A spreading device

Abstract

 A spreading device for spreading granular material, said spreading device comprising a disc (2)with a central bore adapted to rotate around an axel/shaft. The disc supports a number of wings (5) and comprises further flexible means (8) placed between an inner part of the disc and an in the periphery radially extending disc parts (10), said flexible means being adapted to allow a change of position of the disc parts in upwards and downwards direction to said disc parts the wings (5) are related, said change in position being adapted to take place when the rotation speed of the disc is changed.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a spreading device for spreading granular material, such as salt, slurry, sand, grit, aggregate and/or powdery materials, comprising a disc with a central bore adapted to rotate around an axel/shaft placed in said bore, said disc supporting a number of wings.

Background

[0002] DE 10153982 describes a spreading device comprising a rotatable disc for spreading granular material such as road salt. The rotatable disc has a surface that can be adjusted in order to change the entire distribution area. The adjustment of the disc takes place manually or by a hydraulic, electronic, automatic drive. However, when the disc is manually adjusted, it is not possible to adjust the spreading area during the spreading. Further, the use of a hydraulic, electrical or pneumatic system requires a more complicated system which may then be exposed to corrosion and wear due to the properties of the granular material.

[0003] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a spreading device overcoming at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art or providing at least a useful alternative.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the invention, a spreading device as described in the introduction is provided, said spreading device comprises flexible means placed between an inner disc part and disc parts extending radially in the periphery, said flexible means being adapted to allow a change of position of the disc parts in upwards and downwards direction, the wings being related to said disc parts, and said change in position being adapted to take place when the rotation speed of the disc is changed.

[0005] By "related to" is to understand that the wings are indirectly or directly connected to the disc parts.

[0006] An upwards direction and a downwards direction is to be understood as a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the axel.

[0007] A spreading device is fixed/attached to a suitable vehicle comprising a motor for rotating the disc around a shaft. A container is placed in connection to the rotatable spreader disc. The container contains the granular material to be distributed, and it may comprise a mixing chamber, mixing salt and water. Then, the material is led down to the rotatable spreader disc. When the material hits/reaches the disc, the material will be thrown away and directed by the wings. Usually, it will be directed opposite the travelling direction of the vehicle. The material leaving the rotating disc describes a throw parabola. If the vertical position of the wings is not changed when the rotation speed of the disc changes, the material will be thrown higher up in the air when the velocity is increased. This will cause an increase in the spreading area and the granular material will roll away when it hits/reaches the ground. Thereby, the spreading pattern cannot be sufficiently controlled.

[0008] However, according to the invention, the position of the disc in vertical direction is automatically adjusted, and a controlled spreading pattern is obtained. When the rotation speed is increased, the wings will be lowered due to the centrifugal force acting on the disc parts, and a flexible means allows the disc parts, and thereby the wings, to change the position downwards. By doing this, the parabolic trajectory curve is flattened. Thereby, the material is not thrown high up in the air, and the spreading/distribution of the material is a controlled spreading/distribution as compared to prior art. Thereby, the spreading area and the spreading pattern are controlled leading to less waste of the material.

[0009] In another embodiment the flexible means comprises at least one recess placed in the disk parts or between the disk parts and the inner disc part said recesses are placed in the same radial distance from the centre of the bore.
Thereby the flexibility I achieved as the disc parts will move up and down in the area between the receses defining a bending line.

[0010] In another embodiment of the invention, the flexible means comprises at least one recess placed in the disk parts or between the disk parts and the inner disc part, said recesses being placed in the same radial distance from the centre of the bore.

[0011] This may be a hydraulic and pneumatic connection allowing for a change of position of the disc parts.

[0012] In another embodiment of the invention, the flexible means comprises several elastically deformable means, said elastically deformable means being arranged to allow a deflection of the disc parts, said disc parts being placed in a radial distance r1 from the centre of the bore and at least one of the wings being attached to said disc parts.

[0013] Thereby, the deflection of the wings only depends on the construction of the disc. The wings are attached to the disc parts being able to deflect when the rotation speed is changed. The wings are attached with bolts or screws. This also makes it easy to replace the wings.

[0014] Advantageously, the deformable (and deflectable) means are constructed by reducing the dimension of a disc in a specific area. This causes the radially placed disc part with a reduced dimension to move up or down as a function of the rotation speed. The deflectable means may also be a hinge, or it may be a spring connecting a separate radial disc part to the central disc part. Further, the deformable means may comprise a small recess facing the centre line of the disc part, whereby a bending line is defined.

[0015] In another embodiment of the invention, the disc parts projecting radially in the periphery are separated from each other and comprise a first end pointing away from the bore and an second end placed oppositely, said second end being connected to the inner part of the disc, said connection comprising the flexible means, and said wings being connected to said disc parts.

[0016] By rotation of the disc, each of the disc parts will deflect as a function of the speed. The faster the disc rotates, the more each disc part deflects downwards. Thereby, the wings are also moved downwards. The granular material leaving the rotating disc is falling in a parabolic curve. The consequence of the wings moving downwards is that the throw parabola flattens off. Thereby, the spreading height is controlled and lowered, and the spreading/distribution of the granular material is controlled. The second end of the disc parts may have different dimensions/constructions, thereby allowing an individual deflection of the disc parts.

[0017] In another embodiment of the invention, the inner part of the disc and the disc parts are made in one piece, said second end of the disc part being adapted to allow the deflection of the disc parts.

[0018] This may be done by constructing the disc parts so that the width of the second end is smaller/more narrow than the rest of the disc. Thereby, this area constitutes the flexible means and is the most flexible part of the disc. As a consequence, the deflection will take place there. Another possibility in order to obtain the flexibility and deflection is to make the disc part thinner in the area of the second end than the rest of the disc. This will also result in the deflection taking place in this area.

[0019] In another embodiment of the invention, the inner part of the disc and the disc parts are made in separate pieces, said disc parts being connected to the inner part of the disc with a connection element, said connection element being flexible and comprising an element, such as a spring or a flexible metal plate.

[0020] Thereby, the deflection profile of the disc can be changed simply by exchanging the connection elements. For instance, a spring with a spring constant k1 may be exchanged with another spring having a spring constant k2 different from k1.

[0021] In another embodiment of the invention, the disc parts comprise a first plate part and a second plate part, said first and second plate parts being made in one piece, said first plate part comprising the first end and the second plate part comprising the second end, said upper surface of the first plate part and upper surface of the second plate part forming an angle V°, said angle being in the interval of 179-100° and the wings being exchangeably connected to the second plate part.

[0022] Thereby, the longitudinal axis of the wing has a certain angle in relation to the surface of the disc. This is an advantage as the wings will move down during a faster rotation of the disc.

[0023] In another embodiment of the invention, the inner part of the disc comprises a circular inner part, in that the disc parts comprise plate tongues protruding radially from the circular inner part, and in that between said circular inner part and disc parts, the flexible means is arranged and the wings being interchangeably connected to the plate tongues.

[0024] This is an advantageous embodiment of the invention.

[0025] In another embodiment of the invention, the disc parts are separated from each other by slots provided in the disc.

[0026] Advantageously, the slots are V-formed and are broadest at the periphery of the disc.

[0027] In another embodiment of the invention, the second flexible means is provided between the first plate part and the second plate part of the disc parts.

[0028] By this arrangement, it is possible to arrange more flexible parts of the discs, thereby making the disc more flexible.

[0029] In another embodiment of the invention, the wings comprise a vertical wing part and a horizontal wing part, said wing parts being connected to each other and the angle between the surfaces of the two wing parts, which are pointing upwards, being in the interval of 70-100°.

[0030] In another embodiment of the invention, the horizontal wing parts are connected to the disc, said horizontal wing parts comprising adjustment means, whereby the position between the wing and the disc is adapted to be changed from a first position to a second position and to be fixed in the second position. Thereby, the relation of the wing to the disc may be adjusted.

[0031] In another embodiment of the invention, the second end of the disc parts is placed at the end of the slots, and at each side of each of the disc parts at the end of the slots, a recess is placed in said disc part pointing towards the centre line of the disc parts in question.

[0032] Thereby, the deflection of the disc will take place exactly where the width of the disc part is reduced. When the rotation speed of the disc is increased, the disc part will move downwards and bend in the area where the dimension of the disc is reduced.

[0033] The invention also relates to a vehicle or device comprising a spreading arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, said vehicle/device comprising a motor for rotating the spreading device and a container for containing and supplying the granular material.

[0034] In another embodiment of the invention, the surface of the inner part and the surface of each of the disc parts form an angel V of 100 - 170° when the disc is not rotating.

[0035] In another embodiment of the invention, the second end of the disc parts is placed at the end of the slots.

[0036] In another embodiment of the invention, the end of the top area of the V-formed slots is placed in the area where the flexible means is placed.

[0037] The invention is explained in details below with reference to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1A shows a perspective view of a spreading arrangement comprising a spreading device according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a first embodiment of a spreading device according to the invention.

Fig. 2A shows a sectional view of the spreading device shown in Fig. 2 along the line A-A.

Fig. 2B shows a perspective view of a wing.

Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of the spreading device according to the invention.

Fig. 3A shows a sectional view of the spreading device shown in Fig. 3 along the line A-A.

Fig. 3B shows a perspective view of the spreading device shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 4A - 4D are segments of different embodiments of a disc according to the invention.

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a spreading arrangement 24 comprising a spreading device 1. The spreading device 1 comprises a disc 2 with a central bore (not shown) and wings 5 attached to the periphery of the disc 2. The spreading arrangement 24 is to be arranged on a vehicle, such as a lorry, and includes a telescopic funnel 25 feeding granular material such as salt, sand, grit or aggregate (into the spreading device) from an electronically controlled dosing means on the vehicle. The spreader disc 2 is suspended at the lower part of the funnel 25. The arrangement further comprises a pipe 27 for feeding liquid, said liquid being provided next to the funnel 25. The spreading arrangement 24 communicates with a container charging the granular material and a container for discharging liquid, such as salt water. The discharge of the granular material and the discharge of salt water or similar ingredients are electronically controlled by means of control circuits. A motor 26 drives the spreading device 1 and other rotating elements. However, a mixing chamber 28 and the associated means are stationary during rotation of the motor. Salt and salt water or other materials are fed into the mixing chamber 28 and conveyed during rotation of the spreading device 1 through a discharge opening 29 of the mixing chamber 28. The discharge opening 29 is placed in such a way that it points in the opposite direction of the travelling direction of the vehicle carrying the assembly in question.

[0039] When the mixture leaves the mixing chamber 28, the mixture hits/reaches the rotating wings 5. The wings 5 comprise a horizontal wing part 7 attached to the disc 2 and a vertical wing part 6. The slope of the vertically orientated wing part 6 has an impact on the spread pattern of the granular material.

[0040] Fig. 2 shows a first embodiment of a spreading device 1 according to the invention and comprises the disc 2. In the periphery of the disc 2, a number of wings 5 are detachably attached to the disc 2 with bolts or screws. The disc 2 comprises a plate-like inner part 13. In the centre of this inner part 13, a central bore 15 is provided. The disc rotates around a shaft placed in the bore 15 when the spreading device 1 is working. In the periphery of the disc 2, the disc is provided with radially extending disc parts 10 formed like plate-formed tongues. The wings 5 are attached to the disc parts 10 by bolts and screws and can be replaced, or the position in relation to the disc part 10 can be changed. The disc parts 10 are evenly distributed in the periphery of the disc 2 and are separated from each other by V-formed slots 19. The disc parts 10 are constructed by making these slots in a disc, and therefore the disc parts 10 and the inner part 13 of the disc are formed in one piece. The flexible means 8 allows a deflection of the wing parts 10 and is placed in the connection area between the wing parts 10 and the inner part 13 of the disc. A deflection of the wing parts 10 will take place in this area, whereby the wings are moved in a direction up or down depending on whether the rotation speed is decreased or increased. If the speed is increased, the centrifugal force will induce the wings 5 to be moved downwards, whcurveereby the granular material hitting the wings 5 are thrown out in a more flat parabolic trajectory curve than if the rotation speed was not increased.

[0041] The flexible means 8 comprises a number of elastically deformable means 9. Each elastically deformable means 9 is placed in the transition area between the inner part 13 and the disc parts 10. In order to have a well-defined bending line, i.e. an elastically deformable area, a recess 31 is placed in the transition area. In this embodiment, the recess 31 is placed on either side of each of the wing/disc parts 10 in the region where the V-formed slots 19 end. However, the flexible means may also be made by making the thickness of the plates thinner in this area. Other material reduction may also take place, such as making bores or holes along the bending line. Actually, the bending line is working as a hinge allowing for this elastic deflection. The disc parts 10 comprise a first end 11 pointing away from the bore and an oppositely placed second end 12 connecting the inner part 13 of the disc placed in a distance r1 from the centre of the bore 3. In this embodiment, the flexible means 8 is coinciding with the second end 12, but the flexible means/bending line may be placed everywhere on the disc part 10. The wing 5 must be placed in a radial direction in relation to this bending line. The disc part 10 may be divided into a first plate part 15, to which the wing 5 is attached, and a second wing plate 16 being placed nearest to the bore 3. Between the two parts 15, 16, a second flexible means 20 in the form of a bending line may be provided.

[0042] Fig. 2A shows a cross-sectional view of the spreading device 1. The surface of the inner part 13 pointing upwards and the surface of the disc part 10 pointing upwards form an angle V of 100° to 175°. This is the angle that changes when the rotation speed of the spreading device changes.

[0043] Fig. 2B shows a perspective view of a wing 5 comprising a horizontal wing part 7 and a vertical wing part 6. The angle between the two parts is 70-200°. In the horizontal wing part 7, a recess 30 is provided. This is the recess to which a bolt or screw is connecting the wing to the disc. Due to the curved form of the recess, it is possible to adjust the position and/or angle of the wing 5 in relation to the disc part 10.

[0044] Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of a spreading device 1 according to the invention. The reference numbers applying to Fig. 2 also apply to Fig. 3. The principal differences between the two embodiments are the construction of the flexible means 8 and also the placement of the flexible means. In this embodiment, the flexible means 8 comprises a number of elastically deformable means 9 being springs 32, said springs being connected with one end to the inner part of the disc 13 or a part of the disc parts 10 and the other end to a wing 5 or to a plate to which the wing is supported. In this way the spring will work as an elastically deformable means allowing a deflection depending on the velocity of the rotation. By exchanging the spring constant k1 with another spring constant k2, it is possible to obtain another spreading pattern as a larger spring constant will have the effect that the wings do not move so much downwards when the rotation speed is increased compared to a spring with a lower spring constant.

[0045] Fig. 3A shows a sectional view along the line A-A in Fig. 3 and shows the spring 32 connection between the disc 2 and the wing 5. However, the spring may also be a hydraulic cylinder, which tension force is changed when the rotation speed changes.The figure shows the same wing 5 in two different positions.

[0046] Fig. 3B shows a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 and shows how the wings 5 are pointing upwards with the tip of the wings.

[0047] Figs. 4A - 4D are sectional views of a part of the disc showing how the disc part 10 may be formed in different ways allowing a deflection of the wing 5 connected to the disc part 10.

[0048] Fig. 4A shows a flexible means 8 being a plate or a spring 32 connecting the inner part of the disc 13 with a disc plate 10 and that at the periphery of the disc plate 10, a wing 5 is connected.

[0049] Fig. 4B shows that the disc plate 10 has a recess 31, not where the V-formed slots 19 are ending, but in a region in radial direction of the slots. The recess area constitutes the flexible means and is the region for the bending line.

[0050] Fig. 4C shows flexible means 8 also as a separate plate or a spring 32 connecting the disc part 10, which is separated from the rest of the disc 13, thereby allowing a deflection between the disc part 10 and the rest of the disc 13. The advantage of this construction is that the plates or springs may be replaced, thereby changing the bending pattern of the disc part and thereby the wings.

[0051] Fig. 4D shows another embodiment, where the whole periphery of the disc has a bending line in a radius of r1 from the bore, and where the disc parts 10 are coherent and continuous an annular disc part 33 is running in the periphery of the inner part 13 of the disc. The flexible means 8 is an annularly formed bending line provided by making the disc thinner in this area.

References

[0052] 

1	Spreading device
2	Disc
3	Central bore
4
5	Wings
6	Vertical wing part
7	Horizontal wing part
8	Flexible means
9	Elastically deformable means
10	Disc parts
11	First end
12	Second end
13	Inner part of the disc
14	Connection element
15	First plate part
16	Second plate part
17
18
19	V-formed slot
20	Second flexible means
21	Moving means (hydraulic etc.)
22	Adjustment means
23	Part of a disc
24	Spreading arrangement
25	Funnel for dry material feed
26	Motor
27	Pipe for liquid
28	Mixing chamber
29	Discharge opening for 28
30	Recess in wings
31	Recess in disc part
32	Plate or spring
33	Continuous annular disc part
34

Claims

1. A spreading device (1) for spreading granular material such as salt, slurry, sand, grit, aggregate and/or powdery materials, comprising a disc (2) with a central bore (3) adapted to rotate around an axel/shaft placed in said bore (3), said disc (2) supporting a number of wings (5), characterised in that the spreading device (1) comprises flexible means (8) placed between an inner disc part (13) and disc parts (10) extending radially in the periphery, said flexible means (8) being adapted to allow a change of position of the disc parts (10) in upwards and downwards direction, the wings (5) being related to said disc parts (10), and said change in position being adapted to take place when the rotation speed of the disc (2) is changed.

2. A spreading device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the flexible means (8) comprises at least one recess (31) placed in the disk parts (10) or between the disk parts (10) and the inner disc part (13), said recesses being placed in the same radial distance from the centre of the bore (3).

3. A spreading device (1) according to claim 1-2, characterised in that the flexible means (8) comprises several elastically deformable means (9), said elastically deformable means (9) being arranged to allow a deflection of the disc parts (10), said disc parts (10) being placed in a radial distance r1 from the centre of the bore (3) and at least one of the wings (5) being attached to said disc parts (10).

4. A spreading device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the disc parts (10) projecting radially in the periphery are separated from each other and comprise a first end (11) pointing away from the bore and an second end (12) placed oppositely, said second end (12) being connected to the inner part of the disc (13), said connection comprising the flexible means (8), and said wings (5) being connected to said disc parts (10).

5. A spreading device (1) according to claim 4, characterised in that the inner part of the disc (13) and the disc parts (10) are made in one piece, said second end (12) of the disc part being adapted to allow the deflection of the disc parts (10).

6. A spreading device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the inner part of the disc (13) and the disc parts (10) are made in separate pieces, said disc parts (10) being connected to the inner part of the disc (13) with a connection element (14), said connection element (14) being flexible and comprising an element, such as a spring or a flexible metal plate (32).

7. A spreading device (1) according to claims 4-5, characterised in that the disc parts (10) comprise a first plate part (15) and a second plate part (16), said first and second plate parts (15, 16) being made in one piece, said first plate part (15) comprising the first end and the second plate part (16) comprising the second end, said upper surface of the first plate part and upper surface of the second plate part forming an angle V, said angle being in the interval of 179-100 degrees and the wings (5) being exchangeably connected to the second plate part (16).

8. A spreading device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the inner part of the disc (13) comprises a circular inner part, in that the disc parts (10) comprise plate tongues protruding radially from the circular inner part, and in that between said circular inner part and disc parts (10), the flexible means (8) is arranged and the wings (5) are interchangeably connected to the plate tongues.

9. A spreading device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the disc parts (10) are separated from each other by slots (19) provided in the disc (2).

10. A spreading device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the second end (12) of the disc parts (10) is placed at the end of the slots (19), and at each side of each of the disc parts (10) at the end of the slots (19), a recess (31) is placed in said disc parts pointing towards the centre line of the disc part in question.

11. Vehicle or device comprising a spreading arrangement (24) according to any of the preceding claims, said vehicle/device comprising a motor (26) for rotating the spreading device (1) and a container for containing and supplying the granular material.

Drawing