Abstrict An improved rotor assembly for a horizontal impact crusher has
segmented blow bars in a continuous wedge structure which overlaps
the blow bar segment joints to structurally tie the blow bar segments
together. Backer face plates are also provided to accommodate blow
bars of different thicknesses within the same wedge slot.
Claims What we claim is:
1. An improved rotor assembly for a horizontal impact crusher comprising
a rotor body having an outer perimeter,
at least two axially directed radial wedge slots formed in the
perimeter of said rotor body, said wedge slots having a wedge seat
sloping inwardly in relation to the outer perimeter of said rotor
body, and a backer wall opposed to said wedge seat,
a floating blow bar removably inserted into each of said wedge
slots between said wedge seat and said backer wall so as to permit
radial movement of said blow bar in said wedge slot, each of said
blow bars being comprised of at least two separable blow bar segments
which endwise abut each other to form a blow bar joint when said
blow bar segments are operatively inserted into one of said wedge
slots, said blow bar segments having a thickness less than the width
of said wedge slots to provide a wedging space between said blow
bar and the wedge seat of said wedge slot, and
elongated floating wedge means removably inserted in each of said
wedge slots between said wedge seat and said floating blow bar wherein
centrifugal forces imparted to said wedge means when said rotor
assembly rotates cause said wedge means to wedge against the wedge
seat of said wedge slots so as to wedge the blow bars in said wedge
slots, said elongated wedge means providing a continuous wedge structure
which overlaps said blow bar joint to structurally tie said blow
bar segments together.
2. The improved rotor assembly of claim 1 wherein the wedge seat
of each said wedge slot is a continuous wedge seat that extends
substantially the length of said wedge slot, and wherein said elongated
wedge means provide a continuous wedge structure that extends substantially
the entire length of said wedge seat.
3. The improved rotor assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said
blow bars has at least three separable blow bar segments forming
at least two blow bar joints, and wherein said elongated wedge means
overlaps both said blow bar joints to structurally tie said blow
bar segments together.
4. The improved rotor assembly of claim 1 wherein said elongated
wedged means are comprised of at least two separable wedge segments
which endwise abut each other to form a wedge joint when operatively
inserted into one of said wedge slots, and wherein said wedge joint
is displaced relative to said blow bar joint.
5. The improved rotor assembly of claim 3 wherein said elongated
wedge means is comprised of at least three separable wedge segments
which endwise abut each other to form at least two wedge joints
when operatively inserted into one of said wedge slots, and wherein
said wedge joints are displaced relative to said blow bar joints.
6. The improved rotor assembly of claim 1 further comprising a
replaceable backer wall face plate removably secured to the backer
wall of said wedge slot between said backer wall and said blow bar.
7. The improved rotor assembly of claim 6 wherein said replaceable
backer wall face plate is comprised of at least two replaceable
plate segments which endwise abut each other to form a face plate
joint displaced relative to said blow bar joints.
8. An improved rotor assembly for a horizontal impact crusher comprising
a rotor body having rotor axis, an outer perimeter, and a defined
length,
at least two axially directed radial wedge slots in the perimeter
of said rotor body which extend the entire length of said rotor
body, said wedge slots having a continuous wedge seat extending
substantially the length of said wedge slot and sloping inwardly
in relation to the outer perimeter of said rotor body, and a backer
wall opposed to said wedge surface,
a floating blow bar removably inserted into each of said wedge
slots between said wedge seat and backer wall so as to permit radial
movement of said blow bar in said wedge slot, said blow bar extending
substantially the entire length of said rotor body, each of said
blow bars being comprised of at least two separable blow bar segments
which endwise abut each other to form a blow bar joint when operatively
inserted into one of said wedge slots, said blow bar segments having
a thickness less than the width of said wedge slots to provide a
wedging space between said blow bar and the wedge seat of said wedge
slot, and
elongated floating wedge means removably inserted in each of said
wedge slots between said wedge seat and said floating blow bar wherein
centrifugal forces imparted to said wedge means cause said wedge
means to wedge against the continuous wedge seat of said wedge slots
so as to wedge the blow bars in said wedge slots, said elongated
wedge means providing a continuous wedge structure for the entire
length of said rotor body which overlaps the blow bar joint to structurally
tie said blow segments together.
9. The improved rotor assembly of claim 8 wherein said elongated
wedge means are comprised of at least two separable wedge segments
which endwise abut each other to form a wedge joint when operatively
inserted into one of said wedge slots, and wherein said wedge joint
is displaced relative to said blow bar joint.
10. The improved rotor assembly of claim 9 wherein said elongated
wedge means is comprised of at least three separable wedge segments
which endwise abut each other to form at least two wedge joints
when operatively inserted into one of said wedge slots, and wherein
said wedge joints are displaced relative to said blow bar joints.
11. The improved rotor assembly of claim 10 further comprising
a replaceable backer wall face plate removably secured to the backer
wall of said wedge slot between said backer wall and said blow bar.
12. The improved rotor assembly of claim 11 wherein said replaceable
backer wall face plate is comprised of at least two replaceable
plate segments which endwise abut each other to form a face plate
joint displaced relative to said blow bar joints, whereby said blow
bars, wedge means and backer wall face plate are all provided by
continuous interlocking segmented elements.
13. An improved rotor assembly for a horizontal impact crusher
comprising
a rotor body having an outer perimeter,
at least two axially directed radial wedge slots formed in the
perimeter of said rotor body, said wedge slots having a wedge seat
sloping inwardly in relation to the outer perimeter of said rotor
body and a backer wall opposed to said wedge seat,
a floating blow bar removably inserted into each of said wedge
slots between said wedge seat and said backer wall so as to permit
radial movement of said blow bar in said wedge slot, and
an elongated floating wedge means removably inserted in each of
said wedge slots between said wedge seat and said floating blow
bar wherein centrifugal forces imparted to said wedge means when
said rotor assembly rotates cause said wedge means to wedge against
the wedge seat of said wedge slots so as to wedge the blow bars
in said wedge slots.
14. The improved rotor assembly of claim 13 wherein the wedge seat
of each said wedge slot is a continuous wedge seat that extends
substantially the length of said wedge slot, and wherein said elongated
wedge means provide a continuous wedge structure that extends substantially
the entire length of said wedge seat.
15. The improved rotor assembly of claim 13 further comprising
a replaceable backer wall face plate removably secured to the backer
wall of said wedge slot between said backer wall and said blow bar.
16. The improved rotor assembly of claim 13 wherein said replaceable
backer wall face plate is comprised of at least two replaceable
plate segments.
17. The improved rotor assembly of claim 13 wherein said wedge
seat is provided by a wedge shoe and a replaceable wear plate attached
to said wedge shoe wherein said wear plate provides a replaceable
wear surface for contacting said wedge means.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to crushing machines for
materials benefication, and more particularly to horizontal impact
crushers having a rotor assembly with replaceable blow bars.
Horizontal impact crushing machines are well-known in the art and
have been in use for many years. Such machines utilize the "blow
bars" (sometimes called "breakers" or "impact"
bars) which project from the periphery of the body of a rotor assembly
rotating at high speeds to propel crushable material fed into the
machine against hardened surfaces, called "curtains,"
such that, the impact forces of the material striking the hardened
surfaces cause the material to break up into smaller pieces. The
machine's blow bars experience considerable wear due to the tremendous
impact forces encountered during normal operating conditions, and
therefore must be periodically replaced. To facilitate replacement
and to reduce inventory requirements for spare blow bar parts, a
number of current impact crusher designs provide for segmented blow
bars, that is, shorter blow bar lengths that may require two or
more blow bar segments installed end-to-end to span the length of
the rotor bar body. The shorter blow bar segments are easier to
remove than one large blow bar that extends the entire length of
the rotor body. At the same time, blow bar segments of a single,
uniform size can be carried in inventory for use with different
sized machines and rotor assemblies.
One known method of replaceably mounting blow bars to a horizontal
impact crusher rotor assembly is to use a wedge seating arrangement
wherein the blow bars are caused to wedge in place against wedge
surfaces associated with the body of the rotor assembly by centrifugal
forces exerted on the blow bars as they rotate at high speeds. One
such wedge seating arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4679740
issued to Axel O. Orphall wherein the blow bars are held in wedge
slots formed in the perimeter of a series of disk plates radially
extending from the rotor shaft, so that the blow bars are gripped
only at discreet wedge locations. Such a wedge seating arrangement,
however, cannot readily accommodate the advantageous use of segmented
blow bars due to the limited area of contact between the blow bars
and the disc plate wedges and due to the lack of structural integrity
that would result from such an assembled unit. The point contacts
also lead to increased stress on the blow bars and rotor assembly
resulting in excessive wear and blow bar breakage and increased
down time replacement costs.
Another disadvantage with existing blow bar mounting arrangements
is the inability of the mounting slots to accommodate blow bars
having different thicknesses. Also, wear on the backer wall structure
of the mounting slots typically requires that the backer wall structure
be periodically machined or rebuilt. Machining operations are costly
and time-consuming and the need for different sized wedges increases
inventory costs.
The present invention provides an improved rotor assembly for a
horizontal impact crusher which provides the advantage of a wedge
type mounting system for the blow bars while overcoming the aforementioned
disadvantages of existing wedge mounting systems. The present invention
also provides a means for wedge mounting segmented blow bars to
the rotor body while providing a structurally sound wedge system
that will hold up to the rugged operating environment of the rotor
assembly. Further provided is a means for mounting blow bars of
different thicknesses with the same wedge mounting system, as well
as a means for eliminating the need to periodically machine or rebuild
the wedge slot's backer wall structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is an improved rotor assembly comprised of a rotor
body having an outer perimeter and at least two wedge slots in the
perimeter of the rotor body parallel to the rotor's axis. Each wedge
slot is a continuous wedge slot which preferably extends from one
end of the rotor body to the other and which has a defined width,
a wedge seat sloping inwardly in relation to the rotor's perimeter,
and a backer wall opposed to the wedge seat. A segmented floating
blow bar is removably inserted into each wedge slot between the
slot's wedge seat and its backer wall structure. Floating wedge
means are, in turn, inserted between the blow bar and the slot's
wedge seat such that the blow bar is wedged in place by centrifugal
forces imparted to the blow bar and wedge structure during high
speed rotation of the rotor assembly. The floating wedge means provides
a continuous wedge structure which overlaps the joint or joints
formed between blow bar segments so as to structurally tie the blow
bar segments together. The blow bar wedge means can also be segmented
in such a manner that the joints between segmented wedge elements
are displaced relative to the blow bar segment joints.
In another aspect of the invention, a backer face plate is provided
on the side of the blow bar opposite the blow bar wedge means, that
is, between the blow bar and the wedge slot's backer wall. Backer
face plates can be provided in different thicknesses to adjust the
width of the wedge slots to accommodate blow bars of different thicknesses,
and act as wear elements that can be periodically replaced instead
of having to machine or rebuild the backer wall.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide
an improved rotor assembly for a horizontal impact crusher which
permits segmented blow bars to be mounted to the rotor assembly
by means of a wedge mounting system. It is another object of the
invention to provide an improved rotor assembly wherein the segmented
blow bar and wedge elements interlock to provide a structurally
sound wedge mounting arrangement that can withstand the rugged operating
environment of the rotor assembly. It is a further object of the
invention to provide a rotor assembly wherein the blow bars are
easily replaced and wherein the need to inventory different sized
blow bars is reduced or eliminated. Still another object of the
invention is to reduce the need for machine maintenance and repair
and associated down time. Other objects of the invention will become
apparent from the following specification and claims, together with
the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view, in side elevation, of a horizontal
impact crusher having an improved rotor assembly in accordance with
the invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged top perspective view of the improved rotor
assembly of the horizontal impact crusher shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, in side elevation, of the
rotor assembly of FIG. 2 showing the wedge mounting of the blow
bars in the perimeter of the rotor body.
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the rotor assembly of FIG. 2.
FIGS. 5 and 5A are graphical representations of the interlocking
blow bar wedge system of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the general configuration
of a horizontal impact crusher, depicted by the numeral 11 wherein
a crusher frame 13 houses hydraulically adjustable curtain assemblies
15 17 a bottom stationary curtain assembly 19 and rotor assembly
21. In a manner well-known in the art, crushable material that is
fed into crusher 11 through feed opening 12 is propelled against
liner plates 15a, 17a, 19a of the adjustable and stationary curtain
assemblies as the rotor assembly rotates at high speeds, such that,
the impact of the crushable material striking the curtain assemblies
generates the desired crushing forces. Stripper bars 25 provide
a sized opening 27 between the rotor assembly 21 and the crusher
frame 13 to insure that all material fed into the crusher is engaged
by the rotor assembly.
Referring to FIG. 2 the crusher's rotor assembly 21 is shown as
having a rotor body 29 secured to drive shaft 31 which rotates about
rotor axis 32 with the assembly's four floating blow bars 23 being
mounted to the rotor body's outer perimeter 33 at equally spaced
90.degree. intervals. It can be seen that the length of the rotor
body along the rotor axis is generally defined by the rotor end
walls 35 37. It can also be seen that blow bars 23 provide a continuous
floating blow bar structure that spans this entire length of the
rotor, and in fact projects somewhat beyond the rotor end walls.
The length of the blow bars are generally chosen to occupy the width
of the housing frame 13 in order to prevent crushable material from
falling through the ends of the rotor assembly.
Each blow bar 23 is comprised of three separate blow bar segments,
23a, 23b, 23c, which, as best shown in FIG. 3 are mounted in an
end-to-end abutting relation in a generally V-shaped wedge slot
39 having a width that is greater than the thickness of the blow
bar segments. A wedge shoe 41 is welded into the side of the wedge
slot to provide a wedge seat 43 that slopes inwardly toward the
outer perimeter of the rotor body. Replaceable wear plate 49 attached
to the top of the wedge shoe extends wedge seat 43 and provides
a serviceable wear surface for a floating wedge means.
The assembly's wedge means, like the blow bars, are comprised of
segmented elements, namely, floating wedge segments 47a, 47b, 47c
(see FIGS. 2 4 and 5). These wedge segments fit into the wedging
space 45 of the wedge slot in end-to-end abutting relation, such
that, a continuous wedge structure is provided which interlocks
with the blow bar segments as described in greater detail below.
End plates 53 removably attached at the edge of the wedge slots
at each end of the rotor body hold the wedge and blow bar structure
in place.
Each of the rotor's wedge slots also includes a backer wall 55
which opposes the slot's wedge seat 43. Backer wall face plates
57 removably attach to the backer wall by suitable screw attachments
as shown in FIG. 4 and provide a means to size the wedge slot to
accommodate blow bars of a given thickness. As noted above, the
backer wall face plates also protect the backer wall eliminating
the need for costly repair work in this region of high wear. FIG.
4 also shows the use of anti-shift pins 59 inserted through the
backer wall to prevent lateral movement of the blow bar in the wedge
slot when the crusher is operating.
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 it can be seen that a blow bar
wedge assembly 24 associated with each wedge slot is formed by interlocking
elements which, for reasons of structural integrity, have no overlapping
joints. Specifically, joints 61 62 of blow bar segments 23a, 23b,
23c are laterally displaced from joints 63 64 of wedge segments
47a, 47b, 47c. Similarly, the joint 67 of wedge wear plate segments
49a, 49b is positioned between wedge joints 63 64 while joint
69 of backer wall face plate segments 57a, 57b is located between
blow bar joints 61 62. The overlapping joint structure of this
blow bar wedge assembly is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS.
5 and 5A which show a stack of segmented elements--plus backer wall
55 which is not segmented--with the segment joints of each element
in the stack being located over the structure of one of the adjacent
elements in the stack. The overlapping elements form an interlocking,
highly durable structure that is easily assembled and disassembled.
Each blow bar wedge assembly 24 is easily assembled and disassembled
in their respective wedge slots 39 as follows: To assemble the blow
bar assembly, a backer face plate 57 of a suitable thickness to
accommodate a desired blow bar is attached to the wedge slot's backer
wall 55. The segments of blow bar 23 are then dropped into the wedge
slot, after which the segments of wedge 47 are installed by sliding
them into wedging space 45 from the end of the rotor. Finally, wear
plate segments 49a, 49b are fastened to the top of the wedge shoe
by suitable screw attachments as shown in FIG. 4 and end plates
53 secured at each end of the wedge slot to hold the resulting blow
bar and wedge structure in place. It is noted that the blow bar
is a symmetric element, thus when one of the blow bar tips 26 wears
down, the blow bar can be reversed in the wedge slot to make use
of the opposite tip. It is also noted that each blow bar 23 and
its corresponding wedge 47 are locked together by means of a locking
rib 48 on the back face of wedge which fits into a corresponding
locking groove 50 machined into face of the blow bar.
The blow bar and wedge assembly above described is sized to fit
loosely within the wedge slot until the rotor assembly is driven
into rotation, whereupon centrifugal forces wedge the blow bar and
wedge structure into place against wedge seat 53. To replace the
blow bars, the blow bars simply need to be struck by a hammer or
other suitable instrument to break the wedge assembly loose from
the wedge seat. The end caps 53 can then be removed to permit the
wedges to first be slid out of the wedge slot, after which the heavier
blow bars can be lifted out.
Therefore, it can be seen that the present invention provides for
an improved rotor assembly for a horizontal impact crusher which
employs an improved wedging system for holding segmented blow bars
onto the body of the rotor assembly. The invention provides a rotor
assembly having a high degree of structural strength and which is
easily assembled and disassembled for blow bar repair and replacement.
While the invention has been described in considerable detail in
the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is understood
that it is not intended that the invention be limited to such detail,
except as necessitated by the following claims. |