Patent Application
20160256871
This invention relates generally to machines of the type that are often referred to as rock “crushers,” which are constructed to apply mechanical force to rocks so as to break them into smaller rocks. Rock crushing machines typically place rocks between two solid surfaces and then apply sufficient pressure to bring the surfaces together and fracture the rocks disposed between the surfaces into a size that is desired or required. More specifically, this invention relates to a “cone” crusher which uses a wear resistant mantle and a bowl liner to crush the rock. The present invention relates to an improved wedge device and assembly that is used to lock the bowl liner into a fixed position.
As alluded to above, a cone crushing machine (also referred to herein as a “cone crusher” or, simply, a “crusher”) breaks rocks by squeezing the rocks between an eccentrically gyrating and wear resistant mantle and an enclosing concave hopper, which is covered by a bowl liner. During use, rocks are fed into the top, or hopper assembly, of the crusher. As gravity draws the rocks downwardly, they become wedged and then squeezed between the mantle and the bowl liner until they are broken. As the rocks are broken into smaller pieces, these smaller pieces drop down into the crusher, their size being further reduced by further squeezing and fracturing, which continues until the rock pieces are small enough to fall through an opening at the bottom of the crusher.
During the useful life of the crusher, the bowl liner will wear to the point that it needs to be replaced. In a typical crusher, the bowl liner is retained in position by using a plurality of wedges that are placed about the upper perimeter of the bowl liner. Such wedges typically are moveable and engages an upper portion of the bowl liner. In order to place the bowl liner into the crusher, or to release the bowl liner from the crusher, the wedge must be withdrawn away from the bowl liner. This is typically accomplished by using bolt and nut adjustment elements. In order to tighten or loosen the nut, an open-ended wrench can be used. Use of such a tool is fine for small crushers. In large crushers, however, it is not uncommon to have a rather large open-ended wrench (which can be several feet long) placed on the nut. In order to tighten the nut or to “break” the nut loose, the opposite end of the large wrench is often struck with a sledge hammer. This is an extremely dangerous process and typically requires at least two workers to implement it. In the view of this inventor, there is a need to improve on this manual method of rotating the nut so as to be able to withdraw the wedge away from the bowl liner such that the bowl liner can be released.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wedge device that can be used with crushers and bowl liners of present and future manufacture. It is another object to provide such an improved wedge device that will function in substantially the same manner as wedges of the prior art while making the process of moving the wedge in relation to the bowl liner a much safer process. It is still another object to provide such an improved wedge device while maintaining some of the simplicity and integrity of wedges used in accordance with the prior art.
In the view of this inventor, there is a need for a simplified device and assembly that provides the necessary functionality as discussed above and which is relatively simple in construction and installation. In the experience of this inventor, such a device and assembly can be constructed and it is the subject of the present invention. The most significant advantage of the wedge device and assembly of the present invention, however, is that the force normally required to push the wedge is transferred from the tightening of a nut via a hand tool (which can be quite large and cumbersome) to a hydraulic cylinder that pushes the wedge and then requires only tightening of the nut by hand (or a tool, but with much less force than normally required). This places the nut where it needs to be without using the nut, in combination with a bolt, as the sole driving force for the wedge.
The wedge device and assembly of the present invention provides a wedge being inwardly and outwardly movable. In this way, the wedge can alternatively engage and disengage an upper portion of a bowl liner, respectively. The wedge comprises a forward portion and a cavity that is disposed behind the forward portion, the cavity being configured to receive a cylinder within it. At the rearward portion of the wedge device is a bolt. The bolt used can be shorter than that normally required since the bolt does not need to bridge the gap created by the cavity and directly contact the wedge.
A threaded end of the bolt is configured to mate with a like-threaded nut. In application, the wedge device is positioned such that the head of the bolt contacts an outer surface of the crusher. The wedge of the wedge device is extended forwardly thereof by insertion of the cylinder into the cavity. When the cylinder is pressurized, the wedge engages a portion of the bowl liner. Once securely in place, the nut is easily rotated and moved into a “holding” position behind the rearward portion of the wedge. Once in place, the cylinder can be depressurized and removed from the wedge cavity and moved for use with another wedge device. The nut and bolt hold the wedge in place. A lock plate can be positioned about the nut to prevent rotation of the nut, the plate being held in position via a fastener.
The foregoing and other features of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description that follows.
Referring now to the drawing in detail,
More specifically, the wedge device 10 and assembly 100 of the present invention comprises a structure having a forwardly disposed wedge 20, the wedge 20 being inwardly and outwardly movable and configured with a V-shaped forward face or nose portion 21. The forward face or nose portion 21 is designed such that it can alternatively engage with, and disengage from, a portion the V-shaped recess 114 of the bowl liner 110, respectively. The wedge 20 further comprises a cavity 22 that is disposed to the rear of the forward face or nose portion 21 of the wedge 20.
In the preferred embodiment, the cavity 22 is defined by a forward wall 23, a pair of opposing side walls 24, a floor 25 and a rearward wall 26. The rearward wall 26 comprises a substantially circular aperture 27 that is defined within that rearward wall 26. The walls 23, 24, 26 and the floor 25 form the cavity 22 which is configured to receive a hydraulically-actuated cylinder 30 within it, the cylinder 30 further including a plunger 32. The cavity 22 could be alternatively configured, such as by being cylindrical or half-pipe shaped, to receive a variety of cylinders 30 of current manufacture, the cavity 22 substantially conforming in shape to the outer profile of such other cylinders 30. It is also to be noted that the precise type of cylinder 30 and its actuation means, be it hydraulic, pneumatic or some other means, is not a limitation of the invention. The cylinder 30 shown in the enabled embodiment is a plunger cylinder 30 with a single plunger 32, as illustrated in
At the rearward-most face 28 of the wedge 20 of the wedge device 10 is a bolt 40. The bolt 40 used can be shorter than that normally required since the bolt 40 does not need to bridge the gap created by the cavity 22 and directly contact the rearward surface 26 of the wedge 20. But this bolt length does depend on the distance between the forward wall 23 and the end 46 of the bolt 40. The bolt 40 comprises a rearwardly-disposed head 42, a threaded bolt portion 44 that extends forwardly of the bolt head 42 and, again, the bolt end 46 that is disposed opposite the bolt head 42. The threaded portion 44 of the bolt 40 is configured to mate with a like-threaded nut 50. The nut 50 comprises a threaded aperture 52, the threads of the aperture 52 matching the threads of the threaded portion 44 of the bolt 40.
In application, the wedge device 10 is positioned such that the head 42 of the bolt 40 contacts an outer surface 120 of the crusher. The wedge 20 is movable forwardly by means of the cylinder 30 that is placed within the cavity 22. See also
At this point, the cylinder 30 can be depressurized, the plunger 32 returning to its depressurized position, and the cylinder 30 is removed from the wedge cavity 22. The cylinder 30 can then be moved for use with another wedge device 10 at another point about the perimeter of the bowl liner 110. This is repeated until all wedge devices 10 to be used are properly positioned and seated. The nut 50 and bolt 40 continue to hold the wedge 20 in place. A lock plate 60 can be positioned about the nut 50 to prevent rotation of the nut 50, the plate 60 being held in position via a fastener 70.
During the opposite action, i.e. where the wedge devices 10 are to be sequentially backed away from the bowl liner 110, the cylinder 30 can be re-inserted into any cavity 22 of the cylinder 30 and then actuated. This removes pressure from the nut 50, allowing it to be rotated and moved toward the head 42 of the bolt 40.
In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent that there has been provided a new, useful and non-obvious wedge device and assembly that provides the functionality of securing a bowl liner within a rock crusher.
This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/128,607 filed Mar. 5, 2015.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62128607 | Mar 2015 | US |
