Vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube

Abstract

A vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube arranged for protecting a rotor feeding opening of a feeding funnel of a vertical shaft impact crusher. The feed tube includes a tube portion via which material may flow from the feeding funnel and vertically downwards into a rotor. The tube portion has a first width at a material inlet, and a second width at a material outlet, wherein the second width is larger than the first width.

Claims

1. A vertical shaft impact crusher comprising: a feeding funnel arranged for feeding material to be crushed into an opening of a rotor of the vertical shaft impact crusher, the feeding funnel having a rotor feeding opening; and a feed tube for protecting the rotor feeding opening, the feed tube including a tube portion associated with the rotor feeding opening of the feeding funnel via which material may flow from the feeding funnel and vertically downwards into the rotor, a mounting flange arranged for mounting the feed tube to the feeding funnel, and a bed seat arranged between the mounting flange and the tube portion arranged to capture a bed of the material for protecting the tube portion from wear, the bed seat having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, wherein the tube portion has a first width at a material inlet, and a second width at a material outlet, wherein the second width is larger than the first width.

2. The crusher according to claim 1, wherein the second width at the material outlet is a factor of 1.005 to 1.2 larger than the first width at the material inlet.

3. The crusher according to claim 1, wherein an inside surface of the tube portion slopes outwardly from the material inlet to the material outlet, such that its base is at the material outlet of the tube portion.

4. The crusher according to claim 1, wherein the bed seat has a vertical height of 10-80 mm, and a horizontal width of 30-200 mm.

5. The crusher according to claim 1, wherein the tube portion has a total height, from the material inlet to the material outlet, which is 40% or less of the first width.

6. The crusher according to claim 1, wherein the tube portion has a total height, from the material inlet to the material outlet, which is at least 15% of the first width.

7. A method of feeding material to a rotor of a vertical shaft impact crusher, the method comprising: feeding material to be crushed from a feeding funnel, the feeding funnel being arranged to feed material to be crushed into an opening arranged in a roof of the rotor of the vertical shaft impact crusher, the feeding funnel having a rotor feeding opening; providing a vertical shaft impact crusher tube, the feed tube including a tube portion associated with the rotor feeding opening of the feeding funnel, a mounting flange arranged for mounting the feed tube to the feeding funnel, and a bed seat arranged between the mounting flange and the tube portion, the bed seat having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion; protecting the rotor feeding opening of the feeding funnel by the vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube; and allowing the material to flow through a tube portion of the feed tube, wherein the material to be crushed is exposed to a cross-section of the tube portion that widens from a first width to a second width, which is larger than the first width, as the material flows vertically downwards through the tube portion towards the rotor.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising allowing the material to flow through the tube portion having the shape of a truncated cone having its base at a material outlet of the tube portion.

9. A method according to claim 7, further comprising collecting material at the bed seat of the feed tube to form a bed of material for protecting the tube portion.

10. A method according to claim 7, further comprising forwarding the material vertically downwards through the tube portion by a vertical distance which is 15 to 40% of the first width.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will hereafter be described in more detail and with reference to the appended drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view, partly in section, and illustrates a vertical shaft impact crusher.

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross-section, and illustrates internal parts of the vertical shaft impact crusher, including an enlarged view of a rotor and feeding cylinder thereof.

(4) FIG. 3a is a three-dimensional view, and illustrates a vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube according to prior art.

(5) FIG. 3b is a cross-section of the prior art feed tube of FIG. 3a.

(6) FIG. 4a is a three-dimensional view, and illustrates a vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube according to one embodiment of the present invention.

(7) FIG. 4b is a cross-section of the feed tube of FIG. 4a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(8) FIG. 1 illustrates, partly in cross-section, a vertical shaft impact (VSI) crusher 1. A rotor 2 is located inside a housing 4 of the crusher 1. The rotor 2 may, for example, be of a per se known type, for example of the type disclosed in WO 2004/020103. At the top of the crusher 1 a feed hopper means 6 is located. The feed hopper means 6 has an inner hopper 8, and an outer hopper 10 surrounding the inner hopper 8.

(9) Outlets 12 are arranged in the inner hopper 8. Below the inner hopper 8 a central feeding funnel 14 is placed. The central feeding funnel, which in this embodiment has the shape of a central feeding cylinder 14, is fixed to the inside of the housing 4 with the aid of three beams, of which only the beam 16 is shown in FIG. 1.

(10) A circumferential distributing wall section 18 is located at the same level as the feeding cylinder 14. Below the distributing wall section 18 and on the same level as the rotor 2 a circumferential impact wall section 20 is located. A cavity ring 22 separates the distributing wall section 18 from the impact wall section 20. A bed retention ring 24 is located at the bottom of the crusher 1.

(11) FIG. 2 is cross-section of the VSI-crusher 1. Below the main cross-section of FIG. 2 an enlarged view of the feeding cylinder 14 and the rotor 2 has been included. During operation of the VSI-crusher 1 material to be crushed is fed to the inner hopper 8. A first flow of material M1 will reach the rotor 2 via a hopper opening 26, which is located at the bottom of the inner hopper 8, and the feeding cylinder 14, and a second flow of material M2 will be forwarded outside of the rotor 2 via the outlets 12. The second flow of material M2 leaving the outlets 12 will pass, outside of the rotor 2, down into a position adjacent to the impact wall section 20. Adjacent to the impact wall section 20 the second flow of material M2 will be hit by the first flow of material M1 ejected by the rotor 2, which will result in crushing of both material flows M1 and M2. A bed of retained material (not shown), against which the two flows of material M1 and M2 may impact, is built up on the bed retention ring 24 during operation of the crusher 1, and protects the impact wall section 20 from wear.

(12) The central feeding cylinder 14 comprises a side wall 28, which may, for example, be circular, and a bottom 30. The bottom 30 of the feeding cylinder 14 is provided with a centrally arranged rotor feeding opening 32 through which the first material flow M1 may pass from the central feeding cylinder 14 and into the rotor 2.

(13) To protect the internal edges of the rotor feeding opening 32 a vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube 34 is mounted to the bottom 30, extends through the rotor feeding opening 32, and opens into an opening 36 arranged in a roof 38 of the rotor 2.

(14) FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate a vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube 134 according to prior art. The prior art feed tube 134 comprises a mounting flange 140 and a tube portion 142 via which material to be crushed is to pass into a rotor. At its inner upper side the tube portion 142 is provided with a beveling 144 having an angle of about 45 to the horizontal plane. The interior of the tube portion 142 tapers slightly in the downward direction.

(15) FIG. 4a is a three-dimensional view, and illustrates the vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube 34 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4b is a cross-section of the feed tube 34 of FIG. 4a. The feed tube 34 illustrated in FIGS. 4a and 4b comprises a mounting flange 40 and a tube portion 42 through which material to be crushed is to pass into a rotor. The mounting flange 40 is arranged for being mounted to the bottom 30 of the feeding cylinder 14 illustrated in FIG. 2. Returning to FIGS. 4a and 4b, a rock bed seat 44 is arranged between the mounting flange 40 and the tube portion 42. During operation of the VSI-crusher a rock bed 46, only shown in part in FIG. 4b, builds up on the rock bed seat 44 and protects the rock bed seat 44 itself and also the tube portion 42 from wear.

(16) The tube portion 42 has an inside 48 which tapers when viewed in an upward direction. At a material inlet 50 of the tube portion 42, the material inlet 50 being located in an upper end of the tube portion 42, the tube portion 42 has a first width, which is a diameter D1 in the circular tube portion 42 of the embodiment of FIGS. 4a and 4b. At a material outlet 52, the material outlet 52 being located in a lower end of the tube portion 42, the tube portion 42 has a second width, which is a diameter D2 in the circular tube portion 42. The second width, i.e. D2, is larger than the first width, i.e. D1. According to a preferred embodiment, the second width D2 would be a factor of 1.005 to 1.2, more preferably a factor of 1.01 to 1.07, larger than the first width D1. For example, if the first width D1 is 400 mm, then the second width D2 could be, for example 4001.05=420 mm.

(17) According to one embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 4a-4b, the inside 48 of the tube portion 42 has the shape of a truncated cone having its base at the lower end, i.e., at the material outlet 52, of the tube portion 42. Preferably, the inside 48 has a smooth surface.

(18) The tube portion 42 preferably has a total height HT, as seen from the material inlet 50 to the material outlet 52, which is 40% or less, more preferably less than 30%, of the first width D1. Preferably the total height HT of the tube portion 42 is within the range 15-40%, more preferably within the range 20-30%, of the first width D1. For example, if the first width D1 is 400 mm, then the total height HT of the tube portion 42 could be, for example, 4000.25=100 mm.

(19) The seat 44 has a horizontal portion 54 and a vertical portion 56. The upper surface of the horizontal portion 54 is essentially flush with the material inlet 50. The seat 44 has a vertical height HS, which is preferably 10-80 mm, and a horizontal width WS, which is preferably 30-200 mm, to effectively retain the rock bed 46 for protection of the seat 44 itself and the tube portion 42.

(20) The feed tube 34 could be manufactured from, for example, manganese steel, other hard steel materials, ceramic materials, etc. The feed tube 34 could be manufactured from combinations of several materials. For example, the tube portion 42 could be manufactured from a highly wear resistant material, such as a ceramic, while the seat 44, which is covered by the rock bed 46, could be manufactured from a less wear resistant material.

(21) It will be appreciated that numerous modifications of the embodiments described above are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

(22) Hereinbefore it has been described that the tube portion 42 has a circular cross-section, as best shown in FIG. 4a. It will be appreciated that the tube portion 42 may, in alternative embodiments, have another cross-section. Examples of such other cross-sections of the tube portion 42 includes, but is not limited to, oval, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, and octagonal cross-sections. In case the tube portion has, for example, a square cross-section the first and second widths would be the first and second diagonals of the respective square, rather than the first and second diameters, as is the case with a circular cross-section. In case the tube portion has another cross-section, such as oval or hexagonal cross-section, the first and second widths would be the widest width/diagonal of such cross-section, and taken at the same position at both the material inlet and at the material outlet.

(23) Hereinbefore it has been described, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, that the VSI-crusher 1 is designed for a first material flow M1 flowing through the rotor 2, and a second material flow M2 passing outside of the rotor 2 and being hit by the first material flow M1 ejected by the rotor 2. It will be appreciated that the VSI-crusher feed tube 34 described with reference to FIGS. 4a-4b may also be utilized for VSI-crushers in which the entire flow of material to be crushed is fed to the rotor 2.

(24) To summarize, a vertical shaft impact crusher feed tube 34 is adapted for protecting a rotor feeding opening 32 of a feeding funnel 14 of a vertical shaft impact crusher 1. The feed tube 34 comprises a tube portion 42 via which material may flow from the feeding funnel 14 and vertically downwards into the rotor 2. The tube portion 42 has a first width D1 at a material inlet 50, and a second width D2 at a material outlet 52, wherein the second width D2 is larger than the first width D1.