GB2232363A

GB2232363A - Bulk material mixing and/or distributing appliances

Info

Publication number: GB2232363A
Application number: GB8909418A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Harry West
Original assignee: Harry West
Current assignee: Harry West
Priority date: 1989-04-25
Filing date: 1989-04-25
Publication date: 1990-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 2009-04-25
Also published as: GB8909418D0; GB2232363B

Abstract

An appliance for mixing and/or distributing bulk material, typically an agricultural animal feed mixing and distributing vehicle or manure or slurry spreader has a container body (10) within which is transfer means, such as a main auger (20) on a drive shaft (22) along the body, for urging the bulk material into a zone of the body at one end thereof. To counteract the tendency for material to accumulate and become compacted against the end wall (12) of the body the shaft also carries a counterflow formation (24) comprising a radial support plate (26) with planar blades (28) secured in the angle between said element and the shaft periphery each inclined at a pitch angle with respect to planes including the shaft axis to urge the material away from said end wall e.g. to facilitate its passage from a discharge opening (18) of the body. <IMAGE>

Description

MATERIAL MIXING AND/OR DISTRIBUTING APPLIANCES This invention relates to appliances for mixing and/or distributing bulk materials, particularly but not exclusively agricultural bulk mixer, transport and/or spreader or distributor vehicles for such applications as mixing and distributing animal feedstuffs or broadcast distribution of manures, fertilizers or slurry.

An example of an appliance in the form of a spreader vehicle for agricultural use is described and claimed in British Patent 2 080 662.

Gore specifically the invention applies to appliances (of which the vehicle described in said Patent is an example) comprising a container body for holding a bulk of the material, and material transfer means within the body for urging a flow of the material along the body towards one end thereof to be received into a zone of the body immediately adjacent said one end but offset from the direction of said flow for discharge from a body opening in that zone and/or recirculation within the body, said transfer means comprising a rotatably driven shaft extending from end to end of the body and comprising or mounting an auger section along a major portion thereof between the other end of the body and the region of said zone, acting on the material in use to cause said flow and said appliances are hereinafter referred to as "appliances of the kind described".

Said auger section may be a single or multi-start archimedean screw type auger having a uniformly pitched smooth continuous periphery or, particularly for heavy duty applications such as handling wet or sticky materials, liable to clog or bridge the auger or otherwise become compacted within the body, an auger constructed as described and claimed in British Patent 2 162 809 built up from flat plates could be employed.

The object of the present invention is to render the action of the transfer means in appliances of the kind described more effective while maintaining strength and durability for reliable performance under arduous conditions, yet providing a simple and economical construction which is easy to manufacture and simple to repair if damaged.

According to the invention there is provided an appliance of the kind described characterised in that the material transfer means includes a counterflow formation at or immediately adjacent to said one end of the body acting in use to urge material away from said one end into said region, said formation comprising a support element in surrounding relationship to and projecting radially of the shaft axis and a plurality of blades, each being a planar plate, secured to the shaft and the support element in the angle therebetween and directed away from said one end at angular spacing about said axis and each pitched at an angle to respective planes including said axis.

Conveniently the shaft has a plurality of planar peripheral faces, e.g. it is square in cross-section and each said plate has rectilinear edges secured to respective faces and to the support element as by welding. The free edge or edges of the plate may be arcuate e.g. each said plate may be shaped as a 90 degree sector of a circle.

An embodiment of the invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of part of material transfer means of an agricultural spreader vehicle and Figure 2 is a sectional end view thereof on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In this example the appliance is an agricultural spreader vehicle generally of the kind described in said Patent 2 080 662 to which reference is made for further detail of its construction and operation. The vehicle includes a container body 10 for holding a bulk of the farmyard manure, slurry or other material to be transported and distributed, said body (part only shown in the drawings) including a vertical front end wall 12 and side walls 14 merging with a part cylindrical bottom wall 16. A side discharge opening 18 controlled by a sliding door or gate (not shown) is provided in one side wall 14 adjacent to the front end of the body.

In order to feed the material in a regulated flow along the body into a zone thereof adjacent the front end but offset from the direction of said flow so that it passes through opening 18 the vehicle includes power driven transfer means, the main part of which consists of an archimedean screw type auger 20 (the front part only of which is indicated in broken lines in Figure 1) carried on a drive shaft 22 which extends the full length of body 10 and is journalled on or in its end walls. The portion of shaft 22 within the body between said ends is formed as a hollow square section tube 22a.

The material is fed forward by auger 20 in the direction of arrows A and while most of said flow will escape or be pushed sideways through opening 18 (possibly assisted by radial flails or paddles (not shown) on shaft 22a in said region of the opening) there will be a tendency for some material to be urged forward past opening 18 to lodge and become compacted against end wall 12.

To counteract this the transfer means further includes a counterflow formation indicated generally at 24 for urging the material rearwardly away from wall 12 and back into said region in the direction of arrows B.

This latter formation comprises a support element in the form of a flat circular plate 26 welded onto the extreme forward end of square section 22a so that it extends radially in close spaced relationship to end wall 12. The formation further comprises four planar blades 28, again flat plates each shaped as a 90 degree segment of a circle and having its straight edges welded to respective flat faces of shaft section 22a and the rear face of plate 26 in the angle therebetween.

Plates 28 are inclined at a pitch angle (not shown in the drawings) with respect to respective planes in which the shaft axis lies so that they act in an opposite-handed sense with respect to the pitch angle of auger 20 to drive the material in the opposite direction.

Thus the blades 28 act in the manner of a short section of auger rather like a ship's propeller but having much simpler and more durable construction in that simple flat plates are used for the entire construction which can readily be flame cut or otherwise formed from stock steel plate and are simply mounted by being welded in place giving a very strong construction which is cheap and simple to produce. A further advantage is that if damage does take place, e.g. due to stones or other solids contaminating the material, repair can readily be effected, in the field if necessary, using basic welding equipment.

It will be understood that shaft 22 within the body could be cylindrical in shape or could have three or more flat faces and/or that more or less than four blades 28 could be provided. While the free edges of blades 28 are arcuate in the example shown they could have other profiles or shapes in outline. The effective pitch angle of the blades can also readily be varied at the time of manufacture to suit the desired performance and output of the appliance and the types of material to be handled, again without specially curved or bent blades having to be provided, it is simply a matter of changing the pitch angle at which they are welded to the shaft and support plate.

Claims

1. An appliance for mixing or distribution of bulk materials comprising a container body for holding a bulk of the material, and material transfer means within the body for urging a flow of the material along the body toward one end thereof to be received into a zone of the body immediately adjacent said one end but offset from the direction of said flow to be discharged from an opening of the body in that zone and/or to be recirculated within the body, said transfer means comprising a rotatably driXsen shaft extending along the body and having an auger section along a major portion thereof which acts on the material in use to cause said flow: characterised in that said transfer means further includes a counterflow formation at or immediately adjacent to said one end of the body acting in use to urge material away from said one end, said formation comprising a support element projecting radially of the shaft axis and a plurality of blades each being a planar plate, angulary spaced about said axis, each said blade being secured to the shaft and the support element in the angle therebetween directed away from said one end of the body and pitched at an angle to a respective plane including the shaft axis.

2. An appliance as in Claim 1 characterised in that the shaft has a plurality of planar peripheral faces, and each blade has a rectilinear edge secured to a respective one of said faces.

3. An appliance as in Claim 2 characterised in that the shaft is square in cross-section.

4. An appliance as in Claim 2 or 3 characterised in that each plate has a further rectilinear edge secured to the support element.

5. An appliance as in Claim 2,3 or 4 characterised in that the free edge or edges of each blade are arcuate.

6. An appliance as in Claim 5 characterised in that each said blade is shaped as a 900 (or 90 degree) sector of a circle.

7. An appliance as in any preceding claim characterised in that the blades are welded onto the shaft and support element.

8. An appliance as in any preceding claim characterised in that it is an agricultural bulk mixing and distributing vehicle.

9. An appliance as in any of claims 1 to 7 characterised in that it is an agricultural spreader vehicle.