GB2088228A

GB2088228A - Fodder-mixing apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2088228A
Application number: GB8132568A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Johann Wolf GmbH KG
Current assignee: Johann Wolf GmbH KG
Priority date: 1980-10-30
Filing date: 1981-10-29
Publication date: 1982-06-09
Also published as: DE3040946C2; GB2088228B; DE3040946A1; FR2493109A1

Abstract

A mobile or stationary fodder- mixing apparatus has a travelling scraper floor (14) and an outwardly sloping end wall (22) in the form of travelling scraper device (24). A further conveying device (40) is provided on the top side of the body and conveys in the opposite direction to that in which the scraper floor (20) conveys and which extends substantially from the sloping end wall (22) over a portion of the length of the hopper. A transverse conveyor (62) is provided to collect fodder discharged over the top wall of the end wall (22) and can feed this fodder to a screw conveyor (68) which returns the fodder to an inlet opening (74) at the end of the body remote from the sloping end wall (22). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fodder-mixing apparatus The invention relates to mobile and stationary fodder-mixing apparata whose hopper has a scraper floor and an outwardly sloping end wall provided with scraper devices.

In addition to the known agitator mixers which have one or a plurality of screw conveyors on the floor of a storage space and spirals disposed thereabove for the purpose of mixing the commodity, circulatory mixers, which are generally in the form of single-axle trailers, are known. The bottom of these vehicles and a sloping end wall are provided with scraper devices which occupy the width of the floor and of the sloping end wall. The scraper device is moved along the floor towards the sloping end wall and upwardly along the end wall. The commodity which is to be mixed and which is stored in the hopper is conveyed towards the sloping end wall and is continuously discharged thereby over the upper edge and drops onto a transverse screw conveyor or auger disposed therebelow.One end of the transverse screw conveyor opens into a screw conveyor which is located therebelow and which extends externally along the longitudinal wall of the hopper and terminates at the rear end of the side wall of the hopper and has an opening in the side wall of the hopper. A further screw conveyor is overhung mounted in the opening in the side wall and extends freely into the hopper. The other end of this further transverse screw conveyor opens into the free outlet.

The commodity conveyed upwardly over the sloping end wall drops into the first transverse screw conveyor and, during the mixing operation, is fed by the latter to the longitudinal screw conveyor which in turn returns the commodity into the hopper at the end thereof in order to mix the commodity in a satisfactory manner.

This known apparatus has the disadvantage that it uses very long conveyor paths for the purpose of mixing the commodity, and the entire contents of the hopper have to be gradually tipped over the end wall and fed through the first transverse screw conveyor to the longitudinal screw conveyor which in turn conveys the commodity around the outside of the hopper into the rear region thereof. These long and narrow conveying paths necessarily involve the disadvantage of frequent blockages. This is the case particularly when mixing long fodder delivered by, for example, loading wagons which cut close to the ground, since this commodity of irregular length tends to wind itself around the screw conveyor.In addition to this, there is the disadvantage that, owing to these long conveying path through narrow pipes or screw conveyor troughs, a very long period of time is necessary in order to thoroughly mix the fodder.

An object of the invention is to provide a mobile or stationary fodder-mixing apparatus which renders it possible to mix the fodder rapidly and thoroughly and to obtain a satisfactory mixture which avoids blockages.

A fodder-mixing apparatus according to the invention, comprises a body to receive the fodder to be mixed, the body having a scraper floor and an outwardly sloping end wall provided with a scraper device, and a conveyor which is arranged on the top of the body so as to extend substantially from the sloping end wall over a portion of the length of the body for conveying the fodder in a direction opposite to that in which the scraper floor conveys.

This apparatus operates in a very simple manner. The commodity conveyed by the scraper floor towards the sloping end wall is conveyed upwardly by the scraper devices of the end wall.

When it reaches the region of the top edge of the end wail, it will come into contact with the upper conveyor which conveys it back into the conveying space in the opposite direction to that in which it is conveyed by the scraper floor.

This commodity will drop again behind a dynamically formed wall of accumulated fodder and is partially mixed with the commodity conveyed upwardly along the sloping end wall.

The fodder is thoroughly intermixed in this manner.

Advantageously, the upper conveyor can extend over the entire width of the body. This in turn means that the fodder can be intermixed at a very high speed in a very short time. Furthermore, this apparatus has the advantage that the risk of blockage by the fodder is virtually excluded.

Furthermore, the apparatus in accordance with the invention has the advantage that it is suitable for mixing agricultural fodder of varying texture (it can also be used, for example, mixing commodity of irreguiar length with short commodity or with granular fodder).

In accordance with a further development of the invention, the sloping wall can be of curved construction. It can be curved so as to slope slightly in the first instance, and then increasingly, from the scraper floor. This enhances the rolling movement of the fodder backwards into the hopper.

Advantageously, the upper conveyor extends over half the length of the body. Such a length will generally be sufficient to feed the fodder back to an adequate extent and to ensure satisfactory inter-mixing. On the other hand, there is no need for the upper conveyor to be of any substantially longer construction.

The body can be open outside the region in which the upper conveyor extends. This construction has the advantage that the body can be loaded from the top in a simple manner.

The upper conveyor can be a conveyor belt which extends substantially over the width of the hopper. Alternatively, however, the upper conveyor can essentially comprise two chains circulating parallel to one another, transverse bars, to which drivers can be selectively secured, being secured between the two chains.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, a transverse conveyor is disposed below the top edge of the sloping end wall. This construction has the advantage that fodder which is conveyed outwardly through the gap between the top edge of the sloping end wall and the upper conveyor is conveyed to the side by the transverse conveyor.

This transverse conveyor can be selectively operated in one direction or in the other direction, and can comprise a conveyor belt or a screw conveyor.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention the upper conveyor can be adjustable and fixabie at various distances from the top end of the sloping end wall.

This construction renders it possible optionally to adjust the distance between the top edge of the sloping end wall and that end region of the upper conveyor which faces the end wall.

Advantageously, this distance will be very short for the purpose of the pure mixing operation described above. However, by establishing a very large distance, it is possible to discharge the fodder from the body through this gap which is created and which constitutes a discharge gap, merely by means of the scraper device on the sloping end wall. In order to facilitate this discharge operation, the top end region of the sloping end wall can also be constructed so as to slope at an increasingly smaller angle.

The fodder which, when the upper conveyor is at a distance from the sloping end wall, drops through the discharge gap thus formed, will drop onto the transverse conveyor which conveys it to the right-hand side or to the left-hand side of the fodder-mixing apparatus.

The scraper device on the floor and the scraper device on the sloping end wall can be constructed so as to operate at different speeds. A construction of this type can be advantageous during, for example, discharge operation.

However, it is also possible to integrate the scraper device on the floor with the scraper device on the sloping end wall.

In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the in-feed region of an external conveyor extending in a longitudinal direction can be disposed in one end region of the transverse conveyor, the other end of which external conveyor opening into the oppositely located end region of the body. This construction is also very advantageous. A gap, even though a very small gap, will exist between the top edge of the sloping end wall and that end region of the upper conveyor which faces the end wall. During the mixing operation, a proportion of the fodder even though a very small proportion can be discharged through this gap, particularly when mixing fodder which has been close to the ground, or even when mixing granular fodder.By virtue of the embodiment described, when the transverse conveyor is operated towards the in-feed opening of the longitudinal conveyor, this commodity dropping out over the top edge of the sloping end wall is conveyed by the transverse conveyor to the external conveyor which in turn conveys the commodity into the oppositely located end region of the body. In this manner, no fodder can be lost during the mixing operation.

The outlet from the external conveyor into the body is of chamfered or curved configuration.

Advantageously, the outlet of the external conveyor into the hopper is located in the top region of the side wall of the body.

in accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, a movable flap is provided and, when set in its position below the end of the transverse conveyor, covers the in-feed opening of the external conveyor. This feature renders it possible to use the entire arrangement as a discharge device even when the transverse conveyor is operating towards the external conveyor. The movable flap, which, when in one position, covers the in-feed opening of the external conveyor, can then at the same time serve as a discharge chute in order to guide the discharged commodity in a desired direction into, for example, a feed trough.

The movable flap can be disposed such that, when it is in another position, it forms an outer boundary, acting as an inlet wall, of the in-feed opening of the external conveyor. This operating position is advantageous during pure mixing operation in which fodder dropping out through the upper gap is returned to the body by way of the transverse conveyor and the external conveyor.

In accordance with still another feature of the invention, an adjusting device is provided which, when adjusting the upper conveyor towards the sloping end wall, automaticaily moves the movably arranged plate into its position in which it acts as an inlet wall of the in-feed opening for the external conveyor. This feature of the invention has the advantage that only one adjustment has to be made when changing over to mixing operation, that is to say, moving the upper conveyor towards the sloping end wall.

The described fodder-mixing apparatus can be in the form of a stationary apparatus or, alternatively, in the form of a mobile waggon. In latter case, the sloping end wall with the scraper device and the transverse conveyor can be formed on the front region of the apparatus or, alternatively, on the rear region of the apparatus.

It is also pointed out that the transverse conveyor and the external conveyor can, of course, also be used to charge the mixing apparatus. This is particularly advantageous when quantities of fodder are to be introduced into the body manually, since the transverse conveyor can be disposed substantially lower than the top edge of the body. Alternatively, however, the transverse conveyor and the external conveyor can be used universally when mechanically conveying a commodity into the body.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through a mobile fodder-mixing apparatus, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of Fig.1, Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 1-I of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 shows an adjusting device for forcibly changing over a tiltable flap.

Referring to Fig. 1, a fodder-mixing apparatus is in the form of a mobile waggon having an axle 10 for wheels 11, and a draw bar 12. A scraper device 20 runs along the floor 14 of the body of the fodder-mixing waggon on two pulleys 1 6 and 1 8 towards the front end of the waggon. An outwardly sloping end wall 22 is contiguous to the bottom wall or floor 14 and also has a scraper device 24 which runs around two pulleys 26 and 28. The conveying directions of the scraper device 20 and of the scraper device 24 are shown by the arrows 30 and 32 respectively.

An upper conveyor 40 is disposed in the top region of the fodder-mixing apparatus and runs around two pulleys 42 and 44. The left-hand pulley 42 and thus the left-hand end region of the upper conveyor 40 are located in the vicinity of the upper end region of the end wall 22, so that only a small gap is left. The commodity fed to the upper conveyor 40 is conveyed by the latter in the direction of the arrow 36 into the rear region of the hopper. In this manner, the commodity will drop and will ba mixed with the rest of the commodity in the waggon.

The upper conveyor has laterally projecting rollers 50 and 52 which are mounted in a recess 54 in the side wall of the fodder-mixing apparatus.

The upper conveyor 40 can be displaced along these rollers 50 and 52 to the rear portion of the waggon. The gap 58 between the upper end region of the sloping end wall 22 and the end region 42 of the upper conveyor 40 facing the end wall, is thereby increased. The upper conveyor 40 can be fixed at a selected distance from the upper edge of the sloping end wall 22.

According to the nature of the commodity to be mixed, and according to the width of the gap, fodder can be discharged over the top edge of the sloping end wall 2 and through the upper gap 58 in the direction of the arrow 60. This fodder drops onto the transverse conveyor 62 which, in the present embodiment, is a conveyor belt. A deflecting wall 64 ensures that all the discharged fodder actually drops onto the conveyor 62.

Commodity which has dropped onto the conveyor belt 62 is conveyed by the latter to the in-feed opening 66 of an external conveyor 68 which comprises a screw conveyor or auger 70.

The outer end of the external conveyor 68 opens at 72 into an opening 74 in the side wall of the fodder-mixing apparatus. When the external conveyor 68 is operating, fodder which enters the in-feed region 66 thereof is conveyed through the opening 74 into the hopper of the fodder-mixing apparatus.

Fig. 2 shows a deflecting wall 80 by which the commodity coming from the transverse conveyor 62 is forcibly guided into the in-feed opening 66 of the external conveyor 68. This deflecting wall will be further described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 3 shows a portion of the sloping end wall 22 and an end portion of the upper pulley 28 of the scraper device 24, the upper conveyor 40 having been omitted. The transverse conveyor belt 62 is indicated by broken lines.

The right-hand bottom side of Fig. 3 is a cross section through the screw conveyor 70 of the external conveyor and through a lower trough 84 surrounding the screw in the in-feed region 66.

The deflecting wall or the baffle plate 80 is shown on the right adjacent to the screw 70. Solid lines show the baffle plate or the flap 80 in a position in which it acts as a deflecting wall by which commodity coming from the transverse conveyor belt 62 is forcibly guided into the in-feed opening 66 of the external conveyor.

Broken lines show this movably arranged flap 80 in the other position in which it covers the infeed opening 66 of the external conveyor and forcibly guides fodder, coming from the transverse conveyor belt 62, outwardly across the external conveyor. This flap at the same time serves as a chute in order to deflect the fodder in a desired direction into, for example a fodder trough.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the invention in which a linkage 92 is connected to the upper conveyor 40 by way of a projecting pin 90 and, by means of a fork 94 (only indicated diagrammatically), can pivot the movably disposed flap 80 from one position into its other position by way of a driver pin 96. This mechanism 90, 92, 94, 96 serves to perform this change-over operation forcibly, so that only one change-over operation has to be performed to transfer from pure mixing operation to discharge operation, that is to say, displacement of the upper conveyor 40.

A toggie spring 98 biases, and thus holds the flap 80 in the position in which the flap is located at any given time.

Various modifications are possible. Thus the apparatus need not be mobile, in which case the wheels 11 and the draw bar 12 are omitted and the body is mounted on a suitable support. The end wall 2 may be curved. The transverse conveyor 62 may be made reversible. The scraper device 20 on the floor 14 and the scraper device 24 on the sloping end wall 22 can be selectively operated at different speeds. Alternatively, the two scraper devices may be of integrated construction.

Claims

1. A mobile or stationary fodder-mixing apparatus comprising a body to receive the fodder to be mixed, the body having a scraper floor and an outwardly sloping end wall provided with a scraper device, and a conveyor which is arranged on the top of the body so as to extend substantially from the sloping end wall over a portion of the length of the body for conveying the fodder in a direction opposite to that in which the scraper floor conveys.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the sloping end wall is of curved construction.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the body is open beyond the region in which the upper conveyor extends.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the upper conveyor is a conveyor belt which extends substantially over the width of the body.

5. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, in which the upper conveyor is adjustable and fixable at various distances from the upper end of the sloping end wall.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the scraper device on the floor and the scraper device on the sloping end wall are constructed so as to be operable at different speeds.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, in which the scraper device on the floor and the scraper device on the sloping end wall are of integrated construction.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which a transverse conveyor is disposed below the upper edge of the sloping end wall.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which the transverse conveyor is a belt conveyor.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or 9, in which the transverse conveyor is selectively operable in one direction and in the opposite direction.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10, in which an external conveyor is arranged to extend in a longitudinal direction with its in-feed region disposed in one end region of the transverse conveyor and with the other end of the external conveyor opening into the oppositely located end region of the body.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, in which the external longitudinal conveyor is a screw conveyor.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or 12.

in which a movably disposed flap is provided and, when in one position below the end of the transverse conveyor covers the in-feed opening of of the external conveyor and, when in another position, forms an outer boundary wall, acting as an inlet wall, of the in-feed opening of the external conveyor.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, in which an adjusting device is provided which, upon adjustment of the upper conveyor towards the sloping end wall, automatically moves the movably disposed plate into its position in which it serves as an inlet wall of the in-feed opening of the external conveyor.

1 5. A fodder mixing apparatus constructed and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the drawings.