The application relates to seal assemblies for grain separators.
Length grading machines, or grain separators, are typically used to separate a stream of grain containing various types and sizes of grain into its constituent parts, for example, wheat, durum, oats, barley and rice, and/or to separate such grains from other seed contaminants. These machines employ a rotating member, or cylinder, which is mounted in an interior space of a housing of the grain separator, and which includes lifting pockets, or indentations, located along an interior surface thereof. As the cylinder rotates, the indentations, according to their size, receive and lift particular lengths, or sizes, of granules out of a stream of grain and drop the granules into a trough that is mounted within the cylinder. The stream of grain is fed into the rotating cylinder by a spout, which extends through a sidewall of the housing and through an end piece of the indented cylinder. To prevent grain from leaking out, at an interface between the spout and the rotating cylinder, a seal is typically mounted about the spout so as to interface with an external surface of the cylinder end piece.
According to embodiments of the present invention, an indented cylinder, which is located within an interior space of a housing of a grain separator, includes an auxiliary end piece, or seal cone. The seal cone includes an internal tapered surface defining an opening into which a spout of the grain separator extends, in order to feed grain into the cylinder, and an annular external surface, for interfacing with a seal, which is mounted around the spout. In some embodiments, a first end of the opening of the seal cone, which is located on a first side of the seal cone, has a first diameter and is surrounded by the annular external surface. A second end of the opening, which is located on a second side, opposite the first side of the seal cone, has a second diameter, which is larger than the first diameter, by virtue of the internal tapered surface. An outlet of the spout is located in proximity to the second side of the seal cone. The seal cone serves to effectively separate the area where the grain enters the cylinder (the feed zone) from the seal location (the seal zone).
According to some embodiments, a sidewall of the housing defines a standoff section of the housing, and the seal zone is located outside the interior space of the housing. The seal cone, in these embodiments, may be supported on trunnions which are mounted within the standoff section of the housing. According to some alternate embodiments, the sidewall of the housing defines the interior space of the housing, and the seal zone is located within the interior space.
Thus, the seal cone may serve to separate a seal zone, from a feed zone, where the spout feeds grain into the separator, at a lateral distance that reduces the potential for grain to come into contact with the seal zone. Reducing the contact between the grain and the seal reduces the amount of grain bypassing the seal. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention have higher capacity than grain separators with traditional seal locations because larger amounts of grain can be pushed through the machine without contacting the seal. Further, in embodiments where the seal cone has an internal tapered surface angled towards the interior of the cylinder, grain must work against gravity to come into contact with the seal, and any grain entering the seal zone will tend to slide down the internal tapered surface away from the seal zone. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention provide for greater grain throughput rates than comparable prior art length grading machines having traditional seal assembly locations.
The following drawings are illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention and therefore do not limit the scope of the invention. The drawings are not to scale (unless so stated) and are intended for use in conjunction with the explanations in the following detailed description. Embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like numerals denote like elements.
The following detailed description is exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides practical illustrations for implementing exemplary embodiments. Utilizing the teaching provided herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the examples have suitable alternatives that can be utilized.
The size of the seal cone will depend on the size of the grain separating machine. In some embodiments, the first diameter of the seal cone is between around 6 inches to around 10 inches (e.g., about 8 inches), while the second diameter of the seal cone is between around 9 inches to around 13 inches (e.g. about 11 inches). In such embodiments, the lateral distance between the first diameter and the second diameter may be around 1 to around 4 inches (e.g., about 2 inches). In a specific embodiment, the first diameter of the seal cone is about 8 inches, the second diameter of the seal cone is about 11.25 inches, and the lateral distance between the first and second diameters is about 2.3 inches. In such an embodiment, the internal tapered surface of the seal cone has a rise over run of about 1.4. Of course, the internal tapered surface need not take a straight line from first end 156 to second end 157; it may curve.
Thus, with reference to
The lateral distance of the feed zone from the seal zone will depend on the size of the grain separating machine. For more specificity, this distance can be represented by the distance between the end surface 139 of the cylinder and the seal 16. This distance is labeled “X” in
Seal 16 can comprise an annular ring shape designed to stop grain leakage between the interior of the cylinder and the spout. Further seal 16 may be made of any appropriate sealing material that is adapted to seal against the annular bearing face of the seal cone and wear well against the rotating seal cone. The seal may be made, for example, from an acetal resin such as Delrin® (DuPont), from polyethylene (particularly ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), poly(tetrafluouroethylene), urethane (particularly ultra high molecular weight polyurethane), felt, or other material. In some embodiments, the seal may provided in two or more segments, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,393, assigned to the assignee of the present application, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Such a split seal is useful for easily removing a worn seal and replacing it with a new seal. In embodiments utilizing a split seal, a backing plate 175 may be provided for the split seal, as shown in
Embodiments of the invention also include methods of making and operating any of the embodiments of the grain separators discussed above. In one example, the invention includes a method of providing a grain separator comprising the steps of providing a housing and a rotatable grain separation cylinder within the housing. The cylinder may have an end surface and a grain inlet may have an inlet spout extending through the end surface for conveying grain into the cylinder in a feed zone. Such an embodiment further includes the steps of installing a seal cone having an annular external surface spaced laterally from the feed zone and installing a seal interfacing with the annular external surface, thereby defining a seal zone spaced laterally from the feed zone. In some embodiments, the seal cone increases the capacity of the grain separator.
Embodiments of the invention also include methods of operating any of the grain separator embodiments discussed above. Such embodiments can include the steps of introducing grain into a grain separator and removing the separated grain streams from the grain separator. Grain may be pushed though the grain separator at a higher rate compared to grain separators with traditional seal locations.
Further, embodiments of the invention also include replacing a worn seal on any of the grain separator embodiments discussed above. Such a method includes removing a worn seal and placing a new seal in apposition to a seal cone.
In the foregoing detailed description, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, it may be appreciated that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/074,402, titled Seal Cone Assemblies for Grain Separators, filed Jun. 20, 2008, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61074402 | Jun 2008 | US |