CA2221381C - Low splash auger inlet - Google Patents
Low splash auger inlet Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2221381C CA2221381C CA 2221381 CA2221381A CA2221381C CA 2221381 C CA2221381 C CA 2221381C CA 2221381 CA2221381 CA 2221381 CA 2221381 A CA2221381 A CA 2221381A CA 2221381 C CA2221381 C CA 2221381C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- screw
- housing
- conveyor
- inlet end
- hopper
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G33/00—Screw or rotary spiral conveyors
- B65G33/08—Screw or rotary spiral conveyors for fluent solid materials
- B65G33/14—Screw or rotary spiral conveyors for fluent solid materials comprising a screw or screws enclosed in a tubular housing
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Screw Conveyors (AREA)
- Filling Or Emptying Of Bunkers, Hoppers, And Tanks (AREA)
- Refuse Collection And Transfer (AREA)
Abstract
A low-splash screw conveyor system is provided wherein a conveyor screw is housed within a housing. A portion of the screw extends out of an inlet end of the housing for insertion into a hopper. The end of the housing within the hopper is slanted for minimizing product from splashing upward when the conveyor is in use.
Description
Low Splash Inlet For Screw Conveyor This invention relates to a screw conveyor system for moving material from one location to another, especially a conveyor system for moving particulate matter such as seed, fertilizer or grain from a hopper to another location. Screw conveyors, as is known, incorporate a rotatable screw for propelling particulate, granular or other free-flowing material along the length of the conveyor system in an axial direction as determined by the sense of rotation of the screw. The propulsion of that material is achieved by the successive turns of a continuous helical blade, known in the art as flighting, which in most cases encircles, is secured on, and radiates from a central driving shaft forming part of the screw and which is arranged for rotation by an appropriate power source.
Most modern farms typically use power-operated screw conveyors of various sizes to move grain, seed and/or other particulate from unloading areas to storage bins, transport trucks and planters. One particular example is the use of a screw conveyor to load seed and/or fertilizer from a grain truck into the tanks of an air cart. Portable screw conveyors used for this purpose generally have an integral inlet hopper having low sides to allow the conveyor inlet to be placed in a plurality of locations where space may be limited; for example, the inlet hopper can be disposed below an outlet of an air cart tank with the conveyor outlet placed above a grain truck. One problem associated with the use of this type of conveyor having a hopper with low sides, is that the exposed screw within an open hopper will have a tendency to throw or splash grain out of the hopper, especially when the level of the particulate within the hopper is reduced so that only a portion of the screw is covered. Another problem is that many conveyor systems tend to leave a quantity of particulate matter in the bottom of the hopper after use thus leading to wastage or the need to find an alternate method of transporting the leftover grain.
It is an object of the invention to provide a screw conveyor system that substantially reduces the problem of grain being thrown upward instead of being efficiently fed into the screw conveyor inlet.
Summary of the Invention In accordance with the invention, there is provided a screw conveyor system for moving material from one location to another, comprising a rotatable conveyor screw defining a longitudinal axis of rotation; an elongated tubular housing accommodating a portion of the rotatable conveyor screw such that rotation of said conveyor screw effects movement of said material along and within said housing, said housing having an open inlet end with said conveyor screw extending beyond the open inlet end of the housing, said tubular housing being shaped such that an upper portion of the tubular housing inlet end extends beyond lower portions of said housing and overlies a portion of the conveyor screw adjacent said inlet end so as to partially confine the material and minimize upward throwing of the material by the conveyor screw during rotation thereof.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a screw conveyor system wherein said open end of the tubular housing has at least a portion inclined at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor screw whereby to provide said housing extended upper portion which overlies said portion of the conveyor screw.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a screw conveyor system further comprising a hopper having a lower portion for receiving the rotatable conveyer screw and a portion of the housing including said open inlet end, the shaping of the inlet end of the tubular housing serving to define an effective material feed length at the lower portion of the hopper that is greater than an effective material feed length defined at an upper location within said hopper.
As will be seen, one embodiment of the invention provides a smaller inlet along the top of the exposed conveyor screw extending beyond its housing than about the bottom of the conveyor screw extending beyond the housing; the special shaping of the housing reduces the amount of spillage upwardly out of the hopper when the screw is conveying material;
Most modern farms typically use power-operated screw conveyors of various sizes to move grain, seed and/or other particulate from unloading areas to storage bins, transport trucks and planters. One particular example is the use of a screw conveyor to load seed and/or fertilizer from a grain truck into the tanks of an air cart. Portable screw conveyors used for this purpose generally have an integral inlet hopper having low sides to allow the conveyor inlet to be placed in a plurality of locations where space may be limited; for example, the inlet hopper can be disposed below an outlet of an air cart tank with the conveyor outlet placed above a grain truck. One problem associated with the use of this type of conveyor having a hopper with low sides, is that the exposed screw within an open hopper will have a tendency to throw or splash grain out of the hopper, especially when the level of the particulate within the hopper is reduced so that only a portion of the screw is covered. Another problem is that many conveyor systems tend to leave a quantity of particulate matter in the bottom of the hopper after use thus leading to wastage or the need to find an alternate method of transporting the leftover grain.
It is an object of the invention to provide a screw conveyor system that substantially reduces the problem of grain being thrown upward instead of being efficiently fed into the screw conveyor inlet.
Summary of the Invention In accordance with the invention, there is provided a screw conveyor system for moving material from one location to another, comprising a rotatable conveyor screw defining a longitudinal axis of rotation; an elongated tubular housing accommodating a portion of the rotatable conveyor screw such that rotation of said conveyor screw effects movement of said material along and within said housing, said housing having an open inlet end with said conveyor screw extending beyond the open inlet end of the housing, said tubular housing being shaped such that an upper portion of the tubular housing inlet end extends beyond lower portions of said housing and overlies a portion of the conveyor screw adjacent said inlet end so as to partially confine the material and minimize upward throwing of the material by the conveyor screw during rotation thereof.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a screw conveyor system wherein said open end of the tubular housing has at least a portion inclined at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor screw whereby to provide said housing extended upper portion which overlies said portion of the conveyor screw.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a screw conveyor system further comprising a hopper having a lower portion for receiving the rotatable conveyer screw and a portion of the housing including said open inlet end, the shaping of the inlet end of the tubular housing serving to define an effective material feed length at the lower portion of the hopper that is greater than an effective material feed length defined at an upper location within said hopper.
As will be seen, one embodiment of the invention provides a smaller inlet along the top of the exposed conveyor screw extending beyond its housing than about the bottom of the conveyor screw extending beyond the housing; the special shaping of the housing reduces the amount of spillage upwardly out of the hopper when the screw is conveying material;
further, this provides an adequate feed length and at the same time, reduces the size of hopper safety screen required.
Brief Description of the Drawings Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the drawings, in which;
Fig. 1 is a side view of a screw conveyor, an inlet end being inserted into the bottom of a hopper, in accordance with the invention;
Fig. 1 a is a side view of a screw conveyor, in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a detailed side view shown partly in cross-section of a typical conveyor system having an integral hopper and in a slanted orientation.
Detailed Description Turning now to Fig. l, the screw conveyor 10- includes a rotatable conveyor screw 12 having helical flights housed within and extending beyond an inlet end of tubular housing 14. Housing 14 extends through an opening 18 at a lower end of an open topped hopper 16. In this exemplary embodiment, the longitudinal rotation axis 15 of the conveyor screw 12 lies substantially horizontally and is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the tubular housing 14. However, in other preferred embodiments, the conveyor screw 12 and integral hopper 16 are inclined as shown in Fig. 2. As the screw 12 turns, material within the hopper adjacent the conveyor screw 12 is transported in the direction of product flow, indicated by an arrow shown pointing to the right. The open inlet end of the housing 14 as defined by its terminal edge 17 is slanted, indicated by an angle A
relative to a vertical line that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 15.
This slanted end ensures in the embodiment of Fig. 1 that the effective feed length 12 at the bottom of the conveyor screw 12, is greater than the effective feed length l, at the top of the conveyor screw 12. The slanted end also provides an inlet end portion which overlies part of the screw 12 to inhibit upward throwing or splashing of particulate materials out of the hopper during the conveyance process.
Generally, in conventional hoppers, the effective feed length 1 Z at the bottom of the conveyor screw 12, is equal to the effective feed length 11 at the top of the conveyor screw 12 and the material within the hopper tends to follow the flighting in a direction perpendicular to the shaft, out of the hopper, producing a "boiling" effect.
This effect is considerably lessened and in some instances is nearly obviated in the portable low-sided hopper in accordance with the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 where 1 ~ < 1 Z.
Advantageously, less material is wasted by being thrown out of the sides of the hopper 16, and furthermore, material is more efficiently provided to the conveyor screw 12 for transport. In a preferred embodiment, the angle 0 shown in Fig. 1 is between 25 degrees and 60 degrees.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, shown in Fig. 1 a, a back wall 15 of the hopper may be slanted at a substantially same angle 0, to allow 1 ~ = 12, still however, providing the advantage of the above-described slanted housing open end. Yet still further, the hopper back wall 15 can be sloped such that 11 > 12. Hence, the feed lengths can be varied considerably relative to one another; it is the extended upper portion of the housing 14 provided by the slanted end that reduces the "boiling effect"
during operation and at the same time ensures an ample feed length for efficient operation and low product spillage.
Fig. 2 shows a more detailed illustration of the conveyor system described above and shown in Fig. 1 except that the screw conveyor and hopper combination are shown in an inclined orientation. Components similar to those described with reference to Fig. 1 are shown and identified by the same reference numbers with an added "prime".
Brief Description of the Drawings Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the drawings, in which;
Fig. 1 is a side view of a screw conveyor, an inlet end being inserted into the bottom of a hopper, in accordance with the invention;
Fig. 1 a is a side view of a screw conveyor, in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a detailed side view shown partly in cross-section of a typical conveyor system having an integral hopper and in a slanted orientation.
Detailed Description Turning now to Fig. l, the screw conveyor 10- includes a rotatable conveyor screw 12 having helical flights housed within and extending beyond an inlet end of tubular housing 14. Housing 14 extends through an opening 18 at a lower end of an open topped hopper 16. In this exemplary embodiment, the longitudinal rotation axis 15 of the conveyor screw 12 lies substantially horizontally and is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the tubular housing 14. However, in other preferred embodiments, the conveyor screw 12 and integral hopper 16 are inclined as shown in Fig. 2. As the screw 12 turns, material within the hopper adjacent the conveyor screw 12 is transported in the direction of product flow, indicated by an arrow shown pointing to the right. The open inlet end of the housing 14 as defined by its terminal edge 17 is slanted, indicated by an angle A
relative to a vertical line that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 15.
This slanted end ensures in the embodiment of Fig. 1 that the effective feed length 12 at the bottom of the conveyor screw 12, is greater than the effective feed length l, at the top of the conveyor screw 12. The slanted end also provides an inlet end portion which overlies part of the screw 12 to inhibit upward throwing or splashing of particulate materials out of the hopper during the conveyance process.
Generally, in conventional hoppers, the effective feed length 1 Z at the bottom of the conveyor screw 12, is equal to the effective feed length 11 at the top of the conveyor screw 12 and the material within the hopper tends to follow the flighting in a direction perpendicular to the shaft, out of the hopper, producing a "boiling" effect.
This effect is considerably lessened and in some instances is nearly obviated in the portable low-sided hopper in accordance with the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 where 1 ~ < 1 Z.
Advantageously, less material is wasted by being thrown out of the sides of the hopper 16, and furthermore, material is more efficiently provided to the conveyor screw 12 for transport. In a preferred embodiment, the angle 0 shown in Fig. 1 is between 25 degrees and 60 degrees.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, shown in Fig. 1 a, a back wall 15 of the hopper may be slanted at a substantially same angle 0, to allow 1 ~ = 12, still however, providing the advantage of the above-described slanted housing open end. Yet still further, the hopper back wall 15 can be sloped such that 11 > 12. Hence, the feed lengths can be varied considerably relative to one another; it is the extended upper portion of the housing 14 provided by the slanted end that reduces the "boiling effect"
during operation and at the same time ensures an ample feed length for efficient operation and low product spillage.
Fig. 2 shows a more detailed illustration of the conveyor system described above and shown in Fig. 1 except that the screw conveyor and hopper combination are shown in an inclined orientation. Components similar to those described with reference to Fig. 1 are shown and identified by the same reference numbers with an added "prime".
Of course, numerous other embodiments may be envisaged without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims (7)
1. A screw conveyor system for moving material from one location to another, comprising: a rotatable conveyor screw defining a longitudinal axis of rotation; an elongated tubular housing accommodating a portion of the rotatable conveyor screw such that rotation of said conveyor screw effects movement of said material along and within said housing, said housing having an open inlet end with said conveyor screw extending beyond the open inlet end of the housing, said tubular housing being shaped such that an upper portion of the tubular housing inlet end extends beyond lower portions of said housing and overlies a portion of the conveyor screw adjacent said inlet end so as to partially confine the material and minimize upward throwing of the material by the conveyor screw during rotation thereof.
2 A screw conveyor system as defined in claim 1, wherein said open inlet end of the tubular housing has at least a portion inclined at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of rotation whereby to provide said housing extended upper portion which overlies said portion of the conveyor screw.
3. A screw conveyor system as defined in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a hopper having a lower portion receiving the rotatable conveyer screw and a portion of the housing including said open inlet end.
4. A screw conveyor as defined in claim 3 wherein the shaping of the tubular housing serves to define an effective material feed length at the lower portion of the hopper that is greater than an effective material feed length defined at an upper location within said hopper.
5. A screw conveyor system as defined in claim 3 or 4, wherein said open inlet end of the tubular housing is slanted relative to a line that is perpendicular to said longitudinal
6 rotation axis such that said upper portion of the housing extends further within the hopper than does said lower portions thereof.
6. A screw conveyor system as defined in claim 5, wherein the slanted inlet end of the tubular housing is slanted at an angle of between 25 degrees and 60 degrees from a line that is perpendicular to the longitudinal rotation axis of the conveyor screw.
6. A screw conveyor system as defined in claim 5, wherein the slanted inlet end of the tubular housing is slanted at an angle of between 25 degrees and 60 degrees from a line that is perpendicular to the longitudinal rotation axis of the conveyor screw.
7
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2221381 CA2221381C (en) | 1997-11-18 | 1997-11-18 | Low splash auger inlet |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2221381 CA2221381C (en) | 1997-11-18 | 1997-11-18 | Low splash auger inlet |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2221381A1 CA2221381A1 (en) | 1999-05-18 |
| CA2221381C true CA2221381C (en) | 2005-11-15 |
Family
ID=29275228
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2221381 Expired - Lifetime CA2221381C (en) | 1997-11-18 | 1997-11-18 | Low splash auger inlet |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2221381C (en) |
-
1997
- 1997-11-18 CA CA 2221381 patent/CA2221381C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2221381A1 (en) | 1999-05-18 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |
Effective date: 20171120 |