FI127050B

FI127050B - FEEDER

Info

Publication number: FI127050B
Application number: FI20165577A
Authority: FI
Inventors: Tuomas Juutinen; Vesa-Matti Salminen
Original assignee: Metso Minerals Inc
Priority date: 2016-07-11
Filing date: 2016-07-11
Publication date: 2017-10-13
Also published as: FI20165577A

Description

FEEDER

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention generally relates to mineral material processing. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a feeder of a mineral material processing plant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mineral material, such as stone, is retrieved to be processed from the ground either by exploding or by digging. The mineral material may also comprise natural stone, gravel and construction waste. Both mobile and fixed plants are used for processing. The material to be processed is fed with e.g. an excavator or a wheel loader into a feeder of the processing plant, from where the material is forwarded to be processed.

In mineral material processing, the feeder often comprises a screen or grate configured to remove oversized pieces from the material then conveyed to be processed. Commonly, the material passing the grate is conveyed with a conveyor positioned under the screen to be processed.

Previously, such feeders have commonly merely removed the oversized material not able to pass the first grate and everything else, be it accept or reject of the screen, has been conveyed onwards. Furthermore, conveyors external to the frame of the feeder have been installed e.g. to remove the accept of the screen, i.e. fines from the material to be processed. Such conveyors however need to be removed or folded for transport. Previously presented feeder arrangements are shown e.g. in publications US2016107166 A1 and US2015306633 A1.

The objective of the invention is to provide a feeder arrangement for a mineral material processing plant providing for an improved sorting of the material to be processed while keeping the compact size of the mineral material processing plant.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a feeder, comprising a frame; a processing unit; and a first conveyor inside the frame configured to convey at least a fraction of the material from the processing unit; a second conveyor inside the frame configured to convey at least a fraction of material from the processing unit; wherein the feeder further comprises a guide element configured to be pivotable between a position guiding at least a fraction of the material to the first conveyor and a position guiding at least a fraction of the material to the second conveyor.

The feeder may further comprise tracks.

The tracks may be positioned in such away that the width of the track base does not exceed the width of the frame.

The processing unit may comprise at least one screen surface.

The processing unit may comprise a grate configured to guide oversized material outside the feeder.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a mineral material processing plant comprising a feeder according to the first aspect of the invention.

The mineral material processing plant may further comprise a mobile unit comprising a crusher and/or a screen.

The mineral material processing plant may comprise a mobile plant.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of operating a feeder, comprising feeding material to a processing unit; actuating a guide element configured to be pivotable between a position guiding at least a fraction of the material to the first conveyor and a position guiding at least a fraction of the material to the second conveyor in order to guide at least a fraction of the material to a first conveyor or a second conveyor; and conveying the material with the first conveyor or the second conveyor.

Different embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated or have been illustrated only in connection with some aspects of the invention. A skilled person appreciates that any embodiment of an aspect of the invention may apply to the same aspect of the invention and other aspects

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a feeder according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a further schematic cross-sectional view of a feeder according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 shows a schematic side view of a feeder according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 shows a schematic side view of a mineral material processing plant comprising a feeder according to an embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 5 shows a flow chart of feeding method according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, like numbers denote like elements. It should be appreciated that the illustrated figures are not entirely in scale, and that the figures mainly serve the purpose of illustrating embodiments of the invention.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a schematic cross-sectional view of a feeder 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The feeder 100 comprise a processing unit 110. The processing unit 110 is in an embodiment configured to separate the mineral material fed thereon into at least two fractions. The processing unit 110 in an embodiment comprises a screen having at least one screening element. In a further embodiment, the processing unit comprises at least two screening elements. The processing unit 110, in an embodiment comprises a grate configured to allow mineral material up to a certain size to pass the grate 111 and configured to remove oversized material by allowing it to flow to a pile on the outside side of the feeder. The processing unit 110 in an embodiment further comprises a first screen surface 112 configured to allow mineral material up to a certain size, for example fines, to pass the screen surface and to reject material with larger grain size. In a further example embodiment, the processing unit 110 further comprises a second screen surface.

The feeder 100 further comprises a frame 170 to which the processing unit 110 is attached by a height adjustable beam 113, for example in an embodiment a hydraulic cylinder on the other side of the feeder and by a hinge joint on the opposite side of the feeder. The feeder 100 further comprises tracks 180. In a further embodiment, the feeder 100 comprises wheels or legs or skis instead of the tracks 180. In an embodiment, the tracks 180 reside within the frame, i.e. the width of the track base does not exceed the width of the frame. In an embodiment, the feeder further comprises a support element 190 between the tracks attached on both sides to the frame. In a still further embodiment, the track base resides under the frame and has a width not exceeding the width of the frame. The frame width being the largest width of the feeder 100 provides for extra space inside the frame. In an embodiment, the frame comprises vertical side plates 171, 172 and horizontal support beams 173, 174 connected to the side plates preferably by bolt connection and supporting the conveyors 120 and 130 and the processing unit 110.

The feeder 100 further comprises a first conveyor 120 and second conveyor 130. The first 120 and the second 130 conveyor are positioned side by side longitudinally inside the frame 170 of the feeder 100. In an embodiment, the first conveyor 120 is configured to convey the reject, or overflow of the first screen surface 112 of the processing unit 110 further to be processed. In an embodiment, the second conveyor 130 is configured to convey the accept, or underflow, of the first screen surface 112 of the processing unit further, for example to a pile beside the feeder or to be processed further.

In an embodiment, the feeder 100 further comprises a first guide element 140, a second guide element 150 and a third guide element 160. The first guide element 140 is configured to guide the overflow of the grate 111 of the processing unit 110 outside the feeder and to guide the overflow of the first screen surface 112 to the conveyor 120. The first guide element in an embodiment comprises hinge joints 141,142 to provide movement of the element between transport and operation positions. The third guide element 160 is configured to guide the material passing the first screen surface to the conveyor 130.

The second guide element 150 has a pivotable portion and is pivotable in two positions as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively. The second guide element 150 is actuated in a conventional manner to the desired position and comprises in an embodiment a hinge joint 151. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the second guide element 150 is configured to guide the overflow of the first screen surface 112 to the conveyor 120 and to guide the material passing the first screen surface 112 to the conveyor 130. In the position shown in Fig. 2, the second guide element 150 is configured to guide also the material passing the first screen surface to the first conveyor 120.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic side view of a feeder 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 3 shows the processing unit 110 and the frame 170, inside which are positioned the tracks 180 and the first 120 and second 130 (not shown in Fig. 3) conveyor. The processing unit comprises a feeder hopper with a back plate 115 and side plates 116, which are in an embodiment preferably connected to the processing unit by a hinged joint and operable between transport and operation positions by for example hydraulic cylinders 117 or other suitable means. The feeder 100 further comprises a third conveyor 310 for conveying material onwards to be processed for example by a crusher and a drive unit 320 configured to power the operating unit 110 and the conveyors. It is to be noted that the feeder 100 in an embodiment comprises further elements not shown in Figs. 1-3.

Although in the foregoing the feeder 100 has been described as a mobile feeder, in a further embodiment the feeder 100 is integrated as a part of a mineral material processing plant, i.e. the frame of the feeder 100 is attached into a frame of a mineral material processing plant. In such an embodiment the feeder 100 does not comprise tracks 180.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic side view of a mineral material processing plant comprising a feeder according to an embodiment of the invention. The mineral material processing plant comprises a feeder 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. It is to be noted that the feeder 100 comprises elements and parts as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. The mineral material processing plant, in an embodiment, further comprises a further mobile processing unit 400. In an embodiment, the mobile unit 400 comprises elements common to such a mobile unit, such as a track base, conveyors, a drive unit, a crusher and/or a screen. In an embodiment, the feeder 100 is used to feed the mobile unit 400.

Fig. 5 shows a flow chart of feeding method according to an embodiment of the invention. At 510 mineral material is fed into the feeder. The grate of the processing unit 110 rejects the oversized material outside the feeder and the first screen surface 112 separates the material into overflow and underflow. At 520, depending on the desired mix of material for processing, the second guide element 150 is actuated into proper position. At 530, the first 120 and/or second 130 conveyor are configured to convey the material guided thereon for further processing, for example to a mobile unit 400 with a crusher and/or screen.

Without in any way limiting the scope of protection, interpretation or possible applications of the invention, a technical advantage of different embodiments of the invention may be considered to be the provision of improved control of material to be processed. Further, a technical advantage of different embodiments of the invention may be considered to be the provision of improved material control without the need for parts external to the frame. Still further, a technical advantage of different embodiments of the invention may be considered to be improved transportability of the feeder. Still further, a technical advantage of different embodiments of the invention may be considered to be the provision of improved protection of the tracks by the frame.

The foregoing description provides non-limiting examples of some embodiments of the invention. It is clear to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted to details presented, but that the invention can be implemented in other equivalent means. Some of the features of the above-disclosed embodiments may be used to advantage without the use of other features.

As such, the foregoing description shall be considered as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, and not in limitation thereof. Hence, the scope of the invention is only restricted by the appended patent claims.

Claims

1. Syötin, käsittäen rungon (170); prosessointiyksikön (110); ensimmäisen kuljettimen (120) rungon (170) sisällä järjestettynä kuljettamaan ainakin fraktio materiaalista prosessointiyksiköltä (110); ja toisen kuljettimen (130) rungon (170) sisällä järjestettynä kuljettamaan ainakin fraktio materiaalista prosessointiyksiköltä (110); tunnettu siitä että syötin edelleen käsittää ohjauselementin (150) järjestettynä kääntyväksi asennon, joka ohjaa ainakin fraktion materiaalista ensimmäiselle kuljettimelle (120), ja asennon, joka ohjaa ainakin fraktion materiaalista toiselle kuljettimelle (130), välillä.A feeder comprising a body (170); a processing unit (110); a first conveyor (120) within the body (170) arranged to carry at least a fraction of the material from the processing unit (110); and a second conveyor (130) within the body (170) arranged to carry at least a fraction of the material from the processing unit (110); characterized in that the feeder further comprises a guide element (150) arranged to be pivotable between a position guiding at least a fraction of the material to the first conveyor (120) and a position guiding at least a fraction of the material to the second conveyor (130).

2. Syötin patenttivaatimuksen 1 mukaisesti, edelleen käsittäen telaketjut (180).A feeder according to claim 1, further comprising tracks (180).

3. Syötin patenttivaatimuksen 2 mukaisesti, missä telaketjut (180) on sijoitettu siten, että telaketjualustan leveys ei ylitä rungon (170) leveyttä.The bait according to claim 2, wherein the tracks (180) are disposed such that the width of the track base does not exceed the width of the body (170).

4. Syötin minkä tahansa aiemman patenttivaatimuksen mukaisesti, missä prosessointiyksikkö (110) käsittää ainakin yhden seulapinnan (112).A feeder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (110) comprises at least one screen surface (112).

5. Syötin minkä tahansa aiemman patenttivaatimuksen mukaisesti, missä prosessointiyksikkö (110) käsittää ritilän (111) järjestettynä ohjaamaan ylikokoinen materiaali syöttimen ulkopuolelle.A feeder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (110) comprises a grate (111) arranged to guide the oversized material outside the feeder.

6. Mineraalimateriaalin prosessointilaitos käsittäen syöttimen (100) minkä tahansa aiemman patenttivaatimuksen mukaisesti.A mineral material processing plant comprising a feeder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims.

7. Mineraalimateriaalin prosessointilaitos patenttivaatimuksen 6 mukaisesti, edelleen käsittäen mobiilin yksikön (400) käsittäen murskaimen ja/tai seulan.A mineral material processing plant according to claim 6, further comprising a mobile unit (400) comprising a crusher and / or a screen.

8. Menetelmä syöttimen käyttämiseksi, käsittäen materiaalin syöttämisen prosessointiyksikköön (110); ohjauselementin (150) järjestettynä kääntyväksi asennon, joka ohjaa ainakin fraktion materiaalista ensimmäiselle kuljettimelle (120), ja asennon, joka ohjaa ainakin fraktion materiaalista toiselle kuljettimelle (130), välillä, käyttämisen ainakin fraktion materiaalista ohjaamiseksi ensimmäiselle kuljettimelle (120) tai toiselle kuljettimelle (130); ja materiaalin kuljettamisen ensimmäisellä kuljettimella (120) tai toisella kuljettimella (130).A method of operating a feeder, comprising feeding material to a processing unit (110); a control element (150) arranged to be pivotable between actuating a position controlling at least a fraction of the material to the first conveyor (120) and a position guiding at least a fraction of the material to the second conveyor (130) on the first conveyor (120) or second conveyor (130) ); and transporting the material by the first conveyor (120) or the second conveyor (130).