US2440171A - Quick release means for increasing the gap between disks upon entry of uncrushables - Google Patents

Description

BLES

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 E J. A.E1 DR1'DGE UICK RELEASE MEANS FOR INCREASING 'I HE GAP BETWEEN DISKS UPON ENTRY OF UNCRUSHA April 2o, 194s.

Filed sept. s, 1945 Apnl 20, 1948. J. A. ELDRIDGE 2,440,171

QUICK RELEASE MEANS FOR INCREASING THE GAP BETWEEN DISKS UPON ENTRY OF UNCRUSHABLES y Filed Sept. 9, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 20, 1948. J, A, ELDRlDGE 2,440,171

QUICK `RELEASE MEANS FOR INCREASING THE GAP BETWEEN DIsKs UPON ENTRY oF UNCRUSHAELES Filed Sept. 9, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 pnl 20, 1948. J, A. ELlgaRl-Ejv 2,440,171

I QUICK RELEASE MEANS FOR INCREASING THE GAP BETWEEN DIsKs UPON ENTRY 0F UNCRUSHABLES Filed Sept. 9, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTGR J. A. Eldrdj'e..

nv ms Arrnnzvs April 20, 1948. J. A. ELDRIDGE 2,440,171

QUICK RELEASE MEANS FOR INCREASING THE GAP BETWEEN DISKS UPON ENTRY OF UNCRUSHABLES Filed Sept; 9, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR J. A, Eldrde'.

Patented Apr. 20,1948

UNITED STATES PATENT orifice QUICK RELEASE MEANS FDR INCREASING THE GAP BETWEEN DISKS UPON ENTRY F UNCRUSHABLES James A. Eldridge, st. James, Manitoba, canada Application September 9, 1943, Serial No. 501,734

This application constitutes a continuationin-part of my application Serial No. 327,508, filed on the 2nd day of April, 1940, and relates to im- I provements in feed Crushers, an object of my invention being to provide a device of the character herewithin described, which has been designed to meet the many requirements of various classes of user, and is of simplified, rugged and economical construction, having certain unique inventive features hereinafter to be described.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the rotating and endwise movable parts, are mounted coaxially with respect to a non-rotatable supporting shaft, a rotatable crushing plate and screw conveyor being included among the parts mounted upon said shaft, and

being adjustably end-shiftable with the shaft to. vary the space between the said rotating crush ing plate, and an opposed stationary crushing plate.

A further object of my invention is to provide, in a crushing machine, simplified means for providing an adjustable, but normally rigid and unyielding spacial relationship between the two crushing plates so that the coarseness or fineness of grind in a given batch may be perfectly uniform for that batch.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a device of the character herewithin described a unique manually operable and simultaneously acting combination valve cut-oli and crushing plate release mechanism.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which embodies a valve cut-off and crushing plate release mechanism automatically operated by the entrance of an obstruction between the crushing plates together with the provision of a further automatically operated gate valve in the outlet leading from the crushing chamber.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes means for varying the quantity of material precipitated into the base of my hopper and conveyed therefrom into the crushing chamber.

With the above more important objects in view and such other minor objects as may appear as the specication proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to th accompanying drawings, in which- 11 Claims. (Cl. 24J-32) VFigure 1 is a side elevation of my feed crusher showing certain parts in section and with certain other parts broken away. Y

Figure 2 is a longitudinal fragmentary representation, predominantly incross-section, and illustrating my coaxial, shaft-mounted structure.

Figure 3 is a front elevation showing the external appearance of my feed crusher from this angle. v

Figure 4 is a perspective illustration of 'my valve cut-off and crushing plate release mechanism.Y

Figure 5 is a perspective detail illustrating my crushing plate spacing and setting dial lock.

Figure 6 is a detail in elevation showing the means by which Ilmay `vary micrometrically the opening of my gate valve.

Figure '1 `is a detail in front elevation illustrating a modification of the arrangement of Figure 6. e

Figure 8 is a side elevation showin-g means by which my valve cut-off and crushing plate release mechanism may be automatically actuated when foreign matter enters between the crushing plates.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of my feed crusher showing an alternative means by which my valve cut-off and crushing plate release mechanism may be automatically actuated when foreign matter enters between the crushing plates.

Figure 10 is a perspective detail illustrating a part of the mechanism employed in -connection with Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a detail in elevation illustrating the means by which my discharge outlet may be automatically closed and reset by the operation of my valve cut-off and crushing plate release mechanism.

Figure 12 is a detail illustrating the use of a sleeve or collar in place of a spring between my setting dial and barrel cam.

Figure 13 is a detail illustrating the useof av the rotating crushing plate D being secured for rotation with the pulley via a crushing plate holder, in horizontal alignment with the stationary crushing plate E, while the Iconveyor 'screw B is bolted to the said plate holder as illustrated most clearly in the accompanying Figure 2, to rotate with the pulley and the plate D.`

Means are provided' in my invention for posi-4 tively adjusting the space between the plates D and E and for rigidly and unyieldingly maintaining the space desired, excepting only when a hard and damaging obstacle -cbmes between.

them, such means consisting of a setting dial 2, which rotates the screw-threaded stem 3 coaxially positioned within the internally threaded forward end of the supporting' Shaft I. I

Means are also provided for manuallyand simultaneously effecting the closing of a hopper valve 4 adjacentl the base of ,my hopperrA and permitting the 'separationjof the plates D and E to their maziixnum extent inftheever'itof adamaging Vobstruction finding ,its way 'between the crushing4 plates D Aand E, this mechanisnrbeing clearly illustrated in vthe accompanying Figures 1 and ,4,1 from which it will bei, seen that upon the front wall'S of the' baise casting G'of my hopper is a stationary Vcyl'lindrical cam thrust receiving elementi] provided with Aan external spiral canjrtrack: Enga'geable with this rheinber is aswivellin'g barrelcainr, held against the track of the ca m 1 by means of the spring 59 which spring; itshculdv beparticularly noted is of `considerable stiifness such as will vnot yield yto mere increases vin the volume of material `tending to enter between the plates,v for whichrea son it will clearly bev recognized that when the plates are set a given `distance apart, no 'variation vin the volume of raterialentering between them is possible, and consequently a uniform In this 'content- I j would therefore egpl'ain jthat the resistanceof the spring 9 shouldbe so adjusted for operation of the Crusher with-engines of yvarious H. ratings'isuc'h that itwill yield only lunder Astresses `irnposed by 4pressure above that-which the material tobejgrounl exerts -at a given H, ^P. rating. For example 'by rotating handwheel -2 lto left orjright on stem 3 and so adjusting the distance betweeit and thecam 8 I may Vset thelspring 9 at Ya resistanne of about 500 lbs. when used with an engine of Afrom 35 to 4Q H. P. and atl this setting, such rnere increases of Ipressurebetween the 'plates as night be efiectedby Inasrsesof wetgrain, or different or'hardcr grain, will not-be suicientto separate the plates. y A l The foregoing constitutes a significant difference over conventional crushers,"` wherein vone plate is positioned in yielding relationship to the other,the pressure at w ch excessivejyiel'ding takes piace, being experimentally determined bythe `user after he has "started theimachine 5in-operation and Icommencedto 'grind'. I f for instance he nds that the material being discharged is too coarse, he exertsmore'pressure 'on-the spring which in turn increases pressure ono-ne of the plates. Obviously under such conditions, when the character of thew'fnater'i'al changes, as from wet todry or vice versa, Athe quality ofthegrind will'differ. y y I i y Secured `tothe lbarrel'cari and extending upwardly thereffrcrnfis a lever 9" normallyheld in a recess I-Il, in'a'shaped casting -I I.

Extending substantially parallel to the upper portion of the lever 9', is the hopper valve lever I2, upon which are a series of projections constituting a ratcheted rack capable of being engaged by a projection in the form of a pawl I3 upon the lever The lever I2 is angulated and suitably secured at its lower end to the hopper valve 4 already referred to land obviously upon kicking the 'lever 9 out of its catch or recess I0, the same will rotate to the right under the swivell'ing action of the cam 8, the pawl I3 will leave the :associated rack whereupon the lever I2 will move' lupwardly under the influence of the spring I4, therebyclos'ing the valve 4.

Having now described my invention in its essentials, Iwill proceed to describe the same in detail.

My supporting structure G comprises a bedplate'I, to one end of which is bolted an upstanding leg It upon the apex o-f which is my main bearing Il, in which the supporting shaft I is mounted. Upon the' `forward endof the bedpla-t'e is an upstanding wall I8 provided with an enlarged aperture I9 through which the conveyor screw'B and the shaft l extend, the'housing I9 which ltogether with the wall I8 forms my crushing chambergC, being suitably secured at the rear side of the wall I8, .while lon vthe forward side thereof is `positioned the -basecasting 6 already referred to, the hopper A, being suitably positioned upon the apex of the base castlng;

At this Apoint I would mention that I may if desired, providera trap 29 below the base casting the saine being detachable and suitably clipped thereto as most clearly illustratedin the accompanying Figures '1 and?, in which case no `base -will be provided tothe base-casting 16, the purposelo'f this trap being to permit-surplus materialor foreign )matter to Aaccumulate therein, from vwhich it may periodically be conveniently removed.

I should also mention at this point that an outlet 2I positioned at the angle illustrated in the accompanying Figure 3, is formed integral with the housing I9 of my crushing chamber, to which if desired, a conduit may be attached, through which material crushed 4is blown under the influence of the fan bladeswhich are attached to therotating crushing plate'later to be described in detail.

The supporting shaft I is mounted inthe element 1, which as hasbeen previously mentioned, is set within the front wall 5 of the base casting 6, this member being clearly illustrated lin crosses'ection in the accompanying-Figure 2, from which it will be seen that my shaft is prevented from rotation by the provision of the key 22 but is free -to slide-endw-ise under the conditions to be hereinafter described. From the accompanying Figure l, it will be seen that the'ext'e'rnal surface of the element Vtakes the form of a frusto-coriic'al wall 23, around which is formed a spiralgcam track V2li. l i

yIt ywill lbe seen that the forward end -o'f my supporting shaft I -li'e's -in the aperture 25 which extends throughthe casting 'I and that 'the same is internally drilled and tapped fa short 'distance to receive the externally threaded end ofthe stem j3 already'referredto. A collar 26- integral with the stern S is normally held against the shoulder 2T. Keyways Y28'a'nd 29 in the shaft I and the, `element 'I respectively, receive? the key 22A and prevent vrotation of the shaft while pere mitting longitudinal movement thereof.

The stem 3 extends forwardly and terminates inthe crushing plate spacing and setting dial 2 already referred to, the setting dial being screwed the desired distance for anyparticular spring setting as already described, onto the projecting end of thenstem/3 and prevented from independent movement by means of the split pin 30 which extends transversely through the boss of the dial and the stem'. In this way the distance between handwheel 2 and collar 26 is rigidly fixed after which rotation of the handwheel will necessarily involve rotation o-f stem 3 in a iixed plane thus acting to end-shift shaft I. A sleeve 3I internally screw-threaded if desired may be placed upon the stem 3 to the rear of the dial 2 solely for centering the spring 9.

My pulley F which is journalled upon the supporting shaftI, runs on ball-bearing assemblies 32 and 33 and by reference to the accompanying Figures 1 and 12 it will be seen that the inner ball races of these assemblies are held against a tendency to move to right or left along the supporting shaft I, by means of the diametrically split thrust bearing rings 34 which set inside into annular recesses 35 in the shaft provided for that purpose. The bearing rings 34 are held within the recesses 35 by means of the said inner ball races which it will be clearly seen extend around and act as collars for the recessed parts of the rings 34, while the upstanding portions thereof act as annular buttresses to prevent left or right hand endwise movement. The assembly 32 is suitably housed about by a casing 36 which is secured to the pulley F while assembly 33 is 'enclosed by housing I9.

In order to provide satisfactory lubrication for the assemblies 32 and 33, I have provided three outwardly projecting intercepters or lpaddles 3l, the same being secured to the shaft I, from which it will be apparent that when a quantity of oil is admitted to the hollow center or bath 38 within the pulley through the oil hole 39, the rotation of the pulley will cause a swirling action in the oil body, which coming in contact with the intercepters will cause considerable agitation and splash, thereby providing particularly satisfactory lubrication.

Attached to the forward end of the pulley F is my rotatable crushing plate holder 40, which will not be described in detail except in respect to one unique feature as a crushing plate holder necessarily forms an integral part of all crushing machines. This feature resides in the provision of slots 42, by means of which the fan blades 43 are adjustably held Within the crushing chamber C so that the effective width thereof may be varied to produce an adjustable air blast and it will be obvious from the illustration of this detail in the accompanying Figure 1 that these fan blades are secured to the holder 40 by means of stud-bolts and nuts, adjustment being made after the removal of the housing I9.

My conveyor screw B is provided with the flange 44 at the rear end thereof through which bolts 45 extend and whereby the conveyor screw is secured to the boss 46 of the crushing plate holder 40, so that the two will rotate as a unit, the sleeve 41 of the conveyor screw being spaced from the shaft to avoid friction as clearly illustrated in Figure 2.

The swivelling cam 8 which is designed to move in a spiral direction against the thrust element l, is of the barrel type and I may provide thereupon either one'continuous circumscribing spiral cam track 48 or alternatively two or three such tracks as in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying Figure 1, wherein i have designated the two visible peaks Y and Z, peak X being out of sight at'the rear so that this member may be considered as a modification of the well-known crown ratchet except that it is not in this instance, employed in association with a complete ratcheting motion or with any associated pawl, but on the contrary, is designed to swivel back and forth against the cam track 24 of which natu-- rally there will bea corresponding number of corresponding gradients, but it will not override the track 24 as a crown ratchet would in its conventional operation.

Secured to an outstanding projection 49 upon the wall of the cam 8, is the angulated and upwardly extending cam lever 9' already referred to, the same extending through the catch IIJ of the casting or plate II, which is of the configuration clearly illustrated in the accompanying Figure 4. .To the right hand side of the catch I0 is a lead-in track 50 (which may also function as a cam track as described hereinafter) to facilitate the manual operation of moving the lever into the catch, this lever being preferably formed of spring steel for this purpose.

To the left of and slightly below the catch or recess I0, is a rectangular slot 5I through which my valve lever I2 extends, the same being angulated to the configuration clearly illustrated in the accompanying Figures 1 and 4, and from these gres also it will be noted that a ratcheted rack 52 is positioned along one side of this lever with the ratchet teeth projecting slightly and capable of being engaged by the pawl I3 upon thev cam lever 9. The spring I4 already referred to, is secured at its upper end preferably by means of the bolts which hold the casting II in position while the lower end is suitably secured to the valve lever at a point below the rack 52 and during the operation of the machine or at timesV when the ratchets are engaged by the pawl, this spring will be in tension.

A link 53 is freely secured at the end of the angulated portion 54 of the valve lever, this vlink extending through an aperture at the top left hand corner of the side wall 55 of the base casting 6, and thereacross. To this member is secured a gate valve 56 designed to move under the influence of the link 53 and the associated lever through an are to admit or cut-off the iiow of material to be crushed -between the conical portion ofthe hopper A and the base casting 6, in which the conveyor is located. i

In operation, it will be perceived that the rotat-` ing and stationary plates D and E having -beeni set or spaced the desired distance apart in thet manner to be presently described, it is ,possible in:V an emergency to bring about separation of the rotating plate from the stationary plate to a predetermined maximum distance and simultaneously to close the gate valve 55 in the event of a, damaging obstruction finding its way between the crushing plates D and E. This is accomplished by the operator kicking or .throwing the cam lever 9 upwardly so that it disengages the catch IB'.- whereupon it will swing to the right together with the swivelling cam 8 and as it swings of course, the cam willtravel to the left with respect to the accompanying Figure 1, against the cam track 24.

The entire supporting shaft and the continuation thereof in the form of the screw-threaded stem 3, is now free to move to the left together with the conveyor screw B, the driving pulley F and of course, the attached crushing plate holder and rotating crushing plate D. The crusher can collar 66, and atthe extreme lower end thereof with a retaining nut 66' through which a split lock pin extends, so that the shaft 6I is free to rotate in the lug 64 without moving endwise therein.

Upon the cam lever 9' is an offset block 61, the lower surface of which is designed to engage with the perimeter of the sieeve 65 and from the foregoing arrangement it will be apparent that when my valve cut-ofi' and crushing plate release mechanism is in the set position, rotation of the thumb screw 62 will have the effect of shifting the valve lever I2 endwise upwardly or downwardly, thereby varying to any exact extent desired, the gate 56 and consequently, the aperture leading from the hopper to the crushing chamber.

In the foregoing arrangement as illustrated in Figure 6, it Will be apparent that in the resetting operation, it is necessary rst to depress the valve lever I2 so that the sleeve 65 is below the level of the block 61 before throwing the cam lever 9' to the left and into its retaining catch and before releasing the said valve lever but obviously by the provision of a block Ii'i' having the bevelled surface illustrated in Figure 7, it is possible to throw over the cam lever 9' into its catch before depressing `the valve lever I2 since the sleeve may now ride downwardly against 61' without interception thereby, space being provided in this instance for the necessary sideways movement of the valve lever, although a moments consideration of Figure 7 will reveal that iiexure either of shaft 9' or I2 or both would allow sleeve B5 to ride downwardly upon application of a downward effort on the upper end of shaft I2, Via the bevelled surface of block E'I' and engage with the underedge thereof even if no allowance for sideways movement were permitted by slot I.

From all the foregoing, it will be recognized that I have produced a crusher wherein separating movement of the rotating plate from the stationary plate may be effected, to all intents and purposes instantaneously and with-out any muscular effort whatever worth speaking of such as would be necessary for instance in throwing a lever to separate a plate against resistance of a spring. The snap action employed for the separation of my crusher is a much more pleasing and mechanically satisfactory action than is the action of manually pulling, pushing -or rotating a lever or wheel for instance, through a given distance and which takes appreciable time to accomplishv in any event. Under such conditions as the existence of a damaging obstruction between a pair of crushing plates, the operator naturally desires above all things to be able to act expeditiously and feel that he is doing so, and this is possible in a most gratifying way in the case of the present invention, the plates of which a child can operate every bit as satisfactorily as an adult immediately the harsh noise of a damaging obstruction between the plates is heard. In such case it will be recognized that the lever 9' can equally well be kicked out of the catch with the knee or the foot if forl instance when the operators hands are full.

To conclude this description of the main structure, I desire to explain that the pitch angle of either the 'spiral surfaces 24 or 48 or preferably both, should be greater than the angle of static friction which supervenes at the minimum I-I. P. likely to be employed. `With an engine of 35-40 I-I. P. the minimum pitch angle should be approximately 14 from the plane of rotation when made out of cast iron. In this context however I wish it to be particularly understood that I do not con- 10 sider myself bound by the abovestated pitch angle, since it is to be noted that with a lesser pitch angle my lever 9' could still be manually thrown to the right after release from catch I0, and in the latter case by its inherent resiliency and tendency to spring in the direction indicated by arrow 68 (Figure 1) after being forced out of the said catch, and which resiliency would cause it to press against and so ride clockwise (when viewed from the right hand end of the crusher) against the curved lip 50 (Figure 4), especially if made somewhat steeper than shown and lubricated.

In the accompanying Figure 8, I have provided means whereby my valve cut-off and crushing plate release mechanism may be caused to operate automatically upon the accident-al introduction of a Vhard piece of foreign matter between the crushing plates, the same comprisingv an offset arm 69, which may be positioned at any convenient point upon the coll-ar 3| either directly or freely upon a ring as illustrated, a horizontal push-rod 'I0 being secured in this member for end-shiftable movement in the direction of the arrow to operate a small pivoted plate 'I0' of the configuration clearly illustrated, this plate being designed to move in the arc shown by the adjacent arrow about the stud II which is secured in an outwardly projecting plate 'I2 secured to the wall 5 and it will be understood that the rear end of .the rod 'I0 pushes against the vertical face of the plate 'I0' to actuate the same in the direction of the adjacent arrow.

When so actuated, the link I3 will travel downwardly as it is to be understood that the lower end of this Vmember is secured tothe plate 1D at the point illustrated, there being a substantially similar plate 14 at the upper end ofthe link 'I3 and pivotally mounted in or beneath the casting Il and just in front of the catch Iii in which the cam lever 9' resides in the "set position. vIf desired, the auxiliary trigger I4 may be added as this is a somewhat more convenient means for operating the whole associated mechan'- ismA than the cam lever 9.

` It is to be understood that the plate 14 is designed to travelin the direction of the adjacent arrow when the link 13 is drawn downwardly and when this occurs, the corner I5 of the plate IIIv bears against `the lever 9' to disengage the same from its catch, whereupon it swings to the right in the manner already described in detail, to release the adjacent valve lever I2 and throw the rotatable crushing plate away from the stationary crushing plate by the full predetermined distance and it is to be understood that the foregoing movement takes place when a hard piece of foreign matter enters between Athe grinding surfaces of the crushing plates, thereby forcing them apart to a slight extent, which forcing action is felt bythe stem 3 and naturally the assocated collar 3|, and hence the offset arm 69 all of which move to the left with respect to the accompanying Figure 8.

FinallyinV connection with this detail, I would explain that the push rod 10 is freely held medially of' its length by means of the tie block 15 which is provided with a horizontal aperture therefor anda square vertical aperture for the cam lever 9', the arrangement being that the rod is free to end-shift through its aperture in the tie block but is swung around with the cam lever taking the arm E8 with it when the release mechanism illustrated in the accompanying Figure 5 is tripped as explained. Following the leftward kick .by rod 70 whichactuates plate .10 .as aforesaid, `the resulting .rotationof lever .9 .carriesparts @9, to 1.0Land15 Iaround ,with it, sc.,.that therod .'lil. becomes disengaged 4from ,p1ateJil", which vlatter rotates in a iixed `vertical''plantas already explained, heine secured .to ,the .hopper base.

YIn .the -accomnanyinefhiguresi9 and 10.1. have illustrated an alternative meanswherebymy .hoppervalve cut-off and crusliing.plate-releasezrnech1 aniemmay be caused to operateautomatically upon the. accidental ir,rtrodimtiornv of. ahard .piece of foreign matter between the crushing plates, the same lbeine; in v.certain .respectspreferable -to the embodiment ofiFigureB, 'as more. positive, .has heater appearance and .less liable v.todamage `in the .wear'and `tear-of the :heavy use to which machines of this charactenareplaced,

This embodiment ,calls `for `the `.use of :afblock 82 extending .from vwhich is -aftrigger'similar to the trigger 14 and to ywhich accordinglylhave assigned this numeralvin the accompanying Figures .9 and 1.0, :thehlockitself, however.. being of somewhat altered form .as.comparedr-With. the block 14. and tunctioningas .alevernf theflrst class to actuateuthe cam-leverf.

It. `will .be seen that the. block .82 .is fpivotally mounted as. at 83 in thee casting ...andgis .provided with an upwardly 4projecting .abutment'l while freely Iattached .zto the ilowercorner 85.* is a :rod .8S` extending ldiagonally fthrough l.the 'hopper and terminating in y'the bellaerank-action Plate l81, which is pivoted in the bearing'platesfprojectnsupwardly from the main bearing J1.

The nose .89 of .the .plate ..81 terminates -in .a screwdhreadedcollar .9.0, through Whichextends aset screw 9|, ,theend of .which 'bears against the shaft I and .from the :foregoing-.description it .willbe apparent that. uponfforeible separation of-.the crushing-platesdue tofadamagng obstruction, thc-shaft I. willmove tothetleft with xrespect to the accompanying. Figure @dior-reasons already .adequately `described and. `i,n...do.ing ...50. will. cause-.the plate .8.1 lto .rotate fabout yits .pivot point in a clockwise directioneslirldicatedby the arrow S2', thus shifting lthe. hodllnthe directionof .the arrow .9.3, .which in .turn wilhrotate the block 8-2 about. the lpivot :point counterclockwise in the.d reci.ion..olv the...ar'1`,0W .94-

This vaction obviously .will compelthe labutment' a4 to. forcethe `carri.lever 9' out of .its recess. 10,.

whereupon-.the same ,willswlng ,with .the barrel cam inthe `manner alreadyadeduately described and oi oourse, atthesarne `t1 r ne, .thevalvelever I2 wiilhefreleased andthe.gatelitopr-eventiurther material fromgravtating ldownwardlyinto the loaseof'myhopper.l

In the aocomloanyingEienre .111 have illustratedfa simpliedmethod .whereby thedisoharee of `material .from .the .crushing chamber .through the outlet. 2.1 maybeshutoifin theeyent, ol the crushing plates being accidentally .separated through the .introductlonof .a 4.piece of foreign matter therebetween, with .th.e.conseguentin ability of .the crushing plates. to continue .a thomughA grinding action. -ln this.. .connection it will be understood that.Y when .a .particularly ne grind is. reouiredeveri a Small. quantity -of imperfectly ground. materialdischaraed into the mass of ground material, .would necessitate the sifting oi the whole with. .consequent expense and loss .of .time involved'. For this reason, it is necessary to provide means whereby any material. remaining in the crushing-chamber .at .any 'time that the plates. 4are rorcibly separated as. .above 12 mentioned, .shall be .prevented from ...being conveyed-by .the fanning vaction ywithin 4the chamber upwardly into the ground. mass.

From the. accompanying-Figure l1 therefore it will be seen that I provide a gate valve 76 which Yis k hinged .atthe .location illustrated and is de- Signed to .cover the `passageway through which thevgroundmaterial travels, this Valve being provided .at thepoint at .which it is hinged with an .elongated rod .-11, angulated downwards at the yend -18 and it is .to beunderstoodthat the downwardangulation is inthe .vertical plane of theoutstanding,projection d to .which thecam lever 9 .isasecurei -so that the rod .'l! .actually is .QLsubStantiaIlengthas it. has to extend from the outlet .21, .which-is. in the plane of the crushing-.chamber -.|.9..to .thev member .49,.for which reason an .intermediate 4supporting bracket 9 is provided, .these-me heingmountedupon the side wall. ofthefhopper base.

Toprovide for actuation o the rod 'V-and the gate valve 7.6, .lprovidelatripi which extends outwardly fromV theV root ofv the cam lever il', the same-.being provided with adorned end which engages with the :down-turned .portion i8 and fromthis arrangement, .it is obvious that lwhen the `cam ylever 9' `.travels in the direction ofthe adjacent arrow as l.already .described in detail, the `trip 8| 4will rise yand obviously, .will .permit theA gate `valve .16 .to drop.

Obviously, thegate `valve .1.6. lwill not ldrop to theclosed-v position instantaneouslyin .view of thev blastotair impingingthereagainst, .Itwill drop, howevehfto,anextentsuicient todeiiect the remaining partially crushed .contents ofthe crushing .chamber outwardly and downwardly through the .aperture 82 -so `that -the same willnot mix withthe thoroughly .grou-nd massand it -will be understood of course, that .I use the word remaining..,advisedly because in the meantime the valve .5.6 has closed .fasalrefady .described-so .that there is only .atlimited quantity. of material to .be discharged .from the crushing chamber.

.Einally it-.shouldbenotedthatastop 83 which may .be in l.the Vformel? a .transverse projecting strip,..eXtends..facross .the oor of the .outlet 2l against .whiohwdoor 1G .isf-intendedto rest atan incline ..when-close'd, thisstop yalso Vassisting to preventv4 the-.rettilinei small amounts of material dischargedfaf-tcr thccrushing A.plateshave .been separated. 1

Since.. manymodications can vbe made in the invention .herein described. and since the .accompanying .drawings have .been prepared only to illustrate Ithe relative .arrangement .and 4interaction` of Z parts and not with regardfto accuracy of idimensions :for manufacturingy purposes Vwhich in View ofwthis disclosure .I consider .to entail merely mechanical skill together .with the skill of ,the mechanical .draitsman,. and sincey many apparently .widely diierent embodiments of this f invention may .bemade Within the .scope of the acoompanyingclaims without departing from the spirit andLscope. ofthe same itisintended thatall matter-.contained in the accompanying specin- 621121011 Shall be .interpreted .as illustrative only andriotina.limltingsenseand I desireonlysuch limitations. placed .thereon as justice dictates.

Whatl claim asmy Vinvention is.:

l. yA material .crusherlcomprising in. .combination, a supportingstructure' a hopper, a, crushing chamber, .crushing plates therewithin, .anonrotatablq end-.s hiftalole shaft, a .driving mechanisni .for actuating. at leastone of .said crushing plates, the plate. l.actuated lthereby being heid against independent linear movement on said shaft and acting to end-shift the same when separated from the other plate by a damaging obstruction, said driving mechanism also being mounted for rotationrupon said shaft, crushing plate separating mechanism comprising in combination, a stationary cam thrust receiving element provided with a spiral face, a swivelling thrust cam designed under normal conditions releasably to hold said shaft against end-shifting and the plate thereon against separation from the opposing plate, said cam and said element being mounted co-axially with respect to said shaft, vreleasable means for holding a predetermined area of said swivelling cam in bearing contact with said stationary element in the operable position of said crushing plates, the release of said means allowing said swivelling cam to move ina spiral direction against the face of said element to permit end-shifting of said shaft and separation of said plates.

2. A material crusher comprising in combination, a supporting structure, a hopper, a crushing chamber, a pair of crushing plates therein, an end-shiftable shaft, one of said crushing plates being mounted for rotation on said shaft but being held against independent linear movement thereon so as to end-shift said shaft when -a damaging obstruction enters between the plates, separating the same; automatic crushing plate quick releasing mechanism actuable upon the introduction of a damaging obstruction between said plates and upon the consequent separation thereof, including a swivelling thrust cam, designed to maintain said crushing' plates in releasable spaced relation, a lever projecting from said cam, a lock for said lever and means operable upon the initial end-shifting of 'said shaft to unlock said lever and permit rotation of said cam to allow the further end-shifting of said shaft to a predetermined maximum extent and the separation of the plate thereon from the other plate also to a predetermined maximum extent.

3. A material crusher comprising in combination, a supporting structure, a hopper, a crushing chamber, a pair of crushing plates therein, a supporting shaft, automatic crushing plate quick releasing mechanism actuable upon the introduction of a damaging obstruction between said plates and upon the consequent separation thereof, including a swivelling thrust cam, designed to maintain said crushing plates in releasable spaced relation, a lever thereon, a lock for said lever, means for unlocking said lever operable upon the initial separating movement of one of said plates from the other under the influence of an obstruction entering therebetween, the unlocking of said lever by said means permitting the rotation of said cam and thereby allowing the further separation of said plates to a predetermined maximum extent.

4. A material crusher comprising in combination, a supporting structure, a hopper, a crushing chamber, a pair of crushing plates therein, a non-rotatable sharft, at least one of said plates being mounted for rotation on said shaft; a crushing plate releasing mechanism, comprising in combination with the foregoing, a stationary cam thrust receiving element, a swivelling barreltype thrust cam having a spiral cam face, releasable means for holding a predetermined area of said cam face in bearing contact with said cam thrust receiving element in the operable position of said crushing plate, the release of said means allowing said swivelling cam to move in a spiral direction against the face of said element to'permit the separation of said plates. t

5. In a material crusher and in association with a crushing plate releasing means, a cam lever secured thereto, a lock for said lever, a hopper valve, a hopper valve closing mechanism in association with said lever, said hopper valve closing mechanism comprising a valve lever, a projection on said valve lever and a projection on said first mentioned lever, said projections being in mutually intercepting contact in the open position of said hopper valve but out of contact when closed and spring means operably connected to said valve lever to compel actuation thereof and the consequent closing of said hopper valve upon the unlocking and consequent release of said first mentioned lever.

6. In a material crusher a non-rotatable endshiftable shaft, a pair of opposed crushing plates, one of said plates being co-axial with said shaft, one of said plates being also shiftable with and by said shaft, said shaft being provided with an internally screw-threaded drilling in one end thereof, a rotatable, externally screw-threaded stem extending into said drilling adustably to end-shift said shaft and thereby adjust the proximity of one of said crushing plates with respect to the opposing one, and means for holding 'said stem against linear movement during the operation of adjustably end-shifting said shaft as aforesaid.

7. In a material crusher, a non-rotatable, endshiftable shaft, a pair of opposed crushing plates, means for driving one of said plates, one of said plates being shiftable with and by said shaft, a swivelling thrust cam mounted co-axially with respect to said shaft, a stationary cam thrust receiving element, locking means for holding said cam in engagement with said element at least in the operative position of said shaft, an internally threaded drilling in the end of said shaft, an externally screw-threaded stem engageable with the thread in said drilling, said stem being rotatable to end-shift said shaft and thereby adjust the proximity of one of said crushing plates with respect to the opposing one, means for holding said stem against linear movement during the operation of adjustably endshifting said shaft as aforesaid and means for unlocking said cam locking means to permit rotation thereof and consequent independent endshifting of said shaft and the spacing of the plate shiftable therewith and thereby as aforesaid from said opposing plate when a damaging obstruction enters therebetween.

8. A material crusher comprising in combination, a supporting structure, a hopper, a crushing chamber, a pair of crushing plates within said chamber of which at least one is rotatable, means for driving at least one of said plates, an end-shiftable, non-rotatable supporting shaft, means for permitting movement of one of said crushing plates with said shaft to vary the distance between the same and the other crushing plate, a screw-threaded extension on the endis setti-ngV diall against. rotation, :said y-lncliing device 'comprising in rzombination withua plurality nf spacedy recesses-upon the 'perimeter :of :said dial, a sprung bolt in light bearing engagementfwith said perimeter andmeans designed toerigage said bolt, andv hold, fthe-same `in'engagementwith Iany desired fone -of said recesses.

10. In association -With thefdeviee Iasf clenedin claim 8., Vasetting:dialeupon-orsiefend of saidfscrewthreaded ..7sirem, .a locking device 7for holding; said setting vdial against rotation, .said 'locking .de--

vice-comprising in combination with .a plurality ofr .spaced recesses upon :the perimeter :of lsaid dialfa sprung bolt in lighty bearing engagement with said Yperimeter and. fmeans designed to 'engagesaid holt and Aholdatlre same in engagement with 'any :desiredone oi said recesses.

11. .-Inwaomaterial Crusher having-an end-'shiftable supporting shaft vand a crushing plate mounted -thereon =for movement along Aits axis rof rotationtherewith, -means including a lever actuable 'while fsaid VvCrusher :is running `and vlock therefor for :securing said shaft against endshiftingand :said iplate aga-inst yielding during normal operation-with respectwto an "opposing plate, said-meansalsofincludingat least one cam elementi and `a cam vcontacting i elem-ent, said lever being -seeuredfto .one offsaid' relements, said cam element being inclined in excess of the angle of `static friction to: facilitate movement of esaid lever following its release from :saidloek without the application -o further effort, .and qonsegaent separation ,of said shaft :mounted @late from iad opposing :plate a predetermined maxi-mum distance.

JAMES A. -I'DGE REFERENCES CITED The following references are Jof .record in the iile of. this :patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name iDate 353,710 Raymond Dec. 17, '1886 `"679,775 Pank Aug. f6, 11901 854,861 -Winchell fMay 28, '190,7 :1,011,243 :Pritchard Dec. l2, 51911 1,037,951 McCulloch Sept. `,19,V 1912 1,081,622 `Moore Dec. 16, 1913 .1,223,497 Letz Apr. l24,1917 1,570,456 Bryant an. `19, 19,26 2,004,704 `Martin June T15, 1935 2,064;666 Krushel Dec. 115, 1936 2,249,648 'Fehr July 51'5, 19,41 '2,272,908 'Dick Feb. 10, 11942 2,273,868 Johnston May.1,11939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number rCountry lflDate 'witzerland Nov. 117, 1.3.17

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