RU2792188C1 - Crushing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: crushing equipment.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to equipment for crushing a product. A crushing machine is proposed, including a case, a supporting outer crushing cone, a crushing head, which is located in the case, mounted on a shaft, and supports an inner crushing cone, which, together with the outer crushing cone, forms a loading slit, the crushing head has a movable support inside a chamber on a spherical bearing, a coupling movably installed on the shaft, as well as a drive mechanism connected to the coupling and intended for creation of movement of the inner crushing cone relatively to the outer crushing cone. The drive mechanism includes at least three drive units located around the shaft, while each drive unit is connected to the coupling and is configured in such a way that to make the shaft move so that the crushing head rotates in a circle around the spherical bearing, while movements of the shaft provide change in an angular position and orientation of the shaft inside the case. A method for operation of a crushing machine is also proposed.

EFFECT: invention provides high efficiency during operation.

50 cl, 5 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a crusher.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a drive mechanism for a crusher.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Crushing machines such as cone crushers and gyratory crushers are used to crush ores and large stones into small stones, gravel or dust. Crushers can also be used for waste disposal, such as crushing plastic materials into smaller particles. Typically, a crusher has a body that supports an outer crushing cone and houses a crushing head that supports an inner crushing cone. The crushing head moves to crush the original ore between the outer and inner crushing cones. The required size of finer solids is controlled by setting the minimum width of the discharge slot formed between the outer and inner crushing cones.

One type of cone crusher uses an eccentric element that drives the crushing head. The crushing head shaft is mounted in an eccentric element, and during use, the eccentric element drives the shaft along a predetermined path, which in turn drives the crushing head. Prior art examples of such eccentric drives can be seen in US Pat. Nos. 5,115,991 and US 5,718,391. One problem with using such an eccentric is that it is difficult to change the predetermined path of the shaft, as this usually requires the cone crusher to be dismantled so that the eccentric can be replaced with another one. It is also often difficult to adjust the minimum size of the discharge gap between the body and the crushing head.

In another type of cone crusher, the crushing head is supported by a spherical bearing and its shaft is held in a cylindrical sleeve to which an unbalanced mass is attached. As the cylindrical bushing rotates, the unbalanced mass rotates, causing it to swing radially outward under centrifugal forces acting on the bushing, which in turn causes the crushing head to rotate inside the spherical bearing. The rotation path (and relief gap) can be selectively changed by either adjusting the rotation speed of the clutch, adjusting the unbalanced mass, or changing the distance between the unbalanced mass and the clutch. Prior art examples of such prior art unbalanced mass drives can be seen in US Pat. Nos. 8,870,105 and US 8,960,577. One problem that can be encountered when using an unbalanced mass is that the rotational movement of the mass causes excessive vibrations in the cone crusher, which leads to increased wear of its parts.

CN 207102703 also describes a gyratory (inertial) cone crusher similar to the one described above, while it is additionally equipped with a cavity protection device. Its drive mechanism includes a pulley that drives the transmission shaft so that torque is transmitted to the main shaft of the crushing head, which causes the unbalanced mass to rotate to generate a breaking force. The cavity protection device is in the form of a shock absorber, which is located around the crushing head and is designed to prevent direct contact of the crushing head with the crushing cone if the movement of the crushing head becomes too strong. It is described that in the preferred embodiment, the shock absorbers are elastic rubber air springs, but they can also be hydraulic cylinders. However, these hydraulic cylinders do not exert a driving force on the crushing head, since any such force would conflict with the breaking force generated by the unbalanced mass.

It should be understood that if reference is made herein to any prior art publication, such reference does not imply an admission that the publication is public knowledge in that art, in Australia or any other country.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a crusher for crushing material into smaller particles, the crusher including a housing supporting an outer crushing cone; a crushing head housed in the housing and mounted on a shaft, the crushing head supporting an inner crushing cone which, together with the outer crushing cone, forms a discharge slot; and a drive mechanism including at least three drive units connected to the shaft and designed to create movement of the inner crushing cone relative to the outer crushing cone.

The drive mechanism may be designed to drive the crushing head by applying only a pull force to the shaft. The crushing head may be supported by a spherical bearing which may include one or more pads. The drive units may be designed to be selectively activated to drive the crushing head relative to the housing. In some embodiments, the drive units are located inside the housing, while in other embodiments, the drive units are located outside the housing.

The crusher may include a shaft mounted clutch, with each drive unit connected to the clutch by a draw rod. Each draw rod can be pivotally connected to the clutch and its drive unit. Each drawbar can be connected to the clutch and its drive unit using universal joints or constant velocity joints.

The crusher may include a counterweight that is mounted on a shaft, with the counterweight spaced from the crushing head and drive units coupled to the shaft by the crushing head and counterweight. The counterweight can be connected to the shaft and designed to rotate with the crushing head. Alternatively, the counterweight may be attached to the shaft but designed to rotate independently of the crushing head. In some embodiments, the counterweight may be integral with the clutch.

Each drive unit can be represented by a hydraulic cylinder, a linear motor or an electromagnet.

Where the drive units are hydraulic cylinders, the drive mechanism may include a hydraulic circuit for selectively activating each cylinder. The hydraulic circuit may include a proportional directional control valve for controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid into or out of each cylinder. In one embodiment, the control valve is a 3 position proportional directional servo control valve. The control valve can be designed in a default fail-safe configuration to open the tank port and close the pump port.

The hydraulic circuit may be designed so that when one of the cylinders is selectively activated, the traction force exerted by that activated cylinder acts to discharge hydraulic fluid from the other cylinders.

The hydraulic circuit may include a bleed line from each cylinder, wherein during use each bleed line diverts a portion of the hydraulic fluid from its cylinder and the hydraulic circuit is replenished with fresh hydraulic fluid. Such replacement of a portion of the hydraulic fluid can help control the temperature of the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic circuit.

Each cylinder may be associated with one or more bearing pads, and each pad has a discharge line from its respective cylinder so that in use, some of the hydraulic fluid flowing through the discharge line is expelled between the bearing pads and the crushing head. The fluid dump line may go to a distribution manifold to spray hydraulic fluid onto any one or more bearing pads. In such a case, the crusher may include one-way valves that are located between each cylinder and the distribution manifold, the valves being designed to prevent back flow of hydraulic fluid from the distribution manifold to the cylinders.

The hydraulic circuit can be used to control the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the cylinders. In this way, it is possible to select the required crushing operating pressure that the crushing head must exert during use. The hydraulic circuit can be used to control the amount of hydraulic fluid in the cylinders. In this way, the desired working width of the discharge slot can be selected during use.

The crusher may include a positioning mechanism for determining the operating position of the crushing head in the housing. The positioning mechanism can be (a) any drive unit, which is a position drive unit designed to determine the position of its own drive; (b) a proximity sensor associated with each drive unit, and the proximity sensors are designed to determine the proximity of the shaft to their mating drive units; and (c) an angular velocity sensor for determining the angular position and orientation of the shaft in the housing.

The crushing machine can be a cone crusher or a gyratory crusher.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a clutch is provided for use in a crusher as described in the first aspect.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a pull rod is provided for use in a crusher as described in the first aspect.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a hydraulic cylinder for use in a crusher as described in the first aspect.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for operating a crushing machine which has a housing supporting an outer crushing cone and which further has a crushing head located in the housing and mounted on a shaft, the crushing head supporting an inner crushing cone which together with the outer crushing cone forms discharge gap, and the method includes the following steps: connecting a drive mechanism, including at least three drive units, with a shaft to create movement of the inner crushing cone relative to the outer crushing cone.

The method may include a step in which the drive mechanism drives the crushing head by applying only a traction force to the shaft. The method may include the step of selectively activating each drive unit to drive the crushing head relative to the housing.

Each drive unit can be represented by a hydraulic cylinder, a linear motor or an electromagnet. Where the drive units are hydraulic cylinders, the method may include the step of utilizing the force applied by the cylinder, which is selectively activated to drain hydraulic fluid from other cylinders. The method may include the step of replacing a portion of the hydraulic fluid used in the hydraulic drive mechanism while selectively activating each cylinder. This replacement of a portion of the hydraulic fluid can help control the temperature of the hydraulic fluid. The crushing head may be supported by a bearing, the method including the step of extracting a portion of the hydraulic fluid between the bearing and the crushing head.

The method may include the step of adjusting the pressure of the hydraulic fluid used in the hydraulic drive mechanism to thereby select the desired crushing pressure to be applied by the crushing head.

Each cylinder may include a piston reciprocating between an internal position close to the shaft and an external position remote from the shaft, wherein the method further includes the steps of selectively activating and deactivating each cylinder to create an orbital or rotational movement of the crusher. head relative to the outer crushing cone, each cylinder being activated when its piston moves from its inner position to its outer position, and each cylinder is deactivated when its piston is moved from its outer position to its inner position.

According to this method, the step of activating each cylinder may include injecting hydraulic fluid into each respective cylinder to thereby apply a driving force to the piston, and the step of deactivating each cylinder may include allowing passive movement of the piston to discharge hydraulic fluid from the cylinder. . The method may include the steps of activating each cylinder after moving its piston past the inside dead center position and deactivating each cylinder after moving its piston past the outside dead center position.

The method may include providing a processing unit having a memory, as well as storing data on the minimum internal dead center position for each piston and the maximum external dead center position for each piston in the memory device.

The method may include the step of programming the processing unit for a desired crushing operating pressure to be provided by the crushing head, wherein during operation the processing unit adjusts to control the pressure of the hydraulic fluid injected into the cylinders to obtain the desired crushing operating pressure.

Alternatively, the method may include the step of programming the processing unit for a desired crushing head displacement, wherein during operation the processing unit is adapted to adjust the amount of hydraulic fluid injected into the cylinders to obtain the desired displacement. In such a case, the amount of hydraulic fluid injected into the cylinders can be selectively increased to correspondingly increase the amount of movement of the crushing head, and reduced to correspondingly decrease the amount of movement of the crushing head.

Alternatively, the method may include the step of programming the processing unit for the desired crushing operating pressure to be provided by the crushing head, for the desired crushing head displacement, and for the selection hierarchy between crushing pressure and displacement, thus, during operation, the processing unit is adapted to regulate both the pressure and the volume of the hydraulic fluid injected into the hydraulic cylinders until the first of the desired crushing pressure and the desired displacement is reached.

One or more position sensors may be coupled to the drive units, and the method may include the step of determining the operating position of the crushing head in the housing.

The drive units may be arranged at substantially equal distances around the shaft. The method may include the step of activating the drive units in the desired order around the shaft. The drive mechanism may include at least five drive units, and in some embodiments, the implementation of the method may include the step of simultaneously activating at least two drive units.

The method can be used to operate a cone crusher or a gyratory crusher.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features will be better understood from the following description and with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings. The drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting in any way, show the following: Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a cone crusher; Figure 2 is a partial plan view of a drive device for a cone crusher, indicated by arrows II-II in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a diagram of the hydraulic circuit of the cone crusher; Figure 4 is a side view in cross section of the second embodiment of the cone crusher; and Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a gyratory crusher.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a crusher used for crushing hard material such as ore, and more particularly to a drive mechanism for such a crusher. The crusher is usually represented by a cone crusher or a gyratory crusher.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings show a first embodiment of a cone crusher 10 which is used, for example, to crush coarse ore into finer ore. The cone crusher 10 includes a housing 12 forming a chamber 14 for accommodating various working parts of the cone crusher 10. The housing 12 includes a lower bowl 16, which is closed on top with a removable cover 18. A truncated-conical hole 20 passes through the cover 18, through which chamber 14 may receive the original ore during operation.

The frustoconical outer crushing cone 22 (also known in the art as a wear bushing) rests on the body 12, thus providing a lining for the opening 20.

The crushing head 24 is located within the chamber 14, while it is mounted on the shaft 26. The crushing head 24 has a conical shape and at least partially extends into the opening 20 and/or through it. The crushing head 24 supports an internal crushing cone 28 (also known in the art as an armour) which is held in place by a cap 30 connected to the shaft 26. Alternatively, the internal crushing cone 28 may be attached to the crushing head 24 by any other standard ways. In addition, in some embodiments, the inner crushing cone 28 may be one piece with the crushing head 24. The space between the outer crushing cone 22 and the inner crushing cone 28 forms a discharge gap 32. Since the outer crushing cone 22 has a sharper angle than like the inner crushing cone 28, the discharge slot 32 is wider on the outside of the lid 18 and narrower on the inside of the lid 18.

Both the outer crushing cone 22 and the inner crushing cone 28 are wear parts and can be replaced if necessary. Although not shown in the drawings, the position of the cover 18 and/or the crushing head 24 can be adjusted, with the cover 18 can be moved closer to the crushing head 24 or away from it. This is one of the ways to control the size of the discharge gap 32.

The crushing head 24 is movably supported within the chamber 14 on a spherical bearing or bearing 34 which is mounted on an inner frame 36. The bearing 34 may be of a single chock or include multiple chocks. In this case, the bearing pads can be located directly next to each other or at a small distance from each other.

The inner frame 36 is substantially cylindrical and rests on the bottom 38 of the bowl 16. The inner frame 36 has an outwardly projecting flange 40 located at a point corresponding to approximately half its height and which is located so as to rest on a shoulder 42 protruding inward from the side walls 44 of the housing 16, and is connected to it, providing fastening of the inner frame 36 to the housing 16.

The inner frame 36 supports a drive mechanism 46 which is connected to a shaft 26 to create a rotational movement of the crushing head 24. During operation, this movement is usually of a planetary or rotational nature. The drive mechanism 46 includes a number of drive units which, according to an exemplary embodiment, are hydraulic cylinders 48 and pistons 50 arranged around a shaft 26. It is contemplated that the drive mechanism 46 typically has three to ten cylinders 48, however, to operate very large cone crushers 10 may require the installation of additional cylinders. In figure 2 of the drawings, the cone crusher 10 is shown with six cylinders 48, but it is generally expected that five cylinders will suffice for most situations, and in figure 3 the hydraulic circuit has only five cylinders. In figure 1, the cylinders 48 are shown as one piece with the inner frame 36. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the implementation of the cylinders 48 can be separately executed and subsequently attached to the inner frame 36 or to the housing 12 (an example of the latter is described below with reference to figure 4).

Each cylinder 48 houses a piston head 52 from which its piston rod 54 extends through a hole 56 in the inner frame 36 to a shaft 26. The pistons 50 can reciprocate within the cylinders 48 between an inward position close to the shaft 26 and an outward position. away from shaft 26. O-rings 58 surround piston head 52 and piston rod 54 respectively, and thus a sealed cylinder chamber 60 is provided on the side of piston head 52 closest to shaft 26. O-rings 58 prevent leakage of hydraulic fluid from chamber 60 of the cylinder for the piston head 52 or for the piston rod 54. At its tip, the piston rod 54 is connected to one end of the draw rod 62. The opposite end of the draw rod 62 is connected to the coupling 64 mounted on the shaft 26.

In this exemplary embodiment, a simplified configuration of drawbar 62 and clutch 64 is provided, wherein drawbar 62 is a drawbar with two ball heads (e.g., in the shape of a dumbbell), each ball of which is held in respective spherical recesses in piston rod 54 and in the clutch 64. Opposing spherical heads of the draw rod 62 allow the draw rod 62 to rotate a limited distance relative to both the piston rod 54 and the clutch 64 during the operational reciprocation of their pistons 50 within their cylinders 48.

In alternative, more complex configurations, the drawbar 62 may be coupled to the piston rod 54 and clutch 64 using any of the known universal or constant velocity joints, such as a Trakt joint, a Rzepp joint, a Weiss joint, a universal joint, or a double universal joint, a coupling Thompson or Malpezzi hinge. In some cases, the draw rods 62 may be connected directly to their piston heads 52.

It should be understood that the arrangement of pistons 50 and drawbars 62 described above assumes that, during operation, pistons 50 will transmit thrust to drawbars 62 to move shaft 26 to their respective cylinders 48. However, it is also within the scope of the present invention to change of the arrangement described above so that a reverse thrust force can be transmitted to the draw rods 62 to move the shaft 26 to the respective cylinders 48. This can be achieved simply by placing the sealed cylinder chamber 60 on the side of the piston head 52 furthest from the shaft 26. However, the pull force is more preferred over pushing because it reduces possible damage to the drawbar 62. For example, applying a pushing force may warp or bend the drawbars 62. Also, in some cases, the pushing force may tend to rotate the clutch 64 around the shaft 26, which dissipate some of the energy from the hydraulic 46 and cause a reduction in the crushing force exerted by the crushing head 24.

In some embodiments, the shaft 26 carries a counterweight 66 adapted to compensate for the mass of the crushing head 24. The counterweight 66 may be connected to the shaft 26 so that it rotates with it and, accordingly, with the crushing head 24. Alternatively, the counterweight 66 may rotate on the shaft 26 independently of the crushing head 24.

A line 68 for hydraulic fluid extends from an expansion tank (not shown) to each cylinder chamber 60, and thus hydraulic fluid can be pumped into or out of cylinder chamber 60, thereby causing piston 50 to move.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a hydraulic circuit 70 for a cone crusher 10 in which the drive mechanism 46 is designed to achieve a pulling force of approximately 40 kN on the drawbars 62. The addressee skilled in this art will be able to adapt the hydraulic circuit so that provide a pulling force of up to 150 kN. Hydraulic pump 72, driven by engine 74, delivers hydraulic fluid to hydraulic circuit 70 at a pressure of approximately 300 bar. Some valve pressure loss is assumed in hydraulic circuit 70, depending on the types of valves selected, resulting in a pressure in cylinders 48 of approximately 255 bar.

The output of pump 72 is directed through liquid line 76 through filter 78, after which liquid line 76 is divided through manifold line 80 into the required number of parallel rows of control valves 82. It should be understood that each cylinder 48 has a unique control valve 82 associated with it, i.e. That is, in cases where the drive mechanism 46 includes six cylinders 48 (as shown in figures 1 and 2), six control valves 82 are provided, and in cases where the drive mechanism 46 includes five cylinders 48, five control valves 82 are provided (as shown in figure 3). In other embodiments, each cylinder 48 may operate with two control valves.

Each control valve 82 is a servo operated three position proportional directional valve to control the flow of hydraulic fluid to a respective cylinder chamber 60. Control valve spool 82 is biased by spring 84 to its first (left) default position to close pump port P so that liquid in cylinder chamber 60 can be vented through cylinder port A and tank port T via liquid line 68 from cylinder chamber 60, and liquid line 86 to the expansion tank. In the second (central) position of the control valve 82, all of its ports A, P and T are open, and thus the fluid pressure on the control valve 82 equalizes. In the third (right) position of control valve 82, tank port T is closed and pump port P is open to allow fluid to flow through cylinder port A and liquid line 68 into cylinder chamber 60. The movement of the valve spool is controlled by a solenoid actuated control head 88 which, at the appropriate pressure, overcomes the biasing force of the spring 84. It should be understood that the middle and right positions are essentially the same because the control valve 82 is proportional, which means that it cannot be just opened or closed; the middle and right positions denote the partial opening of the control valve 82 to the extent that it moves from the full middle position to the full right position.

Each cylinder 48 is further provided with a fluid discharge line 90 (not shown in Figures 1 and 2) which is designed to divert a small portion of the volume of hydraulic fluid from the cylinder chamber 60 which is discharged into the expansion tank. This hydraulic fluid outlet is designed to replace a small percentage volume of hydraulic fluid to provide an equivalent volume of fresh hydraulic fluid from the expansion tank to hydraulic circuit 70. In some embodiments, the hydraulic fluid temperature is expected to rise during operation due to the high pressure exerted by on her. Replacing the hydraulic fluid will help control the temperature of the hydraulic fluid and keep it at a more constant level, since the fresh hydraulic fluid coming from the expansion tank will be at a lower temperature than the hydraulic fluid drained from the cylinder chamber 60. In some embodiments, the bleed line 90 may be provided with a valve to close the line to stop the flow of hydraulic fluid. However, in the exemplary embodiment, the discharge line 90 does not have a valve and hydraulic fluid can flow all the time, with the volume of hydraulic fluid flowing through the discharge line 90 dependent on the cross-sectional size of the discharge line 90 and the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the chamber 60. cylinder. Thus, in the context of this example, more hydraulic fluid will flow through the discharge line 90 when the corresponding cylinder 48 is activated (i.e., when its control valve 82 is in its middle or right position), and less hydraulic fluid will flow through the line discharge of liquid 90 when the corresponding cylinder 48 is emptied (ie, when its control valve 82 is in its left position). The bleed line 90 may further include a one-way valve to stop the flow of hydraulic fluid from the bleed line 90 to the cylinder chamber 60.

Hydraulic circuit 70 further includes hydraulic components typically located at the location indicated by arrow 92 (such as valves, accumulators, and pumps) that are designed to actuate respective control heads 88 of control valves 82.

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the cone crusher 400 which includes substantially the same features as the cone crusher 10 of Figure 1 and, accordingly, similar parts will have similar reference numerals.

In the 400 cone crusher, the crushing head 24 is movably supported within the chamber 14 on a spherical support or bearing 34 which rests on the bowl 16. The bearing 34 includes a plurality of pads 94 having hydraulic fluid injection ports between the bearing 34 and the crushing head 24. As described below, hydraulic fluid is used to lubricate and lift the crushing head 24 off the bearing 34, which helps to reduce friction between these parts. Hydraulic fluid is supplied to the bearing pads 94 through a fluid line 96. The crushing head 24 is surrounded by a perimeter seal 98 to prevent leakage of hydraulic fluid into the discharge area 100 of the crushed ore receiving chamber 14 which passes through the discharge slot 32.

In addition, in the cone crusher 400, the hydraulic drive mechanism 46 rests directly on the housing 12 from its outside, that is, outside the chamber 14. The presence of cylinders 48 mounted externally on the housing 12 provides easier access to the cylinders 48 compared to cylinders of the first embodiment shown in figure 1, for example, in case maintenance is required. In addition, hydraulic pipes and lines are more easily connected to cylinder 48. In this case, piston rods 54 and draw rods 62 extend from each cylinder 48 through passages 102 through cup 16 to shaft 26.

Figure 4 also shows a fluid bleed line 104 (similar to the fluid bleed line 90 in Figure 3) extending from the cylinder chamber 60 and extending through the cup 16 to connect with the fluid line 96.

The cone crusher 400 has one bearing pad 94 associated with each of the cylinders 48 so that during operation, the hydraulic fluid exiting the cylinder chamber 60 through the liquid discharge line 104 is pumped into the corresponding bearing pad 94 and used to lift the crushing head 24. If desired, a pressure regulator may be provided in the fluid discharge line 104 to reduce the pressure of the hydraulic fluid therein. In other embodiments, each cylinder 48 may be associated with multiple bearing pads 94 with a fluid dump line 104 configured to spray hydraulic fluid between all of the bearing pads 94 associated therewith. In some instances, fluid discharge line 104 may extend to a distribution manifold (not shown) in which hydraulic fluid may be sprayed onto any one or more pads 94 in bearing 34. In such a case, one-way valves are provided between each cylinder 48 and the distribution manifold, with the purpose of these valves is to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from the distribution manifold back to cylinders 48; this is necessary to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from the activated cylinder to other cylinders, from which the hydraulic fluid is drained into the expansion tank.

During operation, the hydraulic circuit 70 selectively activates and deactivates each cylinder 48 sequentially in order, that is, adjacent cylinders 48, to cause the individual cylinders 48 of the drive mechanism 46 to cycle their pistons 50 away from the shaft 26. In doing so, the pistons 50, respectively, cycle back the shaft 26 from its central axis to the respective cylinders 48, which causes the crushing head 24 to rotate in a circle inside the spherical bearing 34 to close the discharge gap 32 between the inner crushing cone 28 and the outer crushing cone 22. Alternatively, the hydraulic circuit 70 can be adjusted to selectively activation and deactivation of each cylinder 48 sequentially in a star-shaped or cruciform order, so that the pistons 50, respectively, pull the shaft 26 from its central axis to the corresponding cylinders 48 and, thereby, cause the crushing head 24 to rotate or move randomly inside the spherical bearing 34.

When circling is required, each cylinder 48 is activated and its piston 50 moves from its inboard position to its outboard position, and each cylinder 48 is deactivated and its piston moves from its outboard position to its inboard position. The step of activating each cylinder 48 is performed by injecting hydraulic fluid into each respective cylinder 48, thereby applying a driving force to its piston 50. Conversely, the step of deactivating each cylinder 48 is performed by stopping such fluid injection and allowing each piston 50 to move to release hydraulic fluid. fluid from its cylinder 48. Accordingly, each cylinder 48 is activated after its piston 50 moves past the inside dead center position and is deactivated after its piston 50 moves past the outside dead center position.

The original ore is deposited through the opening 20 so that it enters the discharge slot 32, where it is crushed between the inner crushing cone 28 and the outer crushing cone 22 and breaks down into smaller particles, which are then discharged from the cone crusher 10, i.e. from the discharge area 100 in the standard way.

The cone crusher 10 allows the crushing head 24 to apply a variable crushing pressure by adjusting the thrust exerted on the shaft 26 by the pistons 50, for example by varying the operating pressure of the hydraulic fluid that is pumped into the cylinder chambers 60. Similarly, the cone crusher 10 allows the size of the discharge slot 32 to be controlled by controlling the distance that the shaft 26 is pulled towards the cylinders 48, for example by varying the volume of hydraulic fluid that is pumped into the cylinder chambers 60. For example, in one configuration, moving the pistons 50 to their full length through the cylinders 48 closes the discharge slot 32 and the inner crusher cone 28 contacts the outer crusher cone 22; while moving the pistons 50 only half way through the cylinders 48 causes the discharge slot 32 to remain open, and the inner crushing cone 28 still remains at a distance from the outer crushing cone 22. The size of the discharge slot 32 can also be adjusted in the standard way, by moving the cover 18 closer to the crushing head 24 (or vice versa).

The required crushing pressure can be calculated from the material composition of the feed ore fed through the opening 20. The crushing pressure can be increased for feed ore of high density or hardness, or reduced for feed ore with lower density or hardness.

The operation of the hydraulic circuit is facilitated by having the cylinders spaced apart around the shaft 26. In some instances, the cylinders 48 may be spaced substantially equally spaced around the shaft 26, such as radially (in some cases). In other examples, the cylinders 48 may be located at certain different distances from each other around the shaft 26. Accordingly, it is not necessary for the hydraulic circuit 70 to actively pump hydraulic fluid from the cylindrical chambers 60. Rather, the pulling force applied by the activated cylinder causes the hydraulic fluid to be discharged from cylinders. This can be more clearly understood from figure 2, in which, when the first cylinder 48.1 (of which only its piston rod 54.1 is shown in figure 2) is activated to pull the shaft 26, that is, when the control valve 92 switches to its second (central) or third (right) position, the control valves 82 of the remaining cylinders 48.2-48.6 will switch to their first (left) position, and thus the pull produced by the first cylinder 48.1 will cause hydraulic fluid to be drawn from some of the remaining cylinders. It should be understood that in such a case the cylinder 48.4 furthest from the first cylinder 48.1 or diametrically opposed to it will experience the highest exhaust rate. This operation will be repeated cyclically as each cylinder 48 is activated in turn.

As noted above, as hydraulic fluid is discharged from cylinder chambers 60, most of it exits through fluid line 68, and a small amount is removed through fluid discharge line 104, while a smaller portion is pumped to the bearing pad 94 associated with it, and is used to lift the crushing head 24.

In another example, the cylinder 48.n, whose piston 50.n is fully retracted, can keep the piston 50.n in this fully retracted position until the piston 50.n+1 of the working cylinder 48.n+1 reaches the fully retracted provisions. For example, once piston 50.1 is fully retracted at the outer dead center position in cylinder 48.1, piston 50.1 is held at that outer dead center position until piston 50.2 reaches and locks into its outer dead center position in cylinder 48.2, whereupon piston 50.1 is released and piston 50.2 is held at its outer dead center position until piston 50.3 is retracted and reaches its outer dead center position.

The cone crusher 10 further includes a processing unit (not shown) used to control the hydraulic circuit 70. In one embodiment, the processing unit may determine the position status of the pistons 50 in their cylinders 48 and thereby calculate the position of the crushing head 24 on the spherical bearing 34 or in it using an algorithm to determine the position. Typically, this is done by attaching one or more position sensors to some or all of the cylinders 48 to determine the position of the piston heads 52 in their respective cylinders 48. In another embodiment, the cone crusher 10 further includes a positioning mechanism for determining the operating position crushing head 24 on or in a spherical bearing 34, alternatively this is done by determining the angular position and orientation of the shaft 26 in the housing 12. In one example, the positioning mechanism may include a proximity sensor for determining the proximity of the draw rods 62 and /or shaft 26 to the cylinders 48 associated with them. In another example, the positioning mechanism may include an angle sensor for determining the angular position of the shaft 26. In yet another example, the positioning mechanism may include a camera for performing visual analysis to determine the position of the crushing head 24.

The processing unit of the cone crusher 10 can be programmed to detect plugging in the discharge slot 32. Such plugging typically occurs due to foreign material entering through the opening 20 and getting stuck between the inner crushing cone 28 and the outer crushing cone 22. Such plugging can be found by comparing the actual position of the crushing head 24, determined by the positioning mechanism, with the intended position in which the crushing head 24 should be when specific control valves 82 are fully or partially open. If there is a difference between the actual position and the intended position, then the processing unit will determine that clogging is present, after which the processing unit can restrict the flow or pressure of the hydraulic fluid to avoid excessive damage to the inner crushing cone 28 and the outer crushing cone 22. Such flow control or hydraulic fluid pressure provides a form of active control. In another example where passive control is contemplated, the hydraulic circuit 70 may include an unloader valve in which the pressure of the hydraulic fluid is limited to a certain value, namely, the hydraulic fluid flowing to the cylinders 48 is diverted through the unloader valve back to the expansion tank to the pistons 50 did not pull the shaft 26 into the preselected position.

The processing unit can be programmed for the desired crushing operating pressure to be provided by the crushing head 24, while the processing unit adjusts during operation to control the pressure of the hydraulic fluid injected into the hydraulic cylinders 48 to obtain the desired crushing operating pressure.

Alternatively, the processing unit can be programmed for the desired displacement of the crushing head 24, wherein during operation the processing unit is adapted to adjust the volume of hydraulic fluid injected into the cylinders 48 to obtain the required displacement. In this case, the amount of hydraulic fluid injected into the cylinders 48 can be increased to increase the circumferential movement of the crushing head 24 and reduced to reduce the amount of circumferential movement of the crushing head 24.

In yet another alternative, the processing unit may be programmed with both the desired operating crushing pressure that the crushing head 24 must provide and the required operating volume of the crushing head 24. In this case, the processing unit will also be programmed with a hierarchy of choice between crushing pressure and working volume, while during operation the processing unit adjusts to regulate both the pressure and the volume of hydraulic fluid sprayed into the cylinders 48 until the required crushing pressure or the required displacement is reached.

In Figure 5, an embodiment of a gyratory crusher 500 that includes substantially the same features as the cone crusher 10, 400 of Figures 1 and 4 and, accordingly, similar parts will have similar reference numerals. In the gyratory crusher 500, the frustoconical cone 12 is inverted, and thus the opening 20 is widest at the top and narrowest at the bottom. Cover 18 rests on body 12 and is intended to provide a point of support for shaft 26 at hinge 106. Shaft 26 has a spherically curved base which rests on a spherical bearing 34. During operation, drive mechanism 46 pulls shaft 26 which causes crushing head 24 to rotate for bearing 34 around the hinge 106 and crushing the ore between the outer crushing cone 22 and the inner crushing cone 28. The bearing 34 is mounted on an adjusting piston 108 which can be raised or lowered in the usual manner to thereby raise and lower the shaft 26 and the crushing head 24 in the housing 12 to adjust the working width of the unloading gap 32. Further operation of the drive mechanism 46 will be the same as described above with reference to figures 1-4.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes and/or modifications may be made to the crusher as set forth in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in the General features. Thus, the present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

For example, the draw rods 62 may be any other form that articulates the piston rods 54 to the clutch 64. The draw rods 62 can be articulated to both the piston rods 54 and the clutch 54. Alternatively, the draw rods 62 may have ball joint end fasteners that are on the pin-mounted three-point hitch arms.

In addition, it should be understood that the hydraulic cylinders may be replaced by suitable alternative drive units, whereby, for example, the drive units are suitable mechanical or electrical drive units such as a linear motor or an electromagnet. In this case, each drive unit will have a drive connected to the drawbars 62.

In the claims below and in the foregoing description, except where the context requires otherwise due to the language expressed or the necessary meaning, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "including" is used unrestricted and in an embracing sense, that is, to indicate the presence of the indicated features, but not to exclude the presence or add additional features in various embodiments of the crusher. Reference to an indefinite element does not preclude the possibility that more than one such element is present, unless the context suggests that only one element is present.

Claims (59)

1. A crushing machine for crushing material into smaller particles, including a housing supporting the outer crushing cone; the crushing head, which is located in the housing, is mounted on a shaft and supports the inner crushing cone, which, together with the outer crushing cone, forms an unloading gap; at the same time, the crushing head has a movable support inside the chamber on a spherical bearing, while the coupling is movably mounted on the shaft, as well as a drive mechanism connected to the clutch and designed to create movement of the inner crushing cone relative to the outer crushing cone, wherein the drive mechanism includes at least three drive units located around the shaft, with each drive unit connected to the clutch and configured in such a way as to cause the shaft to move so that the crushing head rotates in a circle inside the spherical bearing, while the movements of the shaft provide changing the angular position and orientation of the shaft inside the housing. 2. Crushing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive mechanism is designed to drive the crushing head by applying only traction force to the shaft. 3. A crushing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive units are designed to be selectively actuated to drive the crushing head relative to the housing. 4. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, characterized in that the drive units are located inside the housing. 5. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, characterized in that the drive units are located outside the housing. 6. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, characterized in that each drive unit is connected to the clutch using a draw rod. 7. Crusher according to claim. 6, characterized in that each traction rod is pivotally connected to the clutch and its drive unit. 8. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 1-7, including a counterweight that is mounted on a shaft, characterized in that the counterweight is located at a distance from the crushing head, and the drive units are connected to the shaft by the crushing head and the counterweight. 9. Crushing machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the counterweight is connected to the shaft and is designed to rotate with the crushing head. 10. Crushing machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the counterweight is connected to the shaft and is designed to rotate independently of the crushing head. 11. Crusher according to claim. 8, characterized in that the counterweight is made as one piece with the clutch. 12. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 1-11, characterized in that all drive units are represented by a hydraulic cylinder, a linear motor or an electromagnet. 13. Crusher according to claim 12, characterized in that, in cases where the drive units are represented by hydraulic cylinders, the drive mechanism includes a hydraulic circuit designed to selectively activate each cylinder. 14. Crusher according to claim 13, characterized in that the hydraulic circuit includes a proportional directional control valve designed to control the flow of hydraulic fluid into or out of each cylinder. 15. Crusher according to claim 14, characterized in that the control valve is a three-position proportional directional servo control valve. 16. Crusher according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the control valve is designed in a default fail-safe configuration to open the tank opening and close the pump opening. 17. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 13-16, characterized in that the hydraulic circuit is designed so that when one of the cylinders is selectively activated, the traction force exerted by this activated cylinder acts on the release of hydraulic fluid from the other cylinders. 18. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 13-17, characterized in that the hydraulic circuit includes a liquid discharge line coming from each cylinder; characterized in that during use, each fluid discharge line diverts a portion of the hydraulic fluid from its cylinder; and also characterized in that the hydraulic circuit is replenished with fresh hydraulic fluid. 19. The crusher according to claim 18, characterized in that each cylinder is associated with one or more bearing pads, and to each of these pads there is a liquid discharge line from the corresponding cylinder, so that in use, part of the hydraulic fluid flowing through the liquid discharge line, is ejected between the bearing pads and the crushing head. 20. Crusher according to claim 19, characterized in that each liquid discharge line goes to a distribution manifold to spray hydraulic fluid on any one or more bearing pads. 21. The crusher of claim. 20, including one-way valves that are located between each cylinder and the distribution manifold, and which are designed to prevent the backflow of hydraulic fluid from the distribution manifold to the cylinders. 22. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 13-21, characterized in that the hydraulic circuit is used to regulate the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the cylinders, which thus allows you to select the required crushing operating pressure that the crushing head must exert during use. 23. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 13-22, characterized in that the hydraulic circuit is used to regulate the volume of hydraulic fluid in the cylinders, which thus allows you to select the desired working width of the unloading gap during use. 24. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 1-23, further including a positioning mechanism for determining the operating position of the crushing head in the housing. 25. Crusher according to claim. 24, characterized in that the positioning mechanism can be (a) any drive unit, which is a positioning drive unit designed to determine the position of its own drive; (b) a proximity sensor associated with each drive unit, and characterized in that the proximity sensors are designed to determine the proximity of the shaft to their associated drive units; and (c) an angular velocity sensor for determining the angular position and orientation of the shaft in the housing. 26. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 1-25, characterized in that it is a conical crusher. 27. Crushing machine according to any one of paragraphs. 1-25, characterized in that it is a gyratory crushing machine. 28. A method of operating a crushing machine, which has a housing supporting an external crushing cone, and which additionally has a crushing head located in the housing, mounted on a shaft and supporting an internal crushing cone, which, together with the external crushing cone, forms a discharge gap, while the crushing head has a movable support inside the chamber on a spherical support or bearing, characterized in that it includes the following steps: mounting the coupling on the shaft with ensuring its mobility, connecting the drive mechanism to the clutch to create movement of the inner crushing cone relative to the outer crushing cone, wherein the drive mechanism includes at least three drive units located around the shaft, with each drive unit connected to the clutch and configured in such a way as to cause the shaft to move so that the crushing head rotates in a circle inside the spherical bearing, while the movements of the shaft change the angular position and orientation of the shaft inside the housing. 29. The method of claim 28, including the act of driving the crushing head by applying only a pull force to the shaft. 30. The method of claim. 28 or 29, including the step of selectively activating each drive unit to drive the crushing head relative to the housing. 31. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-30, characterized in that all drive units are represented by a hydraulic cylinder, a linear motor or an electromagnet. 32. The method of claim 31, which, in cases where the drive units are hydraulic cylinders, includes the step of using the force applied by the cylinder, which is selectively activated to drain hydraulic fluid from other cylinders. 33. The method of claim. 31 or 32, including the step of replacing a portion of the hydraulic fluid used in the hydraulic drive mechanism by selectively activating each cylinder. 34. The method of claim. 33, characterized in that the crushing head rests on the bearing, and characterized in that it includes the step of removing part of the hydraulic fluid between the bearing and the crushing head. 35. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 31-34, which includes the step of adjusting the pressure of the hydraulic fluid used in the hydraulic drive mechanism, so as to select the required crushing pressure to be applied by the crushing head. 36. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 31-35, characterized in that each cylinder includes a piston reciprocating between an internal position close to the shaft and an external position remote from the shaft, and characterized in that it includes the steps of selectively activating and deactivating each cylinder to creating a planetary or rotational movement of the crushing head relative to the outer crushing cone, and also characterized in that each cylinder is activated when its piston moves from its internal position to its external position, and each cylinder is deactivated when its piston moves from its external position to its internal position. 37. The method of claim. 36, wherein the step of activating each cylinder includes injecting hydraulic fluid into each respective cylinder to thereby apply a driving force to the piston, and characterized in that the step of deactivating each cylinder includes allowing passive movement of the piston to release hydraulic fluid from the cylinder. 38. The method of claim 36 or 37, comprising the steps of activating each cylinder after its piston has moved past the inside dead center position and deactivating each cylinder after its piston has moved past the outside dead center position. 39. The method according to claim 38, including the steps of providing a processing unit having a memory, as well as storing data on the minimum position of the internal dead center for each piston and the maximum position of the external dead center for each piston in the memory device. 40. The method according to claim 39, comprising the step of programming the processing unit for the desired crushing operating pressure to be provided by the crushing head, characterized in that during operation, the processing unit adapts to regulate the pressure of the hydraulic fluid injected into the cylinders to obtain the required working pressure crushing. 41. The method of claim 39, comprising the step of programming the processing unit to a desired crushing head displacement, characterized in that, during operation, the processing unit adjusts to adjust the amount of hydraulic fluid injected into the cylinders to obtain the desired displacement. 42. The method of claim. 41, wherein the amount of hydraulic fluid injected into the cylinders can be selectively increased to correspondingly increase the degree of movement of the crushing head, and reduced to correspondingly decrease the degree of movement of the crushing head. 43. The method of claim 41, comprising the step of programming the processing unit for a desired crushing operating pressure to be provided by the crushing head, for a desired working volume of the crushing head, and for a hierarchy of choice between crushing pressure and working volume, thus during operation. , the processing unit is adapted to regulate both the pressure and the volume of the hydraulic fluid injected into the hydraulic cylinders until the first of the desired crushing pressure and the desired displacement is reached. 44. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-43, characterized in that one or more position sensors are mated with drive units, and characterized in that it includes the step of determining the operating position of the crushing head in the housing. 45. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-44, characterized in that the drive units are located at the same distance from each other around the shaft. 46. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-45, which includes the step of activating the drive units in the desired order around the shaft. 47. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-46, characterized in that the drive mechanism includes at least five drive units. 48. The method of claim. 47, including the step of simultaneously activating at least two drive units. 49. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-48, which is used to operate the cone crusher. 50. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-48, which is used to operate a gyratory crusher.

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