Abstrict A conical crusher having a rigidly supported outer frustoconically
shaped crushing member and an inner conical crushing member supported
on a wobble mechanism which is in turn supported by air bellows.
The air pressure in the air bellows is regulated to adjust the spacing
between the inner and outer crushing members, and therefore the
particle size of the crushed material. The inner and outer crushing
members are readily replaceable. The inner crushing member serves
as a single piece crushing head/mantle attachment.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. A crusher comprising:
a main support member ;
a crusher head including a generally planar base plate and a one
piece, generally conically shaped, downwardly spreading, inner crushing
member having a bottom supported by said base plate, said crusher
head being movably supported with respect to said main support member;
and
a generally frustoconically shaped, downwardly spreading, outer
crushing member supported on said main support member in a spaced
relationship to said conically shaped crushing member such that
material passing between said inner crushing member and said outer
crushing member is crushed.
2. The crusher of claim 1 wherein said one piece inner crushing
member has a lower peripheral edge, and a hole at its apex, said
lower peripheral edge engaging and supported on said base plate,
said inner crushing member having a securing device extending from
said base plate passing through said hole, and a fastener engaging
said securing device and said inner crushing member at its apex
to secure said one piece crushing member to said base plate.
3. The crusher of claim 2 wherein said securing device includes
a threaded portion, and said fastener is a nut which engages said
threaded portion.
4. The crusher of claim 1 wherein said wear resistant composite
material is ceramic.
5. The crusher of claim 1 wherein said one piece inner crushing
member is formed of a wear resistant composite material.
6. The crusher of claim 1 wherein said one piece inner crushing
member is formed of manganese.
7. The crusher of claim 1 wherein said one piece inner crushing
member is formed of air quenched and tempered chromium steel.
8. The crusher of claim 1 wherein said base plate includes a retaining
member disposed about a circumference of said base plate.
9. The crusher of claim 1 wherein a conically shaped, downwardly
spreading rib cage is fastened on said base plate, and said conically
shaped, downwardly spreading, inner crushing member is placed over
said rib cage to be supported thereby.
10. A single piece inner crushing member for use in a crusher including
a wobble mechanism, a securing device, a generally planar plate
having a periphery, a main support member and a generally conically
shaped outer crushing member supported by the main support member,
the main support member including an outer rim, the wobble mechanism
being located within the outer rim of the main support member and
providing a wobbling motion with respect to the main support member
and said outer crushing member, the plate being secured to the wobble
mechanism and receiving the wobble motion, whereby material is fed
between the outer crushing member and the inner crushing member
to be crushed, the single piece inner crushing member comprising:
a generally conically shaped, downwardly spreading, outer crushing
wall, the wall having a top end and a bottom end; and
wherein said bottom end of said wall being configured for engagement
with the periphery of the plate and said top end being configured
to interface with the securing device.
11. The crushing member of claim 10 wherein said top end includes
an aperture configured to receive a support rod, the support rod
being the securing device.
12. The crushing member of claim 11 wherein said support rod is
fixed to the plate.
13. The crushing member of claim 12 wherein the support rod is
fixed to said top end at said aperture.
14. The crushing member of claim 12 wherein a plurality of bolts
are disposed through the plate to the wobble mechanism.
15. The crushing member of claim 14 wherein said one piece inner
crushing member is formed of manganese.
16. The crushing member of claim 10 wherein a fluid bellow assembly
couples the plate to the main support member.
17. The crushing member of claim 16 wherein the circumference member
is substantially the same as the circumference of the plate.
18. The crushing member of claim 17 wherein the rod has a threaded
end disposed through said aperture.
19. A crusher comprising:
a main support member having at least one aperture therein,
a wobble mechanism disposed within said one aperture;
an outer crushing member coupled to the main support member; and
a generally hollow crusher head including a generally planar base
plate and a single piece conically shaped, downwardly spreading,
inner crushing member, said crusher head being coupled to said wobble
mechanism, said inner crushing member having a bottom supported
by said base plate and having an inside surface and an outside surface,
said outside surface being a crushing surface of said crusher.
20. The crusher of claim 19 further comprising a support cage disposed
under said inner crushing member.
21. A crusher comprising:
a main support member for securing to a foundation;
a one piece, generally conically shaped, downwardly spreading,
inner crushing member movably supported with respect to said main
support member;
a generally frustoconically shaped, downwardly spreading, outer
crushing member supported on said main support member in a spaced
relationship to said conically shaped crushing member such that
material passing between said inner crushing member and said outer
crushing member is crushed; and
a conically shaped, downwardly spreading rib cage fastened on said
base plate, and said conically shaped, downwardly spreading, inner
crushing member being placed over said rib cage to be supported
thereby.
22. A crusher comprising:
a main support member having at least one aperture therein,
a wobble mechanism disposed within said at least one aperture;
an outer crushing member coupled to the main support member;
a single piece conically shaped, downwardly spreading, inner crushing
member coupled to said wobble mechanism and supported by said main
support member, said inner crushing member having an inside surface
and an outside surface, said outside surface being a crushing surface
of said crusher, and
a support cage disposed under said inner crushing member.
Description CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is related to U.S. application Ser. No.
08/658650 entitled "A Conical Crusher Having Fluid Bellow
Support Assemblies," now pending and U.S. application Ser.
No. 08/658366 entitled "A Conical Crusher Having a Single
Piece Outer Crushing Member," now pending both assigned to
the Assignee of the present invention and invented by Karra.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a conical crusher. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a rock crusher of
simplified construction and superior operational efficiency. The
rock crusher can be used for size reduction of low strength, easy
to crush materials such as rocks and minerals, and for light duty
shaping-type crushing operations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conical crushers having head assemblies which are caused to gyrate
by an eccentric mechanism, driven by various rotary power sources,
are commonly available and have been the subject of numerous prior
patents. A conical crusher typically has an annular shell, and a
central hub to which an annular ring is mounted for vertical movement.
The crusher bowl and liner are mounted on the annular ring. The
head assembly includes a liner which is mounted, for movement through
a bearing mechanism, directly to a stationary shaft within the hub.
Gyration of the head relative to the bowl assembly is provided by
an eccentric mounted for movement about the stationary shaft. With
respect to rotation about the shaft., the eccentric is dynamically
balanced about its center of rotation by a counter weight. The bowl
of the crusher is provided with an upper liner and the head member
is provided with a replaceable mantle.
Alternatively, another type of conical crusher can include a shaft
which is moved by a hydraulic piston arrangement attached to the
bottom end of the shaft. The bowl liner can be fixed to a mechanical
adjustment device. In both types of cone crushers, the gap between
the bowl liner and crushing head can be manipulated to provide particular
sized crushed product. Both of these types of rock crushers have
proven most satisfactory in heavy-duty crushing operations, particularly
when the coacting crushing surfaces, which are subject to wear,
are provided with replaceable liners for extending the life of the
crusher.
However, for certain crushing and shaping operations, a less robust
crusher, of simpler and lighter weight construction and greater
operational efficiency, is desirable. For instance, it is not necessary
to use a heavy-duty crusher, such as set forth in the above-mentioned
patents, for low strength, easy to crush rocks and minerals such
as coal and non-metallic minerals, and for light duty shaping type
crushing applications. Thus, there is a need for a rock crusher
which does not utilize massive support structures. Further, there
is an economic need for a light duty crusher which can be easily
adjusted for crushing various sizes of crushed materials. There
is further a need for a light duty crusher which only requires a
one piece mantle/crushing head or inner crushing member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a crusher mounted on a foundation.
The crusher includes a main support member for securing to the foundation,
a bottom plate fixed to the main support member, a one piece, generally
conically shaped, downwardly spreading, inner crushing member supported
on said bottom plate, and a generally frustoconically shaped, downwardly
spreading, outer crushing member supported on said main support
member in a spaced relationship to said conically shaped inner crushing
member. The inner and outer crushing members are spaced apart so
that material passing between the inner crushing member and the
outer crushing member is crushed.
The present invention additionally relates to a single piece inner
crushing member for use in a crusher including a wobble mechanism,
a plate, a support member, and a generally conically shaped outer
crushing member. The outer crushing member is supported by the main
support member. The main support member includes an outer rim, the
wobble mechanism is located within the outer rim of the main support
member and provides a wobble motion with respect to the main support
member and the outer crushing member. The plate is secured to the
wobble mechanism and receives the wobble motion. Material is fed
between the outer crushing member and the inner crushing member
to be crushed. The single piece inner crushing member includes a
generally conically shaped, downwardly spreading, outer crushing
wall. The wall has a top end and a bottom end. The bottom end of
the wall is configured for engagement with the plate.
The present invention still further relates to a crusher mounted
on a foundation. The crusher includes a main support member, a wobble
mechanism, a single piece conically shaped, downwardly spreading,
inner crushing member, and a single piece frustoconically shaped
outer crushing member. The main support member has at least one
aperture. The wobble mechanism is disposed within the aperture.
The inner crushing member is coupled to the wobble mechanism and
supported by the main support member. The inner crushing member
has an inside surface and an outside surface. The outside surface
is a crushing surface of the crusher.
In one exemplary aspect of the present invention, a single piece
inner crushing member is mounted on a plate within an aperture of
a mainframe. The single piece inner Crushing member serves as a
crushing head/mantle and includes interior and exterior surfaces.
The exterior surface serves as a crushing surface, and the interior
surface generally surrounds a rod which is fixed to a plate. The
bottom end of the inner crushing member is configured to receive
the plate.
The present invention still further relates to a conically shaped
downwardly spreading inner crushing member which is supported upon
a bottom plate which is secured to the top surface of the upper
member of the wobble mechanism. A frustoconically shaped downwardly
spreading outer crushing member is a single piece and is supported
in a fixed position surrounding the inner crushing member. The wobble
mechanism, and therefor the inner crushing member, is supported
so as to be vertically adjustable with respect to the base of the
crusher. By adjusting the vertical position of the inner crushing
member, its position with respect to the outer crushing member is
adjusted. In a preferred embodiment, the inner crushing member is
adjustably supported on the base of the crusher by an air bellows
assembly. By regulating the air pressure in the air bellows, the
relative height of the inner crushing member with respect to the
base of the crusher may be adjusted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conical crusher constructed in
accordance with this invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the conical crusher of this
invention as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 2a is a partial cross-sectional view of an alternate construction
for a portion of the conical crusher as shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the support and drive
mechanism for the inner crushing member of the conical crusher of
this invention as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
outer crushing member of the conical crusher shown in FIG. 1 which
is provided with a support rib cage; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a support rib cage for the inner
crushing member of the conical crusher shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 a crushing system or conical crusher
10 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
is shown supported on foundation pillars 12. The crusher is assembled
on a main support member or bottom plate 14. The bottom plate 14
is secured to the foundation pillars 12 by anchoring means such
as bolts 16. While the crusher is shown supported on pillars 12
it may be supported in any other suitable manner, such as on a cylindrical
base having opening therein for removal of the crushed material
and servicing of the crusher.
The crusher includes a frustoconically shaped downwardly spreading
outer crushing member 18 and a conically shaped downwardly spreading
inner crushing member 20. The inner crushing member 20 which is
commonly referred to as a mantle, is supported along its lower edge
on a bottom or a base plate 22. Base plate 22 can include a retaining
member or retaining ring 21 to help secure member 20. A hole 24
is provided in the apex of the inner crushing member 20 through
which passes a securing device 26 in the form of a rod which is
secured at its lower end to the base plate 22 and is provided with
a threaded portion 28 at its upper end. A fastener 30 in the form
of a nut, engages the threaded portion 28 and presses on the top
edge of the inner crushing member 20 to secure it to the base plate
22. Fastener 30 can be protected by a suitable wearing member disposed
over it.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 the conically shaped inner crushing
member 20 is supported on a wobble mechanism which includes a lower
cylindrical member 32 and an upper cylindrical member 34. The upper
cylindrical member 34 is secured to the base plate 22 by a fastener
such as bolts 36. A bearing arrangement 38 shown as radially extending
roller bearings, is interposed between the upper surface of lower
member 32 and the lower surface of upper member 34 to permit the
upper and lower member to rotate with respect to each other. Alternatively,
bearing arrangement 38 can be a plurality of vertically disposed
rollers located at an outer edge of members 32 and 34. Further still,
bearing arrangement 38 can be a vertically disposed sleeve bearing
system or a horizontally disposed thrust bearing system.
As shown in FIG. 3 the bearing assembly 38 includes a lower bearing
race 40 an upper bearing race 42 and rollers 44. The lower bearing
race 40 is secured to lower member 32 by clamps 46 and the upper
bearing race 42 is secured to upper member 34 by clamps 48. The
lower member 32 is secured to and supported on the upper end of
a shaft 50 for rotation therewith. Generally, any mechanism can
be used to rotate, gyrate, move or wobble inner crushing member
20 including, but not limited to an eccentric mechanism (not shown).
The upper surface of the lower member 32 is in a plane which is
not perpendicular to the central axis of the shaft 50. Thus, as
the shaft 50 rotates, the upper member 34 which is prevented from
rotating, as will hereinafter be described, is caused to wobble
as alternately a higher and a lower portion of the upper surface
of the lower member 32 passes under a fixed location on the upper
member 34. The upper surface of the lower member 32 may be located
in a plane which is not perpendicular to the central axis of the
shaft 50 by forming the lower member 32 as a wedge shaped member,
or by welding a uniformly thick lower member 32 to the end of the
shaft 50 which has been cut in a plane which is not perpendicular
to its central axis.
The shaft 50 passes through an aperture 52 formed in the bottom
plate 14 and is supported for rotation therein by a bearing 54.
The shaft 50 is surrounded by a cylindrical sleeve 56 which slides
vertically with respect to the inner race of the bearing 54. The
sleeve 56 which is secured to shaft 50 is formed of a material
which will reduce the sliding friction between the inner race of
the bearing 54 and shaft 50. The shaft 50 lower member 32 and upper
member 34 of the wobble mechanism, as Well as the inner crushing
member 20 are supported on the bottom plate 14 by a fluid bellow
assembly such as air bellow assembly 58 which is illustrated as
three ring shaped bellows stacked one on top of the other. The bellows
60 62 and 64 are secured to each other, and the lower surface of
the lower bellow 60 is secured to the bottom plate 14 by securing
devices such as pins. A ring like bearing assembly 66 is interposed
between the top surface of the bellow 64 and the lower surface of
the lower member 32. While not shown in detail, ring-like bearing
assembly 66 could be similar in construction to bearing 38 with
an upper bearing race secured to the lower surface of lower member
32 and a lower bearing race secured to the top of bellow 64. Bearing
66 can be a horizontally or vertically disposed sleeve bearing,
roller bearing or thrust bearing.
The height of the lower member 32 with respect to the bottom plate
14 is adjusted by regulating the air pressure in the ring shaped
bellows 60 62 and 64. As shown in FIG. 2 air may be supplied from
a compressor 68 through a regulator 70 to the bellows 60 62 and
64. Should it be desirable to reduce the air pressure in bellows
60 62 and 64 air may be discharged through valve 72.
The inner crushing member 20 is prevented from rotating by a fluid
bellow assembly shown as a stack of air bellows 74 76 78 and 80.
The bellows are secured to each other, and the upper surface of
bellow 74 is secured to base plate 22 and the lower surface of lower
bellow 80 is secured to the bottom plate 14. As in the case of the
bellows 60 62 and 64 a regulated supply of air is provided to
the bellows 74 76 78 and 80 from air compressor 68 through a regulator
82. The regulated air pressure supplied to the bellows 74 76 78
and 80 is such that it permits wobbling of the base plate 22 and
does not tend to lift the base plate 22 such that it would not
be fully supported by the bellows 60 62 and 64. Should it be desirable
to reduce the air pressure in bellows 74 76 78 and 80 air may
be discharged through valve 84. Not only do the bellows 74 76
78 and 80 prevent the inner crushing member 20 from turning, but
they also provide a seal to prevent crushed material, and dust therefrom,
from reaching the bearings 38 and 66. Similarly, air bellow assembly
58 further prevents the crushed material and dust from reaching
the upper surface of bearing 54.
The shaft 50 is provided with a splinted bore 86 which receives
an externally splined shaft 88. The shaft 88 is held in a fixed
vertical position by an increased diameter portion 90 the lower
edge of which rests on the inner race 92 of a bearing assembly 94.
Outer race 96 of the bearing assembly 94 is secured to a support
bracket 98 by clamps 100 and fasteners 102. Attached to the lower
end of the shaft 88 is a pulley 104. The pulley 104 is driven by
a belt 106 which engages a pulley 108 driven by a prime mover 110
such as an electric motor. While a pulley and belt drive system
is shown, other types of drive systems could be used, such as a
hydraulic drive or a conventional gear and pinion shaft drive. Bearing
assembly 94 can also be a horizontally or vertically disposed roller,
sleeve or thrust bearing system.
The outer crushing member 18 is supported from the bottom plate
14 by a cylindrical wall member 112 which is welded at its lower
end 114 to the bottom plate 14 and is provided with a flange 116
at the top. The flange 116 is provided with apertures 118 therein,
located to coincide with apertures formed in the outer crushing
member 18 to receive bolts such as 120 to secure the outer crushing
member 18 to the cylindrical wall 112.
Turning to the operation of the crusher, material to be crushed
is deposited in a hopper 122 through which it enters into a conical
gap 124 between the outer crushing member 18 and the inner crushing
member 20. As the inner crushing member 20 wobbles within the outer
crushing member 18 the material falls in the area where the crushing
members are more widely spaced and is thereafter crushed as the
inner and outer members move together. By increasing the air pressure
in bellows 60 62 and 64 the inner crushing member 20 may be raised,
moving its outer surface closer to the outer crushing member 18
thereby resulting in finer crushing of the material being crushed.
While in heavier duty crushers such as those set forth in the above-mentioned
patents, replaceable wear members, usually called liners, are provided
on the inner and outer crushing parts, in the conical crusher of
this invention, the replaceable wear liners are not provided. However,
members 18 and 20 can be replaced when worn. Rather, the inner crushing
member 20 or mantle and the outer or upper crushing member 18 are
formed of a suitable wear resistant material. Suitable materials
for particular applications are manganese, air quenched and tempered
chromium steel, and a low cost steel with wear resistant studs provided
on the crushing surface. While the inner crushing member or mantle
20 and the outer crushing member 18 may be made of suitable wear
resistant material, their strength may not be sufficient to prevent
deformation in certain applications. To prevent deformation, the
outer crushing member 18 may be provided with ribs. Or, a separate
rib cage including ribs 126 (shown in FIG. 4) may be provided and
can be secured over the outer crushing member 18. Similarly, a rib
cage 128 as shown in FIG. 5 may be provided to fit under the mantle
or inner crushing member 20 shown in dashed lines so as to reinforce
it.
System parameters and design criteria can affect the size and shape
of inner crushing member 20. Crushing member 20 can have generally
parallel interior and exterior surfaces. The exterior surface of
member 20 advantageously serves as crushing surface for crusher
10. Member 20 can have various steps, angled surfaces or other formations
and still be considered generally conical and to have generally
parallel surfaces.
Referring to FIG. 2a, in an alternate embodiment of this invention
the air bellow assembly 58 supporting the inner crushing member
20 on the bottom plate 14 is replaced by several hydraulic cylinders,
one of which 136 is shown. Hydraulic pressure is supplied to the
cylinders by a pump 138. To provide the bearing 54 with the same
protection from crushed material and dust as is provided by the
bellow assembly 58 a flexible cylindrical wall 140 is secured to
the bottom surface of lower cylindrical member 32 and bottom plate
14.
Bellow assembly 58 and air bellows 74 76 78 and 80 can be replaced
by other support devices. System parameters and design criteria
can affect the embodiment of either support device. For example,
the support device between base plate 22 and bottom plate 14 preferably
provides sufficient force to counteract crushing forces and yet
does not substantially lift plate 22 with respect to plate 14. The
support device allows wobbling of inner crushing member 20 and yet
prevents inner crushing member 20 from turning. The support device
preferably also seals bearing 38 from the crushed material in crusher
10. The support device can be a spring assembly, a cable tension
assembly, a piston assembly, or other apparatus for providing an
appropriate level of tension and force between member 20 and bottom
plate 14.
To prolong the life of the bearings 38 54 66 and 94 a lubrication
system 130 is provided whereby lubrication may be supplied to the
bearings while the crusher is in operation. The lubrication system
includes a pressurized source of lubricant 132 and a piping system
134 connecting each of the bearings to the source 132.
When comparing a conical crusher constructed in accordance with
this invention as set forth above, with those shown in the prior
art patents set forth above, it will be noted that the following
advantages are offered:
1. Fewer parts.
2. Simplified manufacturing and fabrication.
3. Lower cost.
4. Increase energy efficiency.
5. Will operate with the material to be crushed being either wet
or dry.
6. Lower operating cost per ton of product crushed.
7. Better quality control of the ground product through the ready
adjustment provided by the bellows support system for the inner
crushing member.
8. Ease of operation, maintenance and repair.
For instance, while replaceable liners are not provided, worn inner
and outer crushing members can be readily replaced wherein they
are attached to the crusher by readily engageable and disengageable
fastening means shown as nuts and bolts.
It should be noted that if tramp material becomes wedged between
the inner and outer grinding members, the air pressure in the bellows
supporting the inner grinding member may be reduced, thereby permitting
the inner grinding member to drop away from the outer grinding member
so as to free the tramp material from between the grinding surfaces.
Since the crushing gap between the inner and outer members is readily
adjusted and controlled by the bellows support system, the particle
size of the crushed material may be readily adjusted.
While one embodiment, and component variations of the invention
have been shown, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art
that what has been described is considered at present to be a preferred
embodiment of the conical crusher of this invention. In accordance
with the Patent Statute, changes may be made in the conical crusher
without actually departing from the true spirit and scope of this
invention. The appended claims are intended to cover all such changes
and modification which fall in the true spirit and scope of this
invention.
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