US3196542A - Churn - Google Patents

Description

July 27, 1965 Filed Aug. 19, 1963 July 27, 196 K- PLOCK ErAL GHURN 4 Sheets-Sheet Z Filed Aug. 19, 1965 N .mt

4 Sheets-Sheet I5 MN 42N sa 3N RN 2N mmm QN EN KI PLocK ETAL GHURN July 27, 1965 Filed Aug. 19, 1963 July 27,1965 K- PLOCK ET 196,542

CHURN Filed Aug. 19, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 4

3,196,542 CHURN Karl Pieck, Dortmund-Luecidemherg, Karl Quest, Dortmund, Anton Flaslramp, Munich, and Ludwig Eisenreich, Weihenstephan, near Freising, Germany, assignors to Holstein Sz Kappert Maschinenfabrik Phonix @mhd-., Dortmund, Germany Filed Aug. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 392,373 3 Claims. (Cl. 311-34) The present invention relates to butter making churns in general, and more particularly to an improved churn of the type which is used for continuous production of butter.

It is an important object of our invention to provide a churn whose output may be varied at will, which is of very simple and space-saving construction, and which may be readily combined with conventional squeezing, washing, or kneading machines such as are used for further treatment of butter issuing from a churn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a churn of the just outlined characteristics which is constructed `and assembled in such a way that its output may be varied not only when it is momentarily idle but also when yit is in actual use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a churn which need not be taken apart when the operator desires to change its output and whose output may be varied infinitely between a maximal and a minimal value.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a churn of the above outlined characteristics which is constructed and assembled in such a way that at least some of its parts may be cleaned without necessitating even partial dismantling of the machine.

A noncomitant object of the invention is to provide a churn for continuous production of butter wherein the agitating member and the vessel for the agitating member need not change their positions with respect to each other when it becomes necessary to vary the output of the churn.

With the above objects in View, one feature of our invention resides in the provision of a butter making churn which comprises a preferably cylindrical vessel defining an internal chamber and arranged to receive starting material (such as milk or cream) at one end and to discharge butter and liquid at the other end thereof, a rotary agitating member extending into the chamber and comprising a shaft which is coaxial with the vessel, a motor drivingly connected with the shaft to rotate the agitating member whereby the material admitted at one end of the vessel is transformed into butter and liquid issuing at the other end of the vessel,

and an arrangement for reciprocating the vessel in the axial direction of the shaft or for reciprocating the agitating member in the axial direction of the vessel to thereby vary the output of the churn whenever necessary.

In accordance with another feature of our invention,

ythe output of the churn may be Varied by placing a suitable insert into the chamber of the vessel so as to reduce the capacity of the chamber which is tantamount to a reduction in the output of the churn if the rotational speed of the agitating member remains unchanged. Similar results can be obtained by connecting the shaft of the agitating member with a variable speed electric motor so that the rotational speed of the agitating member is reduced when the operator desires to reduce the output of the churn.

' The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved churn itself, however,

yUnited States Patent 0 CII 3,1%,5612 Patented July 27, 1965 ICC both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a partly elevational and partly axial sectional View of a churn which embodies one form of the invention and whose output may be changed by varying the rpm. of the motor which drives the agitating member;

FIG. 2 is a similar partly elevational and partly axial sectional View of a somewhat different churn whose output may be varied by changing the capacity of the chamber in which the agitating member treats the starting material;

FiG. 3 is a further partly elevational and partly axial sectional view of a modiiied churn whose output may be varied by changing the axial position of the agitating member with respect to the vessel, the parts of the churn being shown in a position they assume when the output reaches a maximal value; and

FlG. 4 is a similar view of the modied churn whose parts are shown in a position they assume when the output is reduced to a minimal value.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiments, and rst to FG. 1, there is shown a butter making churn A which comprises a stationary housing lltl mounted on a base 11 by means of legs l2 and accommodating a iixed cylindrical vessel i3 whose lefthand axial end is open, as at 14, so that butter and liquid issuing from the agitating or churning chamber 15 of the vessel may enter an outlet lo to be discharged through a spout i7. This spout delivers butter and liquid to a washing machine of conventional design, not shown.

The chamber l5 accommodates a rotary agitating member or dasher ILS which comprises a shaft 19 carrying a series of axially parallel radially outwardly projecting blades or Vanes 2Q which extend into close proximity of the internal surface of the vessel 13. The vanes Ztl are mounted on radial arms 21 which are fixed to the shaft 19, and this shaft is driven by the output shaft 23 of a variable-speed electric motor 22 whose casing 24 is bolted to the housing lil. The motion transmitting connection between the output shaft 23 and the driven shaft i9 comprises a suitable coupling 25 of any known design so that the motor 22 may be rapidly and conveniently disconnected from the agitating member 18 if the latter must be withdrawn for the purpose of inspection, repair, replacement or cleaning. The outlet lo is preferably detachable from the housing 1li so as to provide access to the open end 14 of the vessel 13 and to the agitating member.

The shaft ru extends through an antifriction bearing 2d provided in a vertical end wall Z7 of the housing itl, and this end wall 27 is adjacent to the end wall 28 of the cylinder 13. The coupling 25 may be reached through a suitable door (not shown) provided in a tubular extension 29 of the housing 10 which is connected with the casing 24.

A conduit 30 which is led through the extension 2i! and through the end walls 27, 2S serves to admit starting material into the chamber 15, and such material is thereupon agitated by the blades 2t? as soon as the motor 22 begins to rotate the shaft 19.

In many large milk processing plants, there are times when it becomes necessary to change the output of one or more butter making churns. For example, it can happen that the output of a churn must be increased on a Monday so that the machine may process all of the cream or milk which has accumulated over the weekend, i.e., that the starting material may be processed in the morning shift. Furthermore, it is often necessary to tive of variations in the output.

vspeed motor.

-need not rotate with the -agiating member. v insert of half theaxial length -of the rinsert ,131 may be Y .o ..3 l Y change ,the output of a churn by taking into considera'- tion the composition of the starting material (i.e., they fat contents and the temperature of cream). On the other hand, it isA also desirable to discharge butter Yand` the liquid atfa constanty or nearly constant rate to avoid` frequent 'adjustments andruninterrupted supervision of 'machines which receive rbutter and liquid from the churn.

In other words,'it is very desirable totconstruct the churn in such a way that its output ,may be variediniin'itely between a maximalV and a minimal value. Y Y

All an operator .has to doin order'to change the outa,

put of the churn A is to `vary the rpm. of the motor'ZZ so as to reduce or to increase the rotational speed 'ofthe blades 2G. By changing the r.p. m; of the driven shaft '19 We achieve the same result as by reducing or by increasing vthe eective axial length of the agitating member 18,' i.e.,

the output of the churn is changed in a' fully automatic way and such change may be brought'about at, the time when the churn is in actual use. The exact construction of theY motor. 22 forms no part of this invention; for

of Vthe insert 131, as viewed in FIGjZ. The driven shaft 19 or 119 thenrassurmes the form of a tube which is telescoped onto :the output shaft. Thedriving connection betweenrsuch t'elescoped shafts may assume lthe form of splines, diametral bolts or the like. If the driven shaft is a tube, the output shaft vofthe mot-or 22 may extend ,all thewayto the open end'14 vof the vessel 13.

Y `ingtlie motor 222and the' agitating" member 218 isreexample, we may utilize a variable-pole motorvor we mayV Y vary the input (such as the frequency) of thermortor in Y order to change its speed. The, arrangement is preferably such that the rpm. Vof the output shaft 23 is variable Y infinitely between a maximum rpm. which corresponds to maximal output of the churn anda minimum rpm.

Ywhich maycorrespondV to a SVO-percent dropin the outputvof the machine. Y Y

An important advantage of the churn A is that the entire chamber 15 may be utilized atallV times irrespec- FIG. 2 illustrates a slightly modied churnv B which'differentiates from the churn Armainly in'that it` comprises a different agitating member 118 with shorter blades 120,. Y and with a shaft 119 which is detachably connected to the output shaft 23 by the coupling means 25.' The right- `hand section of the chamber 15 accommodatesY an insert or plug 131 having an axially parallel bore 134 which communicates with the'conduit 30 softhat thev bore 134 may admit milk or cream into the remaining portion of the chamber 15K. yThetinsert 131'is providedwith a circumferential groove fora sealing ringj132 which engages the internal surface of the cylinder 13. A sec-ond sealing ring 133 is provided aroundthe discharge end of the conduit to prevent escape of starting material intjo the space between theV left-hand Wall of the insert 131V and the vend wall 28. This insert is further'provided with an'axial bore for the shaft 1719.

/ ByY utilizing an agitating memberrwith Vshorterbladesl .and by Vreducing the capacity of the chamber VV1,5,

the output of the churn B is less than the output of churn A. For example, the insertl131 may reduce koutput from 1,000 kg./h. to 600 kgJh. Gf course, the

ciprocableby an arrangement includin'gta handwheel 237 whichrotates a spindle 1238 rotatably mounted'in the 'base 21,1 and mating with a spindle nut 2381i, which is fixed to the casing 234. Ofco'ursefit is equally possible tofix the casing 224 to the base 211 and to reeiprocate the vessel 213with its housingy 210 toward and 4away from the motor. Tbisrmodiic'ation is 4so obvious that it can be readily comprehended'without requiring a f vseparate' illustration; v

.ln thisembodimen-t of our invention, the yshaft 219 of Vthe agitating member 218 maybe permanently iixed to the output shaft 223 of the motor' 222 and, as shown in 'FIGS..3 Aand 4, thev output shaft 223 rotates ina bearing sleeve 239fwhich-is fixed tothe casing y224' sro asto share axial-movements of the agitating member 21S. This bearving sleeve is provided with Ia bore 234 which communicateswiththe material admitting conduit 230 and with the.v internal chamber 215v of the vessel 213. The sleeve 239 carries a sealing ring 232which engages the internal surface of -the vessel 213. VThe construction of the outlet Y 216, of the spout 217, of the vanesr220 and ofthe arms 221 is thefsa'me as in the churn A for B.

g churn C, the handwheel 237 isrotated in a sense to move WhenV thevoperator desires to reduce the output of the vthe agitating member 21S in a direction to the left, i.e., from the positionk of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. y4, whereby the left-hand end portions of the yanes 220 extend beyond the'open end 214 ofthe vessel 213 so that theeffective length of theyagitatingv memberis reduced the the v output may also beyaried by changing the rpm. lof the Y lmotor 22 even though it is equally possible to change they output solely by furnishing the churn vof FIG.. 2 with two, three or more diiferent inserts each of which'corref spends to a different output of the machine. In such instancesl the vmotor 22 may be replaced by a constant- When the user desiresV to increase the .,output'to 1,0070

ykg/h., heremoves the outlet 16 and, after detaching the shaft 119 from the shaft 23,V withdraws the agitating member 118V :and thereupon the insert 131. The insert A different used to reduce the output to 800 kg./ h.

It willbenoted that, rather than byva'rying"V the output solely in response to changes in Lpfm. of the motor, the churn of FIG. 2 may change its output by changing the elective axialy length of the agitating member and by changing the capacity of the vessel 13.y ,Y Y

Theychurn of FIG. lV or 2 may Vbe modified replacing the comparatively short output. shaft Z3 with' a longer shaft which extends beyond the lefthand side with attendant reduction in the capacity ofV the vessel 213 Q and in the output of the machine.' In other words, that portion Yof vthe agitating member 218 which extends-outwardly from and beyond the Vopen end 214is not elfec- .tivefin theimaking of butter. The spindle 238 and the nut 23MV lenable an operator to move the agitating memberV to an inlinite number 'of positions'each of which co1- responds to a different Voutput of the churn. V,If desired, the motor Z22/may be of the variable speedtype even though anylconstantlspeed motor will do since theV output of the churn C may be varied solely by changing the axial positionV of the agitating member 218 withrespectto the vessel 213' or vice versa. v

An important advantage of the churn C is that the Y bearing sleeve 239 maybe Withdrawn entirely from the Avessel 213V for the purpose of cleaning without necessitating even partial dismantling fof the machine. The output shaft 223 rotates in suitable antifriction bearings 24) which are provided inthe sleeve 239, Y

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully re- Yveal the gist of the present invention that other can,by

applying current knowledge,v readily adaptitforvarious applications without omitting features that,v from' the n standpoint ofV prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and4 specific aspects of this inven- .tion and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaningand range of equivalence ofy the following claims. y

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A butter making churn comprising cylindrical vessel means having an internal chamber and arranged t0 receive starting material at Ione end and to discharge butter and liquid at the other end thereof; rotary agitating means extending into said chamber and having a shaft which is coaxial with said vessel means; and electric motor having an output shaft drivingly connected with said first mentioned shaft so as to rotate said agitating means whereby the material admitted into said chamber is transformed into butter and liquid issuing from the other end of said vessel means; a bearing sleeve xed to said mot-or and surrounding a portion of said first mentioned shaft, said sleeve being receivable in said chamber at said one end of the vessel means, and an arrangement for moving one of said means axially of the other means so as t0 vary the output of the churn, when necessary, said sleeve extending into and being Withdrawable from said chamber in response to reciprocation of said one means.

2. A churn as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sleeve is provided with a bore through which starting material is admitted into said chamber.

3. A churn as set forth in claim 1, wherein said agitating means further comprises a plurality of vanes adjacent to the internal surface of said vessel and arms connecting said rst mentioned shaft with said vanes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,020,878 ll/35 Doering 31-34 X 2,721,062 10/55 Nanz 31-34 X SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

HUGH R. CHAMBLEE, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A BUTTER MAKING CHURN COMPRISING CYLINDRICAL VESSEL MEANS HAVING AN INTERNAL CHAMBER AND ARRANGED TO RECEIVE STARTING MATERIAL AT ONE END AND TO DISCHARGE BUTTER AND LIQUID AT THE OTHER END THEREOF; ROTARY AGITATING MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING A SHAFT WHICH IS COAXIAL WITH SAID VESSEL MEANS; AND ELECTRIC MOTOR HAVING AN OUTPUT SHAFT DRIVINGLY CONNECTED WITH SAID FIRST MENTIONED SHAFT SO AS TO ROTATE SAID AGITATING MEANS WHEREBY THE MATERIAL ADMITTED INTO SAID CHAMBER IS TRANSFORMED INTO BUTTER AND LIQUID ISSUING FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID VESSEL MEANS; A BEARING SLEEVE FIXED TO SAID MOTOR AND SURROUNDING A PORTION OF SAID FIRST MENTIONED SHAFT, SAID SLEEVE BEING RECEIVABLE IN SAID CHAMBER AT SAID ONE END OF THE VESSEL MEANS, AND AN ARRANGEMENT FOR MOVING ONE OF SAID MEANS AXIALLY OF THE OTHER MEANS SO AS TO VARY THE OUTPUT OF THE CHURN, WHEN NECESSARY, SAID SLEEVE EXTENDING INTO AND BEING WITHDRAWABLE FROM SAID CHAMBER IN RESPONSE TO RECIPROCATION OF SAID ONE MEANS.

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