GB2134478A

GB2134478A - Procedure and apparatus for baling peat, and peak package

Info

Publication number: GB2134478A
Application number: GB08401918A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nils Pehr Edvard Osterman
Original assignee: OSTERMAN INTER LEASING
Current assignee: OSTERMAN INTER LEASING
Priority date: 1983-02-01
Filing date: 1984-01-25
Publication date: 1984-08-15
Also published as: SE8400413D0; DE3422140A1; NO840375L; FI830341A0; SE8400413L; GB8401918D0; IE840147L

Abstract

Loose peat is compressed in the pressing chamber (2) of a baling press in the direction towards an end of the chamber and against a rigid platform (5) placed in said chamber, upon the compressed peat another rigid platform (5) is subsequently placed and the compressed peat and platforms are tied in the direction of pressing with straps (6) to become a bale (7). The peat package consists of rigid platforms (5), between which the loose peat has been compressed in a direction at right angles to the platforms, and of straps (6), which urge the platforms towards each other in the pressing direction. The baling press includes an openable and closable hatch (21) for inserting platforms in the pressing chamber. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Procedure and apparatus for baling peat, and peat package The present invention concerns procedure and apparatus for baling peat, and a peat package.

It is present practice to handle peat, and growth peat in particular, as loose goods, either completely loose or e.g. filled in bags.

The specific gravity of loose peat is on the order of 0.1-0.1 5 t/m3, whereby peat requires comparatively large storage, transporting and handling capacity owing to its high volume per unit weight. As a result, the storage, transport and handling costs of loose peat are relatively high and it is therefore not selling well.

Danish patent No. 69669 discloses a baling press having movable sidewalls for placing a cover over the bale and for tying the bale.

However, the drive means for the sidewalls is complex.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned. In particular, the invention aims to provide a new method for baling peat and a new peat package, by using which the storage, transport, baling and handling costs of peat can be lowered appreciably from what they were before.

The invention is based on the observed fact that when loose peat is being compressed in the pressing chamber of a baling press with the aid of a press plunger, the pressing force acts on the walls of the chamber mainly in the direction of pressing only, i.e., in the direction towards the end of the chamber, Thus the completed peat bale tends to expand substantially in the direction of pressing exclusively, and in order to hold the bale together it requires strapping only in the longitudinal direction.

According to the invention peat is pressed upon a platform placed in the baling press, advantageously against an obstacle shaped after and fitted to the underside of the platform. The platform may be placed into the baling press through an opening and a hatch provided in the side wall of the press.

By virtue of the present invention, loose peat can be baled with conventional bale handling equipment, such as trucks, cellulose bale handling equipment etc., to be formed into bales which are easy to handle. The storage, transport and handling costs of the bales will thus be substantially lower than the equivalent costs incurred with loose peat.

The invention is described in the following in detail with the aid of an embodiment example, with reference being made to the attached drawings, wherein: Figure 1 presents schematically the procedure of the invention, carried out in the form of a continuous process, and partly sectioned; Figure 2 displays a package according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a platform belonging to the package according to the invention; Figure 4 presents the press chamber used in another embodiment of the invention; and Figure 5 presents the press chamber with an obstacle for the platform and an actuating member for it in a third embodiment of the invention.

In Fig. 1 is depicted an installation for baling peat as taught by the invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the loose peat 14 is compressed in the pressing chamber 2 of the baling press 1 with the aid of a press plunger 3 in the direction towards the end 4 of the chamber upon a rigid platform 5 placed on the end. Upon the pressed bale, that is upon the pressed peat material, is placed another rigid platform 5, and the bale is tied in the pressing chamber in the direction of compression with straps 6 to become a bale 7 (the platforms 5 and straps 6 can be seen in Fig.

2).

The peat bale formed in the manner just described can be removed from the press 7 while the bale is not tied in the breadth direction of the bale. This is due to the peculiar expansion properties of peat, which have already been described. In order to keep the bale intact and protected e.g. against bumps which it may suffer during transport, the bale is preferably provided with corner guards 9 and it is also tied in the breadth direction with straps 1 0. Finally, a cover 11 is placed over the bale, for instance a shrink plastic film, a common plastic film, paper, or the like.

The compressed ratio with which the pressing of loose peat to a bale takes place is advantageously on the order of 3/1-4/1. In that case a bale of 2.4 m3 (dimensions: 1.0 X 1.2 X 2.0 m) for instance will have weight about 1.0-1.5 tons, density on the order of 0.5 t/m3 and loose peat content 8-10 m3. It is thus understood that the storage, transport and handling space required for the peat is about 1/4 of the equivalent space requirements of loose peat.

Moreover, the bales are eminently fit to be handled with conventional bale handling methods and equipment.

In the installation depicted in Fig. 1, the loose peat is transferred into the upper filling hopper 1 5 of the baling press 1 with the aid of conventional transport machines and conveyors 1 6. The press 1 is horizontally operating, i.e. the pressing plunger (indicated with dotted lines) operates in horizontal direction and the filling hopper 1 5 leads into the compression space when the plunger 3 is in the open position. During the pressing motion the plunger is pressed e.g. hydraulically towards the end 4, compressing the loose peat, wher eafter the plunger is returned to the open position and respectively the compression space is once again filled with loose peat. The pressing continues in cycles until the bale has been pressed to full size, that is until the pressing chamber is filled with compressed peat.Hereafter a platform 5 is placed between the plunger and the peat, the bale is compressed and it is tied in the pressing direction with straps 6, as is known, e.g. from machines baling cellulose, straw and other products. Finally, the bale is removed from the press and upended with the hoisting means 17, and fitted with the corner guards already mentioned and provided with a cover, such as a shrink plastic film heated in an oven 1 8.

In Fig. 2 is shown the above-depicted bale in its entirety. The bale is confined by the platforms 5 on the top and bottom, these platforms being kept together in the pressing direction by straps 6. The corner guards 9, lateral straps 10 and cover 11 protect the bale e.g. against bumps.

In Fig. 3 can be seen the construction of the platform. The platform consists of a bottom plate 1 2 made of stiff cardboard, e.g. of plastic-bonded armour-board, and having shallow bends 1 9 parallelling the sides of the bale as well as reinforcements 13, such as timber boards, placed at the points where the clamping straps run. Hereby the straps placed in register with the boards 1 3 will keep the bale firmly together.

In Fig. 4 is shown the pressing chamber 2 used in another embodiment of the invention, with pressing plunger 3 and feed hopper 1 5.

In the wall of the chamber 2 an aperture 20 has been provided, which has been fitted with an openable and closable hatch, for instance hinged by hinges 22 to the wall of the pressing chamber and provided with closing hasps 23 to enable the hatch to be opened and closed. The said aperture 20 with its hatch 21 is intended for inserting a load pallet 5 on the end of the pressing chamber so that the pressing operation may be accomplished against this load pallet.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the pressing chamber 2 is elongated so that the preceding, fully compressed bale 7 is accommodated in the ultimate part of the pressing chamber so that the pressing may take place against said bale. The ultimate end 24 of the pressing chamber may be provided e.g. with friction elements or other equivalent stops so that the said preceding bale 7 will be held in position during the compressing of the next bale. The said stops may be mountable and adjustable so that, if desired, the bale 7 may be removed through the rear end of the pressing chamber as soon as the next bale has been fully compressed.

In the embodiment of Fig. 5 an obstacle or blocking member 30, shaped after and fitted to the under side of the platform 5, has been placed into the pressing chamber 2 and forms the end of the chamber, arranged right across the rectangular pressing chamber. The side of the obstacle member lying towards the load pallet has been shaped to conform with and fitted to the underside of the load pallet.

The platform 5 has been placed against the obstacle member 30 and supported on it so that the stands or legs of the platform are supported to the depressiqns of the obstacle member and the depressions of the platform (seen from the side of the obstacle member) are supported by the projections of the obstacle member. Thus the platform does not break during compression.

The baling press of Fig. 5 comprises an actuator 32 like a hydraulic cylinder for actuating the obstacle member. The actuator has been arranged to transfer the obstacle member out of the pressing chamber after the compression and tying of a bale for removing the bale from the chamber in the pressing direction and for transferring the obstacle member back into the chamber for the compression of next bale.

The baling press further comprises bar-like supporting member 33, placed on the side walls of the pressing chamber outside of the inside surface of the wall. The obstacle member is supported on said supporting members in pressing direction.

The embodiment examples are meant to illustrate the invention, and the invention may vary within the scope of the claims following below.

Claims

1. A procedure for baling peat in which loose peat is pressed in a pressing chamber of a baling press with the aid of a pressing plunger acting towards an end of the chamber, a first rigid platform being placed on the bottom end of the chamber before pressing, a secured rigid platform being placed at the other end of the pressed bale, and the bale being tied by straps in the direction of pressing.

2. A procedure according to claim 1, in which the side edges of the bale are provided with corner guards and the bale is tied in the direction at right angles to the direction of pressing with further straps and is provided with a cover, such as a shrink plastic film.

3. A procedure according to claim 1 or 2, in which the peat meaterial is pressed with a compression ratio on the order of 3/1-4/1.

4. A procedure for baling peat, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, or to Fig. 4 or Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.

5. A baling press for baling peat and comprising a pressing chamber having side walls and an end and a pressing plunger for compressing peat towards the end of the chamber, in which an aperture is provided in the wall of the chamber, the aperture being fitted with an openable and closable hatch for inserting a platform into the pressing chamber.

6. A baling press according to claim 5, in which the baling press is provided with an obstacle member shaped and fitted behind and to the underside of a platform for supporting said platform during the compression of peat.

7. A baling press according to claim 6, in which the baling press is provided with an actuator for transferring the obstacle member out of the compression chamber after the compression phase and into the chamber after removing a bale from said chamber.

8. A baling press for baling peat, substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 4 or Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A peat package comprising rigid platforms between which the loose peat has been compressed in the direction at right angles against the platforms, and straps which hold the platforms together in the direction of pressing.

10. A package according to claim 9, in which the side edges of the package have been provided with corner guards; the package comprises straps running at right angles to the direction of pressing; and the side faces of the package have been covered with a cover.

11. A package according to claim 9 or 10, in which the platform consists of a plate made of board material and of reinforcements, such as timber boards, placed in register with the straps running in the direction of pressing.

1 2. A peat package substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.