GB2348614A - A rotary mixer - Google Patents

Abstract

The mixer includes mixing blades A,B having angled deflectors E which move material over plates C,D and along the rotary axis either in an outward direction (Fig 1) or an inward direction (Fig 2). The plates C,D and deflectors E can be manufactured from flat sheets (Fig 3). The mixer may be used for mixing free flowing granular material in a horizontal mixer drum.

Description

MIXER BLADES This invention relates to mixer blades.

It is often required to mix materials within a vessel so that the various constituents are evenly distributed throughout the mix.

If the material in the vessel is being heated or cooled it may also be necessary to keep the material moving in near random manner so that all is uniformly treated.

Effective mixing is achieved by careful attention to the design of the mixing blades and the vessel.

Some designs of mixing blades are complicated and expensive to make, and simpler solutions are often more suitable.

The present invention offers an inexpensive solution to the task of uniform mixing where the materials to be mixed are liquids, free flowing granular, or similar materials.

Angled deflectors are arranged to move material parallel to the axis of rotation of the mixing blades while material is being tumbled.

The deflector plates are symmetrical, to left and right of the centre of the vessel, so that axial forces tend to balance out.

The design makes it practical to make or modify individual mixers because the component parts are straight-forward to manufacture using standard sheet profiling processes.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of reference to the accompanying drawing, in which; Isometric sketches, figures 1 & 2, show the arrangement of blades and deflectors as used in a cylindrical drum. Two diametrically opposed blades are shown.

Figure 3 illustrates the separate components which would normally be made from flat sheet material, but could of course be made in other ways.

Referring to Figure 1,2 blades (A) & (B) rotate within an horizontal cylindrical drum (not shown). Material picked up by blade (A) near the centre of the drum passes on to plates (C) and (D) and is directed by deflector (E) left or right as shown by the dotted arrows.

In Figure 2 the blades have rotated through 180 degrees. Material now flows from blade (B) via (C), (D) & (E) away from the ends of the drum towards the centre, again shown by the dotted ~~ During repeated cycles of rotation material is uniformly mixed.

It is envisaged that mixing vessel can be other than cylindrical, the blades can rotate inside a stationary vessel as drawn, or the vessel and blades can be fixed to each other and rotate together.

In a modification it is envisaged that there can be a multiplicity of such blades within one vessel.

Claims (3)

1. CLAIMS 1. Angled deflectors fitted to, or forming an integral part of, mixer blades which are shaped to move material along the axis of rotation of the mixing process while material is being mixed.
2. 2. Mixer blades as claimed in claim 1 where deflector plates are symmetrical so that axial forces tend to balance out.
3. 3. A mixer blade arrangement substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawing.