JPH10305422A - Kneaded, its gate device, and method for kneading material using kneader with gate device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply prevent the quality of a finished product from deteriorating following the oxidation of a material to be kneaded by enabling the control or inhibition of the entry of an atmospheric air from a clearance between a chamber and a gate circuit the necessity to increase the drive output of the gate and install a specific sealing mechanism. SOLUTION: The gate device for the kneader has a rotor 4 mounted, in a freely rotating manner, in the internal kneading section 3 of a chamber, and gates 24, 25 which freely become closer to and separated from a rotor 4 in the kneading section 3 in the diametral direction of the rotor 4, introduced through the chamber 2. In this case, an airtight cover which hermetically seals a clearance between the chamber 2 and the gates 24, 25 against an atmospheric air outside the chamber 2, is provided on the outer lateral face of the chamber 2. Alternatively, a gas supply passage 78 is provided with supplies a non- oxidation gas which does not oxidize a material to be kneaded in the kneading section 3 when the gas comes into contact with the material, into the clearance between the chamber 2 and the gates 24, 25.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a kneader for kneading a polymer resin material such as plastic or rubber, a gate device thereof, and a material kneading method using a kneader having the gate device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as a gate device for a twin-screw continuous kneader, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-43060 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No.
No. 85 has conventionally been employed, and this gate device is provided so that a rotor rotatably inserted into a kneading chamber in a chamber of a kneading machine can be freely moved toward and away from a rotor in a radial direction. And a pair of upper and lower gates inserted through the gate are moved by a driving mechanism.

In this case, when the gate is moved up and down by the drive mechanism, the gap between the arc edge of the gate and the circular cross section formed halfway in the axial direction of the rotor changes, and as a result, the kneaded material flowing in the kneading chamber is changed. The flow rate of the material, that is, the degree of kneading can be adjusted. Conventionally, a vent hole is provided on the downstream side of the gate device (second kneading chamber) in the chamber, and a vacuum vent or an atmospheric pressure vent is performed from this vent hole to degas volatile components and the like in the kneading chamber. In some cases, kneading is performed.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional gate device, a pair of upper and lower gates are inserted into the chamber so as to be able to approach and separate in the radial direction of the rotor. Considering dynamic resistance,
A slight gap is physically required between the chamber and the gate.

[0005] For this reason, especially during vacuum venting, outside air outside the chamber is sucked into the kneading chamber from the gap between the chamber and the gate, and the oxygen contained in the outside air causes the material to be kneaded (particularly polyethylene). ) May be oxidized to produce off-spec products in the final product pellets. In addition, even during normal operation without performing vacuum venting, outside air outside the chamber may be sucked from the gap due to a negative pressure effect in the kneading chamber due to a change in the flow rate of the material to be kneaded or rotation of the rotor. The same disadvantages as described above may occur.

On the other hand, as means for avoiding the above-mentioned inconvenience, it is conceivable to attach a rubber packing to the outer peripheral side surface (joining surface to the chamber) of the gate and fill the gap with the chamber with the rubber packing to seal.
In this case, the sliding resistance of the gate increases and the driving mechanism needs to be large-scale, and the maintenance cost increases because the rubber packing wears out early.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to suppress or prevent the invasion of outside air from a gap between a chamber and a gate without increasing a driving output of a gate or requiring a special sealing mechanism. An object of the present invention is to easily prevent a decrease in product quality due to oxidation of a material to be kneaded.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the following technical measures have been taken in order to achieve the above object. That is,
According to the present invention, there is provided a gate device for a kneading machine, wherein a rotor is rotatably provided in a kneading chamber in a chamber, and a gate which is rotatable toward and away from the rotor in the kneading chamber in a radial direction is inserted into the chamber. Wherein an airtight cover for sealing a gap between the chamber and the gate from outside air outside the chamber is provided on the outer surface of the chamber (claim 1).

In this case, since the airtight cover seals the gap between the chamber and the gate from outside air outside the chamber, the gap between the chamber and gate is kept from the outside air while maintaining the conventional clearance between the chamber and the gate. It can be easily sealed. Therefore, it is possible to easily prevent the material to be kneaded from being oxidized due to the invasion of the outside air from the gap between the chamber and the gate, while keeping the ease of driving the gate almost as usual.

In the above-mentioned apparatus of the present invention, a supply pipe of a non-oxidizing gas which does not oxidize the material to be kneaded in the kneading chamber even when the material comes into contact with the kneading chamber may be connected to the airtight cover. In this case, since the non-oxidizing gas is further supplied from the supply pipe to the inside of the airtight cover where the inflow of the external air is regulated by the airtight cover, it is possible to more reliably prevent the external air containing oxygen from entering the kneading chamber. Can be prevented.

Further, in the apparatus of the present invention, a rotor is rotatably provided in a kneading chamber in the chamber, and a gate which can freely approach and separate in the radial direction with respect to the rotor in the kneading chamber is inserted into the chamber. In the gate device of the kneading machine, a gas supply passage for supplying a non-oxidizing gas that does not oxidize the material to be kneaded in the kneading chamber even when the material comes into contact with the kneading chamber is provided to the gap between the chamber and the gate. Item 3).

In this case, since the non-oxidizing gas from the gas supply passage is supplied to the gap between the chamber and the gate, the gap is gas-sealed by the non-oxidizing gas blown out therefrom. For this reason, in the case of the gate device as well, it is possible to effectively prevent the outside air containing oxygen from entering through the gap while maintaining the conventional clearance between the chamber and the gate.

The gas supply passage can be provided on either the gate side (see FIGS. 8 to 11) or the chamber side (see FIG. 12). In order to supply the non-oxidizing gas evenly over the chamber, it is preferable to form a circumferential groove orbiting along the gap on the outer peripheral side surface of the chamber or the inner peripheral side surface of the gate. When such a circumferential groove is employed, the gas supply passage is formed around the outer peripheral side surface of the gate constituting the joint surface with the chamber, and the circumferential groove is formed outside the chamber. And an inner passage formed inside the gate so as to communicate with the outer surface of the gate exposed to the outside (claim 4).

The reason is that forming the peripheral groove on the outer peripheral side surface of the gate is easier to process than forming the peripheral groove on the inner peripheral side surface of the chamber. In the case where a guide shaft for supporting the gate so that it can move back and forth is connected to the outer surface of the gate exposed to the outside of the chamber, an internal passage of the gate is provided inside the guide shaft at a connection portion with the gate. It is preferable to form a shaft passage extending along the axial direction of the guide shaft so as to communicate with the guide shaft (claim 5).

According to this structure, the guide shaft can be used also as a supply pipe for the non-oxidizing gas to the gate.
There is no need to provide the supply pipe separately, and there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In the case where both the airtight cover and the gas supply passage are provided, it is sufficient to seal only the guide shaft penetrating the airtight cover, so that the manufacturing cost is reduced in this respect as well.

The gate device of the present invention has a chamber having a kneading chamber therein, a rotor for kneading and melting the material to be kneaded rotatably inserted into the kneading chamber, and a diameter of the rotor relative to the rotor. And a gate device having a gate inserted into the chamber so as to be able to approach and separate in a direction (claim 6).

In the kneading machine having the gate device, the material to be kneaded is passed between the gate and the rotor while the gap between the chamber and the gate is sealed from outside air outside the chamber. The materials to be kneaded are kneaded (claim 7). In the kneading machine having the gate device, the material to be kneaded is supplied to the gap between the chamber and the gate while supplying a non-oxidizing gas that does not oxidize the material to be kneaded in the kneading chamber even when the material is in contact with the material. Between the rotor and
The materials to be kneaded are kneaded (claim 8).

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a two-rotor twin-screw continuous kneader among various kneaders. As shown in FIG. 7, the twin-screw continuous kneader 1 employed in this embodiment includes a chamber 2 as an apparatus main body,
In the chamber 2, two continuous kneading chambers 3 each having a substantially cylindrical shape in the longitudinal direction are formed so as to communicate with each other so as to have a substantially eyeglass shape in cross section.

In each kneading chamber 3 of the chamber 2, the material to be kneaded is fed from one end side (upstream side, right side in FIG. 7) of the chamber 2 to the other end side (downstream side, left side in FIG. 7). A pair of left and right rotors 4, 4 for kneading and melting the same material in the middle thereof are inserted parallel to each other and rotatably.
Both ends in the axial direction of each of the rotors 4 and 4 are rotatably supported via bearings (bearings) 5, 6 and 7 provided on both the upstream and downstream sides of the chamber 2.

A driving device 8 for the rotor 4 is connected to the downstream end of the chamber 2. The driving device 8 includes a casing 9 tandemly connected to a downstream end of the chamber 2.
And a pair of front and rear bearings 5 and 6 for rotatably supporting the drive shafts 10 of the rotors 4 and 4 inserted into the casing 9, and a drive fixed to a halfway portion of the drive shaft 10 in the axial direction. And a gear 11.

The drive shaft 10 of one of the pair of rotors 4, 4 protrudes further upstream of the casing 9, and its protruding end is connected to a motor 12 with a speed reducer. The drive gears 11 of the rotors 4 and 4 are directly meshed with each other. Therefore, when one of the rotors 4 is driven to rotate by the motor 12, the other rotor 4 rotates in a different direction.

A supply port 1 for supplying a powdery material to be kneaded to the kneading chamber 3 is provided on the upper surface side of the upstream end of the chamber 2.
A hopper (not shown) is connected to the supply port 13. A vent hole 14 is formed in an intermediate portion of the chamber 2 for degassing gas generated during kneading from the kneading chamber 3 or for performing post-addition of an additive such as an inorganic filler.

A discharge port 15 for discharging the melted and kneaded material to the outside of the chamber 2 is provided on the lower surface side of the downstream end of the chamber 2. In this embodiment, this discharge port is provided. 15 adopts a downward discharge type that opens downward in the radial direction of the rotor 4. Further, in the middle part of the chamber 2 in the material transfer direction, the upper and lower gates 24 and 25 are moved closer to or away from the circular cross section 4A formed at the axial center of the rotor 4 from the radial outer side. The kneading chamber 3 in the chamber 2 is divided into two kneading stages 3A and 3B arranged in tandem on the upstream side and the downstream side of the gate apparatus 17. .

The powdery material to be kneaded from the supply port 13 is fed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 4 inserted into the first stage 3A on the upstream side of the gate device 17 in order from the upstream side. A first feed portion 18 composed of a screw blade for feeding and a kneading portion 19 for kneading and melting the powdery material to be kneaded by applying a strong shearing force to the material are formed.

The kneading section 19 has a feed wing section 19A twisted in a direction for pushing the material to be kneaded downstream by the rotation of the rotor 4, and a return blade twisted in a direction to push the material to be kneaded upstream by the rotation. And wings 19B. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 4 inserted into the second stage 3B on the downstream side of the gate device 17 includes screw blades for forcibly transporting the material melted in the kneading unit 19 to the discharge port 15 side. Although the second feed unit 20 is provided,
No kneading section is provided on the downstream side. In addition, when forming a 2nd kneading part downstream of the 2nd feed part 20,
In some cases, only the second kneading section is formed without forming the second feed section 20.

A gear pump (not shown) is connected to the lower side of the discharge port 15 through a connecting pipe 21. A discharge side of the gear pump is connected to a pelletizer (granulating device) and other final processing devices. Is done. Thus, the twin-screw continuous kneader 1 and the gear pump and the granulating device constitute a continuous kneading and granulating system of a polymer resin material. Rotor 4
Is protruded through the chamber 2 through a visco seal 23, and the protruding portion is rotatable toward the chamber 2 by the downstream bearing 7 provided on the downstream side wall of the chamber 2. It is supported by. For this reason,
The kneaded material that has reached the discharge port 15 from the kneading chamber 3 is returned to the upstream side by the reverse feed action of the reverse screw portion in the visco seal 23, whereby the seal of the kneaded material in the rotary sliding portion of the rotor 4 is reduced. Is secured.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG.
The upper and lower gates 24 and 25 are inserted into gate holes 26 formed in the upper wall and the lower wall of the chamber 2 so as to communicate from the outside of the chamber 2 to the inside of the kneading chamber 3.
And a drive mechanism 27 for vertically moving the upper and lower gates 24 and 25 in different directions. The upper gate 24 is slidably inserted into the upper gate hole 26 so that the lower edge of the upper gate 24 projects into the kneading chamber 3. Two arc-shaped concave portions 28 are formed to face each other. On the other hand, the lower gate 25 is slidably inserted into the lower gate hole 26 so that the upper edge protrudes into the kneading chamber 3. A double arc recess 28 is formed to face the portion 4A.

At the joint between the two gates 24 and 25, there is formed an engagement claw 29 which engages with each other when they come close to each other, so that the molten resin short-passes from the joint between the two gates 24 and 25. Has been prevented. A key 30 for preventing rattling of the chamber 2 is fixed to the center of the gates 24 and 25.
The key 30 is fitted in a vertical keyway (not shown) formed on the surface of the chamber 2 on the gate hole 26 side.

The driving mechanism 27 according to the present embodiment includes the chamber 2
A fixed beam 31 erected above the fixed beam 31, a vertical drive screw shaft 32 rotatably provided at the center of the fixed beam 31 and immovable in the axial direction, and a drive shaft for driving the drive screw shaft 32 Drive motor 33 and gearbox 3
4, a pair of upper and lower moving beams 37, 38 in which reverse screw portions 35, 36 formed at the upper and lower ends of the driving screw shaft 32 are respectively screwed, and these moving beams 37, 38 are respectively connected to the upper and lower gates 24. Guide shaft 3 connected to, 25
9, 40, and 41.

The fixed beam 31 is erected between the upper ends of four fixed rods 42 erected on the upper surface of the chamber 2 and is fixed to the chamber 2 at a constant vertical distance. On the upper surface of the fixed beam 31, the gate device 1
A hanging ring 43 for suspending 7 with a wire or the like is fixed. At the center of the upper surface of the fixed beam 31, there is provided the gear box 34 having a speed reduction mechanism including a worm mechanism therein, and an output shaft 44 is provided at one end (the right end in FIG. 3) of the upper surface of the fixed beam 31. The drive motor 33 inserted in the box 34 is provided. The output shaft 4 penetrating through the other end of the gear box 34 is provided at the other end of the upper surface of the fixed beam 31 (the left end in FIG. 3).
4 is provided with a potentiometer 45 connected to the protruding end.

The gear box 34 is composed of a vertical cylindrical portion 46 fixed to the center of the fixed beam 31 and a horizontal cylindrical portion 47 integrated so as to intersect the side surface of the vertical cylindrical portion 46 at right angles. A worm wheel 48 fixed to the center of the drive screw shaft 32 is housed in the cylindrical portion 46, and the output shaft 44 meshing with the worm wheel 48 is inserted through the horizontal cylindrical portion 47.

The drive screw shaft 32 has reverse screw portions 35 and 36 whose torsion directions are opposite to each other at its upper and lower ends. Among them, the upper reverse screw portion 35 is screwed to a first screw cylinder 49 provided at the center of the upper moving beam 37 above the fixed beam 31, and the lower reverse screw portion 3 is provided.
6 is screwed into a second screw cylinder 50 provided at the center of the lower moving beam 38 disposed between the fixed beam 31 and the chamber 2.

The upper end of a vertical first guide shaft 39 is fixed to the left and right ends of the upper moving beam 37 by penetrating from below. The first guide shaft 39 slidably penetrates the fixed beam 31 in the middle thereof, and is connected to the upper surface of the upper gate 24 at the lower end. On the other hand, the upper end of the second guide shaft 40 is fixed to the left and right ends of the lower moving beam 38 by penetrating from below. The second guide shaft 40 slidably penetrates the left and right side walls of the chamber 2 in the middle thereof, and penetrates from above the end of the lower beam 51 disposed on the lower surface side of the chamber 2 at the lower end. It is fixed.

Further, from the center of the lower beam 51,
A pair of left and right third guide shafts 41 arranged at left and right positions corresponding to the first guide shafts 39 are fixed by penetrating from above.
Is connected to the lower surface of the lower gate 25. Therefore, the gearbox 34 is driven by the drive motor 33.
When the drive screw shaft 32 is rotated via the worm mechanism inside, the upper moving beam 37 and the lower moving beam 38 move up and down in directions opposite to each other, and the guide beams 39, 40, The upper and lower gates 24 and 25 respectively connected via 41 also move up and down in opposite directions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper and lower gates 2
4, 25, a heat medium passage 52 for controlling the temperature of the gates 24, 25 is formed along the left-right direction, and the first and third guide shafts 39 connected to the upper and lower gates 24, 25 are formed. , 41, a shaft passage 53 communicating with the heat medium passage 52 is formed along the axial direction.
Also, at the entrance of the shaft passage 53, the passage 5
A heat medium pump 54 for supplying a heat medium to the heat pump 3 is connected to the heat medium pump 3.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first guide shaft 3
9 is fitted into a fitting recess 55 formed on the upper surface of the upper gate 24, and this fitting allows the shaft passage 53 to be fitted.
Is communicated with the heat medium passage 52. A fixed flange 56 is welded to the lower end of the first guide shaft 39, and the fixed flange 56 is bolted to the upper surface of the upper gate 24.
Has been concluded.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the third guide shaft 41 is fitted into a fitting recess 58 formed on the lower surface of the lower gate 25, and this fitting causes the shaft passage 53 to become a heat medium passage. 52. A fixed flange 59 is welded to the upper end of the third guide shaft 41, and the fixed flange 59 is fastened to the lower surface of the lower gate 25 by a bolt 60.

The first and third guide shafts 39,
In order to prevent the heat medium from leaking from the joint between the gate 41 and the gates 24 and 25, a seal plate 61 is provided between the bottom surfaces of the fitting recesses 55 and 58 and the end surfaces of the guide shafts 39 and 41.
The O-ring 62 is interposed on the inner peripheral side of the fixed flanges 56 and 59. In the present embodiment, an airtight cover 63 is provided on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the chamber 2 for preventing outside air from entering from a gap e between the chamber 2 and the upper and lower gates 24 and 25. This airtight cover 6
3 does not seal the gap e between the chamber 2 and the upper and lower gates 24, 25 by directly interposing a seal member such as packing as shown in FIGS.
Is covered from the outside of the chamber 2 and sealed from the outside air.

The gap e in this case is defined by the gate 24,
In consideration of the thermal expansion of the chamber 25 and the sliding resistance to the chamber 2, the clearance includes a clearance provided due to physical necessity, and also includes a gap that is positively designed to have a size larger than the clearance. As shown in FIG. 4, the airtight cover 63 of the present embodiment includes a pair of cover bodies 64 divided into two parts at the front and rear. Each cover body 64 has a length in the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4) substantially equal to the length of the gate hole 26 of the chamber 2 and a length in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. It is formed in a shallow box shape with a slightly concave inside, formed in length.

Each cover body 64 has a joining flange 65 at one end in the front-rear direction, and a mounting flange 6 at the opening edge.
6 and the joining flanges 65 are connected to each other by an airtight sheet 6.
7 through the gate hole 2
6 is assembled to the hermetic cover 63 having a size substantially corresponding to the planar cross-sectional shape of FIG. Further, the airtight cover 63 assembled in this manner is attached to its mounting flange 66.
Are fixed to both the upper and lower surfaces of the chamber 2 by fastening bolts 70 to the upper and lower surfaces of the chamber 2 via airtight sheets 69.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first or third guide shaft 39,
A seal mechanism 71 through which 41 is inserted is provided. The sealing mechanism 71 is provided with a semicircular boss 7 of each cover body 64.
2 and a seal cylinder 73 accommodated in the seal cylinder 73
Gland packing 74 housed in the inside, and a seal cylinder 73 with the gland packing 74 pressed down from above.
And a holding ring 75 fastened together on the cover body 64 side.

Thus, the first or third guide shaft 3
9 and 41 are provided in the sealing cylinder 73 of the sealing mechanism 71.
It is vertically movably inserted while being sealed by the gland packing 74. When kneading the material to be kneaded by the twin-screw continuous kneader 1 according to the above configuration, first, the powdery material to be kneaded (which may contain an inorganic filler) is supplied to the supply port 13.
The material is fed downstream in the first stage 3A in the first stage 3A, and receives a large shear force when passing through the tip of the kneading unit 19 to melt by self-heating. .

Thereafter, the melted kneaded material reaches the second feed section 20 of the second stage 3B while adjusting the kneading degree (temperature) by the gate device 17, and feeds the same.
The screw is conveyed to the outlet 15 by the screw action of 0,
It is discharged from the outlet 15 to the outside of the chamber 2. At this time, in the present embodiment, the airtight cover 63 is
The gap e between the upper and lower gates 24 and 25 is sealed from the outside air, and the outside air does not enter the kneading chamber 3 of the chamber 2, so that the material to be kneaded is oxidized by oxygen contained in the outside air. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the quality from being lowered.

As described above, the airtight cover 63 seals the gap e between the chamber 2 and the upper and lower gates 24 and 25 from outside air outside the chamber 2, so that the chamber 2 and the upper and lower gates 24 are sealed. , 25, and the gap e therebetween can be easily sealed from the outside air while maintaining the conventional clearance.
25 without increasing the driving resistance of the gate device 17.
Can be effectively hermetically sealed at the junction with the chamber 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment, the gas pump 7 for pressure-feeding a non-oxidizing gas which does not oxidize the material to be kneaded in the kneading chamber 3 even when the material comes into contact therewith.
6 can also be connected to the airtight cover 63. In this case, in addition to restricting the inflow of outside air by the airtight cover 63, the airtight cover 63 is supplied from the supply pipe 77.
Is supplied with a non-oxidizing gas, so that the intrusion of outside air containing oxygen into the kneading chamber 3 can be more reliably prevented.

As the non-oxidizing gas, there can be used a nitrogen gas which has been conventionally used as a filling gas for the kneading chamber 3, and other inert gases. 8 to 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, as the sealing means for the upper and lower gates 24 and 25 with respect to the chamber 2, a non-oxidizing gas which does not oxidize the material to be kneaded in the kneading chamber 3 is used instead of the airtight cover 63. And upper and lower gates 24,
A gas supply passage 78 for supplying a gap e between the two 25 is adopted.

Note that the upper gate 24 and the lower gate 25 have the same basic configuration of the gas supply passage 78 itself except that the upper and lower gates are only reversed upside down. Therefore, FIGS. 8 to 10 (the same applies to FIGS. 11 and 12). Only the upper gate 24 is illustrated.
The gas supply passage 78 of this embodiment includes a peripheral groove 79 formed around the outer peripheral side surface of the gate constituting the joint surface with the chamber 2, and the upper gate 24 exposed to the peripheral groove 79 and the outside of the chamber 2. Upper surface (lower gate 25 lower surface) 2
4A and an internal passage 80 formed inside the upper gate 24 so as to communicate with the peripheral groove 79.
Are the front and rear side surfaces 24B and the left and right side surfaces 24C of the upper gate 24.
Are engraved on the surface of the gate 24 so as to go all around.

On the other hand, a pair of left and right vertical passages 81 extending downward from the upper surface of the upper gate 24 to the same level as the peripheral groove 79 and a pair of left and right vertical passages 81 communicating with the lower ends of the respective vertical passages 81 are formed. A lateral passage 82 extending in a longitudinal direction from the middle of the lateral passage 82 (gate thickness direction)
And a pair of left and right front and rear passages 83 branching off. The left and right outlets of the lateral passage 82 communicate with the circumferential grooves 79 on the left and right side surfaces 24C of the upper gate 24.
The front and rear outlets communicate with the circumferential groove 79 on the front and rear side surfaces 24B of the upper gate 24.

A supply pipe 84 for a non-oxidizing gas is airtightly connected to the entrance of the vertical passage 81 opened on the upper surface of the upper gate 24. The supply pipe 84 is connected to the gas pump 76 for pumping the non-oxidizing gas. Is done. When the non-oxidizing gas pumped from the gas pump 76 is supplied to the inside of the upper gate 24 via the supply pipe 84, the non-oxidizing gas reaches the peripheral groove 79 via the internal passage 80, and the peripheral gas is supplied to the peripheral groove 79. Groove 79
Is supplied uniformly over the entire circumference to the gap e between the chamber 2 and the upper gate 24, and the gap e is gas-sealed by the non-oxidizing gas blown out therefrom.

Therefore, also in the case of the gate device 17 of the second embodiment, outside air containing oxygen enters through the gap e while maintaining the conventional clearance between the chamber 2 and the upper gate 24. Is effectively prevented. FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which both the airtight cover 63 of the first embodiment and the gas supply passage 78 of the second embodiment are provided.

Further, in this embodiment, the first guide shaft 39 for supporting the upper gate 24 so as to be able to move back and forth is connected to the upper surface 24A of the upper gate 24 exposed to the outside of the chamber 2. Inside, a shaft passage 85 is formed extending along the axial direction of the guide shaft 39 so as to communicate with the vertical passage 81 of the internal passage 80 of the upper gate 24 at a connection portion with the upper gate 24.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the first guide shaft 39 can be used also as a supply pipe for the non-oxidizing gas to the upper gate 24, and it is not necessary to separately provide the supply pipe, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. be able to. Further, as the gas supply shaft passage 85, the heat medium supply shaft passage 53 described in the first embodiment can be used as it is.

When the upper gate 24 to which the supply pipe for the non-oxidizing gas is connected not only the guide shaft 39 but also the upper gate 24 is sealed with the airtight cover 63, the guide shaft 3 is not sealed.
It is necessary to provide the sealing mechanism 71 not only at the through portion of the supply pipe 9 but also at the through portion of the supply pipe. However, in this embodiment, since the guide shaft 39 also serves as the supply pipe for the non-oxidizing gas, only the It has the advantage of being sufficient.

FIG. 12 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the gas supply passage 78 for the non-oxidizing gas is provided not on the upper gate 24 but on the chamber 2 side. . That is, the inner passage 80 of the gas supply passage 78 is formed on both the left and right walls of the chamber 2,
The peripheral groove 79 is formed on the side surface on the gate hole 26 side.

Therefore, also in this embodiment, the non-oxidizing gas is uniformly supplied over the entire circumference from the peripheral groove 79 on the chamber 2 side to the gap e between the upper gate 24 and the non-oxidizing gas blows out therefrom. The gap e is gas-sealed. However, forming the peripheral groove 79 on the outer peripheral side surface of the gate is easier than forming the peripheral groove 79 on the side surface (inner peripheral side surface) on the gate hole side of the chamber 2. Is more advantageous in the second embodiment.

8 to 12, all of the circumferential grooves 79 are used.
Although the case where the number is one is illustrated, the circumferential groove 79 may be formed in a plurality of upper and lower steps. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is determined by the appended claims, and all embodiments falling within the meaning are included in the scope of the present invention.

That is, in the present embodiment, the gate device 17 having a pair of upper and lower gates 24 and 25 is exemplified. However, the present invention relates to a chamber 2 in which at least one gate is movable in the radial direction of the rotor 4. In other words, the present invention can be applied to a gate device having a pair of left and right gates moving in the horizontal direction as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-155550.

In the illustrated example, the case where the gate device 17 of the present invention is used in the twin-screw continuous kneader 1 in which both ends of the rotor 4 are supported is shown. It can be applied not only to the twin rotor type but also to a single-screw kneader and a multi-screw kneader as well as to a kneading extruder in which an extrusion die is directly connected to the downstream end.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention,
While maintaining the clearance between the chamber and the gate,
Since the gap between them can be easily sealed from the outside air,
It is possible to suppress or prevent outside air from entering through a gap between the chamber and the gate without increasing the drive output of the gate,
Deterioration of product quality due to oxidation of the material to be kneaded can be easily prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of a gate device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the gate device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the gate device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a portion A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion B in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a twin-screw continuous kneader having the gate device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an upper gate of the gate device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the upper gate.

FIG. 10 is a right side view of the upper gate.

FIG. 11 is a front view of an upper gate of the gate device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a front view of an upper gate of a gate device according to a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 biaxial continuous kneader 2 chamber 3 kneading chamber 4 rotor 13 material supply port 17 gate device 24 upper gate 25 lower gate 63 airtight cover 77 supply pipe 78 gas supply passage 79 peripheral groove 80 internal passage 85 shaft passage e gap

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shigehiro Kasai 2-3-1, Shinhama, Araimachi, Takasago City, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Kobe Steel, Ltd. Takasago Works (72) Inventor Yoshinori Kuroda 2, Araimachi Shinama, Takasago City, Hyogo Prefecture No.3-1, Kobe Steel Works, Ltd. Takasago Works

Claims (8)

[Claims] A rotor (4) is rotatably provided in a kneading chamber (3) in a chamber (2), and approaches and separates from the rotor (4) in the kneading chamber (3) in the radial direction. In a gate device of a kneader in which a free gate (24) (25) is inserted into the chamber (2), a gap (e) between the chamber (2) and the gate (24) (25) is formed in the chamber. A gate device for a kneader, wherein an airtight cover (63) for sealing from outside air outside of (2) is provided on an outer surface of the chamber (2). 2. A non-oxidizing gas supply pipe (77), which does not oxidize a material to be kneaded in the kneading chamber (2) even when the material is in contact with the material to be kneaded, is connected to the airtight cover (63). Gate device for kneading machine. 3. A rotor (4) is rotatably provided in a kneading chamber (3) in the chamber (2), and approaches and separates from the rotor (4) in the kneading chamber (3) in the radial direction. In a gate device of a kneading machine in which flexible gates (24) and (25) are inserted into the chamber (2), non-oxidizing that does not oxidize the material to be kneaded even in contact with the material to be kneaded in the kneading chamber (3). A gate device for a kneader, wherein a gas supply passage (78) for supplying gas to a gap (e) between the chamber (2) and the gates (24) and (25) is provided. 4. A gas supply passage (78) includes a peripheral groove (79) formed around the outer peripheral side surface of a gate (24) (25) forming a joint surface with the chamber (2), and a peripheral groove (79) formed around the peripheral groove. An internal passage (80) formed inside the gate (24) (25) so as to communicate the groove (79) with the outer surface of the gate (24) (25) exposed outside the chamber (2). The gate device for a kneader according to claim 3, comprising: 5. The gate (24) (2) on the outer surface of the gate (24) (25) exposed outside the chamber (2).
5) Guide shafts (39) and (4) for supporting the
1) are connected, and this guide shaft (39) (41)
Inside of the guide shaft (39) (41) along the axial direction of the guide shafts (39) (41) so as to communicate with the internal passage (80) of the gate (24) (25) at the connection portion with the gate (24) (25). The gate device of a kneader according to claim 4, wherein an extended shaft passage (85) is formed. 6. A chamber (3) having a kneading chamber (3) therein, a rotor (4) for kneading and melting a material to be kneaded rotatably inserted into the kneading chamber (3), and A gate (24) inserted into the chamber (2) so as to be able to approach and separate from the rotor (4) in the radial direction.
A kneading machine provided with a gate device (17) having (25), wherein the gate device (17) is the gate device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. A rotor in which a material to be kneaded supplied from a material supply port (13) provided at one end of a chamber (2) into a kneading chamber (3) is rotatably provided in the kneading chamber (3). 4), and a gate (2) radially approaching and separating from the rotor (4) in the kneading chamber (3).
4) While adjusting the amount of the material to be kneaded in (25),
In a material kneading method using a kneader (1) having a gate device (17) configured to feed the material to be kneaded to the other end side of the chamber (2), the chamber (2) and the gates (24) (25) ) Is sealed from the outside air outside the chamber (2) while the material to be kneaded is removed from the gate (24).
A material kneading method using a kneader having a gate device, wherein the material is passed between (25) and the rotor (4). 8. A rotor in which a material to be kneaded supplied from a material supply port (13) provided at one end of a chamber (2) into a kneading chamber (3) is rotatably provided in the kneading chamber (3). 4), and a gate (2) radially approaching and separating from the rotor (4) in the kneading chamber (3).
4) While adjusting the amount of the material to be kneaded in (25),
In a material kneading method using a kneader (1) having a gate device (17) configured to feed the kneaded material to the other end side of the chamber (2), the kneaded material in the kneading chamber (3) is The material to be kneaded is supplied to the gates (24) and (25) while supplying a non-oxidizing gas that does not oxidize the same material even when it comes into contact with the gap (e) between the chamber (2) and the gates (24) and (25). ) And a rotor (4), the material being kneaded by a kneader having a gate device.