Abstrict A lifting mechanism for the pressing roller of the feed mechanism
of a crusher for scrap. The rotor of the crusher, via a lifting
mechanism that acts upon a mounting bracket of the rotor mounting,
can be removed from a split housing after an upper part of the housing
has been raised about a horizontal pivot axis and has been secured
in position relative to a lower part of the housing, whereby pivot
arms are disposed on opposite faces of the housing and are connected
to hydraulic cylinders, with free ends of the pivot arms being pivotably
mounted about a horizontal axis, and with the pivot arms being successively
connected with the upper housing part to raise the same, with the
mounting bracket after the upper housing part is secured relative
to the lower housing part in an open position and the pivot arms
have again been lowered, and again with the upper part after the
rotor is removed. The pivot arms are extended beyond the contour
of the housing toward the feed mechanism and are respective side
arms of a U-shaped frame. The free ends of the side arms are disposed
remote from the feed mechanism and are pivotably mounted, about
a horizontal axis that is substantially aligned with the pivot axis
between the upper and lower parts of the housing, on supports that
are disposed next to the opposite faces of the housing without touching
the same, and that are securely connected to a base.
Claims What I claim is:
1. In a lifting mechanism for a pressing roller of a feed mechanism
of a crusher for scrap, a rotor of said crusher via said lifting
mechanism, which acts upon a mounting bracket of a rotor mounting,
can be removed from a split housing after an upper part of said
housing has been raised about a first horizontal pivot axis and
has been secured in position relative to a lower part of said housing,
whereby pivot arms are disposed on opposite faces of said housing
and are connected to hydraulic cylinders, with free ends of said
pivot arms being pivotally mounted about a second horizontal pivot
axis that is substantially aligned with said first horizontal pivot
axis, and whereby said pivot arms, via appropriate pins, are adapted
to be successively connected with said upper part of said housing
to raise same, with said mounting bracket of said rotor mounting
after said upper part of said housing is secured relative to said
lower part of said housing in an open position and said pivot arms
have again been lowered, and again with said upper part of said
housing after said pivot arms and said rotor have been raised, the
improvement wherein:
said pivot arms are extended beyond said housing in a direction
toward said feed mechanism and are respective side arms of a U-shaped
frame having a crosspiece with an underside that supports mounting
means of said pressing roller, with said free ends of said pivot
arms being disposed remote from said feed mechanism with said pivot
arms being mounted on supports that are respectively disposed next
to, but do not touch said opposite faces of said housing, which
housing is resiliently mounted, and said supports are securely connected
with a base for said crusher; first pin and opening means are provided
for, while second pin and opening means are provided for connecting
said pivot arms to said upper part of said housing, thus permitting
said upper part of said housing to be raised upon activation of
said hydraulic cylinders, whereupon in this raised position third
pin and opening means are provided for arresting said upper part
of said housing relative to said lower part of said housing; fourth
pin and opening means are provided for positively connecting said
pivot arms, after said second pin and opening means have been released,
with said mounting bracket of said rotor mounting, thus permitting
said pivot arms and said rotor to be raised upon activation of said
hydraulic cylinders, whereupon in this raised position of said pivot
arms and said rotor, fifth pin and opening means are provided for
positively connecting said pivot arms with supports.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lifting mechanism for the pressing
roller of the feed mechanism of a crusher for scrap. The rotor of
the crusher, via a lifting mechanism that acts upon a mounting bracket
of the rotor mounting, can be removed from a split housing after
an upper part of the housing has been raised about a horizontal
pivot axis and has been secured in position relative to a lower
part of the housing. Pivot arms are disposed on opposite faces of
the housing and are connected to hydraulic cylinders, with free
ends of the pivot arms being pivotably mounted about a horizontal
pivot axis that extends parallel to the pivot axis between the upper
and lower parts of the housing. The pivot arms, via appropriate
pins, are successively connected to the upper part of the housing
to raise the same, with the mounting bracket after the upper part
of the housing is secured relative to the lower part of the housing
in an open position and the pivot arms have again been lowered,
and, after the rotor has been removed, again with the upper part
of the housing.
With such crushers for scrap, it is necessary to have lifting mechanisms
for maintenance operations on the housing and the rotor, and lifting
mechanisms for the pressing rollers disposed in the feed mechanism.
A lifting mechanism is known for maintenance operations on a crusher
that has a two-part raisable machine housing, the plane of separation
of which between the lower and upper parts of the housing extends
through the center of the rotor axis.
A respective pivot arm is mounted on both sides of the upper part
of the housing, and is actuated by a hydraulic cylinder.
The pivot arms are provided with securing and coupling means, with
the use of which it is possible to successively raise the upper
part of the housing, to remove the rotor together with its mounting
from the lower part of the housing, and to subsequently secure the
rotor in the raised position to the raised upper part of the housing
(U.S. Pat. No. 4718614 which belongs to the assignee of the present
application).
Also known is a pressing roller/lifting mechanism, where two pressing
rollers are successively arranged in a support frame, the swivel
joint of which is disposed on that side remote from the crusher
(German Offenlegungsschrift 33 01 186). The purpose of the pressing
rollers is to precompress the scrap that is to be crushed, and to
control the supply of the scrap. To fulfill these functions, the
pressing rollers are driven, and their height is adjustable. To
adjust the height of the pressing rollers, a support frame is provided
that is pivotably mounted on the feed mechanism, and is customarily
actuated by double-acting hydraulic cylinders.
A drawback of such heretofore known crushers is that a large number
of hydraulic components, such as hydraulic cylinders and control
valves, are necessary for actuating the pressing roller/lifting
mechanism and for the lifting mechanism for maintenance operations;
the hydraulic components of the lifting mechanism for maintenance
operations, although they are connected for only a very short period
of time, are subjected to a great standstill wear due to the vibrations
and shocks that constantly occur during operation of the crusher.
It is an object of the present invention to improve a lifting mechanism
of the aforementioned general type in such a way that the total
number of lifting mechanisms required for the operation of a crusher
having a feed mechanism is reduced, while at the same time the operational
reliability of the remaining hydraulic components is increased.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
This object, and other objects and advantages of the present invention,
will appear more clearly from the following specification in conjunction
with the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of one exemplary embodiment of the inventive
lifting mechanism for the pressing roller of the feed mechanism
of a crusher for scrap, with the feed or pressing roller in the
lowermost operation position;
FIG. 2 is a side view similar to that of FIG. 1 but with the feed
roller in the uppermost operating position;
FIG. 3 is a side view similar to that of FIG. 1 in an arrested
position ready to raise the upper part of the housing;
FIG. 4 is a side view similar to FIG. 1 with the upper part of
the housing raised and secured in position relative to the lower
part of the housing;
FIG. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 1 with the upper part of
the housing raised and with the mounting brackets for the rotor
connected to the lifting mechanism;
FIG. 6 is a side view similar to that of FIG. 1 with the rotor
raised and the U-shaped frame of the lifting mechanism secured to
the stationary supports;
FIG. 7 is a view of the U-shaped frame taken in the direction of
the arrow A in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view in the non-arrested position and
is taken along the line 8--8 in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view in the arrested state and is taken
along the line 9--9 in FIG. 3.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The lifting mechanism of the present invention is characterized
primarily in that the pivot arms are extended beyond the contour
of the housing in the direction toward the feed mechanism and are
respective side arms of a U-shaped frame having a crosspiece with
an underside that supports mounting means of the pressing roller,
with the free ends of the pivot arms or side arms being disposed
remote from the feed mechanism and being pivotably mounted, about
a horizontal pivot axis that is substantially aligned with the pivot
axis between the upper and lower parts of the housing, on supports
that are respectively disposed next to the opposite faces of the
housing, which is resiliently mounted, without touching the same,
and that are securely connected with a base for the crusher; the
U-shaped frame is adapted to successively carry out the following
functions:
(a) raising and lowering of the pressing roller of the feed mechanism
with the housing closed, the crusher operating, and the housing
not locked in position on the supports;
(b) raising of the upper part of the housing by positively arresting
the lower part of said housing relative to the supports via first
pins accompanied by alignment of the pivot axis of the U-shaped
frame with the pivot axis between the upper and lower parts of the
housing, connecting the side arms via second pins to the upper part
of the housing, raising the upper part of the housing by activating
the hydraulic cylinders, and, in this raised position, arresting
the upper part of the housing relative to the lower part of the
housing via third pins; and
(c) removing of the rotor by releasing the second pins, subsequently
pivoting the side arms and positively connecting the same via fourth
pins with the mounting bracket of the rotor mounting, raising the
side arms by activating the hydraulic cylinders, and in this raised
position of the side arms and the rotor, positively connecting the
side arms with the supports via fifth pins.
The advantages achieved with the present invention consist in particular
in that not only to carry out the lifting movements of the pressing
roller during operation of the crusher, but also the lifting operations
necessary for the maintenance operations during raising of the housing
and removal of the rotor, it is now necessary to have only a single
lifting mechanism, and, in place of a large number of hydraulic
components, only a single hydraulic cylinder pair with a control
slide valve.
The remaining structural elements and hydraulic components, while
fulfilling the functions of: (a) raising and lowering the pressing
roller, b) raising the upper part of the housing, and (c) removing
the rotor, have on the whole a greater duration of operation than
the drive of the crusher, and are no longer subjected to standstill
wear, on the one hand due to the constantly active hydraulic action,
and on the other hand due to their connection to the stationary
supports or columns.
Furthermore, an advantage over the known construction of German
Offenlegungsschrift 33 01 186 is that during the upward movement
out of the lowermost position and into the uppermost position, the
pressing roller no longer pushes the incoming scrap back.
Further specific features of the present invention will be described
in detail subsequently.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings in detail, in the crusher for scrap
or similar material illustrated in the side view of FIG. 1 the
lower part 1 of the housing is secured to the base 3 via springs
2. The upper part 4 of the housing can be raised relative to the
lower part 1 of the housing about the pivot shaft or axis I. At
both faces of the housing, which comprises the lower part 1 and
the upper 4 a respective support 5 is secured to the base 3. The
free ends 6b of the side arms 6a of the U-shaped frame 6 are mounted
on the supports 5 in such a way as to be pivotable about the pivot
shaft or axis II. FIG. 7 shows the U-shaped frame 6 in a simplified
view from above. Via mountings 8 the pressing roller 7 is secured
to the underside of the crosspiece 6d of the U-shaped frame 6. Via
hydraulic cylinders 9 which are pivotably secured on the one hand
to the supports 5 and on the other hand to the underside of the
side arms 6a, the U-shaped frame 6 is pivoted about the pivot axis
II during operation of the crusher, and hence the pressing roller
7 is raised and lowered. In FIG. 1 the pressing roller 7 is disposed
in the lowermost operating position, for example for feeding sheet-metal
scrap. In FIG. 2 the pressing roller 7 is disposed in the uppermost
operating position, for example for feeding bulky scrap. By raising
the pressing roller 7 about the pivot axis II, bulky material located
in the feed chute 10 is not pushed back. The outer movement range
of the pressing roller 7 is the circular arc portion Z in FIGS.
1 and 2.
In the illustrated embodiment, disposed at the bottom of the feed
chute 10 which extends downwardly at an angle, is a roller 11
the direction of rotation 11a of which is opposite to the direction
of rotation 7a of the pressing roller 7 disposed thereabove. In
the uppermost operating position, a maximum passage height 12 exists
between the pressing roller 7 and the oppositely disposed roller
11 (see FIG. 2).
As illustrated in FIG. 8 a respective free space in the form of
a gap 13 exists between the supports 5 and the end faces of the
housing, which comprises the lower part 1 and the upper part 4.
In this way, the housing can oscillate in an unobstructed manner
in the vertical direction on its springs 2 whereas the pressing
roller 7 of the U-shaped frame 6 which is secured to the support
5 is not influenced by these oscillations.
To raise the upper part 4 of the housing, the possibility of movement
between the housing and the supports 5 is eliminated by pins 14
that are horizontally guided in openings 5a in the supports 5 and
that are inserted into corresponding openings 1a in the end faces
of the lower part 1 of the housing. FIG. 9 illustrates the arrested
state. With this positive connection between the lower part 1 of
the housing and the supports 5 the pivot axes I and II are aligned.
In FIG. 3 this arrested state is indicated by the reference symbol
III.
To raise the upper part 4 of the housing, the U-shaped frame 6
which is disposed in the lowermost operating position, is positively
connected to the upper part 4 via pins 15. For this purpose, the
pins 15 which are guided in openings 6e of the side arms 6a, are
introduced into respective openings 4a of the upper part 4 whereby
in this position the openings 4a are in alignment with the openings
6e. After releasing the securing mechanism 16 via which the upper
part 4 and the lower part 1 are securely clamped together for the
operating position, the hydraulic cylinders 9 are activated and
the upper part 4 is raised about the pivot axis I to such an extent
that the horizontally disposed openings 4b in the upper part 4 and
1b in the rear member of the lower part 1 are aligned with one another.
In this position, a pin 17 is introduced into the openings 4b and
1b from each side of the housing, as a result of which the upper
part 4 is positively secured to the lower part 1 in the raised position.
The raised and secured position of the upper part 4 of the housing
is illustrated in FIG. 4.
To remove the rotor 19 the pin 15 is again withdrawn, so that
the U-shaped frame 6 can once again be pivoted into its lowermost
operating position by an appropriate activation of the hydraulic
cylinder 9. This position of the U-shaped frame 6 is illustrated
in FIG. 5. In this position, the opening 6f of the U-shaped frame
6 and the opening 21 of the mounting bracket 20 of the rotor mounting
20a are aligned. After a pin 22 has been introduced into the openings
6f and 21 and after the nuts 23 have been removed from the anchoring
rods 24 with which the base 25 of the rotor mounting 20a is secured
to the lower part 1 of the housing, the rotor 19 is raised by again
activating the hydraulic cylinders 9. In FIG. 6 the rotor 19 is
shown in the upper raised position. In this upper position of the
U-shaped frame 6 the opening 6g in the side arm 6a and the opening
5b in the support 5 are aligned. Via a pin 26 the U-shaped frame
6 is positively secured relative to the support 5. In this position,
the hydraulic cylinders 9 can be relieved.
To reestablish an operating readiness for the crusher, the aforementioned
sequence is reversed.
The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the
specific disclosure of the specification and drawings, but also
encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claim.
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