EP3323503A1

EP3323503A1 - Interior container for a forced action mixer

Info

Publication number: EP3323503A1
Application number: EP17201362.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Henrik Finderup ULDALL
Original assignee: B and A AS
Current assignee: B and A AS
Priority date: 2016-11-15
Filing date: 2017-11-13
Publication date: 2018-05-23

Abstract

The shortcomings of the prior art is solved by an interior container 100 for fitting into an interior of a mixing chamber and removal from the interior of a mixing chamber of a forced action mixer. Said interior container 100 comprises a bottom part 140 and a wall part 110 for connecting with a bottom part 140. Said bottom part 140 has a periphery 190, an outlet aperture 150 neighbouring the periphery 190, and a centrally positioned aperture 160.

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an interior container for easing the cleaning of a forced action mixer.

Background of the Invention

Forced action mixers are generally used for mixing material like cement and granulate. The forces during mixing can be quite large; hence the mixing chamber in a forced action mixer has a chamber wall, which has a thickness of a few centimetres of steel metal.
Furthermore, when mixing cement, there may be pieces of rock having a volume of 50 cubic centimetres. Consequently the chamber walls must have a very high stress-resistance. At present, the interior of the chamber walls is made of steel as steel is capable of withstanding these large forces.
The problem does not arise during operation of the forced action mixer but afterwards as the mixed material, e.g. granulate or cement, will stick to the chamber walls, and if not immediately removed become solid on the interior side of the mixing chamber.
The granulate may be removed from the mixing chamber by pouring petrol into the mixing chamber and igniting the petrol. This will remove the granulate stuck to the interior of the granulate, but it will significantly reduce the lifetime of the forced action mixer.
Cement stuck to the mixing chamber may only be removed by hammering the cement; on average, this takes two man hours. The process of hammering the cement is neither safe nor ergonomic, as a person has to stand on a ladder or the like above the mixing chamber of a forced action mixer while at the same time swinging the hammer downwards into the mixing chamber.
The person cleaning the mixing chamber has to use large swings in order to have sufficient power for breaking the cement.
This is hard and dangerous work; hence it may lead to workers falling sick due to injured back or an accident at work.
Furthermore, the cleaning may lead to hearing damage as the cleaning produces loud noise.
After most of the cement has been released, the interior of the mixing chamber is further cleaned by a water pressure cleaner and the fragments of the cement are usually just left on the construction site.
Thus, the cleaning of the forced action mixer is cumbersome, which leads to an increase in the running cost.
The problem with the cleaning and maintenance of the forced action mixer is particularly a problem for companies having a forced action mixer rental service as the renters tend to not clean the forced action mixers properly after use.
Thus, there is a need for a faster and less damaging way of cleaning the interior of a forced action mixer's mixing chamber.

Object of the Invention

It is an object to overcome the limitations of the prior art by providing an interior container for a mixing chamber of a forced action mixer.

Description of the Invention

The shortcomings of the prior art is solved by an interior container for fitting into an interior of a mixing chamber of a forced action mixer and removal from the interior of the mixing chamber. Said interior container comprises a bottom part and a wall part for connecting with a bottom part. Said bottom part has a periphery, an outlet aperture neighbouring the periphery, and a centrally positioned aperture.
In this application, the periphery of the bottom part is seen as the periphery of the bottom part without the two features of an outlet aperture and a centrally positioned aperture.
In an embodiment, the wall part is a rectangular piece having two side lengths similar to or slightly longer than an interior circumference of a mixing chamber and two side lengths similar to the height of the mixing chamber.
One of the benefits of the wall part being a rectangle is that it is easily stackable.
If two of the side lengths are longer than the interior circumference of a mixing chamber, then the wall part will overlap, in this case it is important that the overlap faces the same direction as the rotation of the shovels, see Fig. 8.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the wall part is made of flexible material having a sufficiently large restoring force. The restoring force helps securing the wall part inside the mixing chamber as it will create an outwards facing force relative to the centre of the mixing chamber. Thus, the wall part works as a wrap.
Another advantage with this embodiment is that pockets of free space are limited as the wall part and interior of the mixing chamber are locked tightly. This is important because if material gets in between the wall part and the mixing chamber, then it will lead to an indentation into which one of the shovels of the forced action mixer may grip, thereby violently ripping the interior container to shreds. In such case, the interior container will be ripped apart in a second.
In an aspect of the invention the interior container has sealing means for sealing the free end of a wall part with an upper part of a mixing chamber wall in a forced action mixer.
Thus, the risk of material getting in between the wall part and the interior container is limited even further, which will increase the lifetime of the interior container and increase production stability.
In an embodiment, the sealing means are a top list able to grip the interior side of the wall part and the exterior side of the mixing chamber. Thus, the wall part is secured in a simple manner.
In another embodiment, the sealing means is a strong tape e.g. gaffer tape, which is used to secure the wall part to the mixing chamber.
In another embodiment, the sealing means are attached to the free end of a wall part. In this way the user will not forget to properly seal the wall part.
In an aspect of the invention, the interior container has a non-stick interior surface. By having a non-stick interior surface the interior container may be reused as the cement or granulate will not stick to the surface. Thus, the material can be removed by cleaning the interior container with water.
Furthermore, in some cases the granulate and the cement can be removed from the container without the use of a water pressure cleaner.
In an aspect of the invention the interior container further comprises an assembly list connected to a part of the periphery of the bottom part, said assembly list has an upwards facing protrusion for protecting the connection between a bottom part and a wall part. The assembly list prevents the shovels from ripping the interior container to shreds.
In an embodiment the assembly list and the bottom part are a monolith. Thus, the user will not forget to properly protect the connection between a bottom part and a wall part.
In an aspect of the invention the interior container is a monolith.
Thus, there is no risk of the interior container being incorrectly mounted.
In an aspect of the invention the interior container is made of polyethylene high density (PEHD).
PEHD has all of the previously mentioned properties as it is very resilient. Thus, it will engage tightly with the interior side of the mixing chamber, when the wall part is a rectangle.
Furthermore, PEHD has a non-stick surface, so granulate and cement will not stick to the interior container.
Furthermore, PEHD is a strong material and the impact strength of PEHD when being notched is large; hence it is can be exposed to being beaten without deforming.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the material is PEHD 300 as it has good vacuum forming properties.
In an aspect of the invention, the interior container is made of food approved polyethylene high density (PEHD). Thus, the forced action mixer can be used to make dough e.g. dough for pancakes.
In another embodiment, the interior container is made of food approved PA-66 or PA-6.
A forced action mixer comprises a mixing chamber having a lower chamber outlet aperture and a motor driven driveshaft connected to a removable mixer head. The mixer head comprises one or more shovels. The forced action mixer further comprises a removable interior container.
In an aspect of the invention, one or more shovels have non-stick surfaces. This will further ease the cleaning of the forced action mixer.
In an embodiment the shovels are made of PEHD.
In a further advantageous embodiment the shovels are made of PEHD 300.
As already mentioned, the advantages of PEHD and in particular PEHD 300 are that they have non-stick surfaces, hence cement and granulate will not stick to the shovels.
Furthermore the impact strength of PEHD when being notched is large; hence it is can be exposed to being beaten without deforming.
In an embodiment, PEHD shovels are attached to the metal shovels of a removable mixing head. The effect of the PEHD shovels is that they remove the risk of a stone getting stuck between the wall part and the shovels, as the PEHD shovels are flexible. This will lead to reduced strain on the interior container and it will lessen the scratching of the interior side of the wall part. The non-stick property of the interior surface of the interior container is reduced when the surface is damaged. Thus, the PEHD shovels will prolong the lifetime of the interior container.
Furthermore, because the PEHD shovels move closely to the wall part the mixing of the components is increased as the material is constantly being mixed, this effect is further increased by the fact that the material will slide down the wall part due to the non-stick surface of the wall part. This will increase the yield and it will also ease the cleaning as less material needs to be removed.
In another advantageous embodiment the shovels are made of food approved PEHD 300.
A method for inserting an interior container into a forced action mixer comprises one or more acts of:

detaching the removable mixer head from the driveshaft;
inserting said interior container into the mixing chamber;
aligning said outlet aperture and said lower chamber outlet aperture;
reattaching the removable mixer head onto the driveshaft.

Example: Use of an interior container in a forced action mixer for easing the cleaning of a forced action mixer

An interior container is inserted into a forced action mixer by first detaching the removable mixer head from the driveshaft.
The interior container is then inserted into the mixing chamber of the forced action mixer.
This is followed by an act of aligning the outlet aperture with the lower chamber outlet aperture.
The removable mixer head is then reattached onto the driveshaft. Thereby, the forced action mixer is ready to mix e.g. cement.
The cement components are then added to the forced action mixer and the mixing commences.
After mixing, the cement is removed from the mixing chamber through the lower chamber outlet aperture.
Afterwards the forced action mixer can be cleaned by water from a bucket or a water hose. This is possible due to the non-stick interior surface of the interior container. In some circumstances it may be necessary to use a water pressure cleaner.
However in all cases, it will be considerably easier to clean the forced action mixer having the interior container compared to hammering the cement for e.g. two hours. Hence, the toll on the user's body is lowered by a large factor.
Furthermore, the toll on the forced action mixer is lowered, which will prolong the lifetime of the forced action mixer.
In case the interior container cannot be cleaned properly, the interior container can just be replaced by a new interior container as it is a relatively inexpensive product compared to the forced action mixer.

The cement left-overs can be collected in a bucket or a wheel barrel through the lower chamber outlet aperture and then be moved into a trash container. Hence the amount of small pieces of cement on the construction side can be limited.

Description of the Drawing

Interior container

	100
Wall part	110
Sealing means	120
Bottom part	140
Outlet aperture	150
Centrally positioned aperture	160
Assembly list	170
Protrusion	180
Periphery	190
Forced action mixer	200
Mixing chamber	210
Lower chamber outlet aperture	220
Driveshaft	230
Removable mixer head	240
Shovel	250
Method for inserting	300
Detaching	310
Inserting	320
Aligning	330
Reattaching	340

Fig. 1 illustrates an interior container comprising two parts;
Fig. 2 illustrates a forced action mixer with a removable mixer head;
Fig. 3 illustrates the insertion of an interior container;
Fig. 4 illustrates an interior container further comprising an assembly list;
Fig. 5 illustrates a side view of an interior container further comprising an assembly list;
Fig. 6 illustrates a conical interior container;
Fig. 7 illustrates a conical interior container comprising sealing means;
Fig. 8 illustrates an interior container comprising list sealing means inserted into a forced action mixer 200;
Fig. 9 illustrates the method of inserting an interior container into a forced action mixer; and
Fig. 10 illustrates a removable mixer head having PEHD shovels.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Fig. 1 illustrates an interior container 100 comprising a wall part 110 having a rectangular shape. The interior container 100 further comprises a bottom part 140 having a periphery 190, an outlet aperture 150 along part of the periphery 190, and a centrally positioned aperture 160. The wall part 110 is formed into a cylinder with a circumference similar to a periphery 190 of a bottom part.
Fig. 2 illustrates a forced action mixer 200, where the removable mixer head 240 has been detached from the driveshaft 230. The forced action mixer 200 further comprises a mixing chamber 210 and a lower chamber outlet aperture 220.
Fig. 3 illustrates the insertion of a wall part 110 of an interior container 100 into a mixing chamber 210 of a forced action mixer 200, which further comprises a driveshaft 230 and a lower chamber outlet aperture 220.
Prior to the situation shown in Fig. 3, the removable mixer head 240 (not shown) has been detached, and after the inserting of the wall part 110 it will be reattached to the driveshaft 230.
A bottom part 140 of the interior container 100 has also been inserted into mixing chamber 210, and the outlet aperture 150 (not shown) has been aligned with a lower chamber outlet aperture 220 of the forced action mixer 200.
Fig. 4 illustrates an interior container 100 further comprising an assembly list 170. The interior container 100 comprises a wall part 110 and a bottom part 140 having a periphery 190, a centrally positioned aperture 160 and an outlet aperture 150. The assembly list 170 is attached to at least part of the periphery 190 of the bottom part 140.
In this embodiment the assembly list 170 has an upwards facing protrusion 180, which protects the connection between the bottom part 140 and the wall part 110.
Fig. 5 illustrates a side view of an interior container 100 further comprising an assembly list 170. The interior container 100 comprises a wall part 110 and a bottom part 140 having a periphery 190, a centrally positioned aperture 160 (not shown) and an outlet aperture 150 (not shown). The assembly list 170 is attached to at least part of the periphery 190 of the bottom part 140.
In this embodiment the assembly list 180 has an upwards facing protrusion 180 which protects the connection between the bottom part 140 and the wall part 110.
Fig. 6 illustrates a conical interior container 100 comprising a bottom part 140 having a periphery 190, a centrally positioned aperture 160 and an outlet aperture 150. The conical interior container 100 further comprises a conical wall part 110 whose lower circumference is comparable to the periphery 190.
The conical wall part 110 is stackable, which is an advantage when moving large quantities.
Fig. 7 illustrates a conical interior container 100 container comprising sealing means 120. The conical interior container 100 further comprises a bottom part 140 having a periphery 190, a centrally positioned aperture 160, an outlet aperture 150 and a wall part 110 having sealing means 120 at a free end for sealing with a top part of a mixing chamber of a forced action mixer.
In this embodiment the conical interior container 100 is a monolith.
The conical interior container 100 is stackable, which is an advantage when moving large quantities of material.
Fig. 8 illustrates an interior container 100 comprising list sealing means 120 inserted into a forced action mixer 200 having a mixing chamber 210, a lower chamber outlet aperture 220 (not shown), a driveshaft 230 and a removable mixer head 240. The interior container 100 further comprises a bottom part 140 (not shown) and a wall part 110. In this embodiment the wall part 110 slightly overlaps and it is therefore important that the removable mixer head 240 rotates clockwise. If the removable mixer head 240 moves counter-clockwise, the interior container 100 may be ripped off.
In this embodiment, the sealing means 120 is a list which will engage with an interior side of the wall part 110 and an exterior of a mixing chamber 210. Thereby the risk of the shovels 250 (not shown) gripping into the wall part 110 is eliminated.
Fig. 9 illustrates the method of inserting 300 an interior container 100 into a forced action mixer 200 comprising one or more acts of;
detaching 310 a removable mixer head 240 from a driveshaft 230;
inserting 320 said interior container 100 into the mixing chamber 210;
aligning 330 said outlet aperture 150 and said lower chamber outlet aperture 220; and reattaching 340 the removable mixer head 240 onto the driveshaft 230.
As an example, an interior container 100 is inserted into a forced action mixer 200 by first detaching 310 the removable mixer head 240 from the driveshaft 230. The interior container 100 is then inserted 320 into the mixing chamber 210 of the forced action mixer 200. This is followed by an act of aligning 330 the outlet aperture 150 with the lower chamber outlet aperture 220.
The removable mixer head 240 is then reattached 340 onto the driveshaft 230. Thereby, the forced action mixer 200 is ready to mix.
Fig. 10 illustrates a removable mixer head 240 having PEHD shovels 250 attached to the metal shovels 250M. In this embodiment the PEHD shovels 250 are 1-2 mm thick. The figure discloses a forced action mixer 100 having a mixing chamber, a driveshaft 230, a removable mixer head 240 having three metal shovels 250M, where each shovel 250M is engaged with a PEHD shovel 250. An interior container 100 is fitted into the forced action mixer 200, said interior container 100 having a wall part 110 and a bottom part 140.
The effect of the PEHD shovels 250 is that they remove the risk of a stone getting stuck in between the wall part 110 and the shovels 250 as the PEHD shovels 250 are flexible. This will lead to reduced strain and it will lessen the scratching of the interior side of the wall part 110. The non-stick property of the interior surface of the interior container 100 is reduced when the surface is damaged. Thus, the PEHD shovels 250 will prolong the lifetime of the interior container.
Furthermore, because the PEHD shovels moves closely to the wall part 110, the mixing of the components is increased as the material is constantly being mixed, this effect is further increased by the fact that the material will slide down the wall part 110 due to the non-stick surface of the wall part 110. This will increase the yield and it will also ease the cleaning as less material needs to be removed.

Claims

An interior container (100) for fitting into and removal from an interior of a mixing chamber of a forced action mixer, said interior container (100) comprising a bottom part (140) and a wall part (110) for connecting with a bottom part, said bottom part (140) having a periphery (190), an outlet aperture (150) neighbouring the periphery (190), and a centrally positioned aperture (160).
The interior container (100) according to claim 1, characterised in that the interior container (100) has sealing means (120) for sealing the free end of a wall part with an upper part of a mixing chamber wall in a forced action mixer.
The interior container (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the interior container (100) has a non-stick interior surface.
The interior container (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the interior container (100) further comprises an assembly list (170) connected to a part of the periphery of the bottom part (140), said assembly list (170) has an upwards facing protrusion (180) for protecting the connection between a bottom part and a wall part.
The interior container (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the interior container (100) is a monolith.
The interior container (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the interior container (100) is made of polyethylene high density (PEHD).
The interior container (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the interior container (100) is made of food approved polyethylene high density (PEHD).
A forced action mixer (200) comprising a mixing chamber (210) having a lower chamber outlet aperture (220), a motor driven driveshaft (230) connected to a removable mixer head (240) comprising one or more shovels (250), further comprising a removable interior container (100) according to one or more of the claims 1 to 8.
A forced action mixer (200) according to claim 8, characterised in that one or more shovels (250) have non-stick surfaces.
A method for inserting (300) an interior container (100) according to one or more of the claims 1 to 7 into a forced action mixer (200) according to one or more of the claims 8-9 comprising one or more acts of:
detaching (310) the removable mixer head (240) from the driveshaft (230);

inserting (320) said interior container (100) into the mixing chamber (210);

aligning (330) said outlet aperture (150) and said lower chamber outlet aperture (220);

reattaching (340) the removable mixer head (240) onto the driveshaft (230).
Use of an interior container (100) in a forced action mixer (200) for easing the cleaning of a forced action mixer.
Use of an interior container (100) according any of the claims 1 to 7 in a forced action mixer (200) according any of the claims 8 to 9 for easing the cleaning of a forced action mixer.