U.S. patent application number 11/643096 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-19 for device for transporting and compacting comminuted materials.
Invention is credited to Wojciech Chojnacki, Arkadiusz Druzdzel, Jaroslaw Polak.
Application Number | 20070163606 11/643096 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38262005 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070163606 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chojnacki; Wojciech ; et
al. |
July 19, 2007 |
Device for transporting and compacting comminuted materials
Abstract
A device for transporting and compacting comminuted materials,
particularly organic plant materials, comprises belt conveyors,
located convergently to each other. Transporting and compacting
carriers are made from a material accepted for contact with food
products, particularly with tobacco material. According to the
invention, both belt conveyors, situated at an angle (.alpha.,
.beta.), respectively, relative to the horizontal direction, are
equipped with uniform, continuous and endless belts. Elements
increasing the adhesion and preventing sliding between the driving
rollers and the surface of the belt are located on the inner
surface of the belts of both conveyors, i.e., on the side, facing
the driving rollers, while elements increasing the adhesion,
preventing sliding between the belt and the transported material,
are located on the external surface of the belt.
Inventors: |
Chojnacki; Wojciech; (Radom,
PL) ; Druzdzel; Arkadiusz; (Radom, PL) ;
Polak; Jaroslaw; (Radom, PL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN LLP
233 S. WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 6300
SEARS TOWER
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
38262005 |
Appl. No.: |
11/643096 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
131/111 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G 15/14 20130101;
A24B 7/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
131/111 |
International
Class: |
A24B 1/10 20060101
A24B001/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 2, 2006 |
PL |
P-378645 |
Claims
1. A device for transporting and compacting comminuted materials,
such as organic plant materials, comprising belt conveyors, located
convergently to each other, the transporting and compacting
carriers of which are made from a material accepted for contact
with food products, characterized in that both belt conveyers,
situated at an angle relative to the horizontal direction, are
equipped with uniform, continuous and endless belts, elements
increasing the adhesion and preventing sliding between the driving
rollers and the surface of the belt are located on the inner
surface of the belts of both conveyers, i.e., on the side facing
the driving rollers, while elements increasing the adhesion and
preventing sliding between the belt and the transported material
are located on the external surface of the belt.
2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the
elements located on the inner surface of the belt are recesses
spaced along the whole belt, across its whole width and arranged in
parallel to the motion of the belt.
3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the
recesses located on the inner surface of the belt are V-shaped.
4. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the
elements located on the external surface of the belt are square or
rhomboidal recesses or dimples, repeatably distributed on the whole
surface of the belt, one of the diagonals of every dimple/recess
being arranged in parallel to the motion of the belt.
5. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the
inclination angle of the belt conveyors relative to the horizontal
direction is in the range from 0.degree. to 30.degree..
6. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ratio
of the width to the total length of the belt made from polyester
and-/or polyolefine is in the range from 1:25 to 1:8.5.
7. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the
carriers are made from a material accepted for contact with tobacco
material.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a device for transporting and
compacting comminuted materials, particularly for use in the
tobacco industry in tobacco material processing.
[0002] In compacting devices the compacting functionality is
realized during transporting a stream of comminuted material
between two convergently positioned conveyors. During the operation
of conveyor assemblies, pressure forces (directed perpendicularly
to the surface) and friction forces (tangent to the surface and
parallel to the motion) are acting on the conveyor, as a result of
squeezing the comminuted material while being transported at the
same time. The friction forces, in terms of static friction, are
responsible for frictionless drive transfer from driving rollers,
via a carrier to the transported and compacted material. Exceeding
the forces of static friction on the surface of the carrier
generates forces of inertia to occur directed along its motion and
also, directed reversely, causing relative sliding. Exceeding the
acceptable forces causes a change of the nature of relative
mechanical interactions, entering the area of sliding friction
effects and, as a result, occurrence of effects adversely affecting
both the transported material and the transporting carrier.
Especially, the slip between the carrier and the transported
material causes particularly adverse effects, including, e.g.,
mechanical degradation and disturbance of the uniformity and/or the
continuity of the stream of the transported material, particularly
tobacco material, and also adverse effects deteriorating the
operation of the carrier and/or making its operation impossible at
all, including thermal effects due to the sliding friction, this
leading to the damage of the carrier.
[0003] A lot of devices are known in the art for transporting and
compacting comminuted materials. GB 2056936 describes a structure
of a pressing chain for transporting tobacco material to a cutting
drum of a cutting machine for tobacco material. This chain contains
a plurality of two-element plate links made from non-ferrous
metals. In order to obtain a continues, endless chain, it is
necessary to connect a lot of segments in the transporting chain,
between which gaps are created, through which plant juices and tiny
particles of the processed material escape, contaminating the
device and resulting in the necessity of regular cleaning its
elements.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,672 presents a structure of three-layer
belt for initial compacting comminuted materials, equipped with a
perforation having a predefined spacing of holes. This belt
structure does not guarantee non-sliding transport of comminuted
material with its simultaneous compaction.
[0005] This subject of this invention relates to a device for
transporting and compacting comminuted materials, particularly
organic plant materials. The device comprises belt conveyors
located convergently to each other, of which the transporting and
compacting carriers of which are made from a material approved for
contact with food products, particularly with tobacco material. The
essence of the invention consist in both belt conveyors, situated
at an appropriate angle relative to the horizontal direction, are
equipped with uniform, continuous and endless belts, while elements
increasing the adhesion and preventing sliding between the driving
rollers and the surface of the belt are located on the inner
surface of the belts of both conveyors, i.e., on the side facing
the driving rollers, while elements increasing the adhesion and
preventing sliding between the belt and the transported material
are located on the external surface of the belt.
[0006] Preferably, the elements located on the inner surface of the
belt are recesses spaced along the whole belt, across its whole
width and arranged in parallel to the motion of the belt.
[0007] According to the invention, the recesses located on the
inner surface of the belt are V-shaped.
[0008] The elements located on the external surface of the belt are
square or rhomboidal recesses repeatably distributed on the whole
surface of the belt, one of the diagonals of every recess being
arranged in parallel to the motion of the belt.
[0009] Preferably, the inclination angle relative to the horizontal
direction is in the range from 0.degree. to 30.degree., while the
ratio of the width to the total length of belt made from polyester
and/or polyolefine is in the range from 1:2.5 to 1:8.5.
[0010] The device according to the invention effects non-sliding
contact between the belt and a driving roller and causes that no
sliding between the transported organic plant material and the belt
occurs. Also, the employed belt guarantees the tightness of the
transporting assembly.
[0011] So shaped inner surface, of the belt, i.e., on the side
facing the driving roller, increases the contact area, consequently
the friction area, between the driving roller and the belt, as well
as it guarantees appropriate, constant and stable in time lateral
positioning of the belt. No adverse additional forces and stresses
are exerted on the belt in its working portion, due to its motion
dynamics, which could adversely deform the belt and/or generate
adverse lateral motion of the belt.
[0012] The external surface of the belt according to the invention,
i.e., its surface contacting the transported and compacted
material, increases and/or maintains the coefficient of static
friction between both materials, this allowing for non-sliding
transport and compaction of the comminuted material stream,
particularly organic plant material, particularly tobacco material,
while minimizing or preventing particles of the transported and
compacted organic plant material from settling in the recesses of
the external surface.
[0013] The belt structure according to the invention allows for
self-cleaning and/or cleaning the deposits of transported and
compacted material off the belt, this significantly increasing its
utility.
[0014] The present invention, particularly the external surface of
the belt, along with the structure increasing the coefficient of
static friction, maintains the parallelism of the axis of rotation
of the driving roller to the tangent to the whole surface of the
contact of the belt with the processed material, across the whole
width of the contact area of the belt with the processed organic
plant material, in the region of the contact of the belt with the
roller.
[0015] The invention is further discussed in detail with reference
to the appended drawing in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the conveyor assembly
of the device according to the invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the belt
along the line I-I of FIG. 1, according to the first embodiment of
the invention;
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the belt
along the line I-I of FIG. 1, according to the second embodiment of
the invention.
[0019] As presented in FIG. 1, a device according to the invention
for transporting and compacting comminuted organic plant materials,
particularly tobacco materials, comprises two belt conveyors,
situated one above the other, equipped with endless belts 1, 2 and
driving rollers 3, 4. The belts 1, 2 are made completely from
materials, pyrolysis products of which are not toxic for humans,
for example from polyesters and/or polyethylene. The conveyors are
arranged convergently in the direction of transporting the
material. The lower conveyor is deflected from the horizontal
direction by an angle .beta., while the upper conveyor by an angle
.alpha.. Both angles may be regulated in the range from 0.degree.
to 30.degree.. A vertical comminuting knife 6 is located at the
outlet from both conveyors.
[0020] The material, while being transported in the space 5, is
squeezed due to convergent arrangement of the belt conveyors, this
increasing its density.
[0021] The inner surface of the belt 1, 2 has recesses or
embossments defining a closed profile, formed along the whole belt
and across its whole width, parallel to each other and to the
direction of the belt's motion. Exemplary shapes, known as
"multi-V", are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0022] Profiles on the external surface are, e.g., square or
rhomboidal recesses repeatably distributed on the whole external
surface of the belt, one of the diagonals of every recess being
arranged in parallel to the motion of the belt, preferably the
length of the recess side being in the range from 2 to 8 mm, while
its depth being in the range from 0.4 to 4 mm.
[0023] According to the invention, the ratio of the width of the
belt 1, 2 to its total length is in the range between 1:2.5 and
1:8.5. For example, the belt's width is in the range from 400 to
650 mm, while the total length of the belt is in the range from
2000 to 4000 mm. In particular embodiment of the invention, belts
are employed having the following dimensions: width in the range
520-580 mm and length in the range from 2000 to 3000 mm.
* * * * *