Method for granulating or agglomerating and tool therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a granulating and/or agglomerating tool for a granulating and/or agglomerating device with a fastening shaft and a substantially disk-shaped element with a diameter d which is fastened thereto and has an upper surface, a lower surface and a circumferential surface connecting the upper and the lower surface. In order to provide a granulating and/or agglomerating tool for a granulating and/or agglomerating device and a corresponding granulating and/or agglomerating device and a method for granulating or agglomerating with which the desired granulating or agglomerating result can be obtained very much faster and above all with a significantly finer granulated material with a significantly higher yield in the range of from 0.1 to 0.8 mm, it is proposed according to the invention that the circumferential surface exhibits a plurality of essentially V-shaped grooves running parallel to the axis of the shaft.

Claims

1. Method for agglomerating, in which the ingredients to be agglomerated are introduced into a container having an axis of rotation and mixed with a tool to agglomerate the ingredients, characterised in that an agglomerating device is used, whereas said agglomerating device includes a container and an agglomerating tool arranged in the container, the agglomerating tool having a fastening shaft and a substantially disk-shaped element with a diameter d which is fastened thereto and has an upper surface, a lower surface and a circumferential surface connecting the upper and the lower surface, the circumferential surface exhibiting a plurality of essentially V-shaped grooves having walls running parallel to the axis of the shaft, the lower surface of the tool having at least one swirl element which protrudes beyond the lower surface in the axial direction.

2. Method according to claim 1 wherein the lower surface of the tool has at least two swirl elements which protrude beyond the lower surface in the axial direction.

3. Method according to claim 2 wherein each of the at least two swirl elements had the same angular spacing in the circumferential direction from each adjacent swirl element.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the grooves exhibit a groove depth t, t being between 0.05 and 0.4 times the diameter d.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that the grooves exhibit a groove depth between 0.1 and 0.3 times the diameter d.

6. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that the grooves exhibit a groove depth between 0.15 and 0.25 times the diameter d.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one groove wall at least in part is made of a harder material than the disk-shaped element.

8. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that provided in the groove wall of the disk-shaped element there is a recess into which a wearing element is fitted, the wearing element being made of a harder material than the disk-shaped element.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterised in that the wearing element protrudes beyond the upper surface and/or the lower surface and/or the circumferential surface by a distance a, the distance a being less than the thickness e of the disk-shaped element.

10. Method according to claim 9, characterised in that at least one groove wall exhibits at least two recesses which are separated from one another and into which in each case the wearing element is fitted, the wearing material protruding beyond the upper surface and/or the lower surface.

11. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the upper surface in a circular portion extending from the circumferential surface by at least the groove depth tin the direction of the shaft, exhibits no element extending axially beyond the groove walls or a wearing element fastened on or in the groove walls.

12. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the grooves are arranged equidistant from one another in the circumferential direction, the ratio of the groove width to the distance between the grooves in the circumferential direction being greater than 0.05.

13. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that at least two disk-shaped elements are provided, spaced a distance from one another in the axial direction.

14. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the axis of rotation of the container and the axis of the shaft are arranged parallel to one another, the axis of rotation of the container and the axis of the shaft being spaced a distance from one another.

15. Method according to claim 14, characterised in that the container is rotatable, the axis of the shaft of the agglomerating tool being fixed in one location.

16. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that the container is rotatable, with the axis of the shaft of the agglomerating tool being rotatable about its shaft axis.

17. Method according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the groove width to the distance between the grooves in the circumference direction is between 0.1 and 5 times the diameter d.

18. Method according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the groove width to the distance between the grooves in the circumference direction is between 0.3 and 2.

19. Method for agglomerating, the method comprising: a) introducing ingredients that can be agglomerated into a container having an axis of rotation b) mixing the ingredients that can be agglomerated with a tool, and c) agglomerating the ingredients; characterised in that an agglomerating device is used, whereas said agglomerating device includes a container and an agglomerating tool arranged in the container, the agglomerating tool having a fastening shaft and a substantially disk-shaped element with a diameter d which is fastened thereto and has an upper surface, a lower surface and a circumferential surface connecting the upper and the lower surface, the circumferential surface exhibiting a plurality of essentially V-shaped grooves having walls running parallel to the axis of the shaft, the lower surface of the tool having at least one swirl element which protrudes beyond the lower surface in the axial direction.

Description

(1) Further advantages, features and possible applications will become clear from the present description of preferred forms of embodiment.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a first form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a second form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a third form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a fourth form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a fifth form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a sixth form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a seventh form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(9) FIG. 8 shows an eighth form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a ninth form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(11) FIG. 10 shows a tenth form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(12) FIG. 11 shows an eleventh form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(13) FIG. 12 shows a twelfth form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention;

(14) FIG. 13 shows a thirteenth form of embodiment of the granulating tool according to the invention, and

(15) FIGS. 14 to 16 show a fourteenth form of embodiment of the invention.

(16) FIG. 1 shows a first form of embodiment of the invention in a plan view. The tool 10 consists of a disk-shaped element 11 which in the centre exhibits an opening 13 with which the disk-shaped element 11 can be attached to a fastening shaft (not shown).

(17) The disk-shaped element 11 has an upper surface which can be seen in FIG. 1, a lower surface which faces the plane of the paper, and a circumferential surface which connects the upper surface and the lower surface. The circumferential surface exhibits a large number of V-shaped grooves 12 with a groove depth t.

(18) The groove has a width b and the distance from groove to groove is a. The disk-shaped element 11 has a diameter d. The groove walls are formed so as to be sharp-edged, i.e. the junction areas between the upper and lower surface and the groove walls are not chamfered, but have a very small radius of curvature. Neighbouring grooves are each spaced 18° from one another in the circumferential direction.

(19) FIG. 2 shows a second form of embodiment of the invention in which the tool 20 also exhibits an opening 23 which is used to fasten the tool to the fastening shaft. The second form of embodiment differs from the first form of embodiment essentially in that significantly more grooves 22 are provided. Consequently, the grooves are spaced by an angle of 11.25° from one another in the circumferential direction.

(20) FIG. 3 shows a third form of embodiment of the invention. The tool 30 consists of a disk-shaped element. Here, again, a central opening 33 is provided for fastening to the fastening shaft (not shown).

(21) In this form of embodiment there are also two circles of threaded bores 34 and 35 in which one or more swirl elements can be fastened on the lower surface of the tool 30.

(22) FIG. 4 shows a fourth form of embodiment of the invention in which the grooves 42 are not formed symmetrically in cross-section. In addition, the groove base exhibits a plateau.

(23) FIG. 5 shows a fifth form of embodiment of the invention in which the groove width is so large that the distance between two neighbouring grooves becomes minimal.

(24) In the case of the form of embodiment of the tool 60 shown in FIG. 6, the groove 62 exhibits one essentially flat groove wall and one convexly curved groove wall.

(25) FIG. 7 shows a seventh form of embodiment of a tool 70 according to the invention positioned in a container 200 and bearing swirl elements 210 on its under surface.

(26) FIGS. 8 to 11 show eighth to eleventh forms of embodiment of the invention. The forms of embodiment differ through different groove geometries and different groove widths and depths.

(27) FIG. 12 shows a further preferred form of embodiment. The tool 120 exhibits a disk-shaped element 121 with a large number of grooves 122. Each groove 122 exhibits on one groove wall a recess 125 which is provided for reception of a material which is preferably harder than the material of the disk-shaped element 121. A hard metal alloy (carbide) for example can be inserted here.

(28) The inserted hard metal alloy (carbide) can protrude both beyond the upper surface and beyond the lower surface in the axial direction and beyond the circumferential surface.

(29) FIG. 13 shows a thirteenth form of embodiment of the invention in which the groove depth is very small.

(30) FIGS. 14 to 16 show a fourteenth form of embodiment of the invention. FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of the tool 140. The tool 140 exhibits two disk-shaped elements 141 and 146 both of which are arranged on the fastening shaft 147. They are spaced a distance from one another in the axial direction. Both disk-shaped elements 141, 146 exhibit grooves 142. In each case, one groove wall of each groove 142 exhibits two portions made of a harder material, e.g. a hard metal alloy (carbide). These hard metal alloy (carbide) plates 147 protrude beyond the upper, the lower and the circumferential surfaces of the disk-shaped element in the axial and the radial direction. In addition, the upper disk-shaped element 146 exhibits four U-shaped openings 148 through which the material to be granulated can flow to the lower disk-shaped element 141.

(31) FIG. 15 shows a plan view of the lower disk-shaped element 141. It can be seen that the hard metal alloy (carbide) inserts 147 and 147′ are arranged in corresponding recesses in the groove wall.

(32) The upper disk-shaped element 146 shown in FIG. 16 exhibits corresponding U-shaped openings 148 through which the material can flow from above through the opening 148 to the lower disk-shaped element 141.