DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING A MATERIAL

Abstract

The invention relates to a dispensing apparatus for packaging a material, wherein the dispensing apparatus comprises a vertical and downwardly tapering hopper element (1) in which the material being dispensed is arranged, comprising more than two side walls with corners therebetween, at least two elongated plate-shaped parts (4) attached substantially horizontally in connection with at least two side walls of the hopper element so as to extend from one corner of the hopper element to another, and a dispensing element (2, 3) arranged at the tapering end of the hopper element, through which dispensing element the material is dispensed, and at least one vibrator arranged in connection with the hopper element (1) to provide vibration of the hopper element via the elongated plate-shaped part (4) to the side walls of the hopper element. Further, the invention relates to the use of the apparatus.

Claims

1. A dispensing apparatus for packaging a material, wherein the dispensing apparatus comprises: a vertical and downwardly tapering hopper element in which the material being dispensed is arranged, comprising more than two side walls with corners therebetween; at least two elongated plate-shaped parts, attached substantially horizontally in connection with at least two side walls of the hopper element so as to extend from one corner of the hopper element to another; a dispensing element arranged at a tapering end of the hopper element, through which dispensing element the material is dispensed; at least one vibrator arranged in connection with the hopper element to provide vibration of the hopper element via at least one of the at least two elongated plate-shaped parts to the side walls of the hopper element; and an interior coating is arranged at an inner surface of the side walls of the hopper element.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hopper element comprises at least four side walls.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an interior coating is arranged at the inner surface of the side walls of the hopper element.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein there are coating panels attached to the inner surface of the side walls of the hopper element to form the interior coating.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing apparatus comprises two elongated plate-shaped parts arranged at opposite side walls of the hopper element.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing apparatus comprises three elongated plate-shaped parts arranged at least at every other side wall of the hopper element.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two elongated plate-shaped parts are arranged at an outer surface of the side walls of the hopper element.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing element comprises at least a reducer element.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing element comprises a reducer element and a dispensing mouth element.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the reducer element is a downwardly tapering element.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein at least one wall of the reducer element comprises an opening for a sampling device or another monitoring device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two elongated plate-shaped parts comprise at least one connecting piece for connecting the at least one vibrator with the elongated plate-shaped part.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing apparatus comprises at least one sampling element for taking a sample of the material being dispensed.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is used for handling and dispensing materials produced in industry and/or materials produced in ex-tractive industry.

Description

LIST OF FIGURES

[0034] FIG. 1 shows one dispensing apparatus according to the invention,

[0035] FIGS. 2-3 show some details of the dispensing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, and

[0036] FIGS. 4a and 4b show one reducer element of the dispensing apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] The invention will now be described by way of detailed examples of its embodiments, with reference to the accompanying figures.

Example 1

[0038] FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a sacking apparatus for packaging unwieldy materials, such as sticky materials and precipitate, into sacks.

[0039] The apparatus comprises a vertical and downwardly tapering and conical hopper element (1) in which the material being dispensed is arranged, comprising four side walls with corners therebetween. The cross-section of the hopper element, as seen from the top, is rectangular. Further, the apparatus comprises two elongated plate-shaped parts (4) attached by welding substantially horizontally to the outer surface of two opposite side walls so as to extend on the side wall from one corner of the hopper element to another. Further, the apparatus comprises a dispensing element that comprises a reducer element (2) and a dispensing mouth element (3) and that is connected with the tapering end of the hopper element (1) by means of the reducer element, through which dispensing element the material is dispensed from the hopper element into a sack. Further, the apparatus comprises at least one vibrator connected with the elongated plate-shaped part to provide vibration of the hopper element via the elongated plate-shaped part (4) to the side walls of the hopper element. The vibrator may be any appropriate vibrator known per se, which is not shown in the figure.

[0040] Each elongated plate-shaped part (4) comprises at least one connecting piece (5) for connecting the vibrator with the elongated plate-shaped part. In this case, the vibrator is connectable and attachable onto the elongated plate-shaped part (4) by a bolted joint.

[0041] Coating panels, e.g. polyethylene or polypropylene based panels, are attached to the inner surface of the side walls of the hopper element (1) to form an interior coating (7).

[0042] Because the hopper element (1) comprises four side walls and corners therebetween, as well as two elongated plate-shaped parts (4) arranged at opposite side walls of the hopper element substantially horizontally from one corner to another and connected with the vibrators, the force provided by the vibrators may be distributed via the corners evenly to the whole area of the side walls of the hopper element.

[0043] The reducer element (2) is shaped such that the cross-sectional profile of the upper part of the reducer element corresponds to the cross-sectional profile of the tapering end of the hopper element (1), in this case a quadrangle, and the cross-sectional profile of the lower part of the reducer element corresponds to the cross-sectional profile of the dispensing mouth element (3), in this case a circle. The cross-section of the dispensing mouth element (3) is circular.

[0044] The hopper element (1), the reducer element (2), the dispensing mouth element (3) and the elongated plate-shaped parts (4) are in this example formed from steel.

[0045] The dispensing apparatus comprises a sampling screw in which the size of the sample is adjustable. The sampling screw is arranged substantially centrally in the hopper element (1), and the outlet of the tube of the sampling screw is arranged in an opening (6) at the wall of the reducer element (2).

[0046] Further, the outer surface of more than one of the side walls of the hopper element (1) may be provided with a substantially horizontal angle iron (11) to which a protective element, e.g. a rubber plate, is arrangeable and connectable to prevent the material being dispensed from being scattered outside the hopper element during filling of the hopper element.

[0047] Further, the outer surface of more than one of the side walls of the hopper element (1) may be provided with projections (8,9) by which the hopper element is liftable and on which the hopper element rests in the dispensing apparatus or in a container housing the dispensing apparatus.

Example 2

[0048] FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate a reducer element of the dispensing apparatus for preventing sticking and bridging of the material being dispensed.

[0049] The reducer element (2) is a downwardly tapering, conical element comprising four walls with corners therebetween. The reducer element (2) is arrangeable in the dispensing apparatus between the hopper element and the dispensing mouth element. The purpose of the reducer element (2) is to be an adapter between two elements with different shapes and to enable the material to continue flowing undisturbed in this intermediate space. The reducer element (2) is shaped such that the cross-sectional profile of the upper part of the reducer element preferably corresponds to the cross-sectional profile of the tapering end of the hopper element, e.g. a rectangle or a quadrangle, and the cross-sectional profile of the lower part of the reducer element corresponds to the cross-sectional profile of the dispensing mouth element, e.g. a circle. In this example the reducer element (2) is at the upper part, in cross-section, quadrangular, and at the lower part circular. Preferably, the reducer element (2) is shaped so as to taper such that the inner surface of the reducer element has no projections or suchlike unevenness on the inner surface to provide obstructions of flow of the material stream, and so as to provide a good and smooth flow of the material being dispensed without the material sticking at the inner surface of the reducer element and without bridging.

[0050] At least one wall of the reducer element (2) comprises an opening (6) for a sampling device. The opening (6) may be closable, in case the sampling device is not used.

[0051] The lower part of the reducer element is provided with a collar (10) that serves as a connecting means to facilitate connecting the reducer element to the dispensing mouth element.

Example 3

[0052] In this example, unwieldy and sticky material produced in extractive industry was sacked with the sacking apparatus described in Example 1.

[0053] The wall thickness of the hopper element was 4 mm, and its material was 5355 steel. The thickness of a plastic throughout-slippery coating panel was 10 mm. The thickness of the elongated plate-shaped part attached by welding to the side wall on the outer side of the hopper element was 10 mm, and its height was of the height of the hopper element.

[0054] The thickness of the point of attachment of the vibrator was 10 mm+20 mm on the elongated plate-shaped part, and it was fastened by bolts. The technical specifications of the vibrator were: static force 30 kg/mm, 50 Hz, 2.98 kN, 3000 rpm and 1.04/0.6 amplitudes.

[0055] The dimensions of the sampling screw were: screw diameter 68 mm, tube inner diameter 72 mm and outer diameter 76.1 mm, screw wave length 68 mm and shaft thickness 30 mm. The measures for the sampling tube hole were: length 0-200 mm and width 72 mm. The screw is powered by an electric motor, and the rotational speed of the screw was 10-100 rpm.

[0056] It was noted that sticky material could be handled and sacked easily with the apparatus according to the invention without sticking of the material. It was noted that when using the elongated plate-shaped part according to the invention arranged at the outer wall of the hopper element to extend horizontally from one corner to another, the force of vibration could be distributed in a satisfactory way in the hopper element, and no pulling movement was exerted on the hopper element. As a reference, a shorter plate-shaped part was tested at the wall of the hopper element, whereby it was noted that it does not distribute the force of vibration in the hopper element, and the vibration causes a pulling movement.

[0057] The dispensing apparatus according to the invention is suited, through different embodiments, for use in a wide variety of applications for handling a wide variety of materials. Further, the dispensing apparatus according to the invention is suited, through different embodiments, for use in a wide variety of industrial environments.

[0058] The invention is not limited only to the examples described above; instead many modifications are possible within the scope of the inventive idea defined by the claims.