Abstract
The invention relates to an apparatus (6) for dividing a briquette string (5) which has a plurality of contiguous briquette rows (5a) that are arranged one behind the other (in a longitudinal direction (L)) and each comprise, adjacent to one another, a plurality of briquettes (7) connected by material webs (8a, 8b), in particular for manufacturing briquettes (7) from direct reduced iron, said apparatus comprising: a movable beater device (9) which has a plurality of beaters (13) arranged adjacent to one another; and a feed device (10) via which the briquette string (5) can be fed to the beater device (9) in a transport direction (T), the beater device (9) striking the briquette string (5) fed by the feed device (10) with the beaters (13) in such a way that firstly a briquette row (5a) is knocked off the briquette string (5), and secondly the briquette row (5a) is divided into the individual briquettes (7). The apparatus is characterised in that: the beater device (9) and the feed device (10) are designed to divide a briquette string (5) having briquette rows (5a) which each have at least three briquettes (7) arranged adjacent to one another; and the beater device (9) has at least three beaters (13) arranged adjacent to one another.
Claims
1. An apparatus for cutting a briquette strand that has a succession of longitudinally spaced and transversely extending rows that each have at least three briquettes connected via transverse material webs, the apparatus comprising: a movable beater assembly having a plurality of rows each of at least three beater teeth next to one another, and a feeder supplying the briquette strand to the beater assembly in a longitudinal transport direction such that each row of beater teeth of the beater assembly strikes off the briquette strand supplied by the feeder on the one hand a single one of the transverse briquette rows and on the other hand subdivides the struck-off briquette row into individual briquettes.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feeder has an output end provided with a striking edge for striking off the transverse briquette rows and at or below the striking edge has lugs for the subdividing of the struck-off briquette rows into individual briquettes, the feeder having at least two spaced lugs next to one another.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beater assembly is a rotationally driven beater drum or has such a beater drum whose outer surface carries a plurality of the transverse rows each with at least three beater teeth next to one another.
4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a number of the beater teeth in each of the rows of teeth of the beater assembly is one greater than a number of the lugs on the feeder.
5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the number of beater teeth in each row of teeth of the beater assembly is equal to the number of briquettes in each of the briquette rows; and/or the number of the lugs of the feeder is smaller by one than the number of the briquettes in the transverse briquette rows.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein for each of the material webs between adjacent briquettes of a briquette row there is a respective lug.
7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, with an even number of briquettes in the briquette rows and the number of teeth, n=b/2+1 applies and/or for the number of lugs, m=b/2 applies.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the two outer briquettes of a briquette row each are struck by a respective tooth and between the outer pairs of briquettes briquette pairs there is a common tooth.
9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein there is a lug for each of the material webs of a briquette row and for each of the inner webs between the outer material webs inner webs of a briquette row there is a respective lug.
10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least an inner tooth between two outer teeth can pass between two adjacent lugs.
11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein of the plurality of lugs of the feeder next to one another the outer lugs are formed in such a way and/or are oriented in such a way that a space is formed between each outer lug and a respective adjacent inner lug that flares in a working direction and through which the subdivided briquettes are discharged.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the outer lugs are each oriented at an angle and/or have a thickness tapering in the working direction.
13. The apparatus according to one of claims 2, wherein at least one of the lugs is offset relative to one or several other lugs in the working direction.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an inner central lug is downstream or upstream of the outer lugs preceding or following next in the working direction.
15. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein for subdividing a briquette strand with briquette rows that each have three briquettes next to one another, the beater has three beater teeth and the feeder has two lugs, each tooth being aligned with a respective briquette of a briquette row and each lug being aligned with a respective material web between two adjacent briquettes.
16. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein for subdividing a briquette strand with briquette rows that each have four briquettes next to one another, the beater assembly has four beater teeth and the feeder has three lugs, each tooth being associated with a respective briquette of a briquette row and each lug being aligned with a respective material web between two adjacent briquettes.
17. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein for subdividing a briquette strand with briquette rows that each have four briquettes next to each other, the beater assembly has three beater teeth and the feeder has two lugs, the two outer beater teeth striking against the two outer briquettes and the middle tooth striking against the two inner briquettes of the briquette row.
18. A system for making briquettes, the system comprising: at least one briquetting press with which a briquette strand according to claim 1 can be produced continuously and at least one apparatus according to claim 1 downstream of the briquetting press for cutting the briquettes strand emerging from the briquetting press.
Description
[0041] In the following the invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing that however shows embodiments. Therein:
[0042] FIG. 1 is a simplified side view of a system for making briquettes;
[0043] FIG. 2 shows an apparatus for separating the briquettes with the system of FIG. 1;
[0044] FIG. 3 is a side view of the outer surface of the beater of a first embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 2;
[0045] FIG. 4A is cross section A-A through the beater of FIG. 3;
[0046] FIG. 4B is cross section B-B through the beater of FIG. 3;
[0047] FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention;
[0048] FIG. 6A is cross section C-C through the embodiment of FIG. 5;
[0049] FIG. 6B is cross section D-D through the embodiment of FIG. 5;
[0050] FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the invention;
[0051] FIG. 8 is a perspective view from above of the third embodiment of FIG. 7;
[0052] FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the third embodiment of FIG. 7;
[0053] FIGS. 10A and 10B are further embodiments of the invention.
[0054] FIG. 1 shows a plant for briquetting and consequently is a plant for making briquettes that in particular is intended for hot briquetting. This plant has a briquetting press 1 that is equipped with two counter-rotating briquetting rollers 2, and the surfaces of the briquetting rollers 2 are provided with cavities 3 for forming briquettes. A briquette strand 5 emerges continuously from a roller gap 4 of the briquetting press and is then subdivided by a downstream splitter 6, i.e. the briquette strand is subdivided into individual briquettes 7. This splitter 6 is a component of the plant shown in FIG. 1 and is shown in the FIGS. 2 to 9 in detail.
[0055] The briquetting press 1 is designed within the framework of the invention for making a briquette strand 5 with briquette rows 5a one after the other in the longitudinal direction L and each having at least three, preferably at least four, briquettes 7 next to one another. For this purpose the rollers 2 of the briquette press 1 are formed on their outer surfaces with a plurality of rows 3a of cavities 3 and each row 3a in this embodiment has four mold cavities 3, so that the briquette strand 5 shown in FIG. 8 is produced that consists of four briquette columns 5b extending in the longitudinal direction L and a plurality of transverse briquette row 5a spaced in the longitudinal direction L one after the other each with four briquettes 7 next to one another, and the briquette rows one after the other are separated by transverse webs 8a, i.e. by webs extending transversely with the briquettes 7 of an individual briquette row 5a next to one another and consequently also the briquette columns 5b of the strand 5 are connected by longitudinal webs 8b.
[0056] The splitter 6 separating the briquette strand 5 consists in this embodiment of on the one hand a movable beater assembly 9 and on the other hand a feeder 10 that advances the briquette strand 5 in a transport direction T into the area of the beater assembly 9 (cf. e.g. FIG. 2). The assembly 9 is in this embodiment equipped with a rotatably driven beater drum 11 that has an outer surface provided with a plurality of rows 12 each carrying a plurality of beater teeth 13. This rotating beater drum 11 strikes with the beater teeth 13 in such a way onto the briquette strand 5 supplied to it that on the one hand a briquette row 5a is knocked off the briquette strand 5 and on the other hand the briquette row 5a is subdivided into the individual briquettes 7. According to the invention the beater assembly 9 on the one hand and/or the feeder 10 on the other hand supplies a briquette strand 5 with four longitudinal rows 5b of briquettes next to each other and also with transverse rows of briquettes 5a one after the other, which each have at least four briquettes 7 next to one another. In this illustrated embodiment, both the beater assembly 9 (i.e. the beater drum 11) and also the feeder 10 are adapted to the shape of the briquette strand 5 with the four briquettes next to each other 7. For this purpose, the beater assembly 9 or the beater drum 11 has at least three beater teeth 13 next to each other. In the illustrated embodiments, either three or four adjacent beater teeth 13 are provided. This will be discussed in detail further. The feeder 10 has in a fundamentally known manner an impact edge 14 at its output end for knocking off the briquette rows 5a. The feeder is or has a material chute 15. Furthermore, the feeder 10 can have an unillustrated hold-down apparatus, that presses the briquette strand 5 down onto the chute 15 in order to prevent deviation or doubling up. The end of the material chute 15 forms the impact edge 14 at which the briquette rows 5a are knocked off by the rotating beater drum 11, so that as it were briquette groups are separated as the briquette rows 5a. According to the invention, in the area of the subdividing edge 14 or below this edge 14 a plurality of lugs 16 or projections are provided such that in the course of hitting with the beater teeth 13 on the separated briquette row 5a this briquette row 5a is broken in turn into individual briquettes 7. Due to the effect of the beater teeth 13 on the end of the briquette strand 5, consequently at the impact edge 14, the transverse webs 8a between the briquette rows 5a are cut and are also cut at the lugs 16 the longitudinal webs 8b between the individual briquettes 7 of a briquette row 5a.
[0057] In the embodiments shown, the number n of beater teeth 13 at the beater assembly 9 is greater by one than the number m of lugs 16 on the corresponding feeder 10, i.e. n=m+1, in the illustrated embodiments n=3 or n=4.
[0058] In a variant A of the invention (according to FIGS. 3 to 6B), the number n of beater teeth 13 of the beater assembly 9 is equal to the number b of briquettes 7 in the individual briquette rows 5a so n=b. The number m of the lugs 16 on the feeder 10 is one smaller than the number b of the briquettes 7 in the briquette rows 5a, i.e. m=b1. In this embodiment, b=4 (or alternatively also b3 or b4). For variant A, b can be even or odd. In this variant A, a separate tooth 13 is always aligned with each briquette in a briquette row and a separate lug 16 is aligned with each material web 8b between two adjacent briquettes in a briquette row.
[0059] This must be distinguished from a variant B (according to FIGS. 7 to 10B), in which both the number of beater teeth 13 and the number of lugs 16 is smaller than the number b of briquettes in a row of briquettes. For this variant B, n=b/2+1 and m=b/2. This means that only the two outer briquettes of a briquette row are each assigned their own beater and that at least one pair of briquettes is between the briquettes of a briquette row, with each pair of briquettes being assigned a common beater. This will be discussed below with reference to the examples.
[0060] Based on these general dimensional considerations FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B on the one hand and FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B on the other hand show two embodiments of variant A in which the beater assembly 9 comprises a plurality of rows 12 with four beater teeth 13, while the feeder 10 has three lugs 16 next to each other. In these embodiments each tooth 13 of a row 12 of beater teeth 13 is associated with a briquette 7 of a row 5a of briquettes. Each individual lug 16 is aligned with a material web, i.e. a longitudinal web 8b within a briquette row 5a and i.e. a longitudinal web 8b between two adjacent briquettes 7 within of a briquette row 5a. These figures show that the rotating beater drum 11 engages a row 12 of beater teeth 13 with four beater teeth 13 next to each other on a row of briquettes 5a with four briquettes 7, and indeed against the three lugs 16 below the striking edge 14, so that the row of briquettes 5a is separated. The same applies to the embodiment according to FIG. 5, 6A and 6B.
[0061] The embodiments according to FIG. 3 (or 4A, 4B) on the one hand and FIG. 5 (or FIG. 6A and 6B on the other hand) are distinguished by the arrangement of the three lugs 16 spaced in the working direction R. For this reference is made to a comparative view of these figures. It is recognizable that in the embodiment according to FIG. 3 (or 4A, 4B) the two outer lugs 16 are upstream of the central, inner lug 16 in the working direction R and the inner lug 16 is downstream of the outer lugs 16 in the working direction and consequently behind the outer lugs by a predetermined dimension. This is also recognizable in a comparative view of FIG. 4A and 4B, where in FIG. 4A one of the outer lugs and in FIG. 4B the central lug that is downstream are recognizable.
[0062] In contrast, in the embodiment (also according to variant A) according to FIG. 5 (or 6A, 6B) the outer lugs 16 are rearward of the inner lug 16, i.e. the middle lug is positioned in front of the outer lugs and consequently further forward. This results in turn from a comparative view of the FIGS. 6A and 6B, where FIG. 6A again shows one of the outer lugs and FIG. 6B the middle lug.
[0063] In addition, in the embodiments according to FIGS. 3 and 5 a special alignment of the outer lugs 16 is provided, because these outer lugs 16 or their inner guide surfaces are oriented at an angle, so that the outer lugs 16 and the inner lug 16 are separated by a spacing X that expands in the working direction R and serves to discharge the divided briquettes 7. In particular combining this inclined position on the one hand and the offset arrangement on the other hand between the lugs 16 creates a sufficient intermediate space for the perfect discharge of the individual briquettes 7 without jamming or blockages that lead to shutting down of the system. The lugs 16 themselves can be inclined or they can each have (inner) inclined guide surfaces 16a that can be formed, for example, on the lugs 16 themselves having a thickness tapering in the working or transport direction.
[0064] A distinction must be made between the embodiments of variant A shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and the embodiments of variant B shown in FIGS. 7 to 10. These always relate to embodiments with an even number b of briquettes 7 within a row 5a of briquettes. In all cases, both the number n of beater teeth 13 and the number m of lugs 16 are less than the number b of briquettes within a row 5a of briquettes.
[0065] FIGS. 7 to 9 shows the embodiment of variant B where for four briquettes 7 in a row 5a only three beater teeth 13 are provided in each row 12 of beater teeth 13 and only two lugs 16 at or below the impact edge 14 are provided. Thus FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show the system during impact of the teeth 13 on the briquette row 5a. It is recognizable that the two outer teeth 13 of the row 12 of teeth 13 each act on the two outer briquettes 7 while the central tooth 13 acts on both of the two middle briquettes 7, and indeed in the middle and thus also at the separation point and on the material web 8b between the two briquettes 7. For this purpose, the middle tooth 13 can optionally be provided with a bump or a centering cam 13c that hits the separation points, although no lug is provided underneath. This results in perfect separation, although for the three material webs 8b only two lugs 16 are provided. Also in this embodiment, the outer lugs 16 can be oriented at an angle or have inclined guide surfaces 16a in the manner described above.
[0066] Variant B can be used not only for briquette strands 5 with four briquettes 7 in each briquette row 5a, but also for briquette strands 5 with a higher number of columns, where, for example, six, or even eight briquettes 7 are in a briquette row 5a. Reference is made by way of example to FIGS. 10A and 10B that illustrate the construction according to the invention according to variant B in a highly simplified manner for such briquette rows 5a.
[0067] According to FIG. 10A a briquette row 5a with six briquettes 7 needs only four beater teeth 13 and only three lugs. According to FIG. 10B a briquette row 5a with eight briquettes 7 needs only five beater teeth 13 and four lugs 16. Each outer briquette and each inner briquette pair is assigned a respective beater tooth 13. Each outer web 8b and each further second inner web 8b has a respective lug 16. Hence in this variant B always n=b/2+1 and m=b/2, where b is an even number. Of special importance is that, in variant B, the outer briquettes 7 break off over the lug 16 and the remaining inner pairs are so strongly bent between two lugs 16 with a tooth 13 that they separate at the web 8b.
[0068] Moreover, the figures show that in all embodiments the beater teeth 13 and the lugs 16 are positioned such that at least an inner tooth between two outer teeth can pass between two adjacent lugs and consequently passes them during the operation. Thus e.g. the embodiment according to FIGS. 3 and 5 ensures that the spaces between two adjacent lugs 16 are traversed by respective inner beater teeth 13 between the two outer 13 teeth. The two inner briquettes 7 of a briquette row 8B fall consequently not only simply through the space between the central lug and each outer lug 16, but they are guided through between the lugs with the help of the inner beater teeth 13. This improves conveyance of the briquettes and applies to the embodiment of FIG. 7 and also to the embodiments according to FIG. 10A and 10B, for also there each pair of neighboring lugs of a tooth are passed by at least an inner tooth. Thus is seen e.g. in FIG. 10A, the two inner beater teeth 13 pass between two adjacent lugs 16 and thereby convey away both briquettes 7 associated with the respective teeth and spaces.
[0069] The case of a briquette strand with briquette rows each holding three briquettes next to each other would be an alternative to the embodiments according to the invention in principle as would an embodiment with only two beater teeth and two lugs, where the two beater teeth would impact two outer briquettes and two lugs the two material webs. In one such embodiment, the middle briquette would fall between the two adjacent lugs, without a tooth passing the two adjacent lugs and taking the middle briquette with it. Compared to an embodiment with only two beater teeth, the embodiments according to the invention particularly with two adjacent lugs passed through by one beater, improved removal of the briquettes is ensured.
[0070] It exists in the otherwise the possibility of combining the variants A and B with each other, so that a mixed form of the variants A and B is realized. This can be done here by using the width of a briquette strand in a section the geometry according to variant A and in another section the geometry according to variant B. Such embodiments are also within the scope if this invention.
[0071] The beater drum 11 is formed in a manner known in principle as a rotor or beater rotor, and namely with the described rows 12 each with three or four beater teeth 13. Each individual tooth 13 consists of a holder 13a formed on the wheel 12 of the toothed drum 11 and a retaining plate 13b connected to the retaining projection 13a, the retaining plates 13b being detachably attached to the retaining projections 13a, e.g. by screws, so that the retaining plates 13b can be replaced as wear parts. This technology is known from the prior art. Within the scope of the invention, the lugs 16 can also be replaceable wear parts.
[0072] It is within the scope within the scope of the invention, that the rows 12 of teeth 13 and consequently also whose retaining plates 13b can have a different width. Thus there is the possibility that with only three teeth 13 the middle tooth 13 has a larger width or a smaller width than the two outer teeth 13.
