1 Ore Screening Panel Frame System This invention relates to frames for use in vibratory screening machines of the type used in mining and quarrying. 5 Background to the invention Australian patent 482212 proposed a modular screening panel system for ore screening decks which is now widely used by the mining industry and replaced the earlier screening cloths, and large wire screening frames. The screening panels were all of the same size [eg. 300mm] and made of reinforced polyurethane. The 10 panels are adapted to be secured to an underlying support frame using dependent spigots which are a force fit into corresponding apertures in the support frame. The underlying support frame was designed specifically for the panels and itself was secured to the machine frame fitted as original equipment by the screening machine manufacturer. 15 A variety of methods have evolved for securing modular panels to the screening machines which use pin expanded spigots or edge flanges and all require complementary support frames which need to be assembled to the machine frame. Typical embodiments of these various systems are disclosed in patents 517319, 556953, 559443, 700843, 711096, 742060 and 755595. The machine frame 20 supplied as original equipment for the screening machines to which the support frames for the screening panels is fitted is usually an inverted L section in which the upper horizontal flange has bolt holes along its length so that the support frames can be secured. Thus in installing a screening deck the support frames must first be assembled and bolted in place before the panels can be fitted. 25 The machine frame is subjected to erosion and corrosion by the fines and other corrosive liquids passing over the frames during the screening operation. Patent 699604 proposed a deflector plate of polyurethane be secured between the support frame and the machine frame to address this problem. It is an object of this invention to improve the speed of assembly of screening 30 decks and also increase the wear life of the machine frames.
2 Brief description of the invention. To this end the present invention provides an ore screening deck which consists of a machine frame having a machine attachment portion and an ore screening panel attachment portion and an ores screening panel having a frame attachment portion 5 where in the panel attachment portion of the frame and the frame attachment portion of the panel are in end view cross section of a complementary shape so that the frame and panel can be locked together. In another aspect the present invention provides a frame member for an ore screening machine comprising a vertically disposed web adapted to be secured to 10 the screening machine and a frame support extending laterally of the upper edge of said web wherein the web and support are formed from reinforced wear resistant elastomeric material and the support consists of a socket to retain complementary dependent spigots of an ore screening panel or a headed protrusion adapted to seat in a complementary socket of abutting screen panels. 15 The frame is preferably made from polyurethane or rubber moulded over a web section steel frame member. Alternatively the socket and frame cover may be moulded in rubber or polyurethane as a saddle that fits over the frame web. This saddle is formed from wear resistant elastomeric material and comprises a double walled inverted channel section adapted to fit over the web frame member; the 20 closed end of said channel incorporating sockets to retain complementary dependent spigots of an ore screening panel or a headed protrusions adapted to seat in a complementary socket of abutting screen panels. The ore screening panels are also made from polyurethane or rubber. The advantage of this arrangement is that the support frame for a screening 25 system can be assembled quickly on the machine frame without any need to bolt the support frame to the machine frame. In addition because the support rail is polyurethane or rubber which is the same material commonly used to form the modular screening panels the useful life of the machine frame is extended. 30 Detailed description of the invention A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings in which: 3 Figure 1 is a side view of a machine frame member according to a first embodiment of this invention; Figure 2 is an end view from A-A in figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of figure 2; 5 Figure 4 is a perspective view of a machine frame member according to a second embodiment of this invention; Figure 5 is an end view from A-A in figure 4; Figure 6 is a plan view of figure 5; Figure 7 is a plan view of a second embodiment of this invention; 10 Figure 8 is a side view of the embodiment of figure 7; Figure 9 is an end view of the embodiment of figure 7; Figure 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment of figure 7; Figure 11 is a side view of a machine frame member according to a further embodiment of this invention; 15 Figure 12 is an end view from A-A in figure 11; Figure 13 is a plan view of figure 12; The frame member in all embodiments is injection moulded over an inverted steel reinforcing plate with a vertical web 21 inside the vertical web 20 of the frame. The web 20 incorporates bolt holes 23 to enable the machine frame to be secured to 20 the screening machine. The panel support 24 in figures 1-3 , 34 in figures 4-6 and 54 in figures 11- 13, is preferably made from hard wearing polyurethane or rubber of grades similar to that used in moulding screening panels. Figure 1 illustrates a rail adapted to secure screening panels with headed spigots 25 of the kind described in patents 482212, 517319, 662683 and 711096. The panel support 24 is a cylindrical socket with a rim 25 having an internal lip 26. The rim 25 extends wider than the thickness of the web 20. A portion 28 which is not coated in polyurethane, is cut out of the web 20 below the socket rim 25 to accommodate the spigots depending from the screening panels. The spigots are 30 secured by force fit into the socket by the lip 26 engaging lateral protrusions of the spigots. Figures 4-6 illustrate a frame rail adapted to secure screening panels with recesses for headed spigots of the kind described in patent 2002300432.
4 The support 34 of consists of a central headed spigot 35 which engages a similar shaped socket formed by the adjoining edges of two panels. The spigot 35 is surrounded by a laterally extending annular flange 36. Location ridges 37 on flange 36 engage with corresponding annular recesses surrounding the sockets 5 formed in the edges of two abutting panels. Figures 7 to 10 illustrate a second embodiment in which an elastomeric saddle 41 is used to cover the flat bar of a machine frame. The elastomer may be rubber or polyurethane. The saddle 41 comprises two side walls 43,44 joined by the top web 45 which is the width of the frame bar. Sockets 46 are formed in the upper 10 section of the saddle 41. The rims 47 of the sockets 46 are spaced below the level of the web 45 and the walls 43, 44 have cut outs corresponding to the diameter and depth of the sockets 46. The rim 47 also includes an internal lip 48 to assist in retaining the fastening means of the screening panels. Figures 11 to 13 show a variation of the support frame of figures 1-3. 15 The panel support 54 formed in polyurethane or rubber, is a cylindrical socket with a rectangular rim 55 having an internal lip 56. The rectangular rim 55 extends wider than the thickness of the web 20. A portion 58 is cut out of the web 20 below the socket rim 55 to accommodate the spigots depending from the screening panels. The clearance portion 58 is not coated in rubber or polyurethane. The 20 spigots are secured by force fit into the socket by the lip 56 engaging lateral protrusions of the spigots. From the above it can be seen that this invention provides a machine frame that can easily accommodate a panel attachments systems without the need for time 25 consuming assembly as no bolting is required and no special tools are required. Those skilled in the art will realize that this invention has been described with reference to two particular embodiments but may be implemented with other shapes for the panel support portion of the machine frame. The main requirement is that the shape is complementary to the securing portion of the panels and 30 provides a secure anchor for the panels.