AU2005239667B2

AU2005239667B2 - A Mill Reline Apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU2005239667B2
Application number: AU2005239667A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Alan John Russell
Original assignee: Russell Mineral Equipment Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Russell Mineral Equipment Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2004-12-01
Filing date: 2005-11-30
Publication date: 2010-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-30
Also published as: AU2005239667A1

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant: RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT PTY LIMITED Actual Inventor: Alan John Russell Address for Service: HODGKINSON McINNES PAPPAS Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys Level 3, 20 Alfred Street MILSONS POINT NSW 2061 Invention Title: A Mill Reline Apparatus Details of Associated Provisional Application: Application No. 2004 906 872 Filed on 1 December 2004 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 A MILL RELINE APPARATUS TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a mill reline apparatus adapted for placing a liner against the shell of a grinding mill. BACKGROUND Grinding mills and in particular rod, ball, SAG and AG mills typically have liners attached to the internal shell of the mill. It is common practice for these liners to be worn during use of the mill, and the worn liners are periodically removed and new liners are attached to the shell of the mill. The liners are typically formed of a number of segments attached to the shell, the movement of the segments with respect to each other defining various numbers of axes of motion. For example, the apparatus disclosed in US patent No 375238 (Bartel) includes three to four axes, the apparatus of document WO 1983/001222 (Graco Robotics, Inc) includes five axes, while the apparatus in US 3540603 (Melton et al.) is a six-axis machine. A recent prior art mill reline apparatus includes seven axes of motion, such as the apparatus depicted in Fig.6 of this specification, where each of the letters A to G corresponds to an axis of movement. In such a "seven axes of motion" apparatus, four axes (A to D) are usually used to lift and position the liner to within a reasonable distance from the shell of the mill. The remaining three axes (E to G) are used to manipulate the liner into a particular orientation ready for placement against the shell of the mill. Once the liner is positioned reasonably close to the shell and orientated reasonably close to its final orientation, the operator then proceeds with a series of motions, typically by a combination of several axes of motion, to shuffle the liner by small increments into the place against the shell. One disadvantage of such a machine, is that the operator's view of the area into which the liner must be placed is generally quite obstructed by the machine being used to place the liner. This then requires that the operator rely on instructions relayed to him via a third party and he must interpret those commands correctly, and translate them into the discrete motions the mill relining machine is capable of imparting to the liner. In order to achieve the final placement several axes are typically 3 required to be incremented simultaneously, as no one axis of operation of the machine will be aligned to the final axis required to slot the liner into position. This operation is especially hard when the liners on the shell, surrounding the liner being placed, are deep and the slot into which the liner must be positioned requires accurate alignment. The present invention seeks to provide an improved mill reline apparatus that overcomes some of the disadvantages of the prior art machines. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect the present invention consist in a mill reline apparatus adapted for placing a liner against the shell of a mill, said apparatus comprising of a plurality of axes of motion to lift and position said liner into proximity of said shell and to manipulate said liner into a particular orientation ready for placement against said shell, characterised in that said apparatus has a further axis of motion that allows said liner to be placed against said shell in a final positioning movement that is in a single direction. Preferably said plurality of axes of motion are seven axes of motion, and said further axis of motion is an eighth axis of motion. Preferably said final positioning movement is substantially perpendicular to said shell. In a second aspect the present invention consists in a mill reline apparatus adapted for placing a liner against the shell of a mill, said apparatus comprising four axes of motion to lift and position said liner into proximity of said shell, and a further three axes of motion are used to manipulate said liner into a particular orientation ready for placement against said shell, characterised in that said apparatus has an eighth axis of motion that allows said liner to be placed against said shell in a final positioning movement that is in a single direction. In a third aspect the present invention consists in a mill reline apparatus adapted for placing a liner against a shell of a mill, said apparatus comprising seven axes of motion to lift and position said liner into proximity of said shell and to manipulate said liner into a 4 particular orientation ready for placement against said shell, characterised in that said apparatus has an eighth axis of motion that allows said liner to be placed against said shell in a final positioning movement that is in a single direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig 1(a) depicts a partial perspective view of a mill reline apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention with the liner gripping tool in a retracted position. Fig 1(b) depicts a partial perspective view of the mill reline apparatus of Fig 1(a) with the liner gripping tool in an extended position. Figs 2(a)-(b) depict partial perspective and enlarged views of the mill reline apparatus of Fig 1(a) holding a liner and located within a mill. Figs 3(a)-(b) depict partial perspective and enlarged views of the mill reline apparatus of Figs 2(a)-(b) as the liner is being moved towards the shell of the mill. Figs 4(a)-(b) depict partial perspective and enlarged views of the mill reline apparatus of Figs 2(a)-(b) as the liner is being orientated ready for placement against the shell of the mill. Figs 5(a)-(b) depict partial perspective and enlarged views of the mill reline apparatus as the liner is correctly positioned on the shell of the mill. Fig 6 depicts a schematic perspective view of a prior art seven-axis mill reline apparatus. BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT INVENTION Figs 1(a)-(b), 2 (a)-(b), 3(a)-(b), 4(a)-(b) and 5(a)-(b) depict a partial view of a mill reline apparatus (mill reline machine) 1 for relining the shell 6 of a grinding mill. The mill relining apparatus 1 has eight axes of motion.

5 For clarity, only the front end of apparatus 1 is shown holding a liner 5. The apparatus 1, typically comprises other major components which allow the liner 5 to be transported from outside the grinding mill shell 6 to inside the grinding mill shell and further allow the liner 5 to be gripped and prepared for placement on the grinding mill shell 2. The apparatus 1 comprises a boom 1 that provides gross positioning motions to the liner 5. On the end of the boom 1 is mounted a grapple 2. The grapple 2 provides orientation motions to the liner 5. A liner gripping tool 7 at the end of the grapple 2 enables the liner to be firmly gripped by the grapple 2. The eighth axis of motion is accomplished via inner section 3 sliding inside outer section 4. This motion may be effected using an hydraulic actuator 8. In use, apparatus 1 utilises four of its eight axes of motion to lift and position liner 5 into proximity of shell 6 in a conventional manner as shown in Figs 2(a)-(b), 3(a)-(b). A further three axes of motion of the grapple 2 are used to manipulate liner 5 into a particular orientation ready for placement against shell 6 as shown in Figs 4(a)-(b). Once the liner is in the correct orientation for placement, an eighth axis of motion, being the final positioning movement substantially perpendicular to shell 6 in a single direction, is achieved by actuating the hydraulic actuator 8 as shown in Figs. 5(a)-(b). The advantage of using this eighth axis of motion, is that the operator of mill relining apparatus 1 does not need to rely on a third party to place the liner 5. The above mentioned embodiment is based on the prior art mill relining apparatus having seven axes of motion as shown in Fig.6, with the addition of the eighth axis of motion being provided by the stroke of hydraulic actuator 8. However, it should be understood that in other not shown embodiments the present invention may comprise some other number of axes of motion, with the final axis of motion similar to the eighth axis of motion of the abovementioned embodiment.

Claims

1. A mill reline apparatus adapted for placing a liner against the shell of a mill, said apparatus comprising of a plurality of axes of motion to lift and position said liner into proximity of said shell and to manipulate said liner into a particular orientation ready for placement against said shell, characterised in that said apparatus has a further axis of motion that allows said liner to be placed against said shell in a final positioning movement that is in a single direction.

2. A mill reline apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of axes of motion are seven axes of motion, and said further axis of motion is an eighth axis of motion.

3. A mill reline apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said final positioning movement is substantially perpendicular to said shell.

4. A mill reline apparatus adapted for placing a liner against the shell of a mill, said apparatus comprising four axes of motion to lift and position said liner into proximity of said shell, and a further three axes of motion are used to manipulate said liner into a particular orientation ready for placement against said shell, characterised in that said apparatus has an eighth axis of motion that allows said liner to be placed against said shell in a final positioning movement that is in a single direction.

5. A mill reline apparatus adapted for placing a liner against a shell of a mill, said apparatus comprising seven axes of motion to lift and position said liner into proximity of said shell and to manipulate said liner into a particular orientation ready for placement against said shell, characterised in that said apparatus has an eighth axis of motion that allows said liner to be placed against said shell in a final positioning movement that is in a single direction. 7

6. A mill reline apparatus adapted for placing a liner against the shell of a mill, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Dated this 30h day of November 2005 RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT PTY LIMITED HODGKINSON McINNES PAPPAS Patent Attorneys for the Applicant