GB2293779A - Edge runner mill - Google Patents

Description

2293779 EDGE MILL The present invention relates to an edge mill for

milling materials.

Edge mills known in the prior art generally comprise a milling surface and milling edge runners, the gap formed therebetween being known as the milling slot. Prior art edge mills are generally provided either with two or three edge runners acting in the milling path. In the former case, the edge runners are mounted on a common crank head, each being located at a different distance from the mill axis so that one works in the inner milling path and the other in the outer milling path. In the latter case, each of the runners is mounted on a separate crank head, all of them together covering both the inner and outer milling paths of the mill. Although both of these prior art designs permit use of a good quality milling process, their efficiency concerning the amount and the quality of the resulting milled products is limited. To achieve an increase in the quality and the amount of milled products, another machine has to be introduced. Hence whilst certain advantages result from such arrangements, their efficiency, cost effectiveness and product quality is limited and there is accordingly a need for an improved edge mill.

Accordingly the present invention provides an edge mill for milling materials which comprises:

substantially vertical pivot pin; common crank head on the substantially vertical pivot pin; milling surface; plurality of milling edge runners each mounted on a separate bearing on a respective runner pivot above the milling surface and running over the same milling path on the milling surface as at least one other milling edge runner; hydraulic means for adjusting each runner pivot with respect to the milling surface, said hydraulic means including a swinging crank connected to the common crank head and a hydraulic cylinder connected to the corresponding runner pivot; and at least one dozer member located above the milling surface positioned and oriented to deflect a material being milled into a desired milling path on the milling surface.

The or each dozer member is a member having a surface against which a material being milled on the milling surface is swept as a result of the relative motion of the dozer member and the milling surface on which the material is being milled. In one embodiment, the dozer member is fixed whilst the milling surface is rotatable. Alternatively, the milling surface may be fixed with the dozer member rotatable around the milling surface.

Drifting of the material being milled against the dozer member causes translational movement of the material across the milling surface. The dozer member is arranged to channel the material into a desired milling path in a manner which increases the milling efficiency of the mill.

Thus, material supplied to the milling surface evenly from a hopper can be directed by a dozer member towards an inner milling path on the milling surface where it is milled by an inner edge runner. Subsequently, a further dozer member may direct the raw material towards an outer milling path where it is milled by an outer edge runner. Ultimately, a dozer member can be arranged to direct a milled material into a collecting hopper.

Since different materials or different sizes or types of the same material may, as a result of their size, shape, wetness or other features, may differ in the milling path providing most efficient milling, it is most convenient if the dozer member or members is or are adjustable. Hence the dozer member or members may be movable to occupy any one of a number of different orientations or positions. The location or number of feed hoppers supplying a material to be milled will also determine a preferred dozer member orientation and/or position.

Although dozer members may have a wide range of shape and sizes without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, one preferred form of dozer member comprises an elongate member forming a substantially flat surface for sweeping a millable material on the milling surface. The distance between the dozer member and the milling surface should not exceed the particle size of the material being milled.

Most preferably, a number of dozer members are arranged above the milling surface. These dozer members are positioned to achieve maximum milling efficiency for a particular millable material. The precise positioning of a plurality of such dozer members may differ for different millable materials, hopper positions and the like. A preferred arrangement is described below.

The milling edge runner may comprise a wide surface covering both an inner and an outer milling path. Alternatively, it may comprise a twinned pair of runners covering an inner and an outer milling path respectively. In this case each runner pivot may carry a pair of milling edge runners, each mounted on a separate bearing, an inner one of the pair defining, together with the milling surface, an inner milling path and an outer one of the pair defining, together with the milling surface, an outer milling path.

One or more dozer members are arranged to cause and direct translational movement across the milling surface of a raw material being milled, thereby causing batching of the raw material into a desired milling path.

The invention is not limited to edge mills having a single milling edge runner or twinned pair thereof on each runner pivot.

Conveniently, drive means are provided in the body portion of the mill for rotatably driving the milling surface. Alternatively, the drive means can be arranged to cause rotation of the edge runners and dozer members around the milling surface. The drive means is accommodated, for example, in the bottom part of the basic body of the mill.

In order that the invention may be understood more fully and more easily put in effect by those skilled in the art a particular embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the following drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic elevational view of an edge mill in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of part of the edge mill of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown an edge mill comprising a basic body portion 1 having an upstanding central pin 2. Crank head 3 is fixed on the end of pin 2. Hydraulic cylinders 5 are located between respective levers 4 and a crank 6. Axles 7 extend outwardly from respective cranks 6 at 1800 to each other, if there are only two axles 7, or at 1200 to each other, if there are three axles 7. Edge runners 8 are rotatably mounted on axles 7 by independent bearings 9 and cover inner and outer paths on the milling surface 10. In this embodiment, the milling surface 10 is rotatable on bearings 17 around central pin 2. Rotation of milling surface 10 is generated by drive means 12 located in the bottom part of body portion 1 of the mill. The mill further comprises a collecting plate 13 fixed to and beneath milling surface 10. A discharge plough 14 directs material from collecting plate 13 into discharge hopper 16. If necessary, more than one discharge hopper may be provided.

Edge runners 8 are shown in Figure 1 as split runners covering inner and outer milling paths.

In an alternative design, the runners 8 are either split or designed in one piece on common bearings 9, laid on runner pivots 7.

The above described design can be applied to edge mills with a fixed milling path or surface, where the drive 12 is geared to the rotation of the crank head 3 with runners 8.

In use of the illustrated mill the material to be milled is fed into the mill by the feeding hopper 15 onto the rotating milling surface 10, where two of the runners 8 always act on the inner milling path and two on the outer milling path. Batching is provided by dozers 11. The material is swept under the first inner runner 8 to be milled, then loosened by dozers 11, and re-milled by the second inner runner 8. After being milled twice, the material is discharged to the outer mill path to be re- processed by the first outer runner 8 and pushed into the collecting plate 13 at the same time. The remaining material is loosened by the dozers 11, re-processed and pushed through the second outer runner 8 at the same time. The above mentioned way of milling can be applied in differently arranged milling paths 10, where the inner path is full and the outer perforated, or vice versa, for example. However, a solution, where both the paths are perforated, is also possible. Duplicated runners 8 can be split into two runners, rotating separately in the inner and the outer paths on milling surface 10, or be in one piece, in which case the double width of the runner 8 acts on both mill paths at the same time, and the effect achieved is the same.

The edge mill according to the invention can be used for milling wet and dry materials with differently arranged milling and push-through paths, and allows material to be fed into the mill through one or two feeding hoppers.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS:

   1. comprises:

   An edge mill for milling materials which 'substantially vertical pivot pin; common crank head on the substantially vertical pivot pin; milling surface; plurality of milling edge runners each mounted on a separate bearing on a respective runner pivot above the milling surface and running over the same milling path on the milling surface as at least one other milling edge runner; hydraulic means for adjusting each runner pivot with respect to the milling surface, said hydraulic means including a swinging crank connected to the common crank head and a hydraulic cylinder connected to the corresponding runner civot; and at least one dozer member located above the milling surface positioned and oriented to deflect a material being milled into a desired milling path on the milling surface.

   2. An edge mil-I according to claim 1, wherein the at least one dozer member comprises an elongate member having a flat surface for deflecting the raw material being milled.

   3. An edge mill according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the at least one dozer member is adjustable.

   4. An edge mill according to claim 3, wherein the at least one dozer member is movable to occupy any one of a plurality of orientations or positions.

   5. An edge mill according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of dozer members are located above the milling surface.

   6. An edge mill according to claim 5, wherein the dozer members are arranged such that a material being milled is initially batched in a first milling path and, after at least one milling, is subsequently batched in a second milling path.

   7. An edge mill according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at'least a portion of the milling surface is perforated to allow a milled material to pass therethrough.

   8. An edge mill according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which each runner pivot carries a pair of milling edge runners, each mounted on a separate bearing, an inner one of the pair defining, together with the milling surface, an inner milling path and an outer one of the pair defining, together with the milling surface, an outer milling path.

   9. An edge mill according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein two runner pivots are provided so that the milling edge runners are mounted at 1800 intervals around the substantially vertical pin of the edge mill.

   10. An edge mill according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein three runner pivots are provided so that the milling edge runners are mounted at 1200 intervals around the substantially vertical pin of the edge mill.

   16. An edge mill constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.