Patent Application
20080283643
The present invention relates to a wood crusher for crushing cut limbs, timbers from thinning, branches, scrap woods, etc., and more particularly to a wood crusher in which, for example, a crushing rotor is rotated to crush target woods to be crushed.
For example, cut limbs and timbers from thinning, which are generated when cutting down trees in forests and trimming the trees, branches generated with land development, green tract maintenance, etc., and scrap woods having been used in broken-down wooden houses are usually finally discarded as industrial wastes. A wood crusher is employed in such a waste treating process to crush target woods into predetermined sizes at the work site before transport for the purpose of, e.g., reducing the volume of the crushed woods as wastes, or breaking the crushed woods into wood chips and fermenting the chips for reuse as organic fertilizer.
That type of wood crusher comprises a crushing rotor including crushing bits disposed in an outer peripheral portion of the rotor, a sieve member disposed around such a crushing apparatus, a sieve member holding means (support member) for holding the sieve member in a position around the crushing apparatus, and a moving mechanism for moving the sieve member holding means to a position where the sieve member is replaced (see, e.g., Patent Document 1). In that wood crusher, target woods are crushed by the crushing bits provided on the crushing rotor. When the crushed woods (wood chips) are broken into pieces smaller than an area of each of many openings formed in the sieve member, those wood chips are discharged to the exterior through the openings. Because the grain size of the crushed woods is decided substantially depending on the opening area of the sieve member, an adjustment of the grain size of the crushed woods is performed by preparing plural kinds of sieve members and replacing one sieve member with another as required. The replacement of the sieve member is performed by moving the sieve member holding means with the aid of the moving mechanism to a position where the sieve member is replaced, and mounting the desired sieve member after dismounting the current one. The moving mechanism comprises a sling bolt and a support member (shaft member) which is disposed at one end of the sieve member holding means rotatably supported by a bracket and which is screwed with the sling bolt for supporting the sieve member holding means at a predetermined position. When the sling bolt is rotated, the support member screwed with the sling bolt is vertically moved in response to the rotation of the sling bolt. As a result, the sieve member holding means is turned with the other end thereof serving as a pivot axis so that the sieve member is moved to the replacement position.
In the above-described related art, when the sieve member is replaced, the sieve member holding means is moved by rotating the sling bolt. However, because the rotation of the sling bolt is manually performed by an operator using a tool, e.g., a wrench, time and labor are taken for the work of replacing the sieve member. Further, in the above-described related art, the support member (shaft member) for supporting the one end side of the sieve member holding means and the sling bolt are disposed at two positions in the axial direction of the crushing rotor. Therefore, the operator has to vertically move the sieve member holding means while substantially evenly rotating two sling bolts which are disposed at those two positions away from each other. In particular, when the replacement work is performed by one person, a lot of time and labor are required.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems with the related art, and its object is to provide a wood crusher capable of greatly reducing time and labor required for the work of replacing a sieve member.
(1) To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wood crusher comprising a crushing apparatus including a crushing rotor for crushing target woods to be crushed; a sieve member detachably mounted on the outer peripheral side of the crushing apparatus; sieve member holding means disposed on the outer peripheral side of the sieve member and holding the sieve member in a position on the outer peripheral side of the crushing apparatus; a link mechanism coupled to the sieve member holding means; and extension/contraction drive means coupled to the link mechanism and advancing and retracting the sieve member holding means relative to the crushing apparatus with extension and contraction thereof.
Generally, in a wood crusher in which a grain size of crushed woods (wood chips) having been broken into pieces by a crushing apparatus is decided depending on a sieve member, the grain size of the crushed woods is adjusted, for example, by preparing plural kinds of sieve members having different opening areas from each other and by replacing those screens as required.
In the present invention, by operating the extension/contraction drive means to extend and contract, the sieve member holding means is advanced and retracted relative to the crushing apparatus through the link mechanism. More specifically, in ordinary crushing work, for example, the extension/contraction drive means is extended to move the sieve member holding means to a position closest to the crushing apparatus (i.e., a set position), thereby setting the sieve member in place. When the sieve member is replaced, the extension/contraction drive means is contracted to move the sieve member holding means to a position for replacement of the sieve member (i.e., a replacement position), followed by performing work of replacing the sieve member. Thus, the sieve member holding means can be easily moved to the replacement position when the sieve member is replaced, and after the replacement work, the sieve member holding means can be easily returned to the set position. Accordingly, in comparison with the related art in which the operator performs the replacement of the sieve member by manually rotating the sling bolt with a tool, e.g., a wrench, and moving the sieve member holding means to the replacement position, time and labor required for the replacement work can be greatly reduced. Further, in the case of, for example, a structure in which the sieve member holding means is supported at plural points in the axial direction of the crushing rotor, the related art requires a lot of time and labor because of the necessity of evenly rotating the plurality of sling bolts especially when the replacement work is performed by one person. In contrast, with the present invention, by constituting the extension/contraction drive means as a hydraulic cylinder, for example, a plurality of hydraulic cylinders can be evenly operated just by manipulating a control switch or the like, and the replacement work can be performed by easily moving the sieve member holding means even in the case of only one operator. Thus, the present invention can realize a great reduction in time and labor required for the replacement work of the sieve member.
(2) In above (1), preferably, the link mechanism moves the sieve member holding means in a direction toward the crushing apparatus when the extension/contraction drive means is extended, and moves the sieve member holding means in a direction away from the crushing apparatus when the extension/contraction drive means is contracted.
(3) In above (2), more preferably, the link mechanism is coupled to one end of the extension/contraction drive means and comprises a first link member movable in the extending and contracting direction of the extension/contraction drive means and a second link member having one end rotatably coupled to the sieve member holding means and the other end rotatably coupled to the first link member.
In the present invention, the link mechanism operates as follows. When the extension/contraction drive means is maximally contracted, the first link member and the second link member of the link mechanism are in a substantially fully extended state, and the sieve member holding means is located in the replacement position most away from the crushing apparatus. As the extension/contraction drive means is extended from the above state, the first link member is moved in the extending direction of the extension/contraction drive means and the second link member is turned such that the first link member and the second link member cross each other at a gradually increasing angle and the sieve member holding means is moved in a direction gradually approaching the crushing apparatus. Finally, when the extension/contraction drive means is maximally extended, the first link member and the second link member come into an angularly coupled state crossing each other substantially at a right angle, and the sieve member holding means is located in the set position closest to the crushing apparatus. Thus, according to the present invention, the extension and contraction of the extension/contraction drive means can be smoothly converted to the retracting and advancing movements of the sieve member holding means relative to the crushing apparatus with a simple construction.
(4) In above (3), more preferably, the wood crusher further comprises a guide member for guiding a direction in which the first link member is moved, and for bearing a vertical load received by the first link member from the second link member.
As described in above (3), when the sieve member holding means is in the set position, the first link member and the second link member of the link mechanism come into the angularly coupled state crossing each other substantially at a right angle. Therefore, forces acting on the sieve member and the sieve member holding means during the crushing work act as a substantially vertical load imposed on the first link member through the second link member. In the present invention, the guide member bears the vertical load received by the first link member from the second link member. Thus, since the forces acting on the sieve member and the sieve member holding means during the crushing work can be borne substantially only by the guide member, there is no need of providing another locking means for fixing the sieve member holding means in the set position. Stated another way, in the present invention, the sieve member holding means can be moved to and locked in the set position by only one action of extending the extension/contraction drive means. It is hence possible to cut time and labor required for the work of returning the sieve member to the proper position after the replacement thereof, and to realize the advantage of reducing total time and labor required for the replacement work of the sieve member. In addition, the present invention can also realize the advantage of greatly reducing the external force acting on the extension/contraction drive means when the sieve member holding means is in the set position.
(5) In above (3) or (4), an end of the sieve member holding means on the side oppositely away from the second link member is rotatably supported to a frame of the crushing apparatus about a pin serving as a fulcrum, which is extended parallel to a rotation center of the crushing rotor, and the sieve member holding means is held in a sandwiched state between a retainer plate fixed to the frame and the sieve member holding means.
(6) In any of above (3) to (5), the link mechanism is constituted such that an angle formed between a plane passing rotation centers of pins at opposite ends of the second link member and a plane passing the rotation center of the pin which couples the first and second link members and extending in the extending/contracting direction of the first link member is not larger than 90 degrees during crushing work, the angle representing an angle formed above the plane extending in the extending/contracting direction of the first link member on the side of the pin, which couples the first and second link members, closer to the crushing rotor.
(7) In any of above (3) to (6), the link mechanism is constituted such that an angle formed between a plane passing rotation centers of pins at opposite ends of the second link member and a plane passing the rotation center of the pin which couples the sieve member holding means and the second link member and passing a rotation center of the crushing rotor is 90 degrees during crushing work.
(8) To achieve the above object, the present invention also provides a wood crusher comprising a crushing apparatus including a crushing rotor for crushing target woods to be crushed; a sieve member having a curved surface and detachably mounted on the outer peripheral side of the crushing apparatus; sieve member holding means for holding the sieve member in a position on the outer peripheral side of the crushing apparatus; an abutment member having an abutment surface formed in conformity with the curved surface of the sieve member; and extension/contraction drive means for advancing and retracting the abutment member relative to the sieve member in a direction that is inclined relative to a direction normal to an abutment portion between the sieve member and the extension/contraction drive means.
In the present invention, by operating the extension/contraction drive means to extend and contract, the abutment member is advanced and retracted relative to the sieve member. More specifically, in ordinary crushing work, for example, the extension/contraction drive means is extended to move the abutment member into abutment against the sieve member, thereby fixing the sieve member in place. When the sieve member is replaced, the extension/contraction drive means is contracted to move the abutment member away from the sieve member, whereby the sieve member is released from the fixed state and brought into a detachable state. Thus, the sieve member can be easily brought into a replaceable state by releasing the sieve member from the state fixed by the abutment member when the sieve member is replaced. Accordingly, in comparison with the related art in which the operator performs the replacement of the sieve member by manually rotating the sling bolt with a tool, e.g., a wrench, and moving the sieve member holding means to the replacement position, time and labor required for the replacement work can be greatly reduced.
Further, in the present invention, the abutment member is advanced and retracted in the direction inclined relative to the direction normal to the abutment portion between the sieve member and the abutment member such that the abutment member is abutted against the sieve member in the inclined direction. Assuming, for example, a structure in which the abutment member is abutted against the sieve member in the direction normal to the sieve member, a force acting on the sieve member outward in the normal direction during the crushing work directly acts on the extension/contraction drive means through the abutment member. In contrast, with this embodiment, because of employing the structure in which the abutment member is abutted against the sieve member in the direction inclined relative to the normal direction, only a component of the force acting on the sieve member during the crushing work acts on the extension/contraction drive means. As a result, the external force acting on the extension/contraction drive means can be greatly reduced.
(9) In above (8), preferably, the wood crusher further comprises a locking device for preventing movement of the abutment member when the abutment member is in a state abutted against the sieve member or a state most away from the sieve member.
(10) In above (8) or (9), preferably, the wood crusher further comprises a guide member for guiding a direction in which the abutment member is moved, the abutment member being pushed like a wedge into between the sieve member and the guide member.
(11) In any of above (1) to (10), preferably, the extension/contraction drive means are each a hydraulic cylinder.
According to the present invention, since the sieve member holding means can be easily moved to the position for replacement of the sieve member by making the sieve member holding means movable toward and away from the crushing apparatus with the operation of the extension/contraction drive means, time and labor required for the replacement work of the sieve member can be greatly reduced.
Also, according to the present invention, since the sieve member can be easily released from the state fixed by the abutment member by making the abutment member movable toward and away from the sieve member with the operation of the extension/contraction drive means, time and labor required for the replacement work of the sieve member can be greatly reduced.
One embodiment of a wood crusher according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Referring to
The travel body 1 comprises a track frame 5, a drive wheel 6 and a driven wheel 7 disposed respectively at longitudinal opposite ends of the track frame 5, a driving unit (i.e., hydraulic motor for travel) 8 having an output shaft coupled to a shaft of the drive wheel 6, and a crawler (caterpillar belt) 9 looped over the drive wheel 6 and the driven wheel 7. Numeral 36 denotes a body frame disposed on the track frame 5. The body frame 36 supports the crushing function structure 2, the discharge conveyor 3, the power unit 4, etc.
The crushing function structure 2 comprises a hopper 10 for receiving the loaded target woods, a feed conveyor 11 serving as feed means for feeding the target woods loaded into the hopper 10, a crushing apparatus 12 (see
Referring to
In this embodiment, the rear wall 14 of the hopper 10 is made up of a rear wall portion 20 positioned at the rear end of the hopper 10 and a bottom wall portion 21 extending substantially perpendicularly from a lower end of the rear wall portion 20, the portions 20 and 21 being formed in an integral structure having a nearly L-shape as viewed from side. The bottom wall portion 21 is substantially horizontally extended from the lower end of the rear wall portion 20 to a position under a driven wheel 41 (described later) of the feed conveyor 11 while lying substantially on the same plane as the bottom 18 with a beam 37 interposed between them. Thus, the bottom wall portion 21 constitutes a bottom portion of the hopper 10 together with the bottom wall 18. A pin 23 is attached to an upper end of the rear wall portion 20 through a bracket 22, and the rear wall portion 20 is mounted to the side walls 16 to be rotatable about the pin 23 serving as a fulcrum. With such an arrangement, the rear wall portion 20 and the bottom wall portion 21 (i.e., the rear wall 14) are rotated together such that a rear end portion of the hopper 10 can be opened and closed as required. Additionally, a guide member 35 is mounted on the bottom wall portion 21 and is formed substantially in a circular-arc shape so as to extend in proximity to a locus along which a rear end of the feed conveyor 11 turns, thereby preventing the loaded target woods from entering a space behind the feed conveyor 11.
Numerals 24, 25 denote locking mechanisms that serve to hold the rear wall 14 in a closed state. The locking mechanism 24 is provided on a rear end surface of a beam 26 extending between rear ends of bottom portions of the L-shaped side walls 16, and the locking mechanism 25 is provided on an upper surface of the bottom portion of each side wall 16 in a position slightly shifted forward from the locking mechanism 24.
Referring to
With such a structure, as shown in
The open state of the rear wall 14 is shown in
Additionally, numeral 34 denotes a snap ring for preventing slipping-off of the pin 30. The snap ring 34 is fitted over the outer periphery of the pin 30 to be located between the two brackets 29 and 29. In this embodiment, the snap ring 34 is disposed at such a position as causing it to abut against the inner and outer brackets 29 in the locked state shown in
Returning to
The driven wheel 41 is supported by a bearing 43 (see
Returning to
Numeral 47 denotes a guide member that is disposed in continuation with the bottom wall 18 and the front wall 19 of the hopper 10 and is formed so as to curve in proximity to a locus along which the drive wheel 40 is rotated. Numeral 48 denotes a scraper mounted to an upper portion of the front wall 19 in a position slightly lower than the top of the rotation locus of the drive wheel 40 such that a scraper end opposed to the drive wheel 40 is positioned as close as possible to the rotation locus of the drive wheel 40. Opposite ends of each of the guide member 47 and the scraper 48 in the transverse direction are fixed to the side covers 45 of the crushing apparatus 12.
The pressing conveyor unit 13 is provided adjacently rearward of the crushing rotor 61 (described later) in opposed relation to the conveying surface (upper run side) of the feed conveyor 11 over which the target woods to be crushed are conveyed. The pressing conveyor unit 13 comprises a support member 52 that has a rotary shaft 51 journalled by the crusher side cover 45 through a bearing 50 and is hence supported to be rotatable in a vertical plane (i.e., swingable up and down), and a pressing roller 53 provided rotatably relative to the support member 52.
The support member 52 comprises an arm portion 54 provided with the rotary shaft 51, and a bracket portion 55 provided at the distal end side of the arm portion 54 and supporting the pressing roller 53. A lower end surface of the arm portion 54 is formed to curve in a circular-arc shape, and a curved plate 68 defining a part of a crushing chamber 60, described later, is attached to the lower curved surface of the arm portion 54. On the other hand, a mount area of the bracket portion 55 to which the pressing roller 53 is mounted is formed in a circular-arc shape having a smaller diameter than the pressing roller 53 such that an outer circumferential surface of the pressing roller 53 projects out of the bracket portion 55. The dimension of the pressing roller 53 in the transverse direction (i.e., in the direction perpendicular to the drawing sheet of
Though not specifically shown, the pressing roller 53 includes a driving unit (i.e., a hydraulic motor for the pressing roller) mounted within its barrel. The pressing roller 53 is rotated by the not-shown driving unit to move in the same direction as the conveying surface of the feed conveyor 11 in an oppositely faced relation substantially at the same circumferential speed as the conveying speed of the target woods, thereby pressing the target woods on the feed conveyor 11 and introducing them to the crushing apparatus 12 in cooperation with the feed conveyor 11.
The crushing apparatus 12 is mounted substantially on a central portion of the body frame 36 in the longitudinal direction. As shown in
The crushing rotor 61 is rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) each of which is mounted to, e.g., the side cover 45 of the crushing apparatus 12 (or a not-shown support member separately provided on the body frame 36). A plurality of support members 64 and crushing bits (i.e., bump plates or crushing blades) 65 mounted respectively to the support members 64 are provided on an outer circumferential surface of the crushing rotor 61. The crushing bits 65 are arranged such that their edge faces precede the corresponding support members 64 when the crushing rotor 61 is rotated in the forward direction (i.e., the clockwise direction in
The crushing chamber 60 is substantially defined by the above-mentioned curved plate 68 disposed above the crushing rotor 61, and a first screen (sieve member) 69 and a second screen (sieve member) 70 which are disposed respectively forward of and under the crushing rotor 61 and have a large number of holes formed in an appropriate diameter to set a grain size of the crushed woods (wood chips). The crushing chamber 60 is opened at the rear side to provide a target-wood receiving area. The curved plate 68 is attached to the lower curved surface of the arm portion 54 of the pressing conveyor unit 13, as described above, and it is movable with vertical swing motion of the pressing conveyor unit 13. Similarly to the curved plate 68, the first and second screens 69, 70 are formed in a curved shape so as to extend substantially along the rotation locus of the crushing rotor 61 while predetermined gaps are kept relative to the crushing bits 65 during the crushing work, both the screens being mounted in a demountable (replaceable) manner (described later in detail).
Further, in this embodiment, the first screen 69 is positioned above the rotation center of the crushing rotor 61 on the side away from the end of the feed conveyor 11 downstream in the feed direction of the target woods to be crushed (i.e., away from the downstream end thereof) with the crushing rotor 61 interposed between them, and the second screen 70 is positioned below the rotation center of the crushing rotor 61 in its entirety between the downstream end of the feed conveyor 11 and the first screen 69.
Referring to
A front end of each arm 71 is coupled through a shear pin 77 (see
The turning of the arm 71 in the above case is detected by, e.g., a not-shown limit switch. When the turning of the arm 71 is detected, a not-shown controller outputs a command signal for stopping the driving unit 67 of the crushing rotor 61.
Returning to
Numeral 79 denotes an abutment member having an abutment surface 79a formed following a curved surface of the first screen 69 and having a wedge-like shape tapered toward a fore end. Numeral 80 denotes a hydraulic cylinder (extension/contraction drive means) having a rod-side end rotatably coupled to the abutment member 79 through a pin 57 and having a bottom-side end rotatably coupled through a pin 59 to a bracket 58 which is provided on the coupling member 56. The abutment member 79 and the hydraulic cylinder 80 are each disposed, for example, in one pair (or more pairs) in spaced relation in the transverse direction (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the drawing sheets of
With such an arrangement, in ordinary crushing work, the hydraulic cylinder 80 is extended to urge the abutment member 79 to be pushed like a wedge into between the first screen 69 and the guide member 63, thereby fixedly holding the first screen 69. On the other hand, in the case of screen replacement work, the hydraulic cylinder 80 is contracted to move the abutment member 79 away from the first screen 69. As a result, the first screen 69 can be withdrawn in the axial direction of the crushing rotor 61 for easy replacement of the first screen 69. In this connection, for facilitating the replacement work of the first screen 69, an opening 81 (see
The operation of extending and contracting the hydraulic cylinder 80 is performed through a selector switch 103 (see
As a modification, the position of the abutment member 79 (i.e., the extended or contracted state of the hydraulic cylinder 80) may be detected by a not-shown limit switch, for example, and upon detection of release of the abutment member 79 from the fixing position, the not-shown controller may output a command signal to inhibit the operation of the driving device 67 for the crushing rotor 61. Such a modification is effective in avoiding the crushing work from being performed in the state where the first screen 69 is not set, and hence preventing troubles such as damages of various components and discharge of the crushed woods from the crushing apparatus 12, which are not passed through the first screen 69 (i.e., which are not adjusted in grain size), with the first screen 69 not properly fixed and dislodged from a predetermined position. It is hence possible to improve safety and to prevent deterioration in quality of the wood chips.
Returning to
The screen support member 98 defines a part of the outer circumference of the crushing chamber 60 in a posture where the screen support member 98 is turned upward with the rotary shaft 99 serving as a fulcrum and is positioned closest to the crushing rotor 61 (i.e., when the screen support member 98 is in its posture shown in
Numeral 88 denotes a hydraulic cylinder (extension/-contraction drive means) having a bottom-side end rotatably coupled through a pin 90 to a bracket 89 fixed to the crusher side cover 45, and 91 denotes a link mechanism for converting the extension and contraction of the hydraulic cylinder 88 to the movement of the screen support member 98 toward and away from the crushing rotor 61. The link mechanism 91 comprises a slide link (first link member) 92 disposed at a rod-side end of the hydraulic cylinder 88 and being movable in the extending/contracting direction of the hydraulic cylinder 88, and a hold link (second link member) 94 having one end (upper end in
Numeral 96 denotes a guide member for guiding the slide link 92 in a direction in which it is moved, and for bearing a vertical load applied to the slide link 92 from the hold link 94.
As shown in
In the above state, an angle formed between a plane S1 passing rotation centers O of the pins 93, 93a supporting the hold link 94 and a plane S2 passing the rotation center of the pin 93 and extending in the sliding direction of the slide link 92 is assumed to be α. The angle α represents an angle formed above the plane S2 on the side of the pin 93a closer to the crushing rotor 61. On such an assumption, when the screen support member 98 is turned at least for mounting and demounting the second screen 70, it is desired that the operating range of the link mechanism 91 or the stroke of the hydraulic cylinder 88 be limited to a range (0<α≦90°) where the plane S1 is always inclined upward while advancing in the extending direction of the hydraulic cylinder 88. More specifically, in a range of α<0, even when the hydraulic cylinder 88 is extended to make the screen support member 98 come closer to the crushing rotor 61, the screen support member 98 is urged to move in a direction away from the crushing rotor 61 by the action of the link mechanism 91. Also, if the hold link 94 is turned to a range of α>90° with the hydraulic cylinder 88 being further extended (namely, with the angle α being further increased) to make the screen support member 98 come closer to the crushing rotor 61, the action of the link mechanism 91 is reversed to urge the screen support member 98 to move away from the crushing rotor 61.
A rotation center O of the crushing rotor 61 is designed to be in match with a curvature center (circle center) of circular-arc sections of the first and second screens 69, 70, and with a curvature center of the retainer plate 87 formed in a circular-arc shape extending along the second screen 70. The term “match” used herein includes not only the case where the curvature center of each component and the rotation center O of the crushing rotor 61 are exactly matched with each other, but also the case where errors of the relevant components are kept within an accumulative range of manufacturing tolerances of those components.
Further, an angle formed between a plane S3 passing the rotation center O of the crushing rotor 61 and the rotation center of the pin 93a and the plane S1 is assumed to be β. On an assumption of the angle β being thus defined, the link mechanism 91 is advantageously designed such that, during the crushing work (when the screen support member 98 is positioned closest to the crushing rotor 61), the planes S1 and S3 are perpendicular to each other (β=90°) and the hold link 94 takes a posture extending substantially in the tangential direction of a circle defining the curvature of the second screen 70, in order to most efficiently develop a force pressing the screen support member 98 against the retainer plate 87 (i.e., a force holding the second screen 70 between the screen support member 98 and the retainer plate 87) or a force urging the second screen 70 and the screen support member 98 to come close to the first screen 69 and the arms 71 without leaving gaps.
Stated another way, the angle α during the crushing work is preferably 90° from the viewpoints of not only moving the hold link 94 such that the screen support member 98 comes close to the crushing rotor 61 with the extension of the hydraulic cylinder 88, but also minimizing a component force of a force urging the screen support member 98 to open, which acts in the sliding direction of the slide link 92 (i.e., in the contracting direction of the hydraulic cylinder 88), to thereby prevent accidental opening of the screen support member 98. Further, the angle β during the crushing work is also preferably 90° from the viewpoint of most efficiently converting the extending force of the hydraulic cylinder 88 to the force pressing the screen support member 98 against the retainer plate 87 through the link mechanism 91 when the screen support member 98 is moved in the closing direction.
Accordingly, by setting the angles α and β to be each 90° when the screen support member 98 is in the set position, it is possible to most efficiently obtain the force acting to prevent the opening of the screen support member 98 and the force acting to close the screen support member 98, and to reduce the force imposed on the hydraulic cylinder 88 while improving safety.
During the crushing work, a force acting to move the second screen 70 and the screen support member 98 away from the crushing rotor 61 is transmitted to the hold link 94. However, the closer to a right angle the angle α is, the smaller is a component of the force imposed on the hold link 94 which acts in the sliding direction of the slide link 92, and the larger is a component (i.e., the force pressing the screen support member 98 against the retainer plate 87) perpendicular to the above-mentioned component. In other words, the force urging the slide link 92 to slide is reduced and a frictional force acting between the slide link 92 and the guide member 96 is increased. That action is most effectively obtained at α=90° as seen from
In any of the exemplary structures, because of a difficulty in making each of the angles α and β exactly equal to the setting value, e.g., 90°, in practice due to working tolerances, manufacturing tolerances, etc., a certain allowable value is required to be given for the setting angle.
Further, as described above, the cutout 97 (see
The operation of extending and contracting the hydraulic cylinder 88 is performed through a selector switch 104 (see
As a modification, the position of the screen support member 98 (i.e., the extended or contracted state of the hydraulic cylinder 88) may be detected by a not-shown limit switch, for example, and upon detection of separation of the screen support member 98 from the crushing rotor 61, the not-shown controller may output a command signal to inhibit the operation of the driving device 67 for the crushing rotor 61. Such a modification is effective in improving safety and to prevent deterioration in quality of the wood chips.
The console 101 is attached to the side cover 45 disposed at the lateral side of the crushing apparatus 12. The console 101 is in the form of a portable switch box such that it can be detached from the side cover 45 and carried with the operator. As shown in
The selector switch 103 is a switch for alternately selecting the locked state or the unlocked state of the first screen 69 (namely, for advancing or retracting, with respect to the first screen 69, the abutment member 79 for fixing the first screen 69) as described above. More specifically, when the first screen 69 is replaced, the selector switch 103 is changed over to an unlock position (i.e., a position where the switch 103 is turned in the counterclockwise direction in
Also, the selector switch 104 is a switch for selectively advancing or retracting the screen support member 98, which holds the second screen 70, with respect to the crushing rotor 61 as described above. More specifically, when the second screen 70 is replaced, the selector switch 104 is changed over to an away position (i.e., a position where the switch 104 is turned in the counterclockwise direction in
When the emergency stop button 102 is depressed, the operations of the hydraulic cylinders 80 and 88 are stopped regardless of the changed-over states of the selector switches 103 and 104.
While the above description has been made as operating the hydraulic cylinders 80 and 88 from the console 101, the present invention is not limited to such an arrangement. For example, a pendant switch adapted for remote control may be provided so that the operator may operate the hydraulic cylinders 80 and 88 through remote control. Also, while momentary switches are employed as the selector switches 102 and 103 in the above description, the present invention is not limited to such an arrangement, and ordinary selector switches may be employed such that the hydraulic cylinders 80 and 88 are stopped when the operator changes over those selector switches to their neutral positions. Further, while the above description has been made, by way of example, of the case where the momentary switches for commanding the respective operations of extending and contracting the hydraulic cylinders 80 and 88 are provided as control switches for the hydraulic cylinders 80 and 88, it is also possible to separately provide a switch for commanding the operation of extending the hydraulic cylinder 80, a switch for commanding the operation of contracting the hydraulic cylinder 80, a switch for commanding the operation of extending the hydraulic cylinder 88, and a switch for commanding the operation of contracting the hydraulic cylinder 88. Of course, each of those switches is not limited to a momentary switch, and it may be constituted as a switch of the push button type. In that case, for example, the switches may be designed such that, when any of the switches is depressed, a hydraulic fluid is supplied to corresponding one of the hydraulic cylinders 80 and 88 in the corresponding direction during a time in which the switch is depressed, and the operation of that hydraulic cylinder 80 or 88 is stopped when the depression of the switch is ceased.
Returning to
The power unit 4 is mounted on an end portion of the body frame 36 on the other side in the longitudinal direction (i.e., on the right side as viewed in
In the foregoing, the not-shown lock pin and the locking member (locking device) 85 constitute a locking device for preventing movement of the abutment member 79, which is defined in claim 6.
The operations and effects of the thus-constructed wood crusher according to this embodiment will be described below in sequence.
When target woods to be crushed are loaded into the hopper 10 by using an appropriate working device, e.g., a grapple of a hydraulic excavator, the target woods are dropped to be put on the running members 42 of the feed conveyor 11 while being guided by the spreading portion 17 of the hopper 10. Then, the target woods are substantially horizontally conveyed toward the front side of the wood crusher with circulating motion of the running members 42 while being guided by the side walls 16 of the hopper 10.
When the target woods on the feed conveyor 11 are conveyed to a position near the pressing conveyor unit 13, they come into under the pressing roller 53 of the pressing conveyor unit 13 and push up the pressing conveyor unit 13. Then, the target woods on the feed conveyor 11 are introduced to the crushing chamber 60 in a state pressed and gripped between the pressing roller 53 and the feed conveyor 11 under the action of dead weight of the pressing conveyor unit 13. In the crushing, therefore, the target woods are projected into the crushing chamber 60 in the cantilevered form with their ends on one side gripped between the pressing roller 54 and the feed conveyor 11. The projected wood portions are smashed by the crushing bits 65 of the rotating crushing rotor 61 and are comparatively roughly crushed, i.e., subjected to primary crushing. The wood pieces having been subjected to the primary crushing are forced to move in the rotating direction of the crushing rotor 61 through a space in the crushing chamber 60 around the crushing rotor 61 while bumping against the anvil 62. With the impact forces caused upon bumping against the anvil, the target woods are more finely crushed, i.e., subjected to secondary crushing.
Of the wood pieces thus crushed and still under the crushing, those pieces having sizes larger than the diameter of many holes formed in the first and second screens 69, 70 continue to circulate in the crushing chamber 60 and are repeatedly smashed by the crushing bits 65 and bumped against the anvil 62 again so that the wood pieces are further crushed into smaller sizes. When the wood pieces are crushed into grain sizes enough to pass through the holes in the first and second screens 69, 70, the crushed woods (wood chips) are discharged from the crushing apparatus 12 after passing through the holes in the first and second screens 69, 70.
The crushed woods (wood chips) discharged from the crushing apparatus 12 are dropped on the conveyor belt 115 of the circulating discharge conveyor 3 through a chute (not shown). Thereafter, they are conveyed toward the front side (i.e., the right side as viewed in
In this embodiment, the grain size of the recycled articles (wood chips) is adjusted by preparing plural kinds of the first and second screens 69, 70 having different opening areas from each other and by replacing those screens as required. The work of replacing those screens is performed as follows.
First, the operator opens a door 133 (see
According to this embodiment constructed and operated as described above, the following advantages can be obtained. In the related art, the operator performs the screen replacement by manually rotating the sling bolt with a tool, e.g., a wrench, and moving the screen support member to the replacement position. In contrast, with this embodiment, the operator can perform the operations of unlocking the first screen 69 and moving the screen support member 98 to the replacement position just by manipulating the selector switches 103 and 104 of the console 101. Especially, in the case of the structure in which the screen support member 98 is supported at plural points (two points at the opposite ends in this embodiment) in the axial direction of the crushing rotor like this embodiment, the related art is disadvantageous in that time and labor required for the operator to perform the replacement are increased in amount corresponding to an increase in the number of the sling bolts, and that the operator is required to evenly rotate two sling bolts disposed at two positions spaced in the axial direction of the crushing rotor. In particular, when the replacement work is performed by one person, a lot of time and labor are taken. In contrast, with this embodiment, the operator can operate the plurality of hydraulic cylinders 80 and 88 substantially evenly at the same time just by manipulating the selector switches 103 and 104. Even in the case of only one operator, therefore, it is possible to easily move (turn) the abutment member 97 and the screen support member 98. Thus, this embodiment can realize a great reduction in time and labor required for the screen replacement work.
Also, according to this embodiment, as described above, the abutment member 79 is moved toward and away from the first screen 69 in the direction inclined relative to the direction normal to the abutment portion between the first screen 69 and the abutment member 79 (abutment surface 79a) such that the abutment member 79 is pushed like a wedge into between the first screen 69 and the guide member 63, whereby the first screen 69 is fixedly held. Assuming, for example, a structure in which the abutment member 79 is abutted against the first screen 69 in the direction normal to the first screen 69, a force acting on the first screen 69 outward in the normal direction during the crushing work directly acts on the hydraulic cylinder 80 through the abutment member 79. In contrast, with this embodiment, because of employing the structure in which the abutment member 79 is abutted against the first screen 69 in the direction inclined relative to the direction normal to the first screen 69, only a component of the force acting on the first screen 69 outward in the normal direction during the crushing work is applied to the hydraulic cylinder 80 through the abutment member 79. As a result, the external force acting on the hydraulic cylinder 80 can be greatly reduced.
Further, according to this embodiment, as described above, when the screen support member 98 is in the set position, the slide link 92 and the hold link 94 of the link mechanism 91 are brought into the angularly coupled state crossing each other substantially at a right angle. Therefore, forces acting on the second screen 70 and the screen support member 98 during the crushing work, i.e., a vertical load acting on the slide link 92 from the hold link 94, can be substantially all borne by the guide member 96. As a result, since there is no need of providing another locking means for fixedly holding the screen support member 98 in the set position, the screen support member 98 can be moved to and locked in the set position by only one action of manipulating the selector switch 104 to extend the hydraulic cylinder 88. It is hence possible to cut time and labor required for the work of returning the second screen 70 to the proper position after the replacement thereof, and to realize the advantage of reducing total time and labor required for the screen replacement work. In addition, since the forces acting on the second screen 70 and the screen support member 98 during the crushing work can be substantially all borne by the guide member 96, the external force acting on the hydraulic cylinder 88 can be greatly reduced.
In the embodiment described above, the pressing conveyor unit 13 is employed as the means for pressing and introducing the target woods to be crushed, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the pressing conveyor unit 13 may be replaced with a means including a drive roller and a driven roller between which an endless member (e.g., a belt or a chain) is looped. Also, the operation of pressing the target woods may be realized with vertical movement instead of the rotating operation. Those modifications can also provide similar advantages to those obtainable with the above-described embodiment.
Further, the present invention has been described above in connection with, by way of example, the wood crusher including the so-called impact crusher, as the crushing apparatus, in which blades (crushing bits 65) are mounted to the outer peripheral portion of the crushing rotor 61. However, the present invention is not limited to that type of crusher and can also be applied to wood crushers including other types of crushing apparatuses, such as a crushing apparatus in which cutters are provided over two shafts arranged parallel to each other and are rotated in opposite directions, to thereby shear target woods (e.g., a 2-shaft shearing machine including the so-called shredder), a rotary crushing apparatus in which a pair of roll-shaped rotating bodies (rotors) each provided with crushing blades are rotated in opposite directions, and target woods are crushed while passing between the rotating bodies in a sandwiched state (e.g., a 6-shaft crusher including the so-called roll crusher), and a wood crusher equipped with the so-called wood chipper for breaking the target woods into chips. Any of those cases can also provide similar advantages to those obtainable with the above-described embodiment.
Moreover, the above description has been made of, by way of example, the case where the present invention is applied to a self-propelled wood crusher, but the present invention is not limited to such an application. As a matter of course, the present invention is also applicable to, e.g., a mobile wood crusher capable of traveling with traction, a transportable wood crusher capable of being lifted by, e.g., a crane for transportation, and a stationary wood crusher installed as a fixed machine in a plant or the like. Any of those applications can also provide similar advantages to those obtainable with the above-described embodiment.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-306408 | Oct 2004 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2005/019318 | 10/20/2005 | WO | 00 | 11/3/2006 |
