The present invention relates generally to a grinder/shredder/hammer mill type machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a grinder/shredder/hammer mill type machine having a rotating internal assembly to which a plurality of swinging hammers are affixed using pins.
Hammer mills come equipped with different hammer and screen configurations to best suit production requirements. Operating speeds range from 1000-3600 rpm, allowing Hammer mills to handle a broad range of different product sizes and extend your capabilities. At these speeds aerodynamics comes into play and it would be advantageous to have a hammer which reduces the amount of energy lost to draft, which results in a lower operating expense.
Hammers also handle the brunt of reducing product from its feed size down to a more manageable, reduced sized for recycling or secondary usage. The hammers in such a machine take considerable abuse and are quickly worn, even when made from the highest quality alloys available. Therefore, what is needed is a tool for holding the blades that allows for quick and easy changing or rotating of cutting side to increase hammer life and effectiveness. Additionally, if such a tool enables fix or swinging hammer function with an easy and quick adjustment, that would be beneficial in changing the reduction characteristics of the machine making it more efficient and more versatile.
The present invention is a hammer assembly that will mount in a grinder/shredder/hammer mill type machine. Of the possible grinding/shredding/milling type machines that this hammer assembly could be used in, all of them have a rotating element with pins to hold the hammer assembly in place. Sometimes the hammer will have a single pin (allowing the hammer to swing) and sometimes two pins, make the hammer fixed.
The present invention can be differentiated from the prior art systems with respect to a focus on the tool holder that allows single or multiple blade/hammer inserts to be installed without having to remove a hammer pin, so the tool holder stays in the machine, and the blades can be easily removed. In the present invention, a user can simply remove a single bolt and retention block and then flip or rotate the hammer to get additional wear surfaces or install new blades.
The difference between the hammer of the present invention and the more recent hammers is that the hammer of the present invention uses a tool holder that allows single or multiple blade/hammer inserts to be installed without having to remove a hammer pin. So the tool holder stays in the machine, and the blade(s) can be easily removed. These types of machines can have 200-400 hammers and it is a real time-consumer to pull out the hammer pins and re-insert the hammers back on the hammer pins.
Comparing the prior art to the present invention, the present invention's arrangement allows the tool holder to stay in place, and enables the simple removal of a single bolt and/or retention block and then flip or rotate the hammer to get additional wear surfaces or install new blades.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein a form a part of the specification, illustrate the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention.
In the following detailed description of the invention of exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings (where like numbers represent like elements), which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, but other embodiments may be utilized and logical, mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it is understood that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Referring to the figures, it is possible to see the various major elements constituting the apparatus of the present invention.
Now referring to Figures, one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The present invention is a hammer assembly 6 that will mount in a grinder/shredder/hammer mill type machine 7. Of the possible grinding/shredding/milling type machines 7 that this hammer assembly 6 could be used in, all of them have a rotating element 8 with pins to hold the hammer assembly 6 in place. Sometimes the hammer assembly 6 will have a single pin allowing the hammer to swing and sometimes two pins, make the hammer fixed.
The figures represent one embodiment of the present invention where a swing hammer is shown, but it should be appreciated that a fixed hammer is also taught as an alternative embodiment.
The hammer assembly of the present invention is comprised of a twin blade design where the blades 2 are reversible and interchangeable from one side to the other. A single lock-block 3 holds the blades 2 in place. A tool holder hammer body 1 with machined slots 14 and 15 to precisely locate and retain the blades 2 is required for attaching the blades 2 to the rotating element 8 of the machine. The present invention also reduces the size of the hammers, which provides more aerodynamic operation for reduced energy usage.
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In use, the swinging hammer mounts in a size reduction machine such as a hammer mill with a rotating assembly. These machines use swinging hammers as cutting/crushing implements. The new twin blade hammer design of the present invention is a unique device for increasing the amount of tooling by attaching two reversible/removable blades 2 to a swinging hammer/tool holder hammer body 1.
Unique features include a milled dovetail/angular slots 19 along each side of the hammer tool holder hammer body 1. The tool holder hammer body 1 features a slot or shoulder 19 that allows the tool/blade 2 to be supported from shock-loading while grinding material. The tool holder hammer body 1 and slot or shoulder 19 also allows a milled blade edge 19 to slide in to place and be securely held in position. The simple milled slot 9 located in the middle of each blade 2 that allows a single mounting block 3 and bolt 4 to securely hold each blade 2 in position. This results in the ability to rotate and/or interchange blades 2 to get up to four wear surfaces per blade 2.
In an alternative embodiment, the hammer/tool holder hammer body 1 is fixed using two pin holes versus the single pin hole 17 used on a swinging hammer as show in the figures.
Finally, the hammer/tool holder hammer body 1 of the present invention is shorter than normal—to allow the blades to extend up and into the cutting area whereas the prior art teaches the use of a simple rectangular plate with a hole in the end, and then sliding a hammer pin in/out to remove the hammers. The twin blade 2 of the present invention allows the hammer/tool holder hammer body 1 to remain on the hammer pin, and one simply removes a bolt 4 and retaining block 3 to remove the hammer—no pulling of hammer pins. Therefore the present invention is a much quicker, safer, and less costly to maintain compared to the prior art machines.
The present invention can be differentiated from the prior art systems with respect to a focus on the tool holder that allows single or multiple blade/hammer inserts to be installed without having to remove a hammer pin, so the tool holder stays in the machine, and the blades can be easily removed. In the present invention, a user can simply remove a single bolt and retention block and then flip or rotate the hammer to get additional wear surfaces or install new blades.
Thus, it is appreciated that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variation in size, materials, shape, form, function, and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the above description are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Furthermore, other areas of art may benefit from this method and adjustments to the design are anticipated. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.
This application claims priority from U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/237,073, entitled Multi-Blade Hammer Assembly, filed on 05 Oct. 2015. The benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of the United States provisional application is hereby claimed, and the aforementioned application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62237073 | Oct 2015 | US |