Abstract
The invention relates to a grinding mill (15) for grinding seasonings, particularly salt, with a stator (1) and a rotor (11) which is rotatably mounted and arranged concentrically with respect to said stator, wherein the stator (1) and the rotor (11) have, in at least some sections, milling projections (2) which are convexly curved in cross-section and the surfaces of which are devoid of discontinuities.
Claims
1. A grinding mill for grinding seasonings, particularly salt, having a stator and a rotatably mounted rotor which substantially has the shape of a truncated cone and is concentric to the stator, wherein the stator and the rotor have milling projections which are, at least in some sections, convexly curved in cross-section and the surfaces of which are devoid of discontinuities.
2. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sections of the milling projections are convexly curved at least in some sections along the entire longitudinal extent of the milling projections.
3. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the grinding mill has an inlet side and an outlet side for the seasoning, and the end faces of the milling projections facing the inlet side are convexly curved.
4. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the rotor and the stator are arranged such that the milling projections of the rotor are spaced from the milling projections of the stator, in particular spaced by at least 0.1 mm, at all times during rotation of the rotor.
5. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sections of the milling projections of the stator are circular segments with a radius in a range between 0.1 mm and 70 mm, preferably between 0.15 mm and 60 mm, even more preferably between 0.2 mm and 50 mm.
6. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the stator is divided into a region for coarse grinding with first stator milling projections and a region for fine grinding with second stator milling projections, wherein the first stator milling projections (8) are preferably spaced from each other in the region for coarse grinding.
7. The grinding mill according to claim 6, wherein the ratio of the number of first stator milling projections to the number of second stator milling projections is in the range between 1:1 and 1:15, preferably between 1:1 and 1:10, in particular 1:2.
8. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the rotor has a base surface and is divided into a region for coarse grinding with first rotor milling projections and a region for fine grinding with second rotor milling projections, wherein the first rotor milling projections are preferably spaced from each other in the region for coarse grinding.
9. The grinding mill according to claim 8, wherein the ratio of the number of first rotor milling projections to the number of second rotor milling projections is in the range between 1:1 and 1:15, preferably between 1:1 and 1:10, in particular 1:3.
10. The grinding mill according to claim 8, wherein the cross-sections of the second rotor milling projections have a substantially evenly rising section and a convexly curved falling section.
11. The grinding mill according to claim 8, wherein the first rotor milling projections each have, in cross-section, a flat section and two opposing convexly curved flanks adjacent to the flat section.
12. The grinding mill according to claim 11, wherein the convexly curved flanks form, in the transition region between the flanks and the base surface of the rotor, an angle of less than 90° with the base surface within the first rotor milling projections.
13. The grinding mill according to claim 10, wherein the substantially evenly rising section encloses, in the transition region to the base surface of the rotor, an angle (α) with a tangent on the base surface, said angle being at most 90°, particularly preferably at most 45°, even more preferably at most 20°, counting in the mathematically positive direction away from the tangent on the base surface.
14. The grinding mill according to claim 10, wherein the convexly curved falling section spans, in the transition region to the base surface of the rotor, an angle (β) with a tangent on the base surface, said angle being at least 90°, particularly preferably at least 100°, even more preferably at least 120°, but no more than 180°, counting in the mathematically positive direction away from the tangent on the base surface.
15. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the milling projections of the rotor are skewed helically around a longitudinal axis of the rotor.
16. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the rotor tapers conically from a lower side to an upper side.
17. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the smallest curvature of the cross-sections of the milling projections has a radius of curvature R in a range between 0.1 mm and 70 mm, preferably between 0.15 mm and 60 mm, even more preferably between 0.2 mm and 50 mm or 1 mm and 20 mm.
18. The grinding mill according to claim 1, wherein the smallest curvature of the cross-sections of the milling projections of the stator and/or of the rotor has a radius of curvature R of at least 0.5 mm, preferably at least 0.6 mm, at least 0.7 mm, at least 0.8 mm or at least 0.9 mm.
19. A seasoning grinder for grinding seasonings, particularly salt, having a container for the seasoning, wherein the seasoning grinder has a grinding mill according to claim 1.
Description
[0034] A particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below using figures, but the invention is not intended to be limited thereto.
[0035] FIG. 1 shows a stator according to the invention in a longitudinal section.
[0036] FIG. 2 shows a stator according to the invention in a view from below.
[0037] FIG. 3 shows a stator according to the invention in an oblique view from above.
[0038] FIG. 4 shows a stator according to the invention in a view from above.
[0039] FIG. 5 shows a rotor according to the invention in an oblique view from above.
[0040] FIG. 6 shows a rotor according to the invention in a view from below.
[0041] FIG. 7 shows a rotor according to the invention in an oblique view from below.
[0042] FIG. 8 shows a grinding mill according to the invention having a rotor and a stator in a view from below.
[0043] FIG. 9 shows a grinding mill according to the invention having a rotor and a stator in an oblique view from above.
[0044] FIG. 10 shows a grinding mill according to the invention in cross-section in a housing.
[0045] Expressions such as “top” and “bottom” and variations thereof relate to the intended use state of the grinding mill. The unmilled milling material or seasoning enters the grinding mill “at the top”, and the ground milling material or seasoning then exits the grinding mill again “at the bottom”.
[0046] In the figures, the individual parts of a grinding mill 15 according to the invention are sometimes shown separately. For the sake of clarity, a simplified presentation has been chosen for the figures, in which elements which do not contribute to understanding have been omitted.
[0047] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a stator 1 of a grinding mill 15 according to the invention (see FIG. 8) in the form of a hollow cylinder. The stator 1 has, on an inner side, a plurality of elongate, convexly curved milling projections 2, which are oriented in the direction of a longitudinal axis 3 of the stator 1 and extend over the entire length of the stator 1. The milling projections 2 of the stator are convexly curved in the entire cross-section along their entire longitudinal extent and do not form any acute-angled undercuts or sharp edges. The stator 1 is substantially divided into two sections. The upper section 4 forms a region 5 for coarse grinding, the lower section 6 forms a region 7 for fine grinding. In the region 5 for coarse grinding, the milling projections 2 are referred to as first stator milling projections 8. Correspondingly, the milling projections 2 in the region for fine grinding 7 are referred to as second stator milling projections 9. The first stator milling projections 8 are spaced from each other for coarse grinding, whereas the second stator milling projections 9 are directly adjacent to each other or merge into each other. In addition, the second stator milling projections 9 are inclined to a base surface 58 of the stator corresponding to the inner face of the hollow cylinder, so that the second stator milling projections 9 rise slightly in the direction of the first stator milling projections 8. Of course, the first stator milling projections 8 could also have an inclination relative to the base surface 58. Other inclinations or no inclinations at all are also possible.
[0048] As can be seen in particular in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the cross-sections of the first 8 and second stator milling projections 9 are circular segments. This means that the cross-sectional area 55 of the first 8 and second stator milling projections 9 are circular segments, that is, portions of a circular area delimited by an arc and a chord. The radius R of the arc is in a range between 0.1 mm and 70 mm, preferably between 0.15 mm and 60 mm, even more preferably between 0.2 mm and 50 mm, between 0.9 mm and 5 mm, or, as in the embodiment shown, is 2 mm. The cross-sections of the first 8 and second stator milling projections 9 are substantially constant over their entire length.
[0049] Looking again at FIG. 1, it can be seen that the first stator milling projections 8 merge into the second stator milling projections 9. Furthermore, it can be seen that the ratio of the number of first stator milling projections 8 to the number of second milling projections is 1:2. That is, there are twice as many second stator milling projections 9 as first stator milling projections 8. However, a higher or lower ratio can also be provided, as long as the number of second stator milling projections 9 is at least as high as the number of first rotor milling projections 8. In cross-section, the first stator milling projections 8 form semi-circles, whereas the second stator milling projections 9 are smaller circular segments (see FIGS. 2 and 4). On the end faces 56 facing an inlet side 10, all the milling projections 2 of the stator 1 form a convex curvature in the form of a section of a surface of a sphere. The region 5 for coarse grinding is assigned to the inlet side 10 of the grinding mill 15.
[0050] FIG. 3 shows the stator 1 in an oblique view from above, that is, on the inlet side, in which the region 5 for coarse grinding is visible.
[0051] FIG. 5 shows a rotor 11 of substantially truncated cone shape in an oblique view from above. Similar to the stator 1, on the outside of the rotor 11 there are likewise elongate milling projections 2 which are convexly curved in some sections but which, in contrast to the milling projections 2 of the stator 1, are skewed helically around a longitudinal axis 12 of the rotor 11. The skew around the longitudinal axis in the shown embodiment is 65°. It can be seen that the rotor 11 tapers conically from a lower side 13 to an upper side 14. For example, the diameter of the upper side is approximately 9.75 mm, and the diameter of the lower side is 22.8 mm. In the assembled state of the grinding mill 15, the upper side 14 faces the inlet side 10, and the lower side faces an outlet side 16.
[0052] Like the stator 1, the rotor 11 is also divided into two sections. The upper section 17 is a region 18 for coarse grinding, the lower section 19 is a region 20 for fine grinding. In the region 18 for coarse grinding, the milling projections 2 are referred to as first rotor milling projections 21. Correspondingly, the milling projections 2 in the region for fine grinding 20 are referred to as second rotor milling projections 22. The first rotor milling projections 21 are spaced from each other for coarse grinding. The ratio of the number of first milling projections 21 of the rotor 11 to the number of second milling projections 22 of the rotor 11 is 1:3 but can also be higher or lower, as long as the number of second rotor milling projections 22 is at least as high as the number of first rotor milling projections 21.
[0053] As can be seen in particular in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the first rotor milling projections 21 merge into the second rotor milling projections 22, and in the transition region a convexly curved edge 23 is formed, the radius of curvature of which is preferably at least 0.2 mm. In the places in which the second rotor milling projections 22 do not merge into first rotor milling projections 21, a convexly curved edge, i.e. blunt edge, is also formed. The first rotor milling projections 21 each have, in cross-section, a flat section 24 and two opposing convexly curved flanks 25 adjacent to the flat section. The convexly curved flanks 25 form an angle of at most 90° with the base surface 59 of the rotor, and therefore no acute-angled undercuts are produced. The base surface 59 corresponds to the lateral surface of the rotor without milling projections 2, that is, the lateral surface of a truncated cone. All the end faces 57 of the milling projections 2 of the rotor 11 facing towards the upper side 14 of the rotor 11 are likewise convexly curved to minimise abrasion.
[0054] As can be seen in FIG. 6, the cross-sections of the second rotor milling projections 22 have a substantially evenly rising section 26 and a convexly curved falling section 27. The rotation direction 60 of the rotor 11 for milling is such that the convexly curved falling sections are first in the rotation direction. Viewed from the lower side 13, the substantially evenly rising section 26 forms, at the base surface 59, an angle α with a tangent 61 on the base surface 59 of the rotor 11, said angle being at most 90°, particularly preferably at most 45°, in the embodiment shown 14°, counting in the mathematically positive direction away from the tangent 61. The tangent 61 is tangent to the base surface 59 in the transition region between the evenly rising section 26 and the base surface 59. The angle α lies virtually within the second rotor milling projection 22 between the surface of the rising section 26 and the tangent on the base surface 59. An imaginary extension of the evenly rising section 26 is shown with a dashed line for better illustration of the angle α. In the view from above shown in FIG. 6, the base surface 59 is indicated by means of a dashed circle.
[0055] Viewed from the lower side 13, the convexly curved falling section 27 forms, at the base surface 59, an angle β with a tangent 62 on the base surface 59 of the rotor 11, said angle being at least 90°, particularly preferably at least 110°, in the embodiment shown 122°, counting in the mathematically positive direction away from the tangent 62. The tangent 62 is tangent to the base surface 59 in the transition region between the convexly curved falling section 27 and the base surface 59. The angle β lies virtually in front of the section 27 in the rotation direction 60 and thus outside the second rotor milling projection 22 and is in a manner of speaking spanned by the base surface 59 and the surface of the section 27. Since the convexly curved falling section 27 is curved, the angle β is likewise counted relative to a tangent 63 on the convexly curved section 27 in the transition region to the base surface 59.
[0056] FIG. 7 shows the rotor 11 according to the invention in an oblique view from below. It can be seen that the first rotor milling projections 21 merge into the second rotor milling projections 22.
[0057] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 schematically show the assembled state of the grinding mill 15 according to the invention. All the connecting parts have been omitted for the sake of clarity. The rotor 11 is completely inserted into the stator 1. The rotor 11 is usually rotatably mounted (not visible). Between the rotor 11 and the stator 1 there is a gap 28, through which the milling material (not shown) passes from the inlet side 10 to the outlet side 16 and is crushed in the process. The gap 28 varies both spatially around the circumference and chronologically when the rotor 11 is set in rotation. The gap 28 also varies between the inlet side 10 and the outlet side 16 owing to the truncated cone shape of the rotor 11. In other words, the gap tapers increasingly from the inlet side 10 to the outlet side 16.
[0058] FIG. 10 shows the grinding mill 15 according to the invention in cross-section. The grinding mill 15 is arranged inside a housing 29 and is connected to same via fasteners 30 in the form of latching noses. The rotor 11 is connected to the stator via a preferably perforated cap 31, the cap 31 having a centrally arranged bearing pin 32 which engages in a cut-out 33 in the rotor 11. The rotor 11 can rotate about the bearing pin 32 but is secured against displacement. The housing 29 also has connecting means, for example a thread, on one side for connection to a container (not shown) for seasonings.
