US2442740A

US2442740A - Opposed roll crusher with feed means

Info

Publication number: US2442740A
Application number: US560747A
Authority: US
Inventors: Melvin S Groh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1942-12-24
Filing date: 1944-10-28
Publication date: 1948-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 1965-06-01

Description

June 1, 1948. I M. s. 'GROH 2,442,740

OPPOSED ROLL CRUSHER WITH FEED MEAfiS Filed Oct. 28, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l v v INVENTEIR M5, E-RU H,

Patented June 1, 1948 OPPOSED ROLL CRUSHER WITH FEED llIEANS Melvin S. Groh, Preston, Ontario, Canada In Canada December 24, 1942 Application October 28, 1944, Serial No. 560,747

4 Claims.

This invention relates to crushing mechanism particularly for grain and cereals.

Crushers for' grain and cereals including a pair of rotating rolls between which the material to be crushed is fed have been used for a considerable period of time. These structures usually involve driven rolls and therefore require considerable construction including gear trains and usually require mechanically driven feeding devices. Thus, such structures involve a considerable number of parts with a corresponding cost, whereas it is possible to produce a crusher which will efliciently meet requirements while providing a much simpler mechanism and at lower cost.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a simplified type of grain or cereal crusher wherein the parts are few and the crushing operation is effected between rolls, one of which is .driven through the medium of the material being crushed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a construction of this kind in which the grain is fed from a hopper disposed in close proximity to the surface of one of the rolls, the latter forming the agitating means for feeding the grain or material into the crusher in combination with a simple shut-off device, thus controlling the grain flow by a simplified combination.

With these and other objects in view, the invention generally comprises a crusher for grain, cereal or the like including a casing having an inlet opening, a pair of crusher rolls rotatably mounted in the casing in parallel relation to one another, means for driving one of said rolls, the other being an idler, the mechanism including manually operable means for causing rotation of the idler roll, while the material to be crushed fed through said inlet opening forms a friction driving medium for continuing the rotation of the idler roll through the rotation of the driven roll. It also includes such features as the positiom'ng of the inlet opening directly above and in close proximity to the driven roll and a sliding valve for controlling the size of the inlet opening and cooperating with the driven roll which in combination with the sliding valve forms a means for agitating and controlling the flow of the material into the crusher. A simple form of spreading means is also included for uniformly distributing the material to the rolls.

The invention will be clearly understood by reference to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the acCqmpanying drawings.

In the drawings Fig. l is a longitudinal section taken through a crusher according to the present invention and showing the general arrangement of parts.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the spreader used in conjunction with the crushing rolls.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view partly in section of the valve or damper used for controlling the amount of material fed to the crushing rolls; and

Figs. 5 and. 6 are perspective details of the two essential parts of the valve and operating means therefor.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the crusher as a whole having a suitable casing Iii supported in any suitable Way and fed from a hopper II through an inlet opening I2. Within the casing are mounted two crushing rolls B and C carried on the shafts l3 and M respectively, suitably journalled in the frame on ball bearing races I5 so that they will rotate very readily. The roll B is a driven roll driven by any suitable means such as a driving belt H. The roller C is an idler roll spaced slightly from the driven roll B and normally urged towards the driven roll by spring means such as the leaf spring l8 pressing against the shoes or slides I9 which may be disposed in a suitable guideway 26 (see Fig. '1), the shoes or slides pressing against the journalled boxes of the shaft I4. The spring [8 is placed under compression by any suitable adjusting means such as a screw 2| threaded through a wall of the casing. As noted the mounting is such that the rolls are slightly spaced apart as heretofore mentioned and the idler roll C may be retracted from the roll B to a limited extent coinciding with the spacing between the casing and the shaft journals. The driven roll B likewise may be adjusted to and away from the idler roll by suitable means such as the screw threaded bolts 22 threaded in the casing Ill.

The shaft I4 of the idler roll carries on one end a manually operable member 23. This is employed for starting purposes and as the roll B is rotated by its power drive and material to be crushed is fed to the rolls, the manually operable member 23 may be rotated in opposite direction to the roll B and the material passing between these rolls forms a frictional means for then causing rotation of the idler roll C by means of the driven roll B. The ball bearings permit ready manual rotation of roll C and this roll will then be caused to be driven at the same speed as the roll B after the frictional connection between the two by means of the material being crushed.

In contra distinction to the use of rotary agitators or special agitating means for assuring that the materiaLto be crushed is fed between the rolls efficiently, I mount the hopper H directly above the driven roll B and spaced in relatively close proximity thereto. In that opening a forwardly inclined baflle or guide 24 is disposed to guide the material towards the center point of the roll and the roll, therefore, forms a means of agitating the material in combination with a slide valve or damper 25 which is mounted on the frame and designed to close oif the inlet opening from the roll B where desired. Thus the roll B forms the agitating means and is designed to feed a greater or lesser quantity of material to be ground according to the positioning of the slide valve or damper 25.

The slide valve is designed to be slid longitudinally of the machine towards and away from the guide plate 24. This may be accomplished by any suitable means, that illustrated in the present embodiment of my development taking the form of a recess 26 in part of the valve or damper, along one side of which is a toothed rack 21, the recess being designed to receive the quadrant gear 28 projecting from the operating member 29, the gear engaging the rack and causing sliding movement of the valve or damper upon rotation of the operating member 29.

The slide valve 25 is tapered and downwardly inclined as at 30 so as to meet the lower end of the guide plate 24 at the upper periphery of the roller B and provides an opening of progressively increased size upon rotation of the operating member 29 to the desired extent. Thus, I provide a simple means of control of the feed and agitation of the material as it passes to the rolls.

In order to distribute the material uniformly along the length of the rolls B and C, I provide a spreader 3| best seen in Fig. 3 which is formed to provide a spreader face 32 which has an apex 33, the surface 32 gradually receding outwardly and rearwardly from the apex at its center to have a plough-like effect in the stream of material being fed to the rollers so that the surface at the outside of the rolls will be fed with a substantially corresponding amount as is fed at the middle of the rolls. The spreader 3! is carried in any suitable supports such as the side brackets 34.

In operation, roll B is driven by its power me dium. Roll C is then caused to rotate manually in the opposite direction by rotation of the manually operating member 23. Grain or other material is fed from the hopper ll through the inlet opening 12 and as it passes between the rolls B and 0 forms a frictional drive medium between the rolls so that the idler roll C is brought up to the speed of the driven roll B and continues to operate accordingly throughout the crushing operation.

The grain passing through the inlet I2 is agitated by the driven roll B and fed in quantity between the rolls in accordance with the adjustment of the slide damper 25. It is likewise fed in a uniform manner to the rolls by reason of the spreader 3| which distributes it along the length of the rolls.

By this simple mechanism I am able efficiently to crush material and eliminate such previous necessities as mechanical agitators and special gearing for driving both crusher rolls. Accord ingly I am able to produce a simplified efficient machine economically.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A crusher for grains, cereal or the like comprising a casing having an inlet opening, a pair of crusher rolls rotatably mounted in the casing in parallel relation to one another, means for driving one of said rolls, the other being an idler, manually operable means for causing rotation of the idler roll, the material to be crushed fed through said inlet opening forming a friction drive medium for continuing the rotation of the idler roll through the rotation of the driven roll, said inlet opening being disposed directly above the driven roll and spaced in close proximity thereto, a slide valve controlling the inlet opening and having its free edge disposed towards the driven roll and adjustable with respect thereto, said driving roll and slide valve forming a means for agitating the material in the inlet opening and for controlling the flow of said material, and a spreading member disposed between said rolls below said valve and having inclined surfaces designed to guide and spread the infiowing material along the length of said rolls.

2. A crusher for grain, cereal or the like comprising a casing having an inlet opening, a pair of crusher rolls rotatably mounted in the casing in parallel relation to one another, means for driving said rolls, said inlet opening being disposed directly above one of said rolls, and spaced in close proximity, a slide valve for controlling the inlet opening having its free edge disposed towards said latter roll, said slide valve and said latter roll forming ameans of agitating and controlling the flow of material into the crusher, a spreader member disposed between said rolls below said slide valve, said spreader having rearwardly inclined surfaces diverging from an apex position adjacent to the middle of said latter roll for uniformly directing the material across the length of said rolls.

3. A crusher for grain, cereal or the like comprising a casing having an inlet opening, a pair of crusher rolls rotatably mounted in the casing in parallel relation to one another, means for driving said rolls, said inlet opening being disposed directly above one of said rolls, and spaced in close proximity, a slide valve for controlling the inlet opening having its free edge disposed towards said latter roll, said slide valve and said latter roll forming a means of agitating and controlling the flow of material into the crusher, a spreader member disposed between said rolls below said slide valve, said spreader having rearwardly inclined surfaces diverging from an apex position adjacent to the middle of saidelatter roll for uniformly directing the material across the length of said rolls, said grain, cereal or the like after being fed through said inlet opening, forming a friction drive medium for continuing the rotation of the idler roll through the rotation of the driven roll.

4. A crusher for grains, cereal or the like comprising a casing having an inlet opening, a pair of crusher rolls rotatably mounted in the casing in parallel relation to one another, means for driving one of said rolls, the other being an idler, manually operable means for causing rotation of the idler roll, the material to be crushed fed through said inlet opening forming a friction drive medium for continuing the rotation of the idler roll through the rotation of the driven roll, said inlet opening being disposed directly above the driven roll and spaced in close proximity 5 6 thereto, a slide valve controlling the inlet opena ing and having its free edge disposed t REFERENCES CITED th d i 11 and dj -eg B ith respec :ollovving references are of record in the to, said driving roll and .;.ide valve forming .lis patent: means for agitating the material in the i 9 UNITED STATES PATENTS opening and for controlling the flow of said material, and a spreading member disposed between Number Name Date rolls below said valve and having inclined 245353 Duvau 9, 1331 surfaces designed to guide and spread the in- 439,596 Howell 23, 1390, flowing material along the length of said rolls, 10 326,140 Bryant July 1903 the material to be crushed fed through said inlet 1314:3533 azee 9, 1912 opening forming a friction drive medium for con- 1,065,993 Bernhard July 1913 tinuing the rotation of the idler roll through the FOREIGN PATENTS rotation of the driven roll, and means for yieldably urging the idler roll in the direction of the 15 driven roll to maintain frictional driving connec- 3%;: g f June tion with the latter while permitting said idler Tea a 7 you to yield 4,061 Great Britain 1883 MELVIN S. GROH.

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