair of elements and one set corresponding support pair of the pair of support assemblies is fixed and located above a second set consisting of another element of the pair of elements and a corresponding support set of the pair of sets of support.

In one embodiment, the exciter device is configured to induce vibrations in the second set element, which are transferred to the first set.

In one embodiment, the container may be attached to the first assembly member such that vibrations of the first set and the second set are transferred to the container, causing the entire apparatus to vibrate in resonance and facilitate homogenization of the multiphase particles contained in the container.

In one embodiment, the at least one support assembly includes at least one biasing element arranged apart.

In one embodiment, the exciter device is secured to the element of the second set. The exciter device comprises two eccentric masses which are configured to move in phase with one another under the action of a servomotor, so that only the vertical functional forces act on the element of the second set.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises at least one telescopic arm for coupling the servomotor to the two eccentric masses in order to transmit the movement of the servomotor to the two eccentric masses. The weight ratio of the two eccentric masses is 1: 0.3.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a container holder operatively disposed above the element of the first set. An adjusting member is disposed on the container holder and is configured to facilitate the support of containers of different heights. A tensioner is functionally designed above the adjustment member to facilitate the solid support of the container on the adjustment member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ANNEXED DRAWINGS

A homogenization apparatus of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying non-limiting drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a free body diagram of a homogenizer according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of the homogenizer of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a graph illustrating the vibratory response of the first and second elements of the homogenizer of Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the field of industrial process engineering, conventional methods for homogenizing raw materials before processing to produce an end product require the use of mechanical components such as spoons and stirrers. These components pass into the raw materials either manually or automatically to achieve the mixing of these raw materials. However, these conventional methods fail to ensure uniform homogeneity during the homogenization of nanoscale / submicron particulate size raw materials. Another disadvantage of these conventional processes is that the raw materials tend to stick to the container in which the homogenization takes place, as well as the spoon or stirrer by means of which is homogenization. Cleaning these components requires significant time and effort, and the raw material that is removed from the components is usually lost.

The present invention relates to a homogenization apparatus, making it possible to homogenize raw materials having different particle sizes while overcoming the disadvantages mentioned above. The apparatus comprises at least one element adapted to vibrate in the presence of induced excitation. The apparatus further includes at least one support assembly for supporting the at least one element. A container is adapted to be fixed relative to the at least one element. An exciter device is configured to induce vibrations such that the induced vibrations bring the at least one support assembly, the at least one element and the container to vibrate at their natural frequency in the presence of resonance, thereby facilitating homogenization multi-phase particles contained in the container. The homogenizer according to one embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The homogenizer 100 (also referred to as "apparatus 100") includes a pair of support assemblies 104. , 110 for supporting a pair of members 108, 102 so that a first set of a member 108 (also referred to as "first member 108") of the pair of members 108, 102 and a set of members corresponding support 110 (also referred to as "first support assembly 110") of the pair of support assemblies 104, 110 is attached and located above a second assembly consisting of another element 102 (also referred to as a "second element"). 102 ") of the pair of elements 108, 102 and a corresponding support assembly 104 (also referred to as" second support assembly 104 ") of the pair of support assemblies. More particularly, the second member 102 is supported by the second support assembly 104, which second member 102 is configured to be energized by an exciter device 106. More particularly, the second member 102 is disposed on the second support assembly 104 while being supported by the latter, the second member 102 being configured to vibrate under the action of the exciter device 106 which is connected to the bottom functional surface of the second member 102.

The first member 108 is coupled to the second member 102 through the first support assembly 110. More particularly, the first support assembly 110 is disposed on the second member 102, and the first member 108 is disposed on the first support assembly. 110 being supported by it, the vibrations of the second member 102 being transferred to the first member 108 through the first support assembly 110. A container 112 is attached to the first member 108 so that the vibrations of the first and second members second element 108, 102 are transferred to the container, causing the entire apparatus 100 to vibrate in resonance and to facilitate the homogenization of the raw materials contained in the container 112. The first element 108, the second element 102 and the container 112 are configured to vibrate in resonance under the action of the exciter device 106 to facilitate the homogenization of the ph particles as many as contained in the container 112.

In one embodiment, the second support assembly 104 includes a plurality of biasing elements 104A, 104B spaced apart, and the first support assembly 110 includes a plurality of biasing elements 110A, 110B arranged at the gap. In one embodiment, the biasing elements may consist of helical springs and / or compression springs. In yet another embodiment, the biasing elements may also consist of telescopic energy absorbers provided with coil springs or coil springs. In yet another embodiment, the biasing elements may have other damping elements.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the vibratory response of the first and second elements 108, 102. The curve 1 represents the vibratory response of the second element 102, while the second support assembly 104 undergoes no damping, and the curve 1A represents the vibratory response of the second element 102 while the second support assembly 104 is damped. It is observed that the amplitude of vibration increases when the support assembly 104 is provided with damping. Likewise, the curve 2 represents the vibratory response of the first element 108, whereas the first support assembly 110 undergoes no damping, and the curve 2A is the vibratory response of the first element 108 while the first support assembly 110 undergoes a damping response. amortization. It is observed that the amplitude of vibration increases when the first support assembly 110 is provided with damping.

In one embodiment, the exciter device 106 is securely coupled to the second member 102. More particularly, the exciter device 106 is connected to a bottom functional surface of the second member 102. In one embodiment, the exciter device 106 has two eccentric masses which are configured to move in phase with each other under the action of a servomotor, so that only the vertical functional forces act on the second element 102. As a general rule, the apparatus 100 comprises at least one telescopic arm for coupling the servomotor to the two eccentric masses in order to transmit the movement of the servomotor to the two eccentric masses. In one embodiment, the weight ratio of the two eccentric masses is 1: 0.3.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a container holder 114 operatively disposed above the first member 108. An adjusting member 116 is disposed on the holder to facilitate the support of containers of different heights. In addition, a tensioner 118 is functionally designed above the adjustment member 116 to facilitate the solid support of the container 112 on the adjustment member 116.

The functional configuration of the apparatus 100 is described below. The apparatus 100 makes it possible to homogenize the raw materials contained in the container 112. The exciter device 106 is configured to provide functional vertical excitation with the second element 102. More particularly, the load is applied to the second element 102 according to the angles. 90o and 270o relative to the longitudinal axis of the second element 102. This load causes the second element 102 to vibrate with an amplitude "X1". The vibrations of the second element 102 are transferred to the first element 108 through the first support assembly 110, thereby causing the first element 108 to vibrate with an amplitude "X2". Let M1 and M2 be the respective masses of the second element 102 and the first element 108; either K1 and K2 the respective stiffness values of the biasing elements 104A and 104B, and K3 and K4 the respective stiffness values of the biasing elements 110A and 110B; and let K5 be the resultant stiffness of the biasing members 104A, 104B, 110A, 110B, then the oscillation transformation ratio of the first and second members 108, 102 may be represented by the following expression: X2 / X1 = K5 / (K5 - M2œn2) in which œn represents the natural frequency of the apparatus 100. The oscillating transformation ratio (X2 / X1) designates the transformation efficiency, which varies as a function of the values of the various parameters of the elements of the apparatus 100.

The exciter device 106 is configured to energize the first and second members 108, 102 to cause the apparatus 100 to vibrate in resonance. Resonance is the phenomenon in which the system experiences enhanced vibrations when the external excitation frequency corresponds to the natural frequency of the system. These improved vibrations, resulting from this resonance, facilitate an efficient homogenization of the raw materials contained in the container 112. This resonant vibration also results in an effective energy consumption for the apparatus 100, since a smaller amount of energy is consumed. by the exciter device 106 to provide a greater amount of vibration. The apparatus 100 of the present invention can be used for various homogenization operations because of its adaptability to containers of different sizes. The apparatus 100 homogenizes raw materials having multiple phase particles of various sizes to produce a homogeneous particle size mixture. The apparatus 100 of the present invention also provides optimum energy utilization by using the phenomenon of resonance, which results in a reduction of the oscillation time and operating time required to produce the particle size mixture. homogeneous. In addition, the application of vibrations for mixing results in efficient homogenization of the nanoscale / submicron particles.

The exciter device 106 of the present invention uses high precision servomotors and telescopic arms in order to efficiently transmit the movement of the servomotors to the two eccentric masses of the exciter device 106, which serve directly to excite the apparatus 100 to obtain a effective mixing of the raw materials contained in the container 112.

In addition, the apparatus 100 of the present invention is completely free of mechanical components such as stirrers or spoons usually in contact with the raw materials contained in the container 112. Thus, the time and efforts devoted to the cleaning of the mechanical components are simply removed by the apparatus 100 of the present invention. Likewise, the use of vibrations on the container 112 to homogenize the raw materials prevents the raw materials from sticking to the walls of the container. Thus, the loss of raw materials under the effect of the cleaning of the mechanical components is also suppressed by the apparatus 100 of the present invention.

Although the apparatus 100 of the present invention has been described as having two elements 108, 102 and two support assemblies 104, 110, the number of elements and support assemblies is not limited to two and may vary. according to the needs of the application. Similarly, to obtain a resonance in the apparatus 100, the exciter device 106 can be implemented in greater numbers to produce the desired vibratory characteristics.

TECHNICAL ADVANCES

The present invention described above offers several technical advantages among which, in particular, the realization of a homogenization apparatus: • which does not involve the use of mechanical components such as stirrers; and • who is able to work with containers of different sizes.

The described embodiments and the details of their various features and advantages are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments of the following description. The description of the well known components and processing techniques will be omitted so as not to obscure the embodiments of the present invention unnecessarily. The examples below are intended solely to facilitate the understanding of the possibilities of practicing the embodiments of the invention and to better enable the person skilled in the art to put these embodiments into practice. Accordingly, the examples should not be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

The above description of the specific embodiments provides such light on the general nature of the embodiments that it will be possible, by applying current knowledge, to easily make modifications and / or adaptations for other applications of these specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept and, therefore, these modifications and / or adaptations are intended and should be understood as belonging to the spirit and the range of equivalences of the embodiments of the invention. invention. It will be understood that the phraseology and terminology used here are for descriptive and not limiting purposes. Therefore, although the present embodiments have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present embodiments can be practiced by being altered while remaining in the spirit and spirit of the present invention. scope of the embodiments described herein.

For the purpose of this booklet, the term "include" and its variants, such as "includes" or "including", shall be understood to include an element, integer or step, or a group of elements, of whole numbers or steps cited, without excluding any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. The use of the expression "at least" or "at least one" suggests the use of one or more elements, ingredients or quantities, irrespective of their use in the embodiment of the invention for the purpose of achieve one or more of the objectives or results sought.

All references to documents, laws, materials, devices, articles or the like that have been included in this booklet are for the sole purpose of providing context to this presentation. It should not be considered as implying that these are part of the prior art or represented general common knowledge in the field to which the statement belongs as it existed in any situation before the priority date of the present application. .

The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, the various dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is understood that values higher or lower than the numerical values allocated to these parameters, dimensions or quantities are included in the scope of the invention, unless expressly stated otherwise in the specification.

While great importance has been attached to the components and components of the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that many embodiments may be contemplated and that many modifications may be made to the preferred embodiments without depart from the principles of the invention. These and other modifications to the preferred embodiment, as well as to other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure, in the context of which it will be understood that the above description should be interpreted only for illustrative and not limiting purposes of the invention.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS: A homogenizer (100) comprising: at least one member (102, 108) adapted to vibrate in the presence of induced excitation; at least one support assembly (104, 110) for supporting said at least one element (102, 108); a container (112) adapted to be fixed with respect to said at least one member (102, 108); and an exciter device (106) configured to induce vibrations such as said induced vibrations causes said at least one support assembly (104, 110), said at least one element (102, 108), and said container (112) to oscillate at their natural frequency by presence of resonance, thereby facilitating the homogenization of the multiphase particles contained in said container (12), characterized in that said exciter device (106) is secured to said at least one element (102, 108), and said exciter device (106) comprises two eccentric masses which are configured to move in phase with one another under the action of a servomotor, so that only the vertical functional forces act on said at least one element (102, 108) . Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, comprising a pair of support assemblies (104.110) for supporting a pair of members (102, 108) so that a first set consisting of an element (108) of said pair of elements (102, 108) and a corresponding support assembly (110) of said pair of support assemblies (104, 110) attached and located above a second assembly of another element (102) said pair of elements (102, 108) and a corresponding support assembly (104) of said pair of support assemblies (104, 110). The apparatus (100) of claim 2, wherein said exciter device (106) is configured to induce vibrations in said element (102) of said second set, which are transferred to said first set. An apparatus (100) according to claim 2, wherein said container (112) is attachable to said member (108) of said first set so that said vibrations of said first set and said second set are transferred to said container (112), causing the entire apparatus (100) to oscillate in resonance, thereby facilitating the homogenization of the multiple phase particles contained in said container (112). The apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one support assembly (104.110) comprises at least one biasing element (103A-104B, 110A-110B) arranged apart. 6. Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, comprising at least one telescopic arm coupling said servomotor to said two eccentric masses in order to transmit the movement of the servomotor to said two eccentric masses. The apparatus (100) of claim 6, wherein the weight ratio of said two eccentric masses is 1: 0.3. Apparatus (100) according to claim 4, comprising a container holder (104) operably disposed above said member (108) of said first set. 9. Apparatus (100) according to claim 8, comprising an adjusting member (116) disposed on said container holder (104), said adjusting member (116) being configured to facilitate the support of containers (112) of different heights . The apparatus (100) of claim 9 including a tensioner (118) operatively designed above said adjustment member (116) to facilitate solid support of said container (112) on said adjuster (116).