Feed screw

Abstract: Feed screw for feeding a mix, said screw consisting of a core part (1), which becomes thicker towards its trailing end, and of a screw spiral (2) wrapped around said core part. The feed screw is provided with a detachable tip portion (3) at its thicker end. The detachable tip portion (3) is a sleeve-shaped piece, which is supported on an inner part (4) that constitutes a projection on the frame part of the feed screw. The frame part includes at least one front face (6) which, when the machine runs and when the screw revolves, pushes ahead of itself a counter-face (7) provided in the tip portion (3) and transmits the torque to the tip portion.

Description: The present invention concerns a feed screw for feeding a mix, said screw consisting of a core part, which becomes thicker towards its trailing end, and of a screw spiral wrapped around said core part, whereby the feed screw is provided with a detachable tip portion at its thicker end. When hollow slabs are cast out of concrete by means of the slide-casting method, in the casting machine a revolving feed screw placed facing the cavity that is being formed is used for feeding the mix. Inside the formwork, the device comprises several feed screws placed side by side, said screws being supported at one of their ends. Owing to this, high bending forces are directed at the screws. Ordinarily the core part of a feed screw becomes thicker towards the trailing end of the screw, whereby, at the same time, compacting of the mix is achieved. Such slide-casting machines are described, e.g., in the German Published Pat. Appl. 2,059,760. In the same publication, a feed screw is also described to whose trailing end a detachable extension may be attached by means of bolts if necessary. The detachable tip described in said publication is used when the diameter of the cavities to be formed is larger than usual. It has been a problem in the casting of prefabricated concrete units that the concrete mix, which contains the aggregate, abrades the thicker tip portion of the feed screw more rapidly than the rest of the screw, as a result of the increasing pressure when the mix is compacted towards the trailing end of the screw. Owing to a worn-out tip portion, it has been necessary to replace the whole screw, which has involved considerable costs. In the Swedish Published Pat. Appl. 447,358 a feed screw is described which is provided with a detachable mantle portion consisting of two or more segments, in which case a worn-out mantle portion can be replaced readily. In the surface of the trailing end of the mantle, it is possible to use hard-metal granules so as to obtain an improved resistance to abrasion. However, in this solution as well, it is necessary to replace the whole mantle portion of the screw at one time. In relation to a feed screw which does not become thicker towards its trailing end and which therefore does not suffer from its tip wearing out before the rest of the screw, EP-A-82899 and CH-A-286036 each disclose a feed screw made from a plurality of screw parts which drive each other through engaging driving faces. Such a feed screw is also disclosed in US-A-2,138,576 wherein the screw parts are joined together by pushing and then twisting. According to the present invention, there is provided a feed screw for feeding a mix for producing products that include one or more cavities and are cast out of concrete by means of slide casting, the screw comprising a core part which becomes thicker towards its trailing end and a screw spiral wrapped continuously around the core part, the feed screw being provided with a detachable tip portion at its thicker end, characterized in that: (i) the detachable tip portion is a sleeve-shaped piece which is supported at both of its ends on an inner part that constitutes a projection from a frame part of the feed screw, (ii) the frame part includes a plurality of front faces which, when the screw revolves, push onto respective counter-faces provided on the tip portion so as to transmit torque to the tip portion, (iii) the border face between the frame part and the tip portion, at the place where the border face intersects the screw spiral, forms an angle with the front and trailing faces of the screw spiral which project from the core part, the angle differing from a right angle by a maximum of 45°, (iv) the front faces are at different locations around the circumference of the feed screw and at different locations along the axial direction of the feed screw, and (v) the counter-faces of the tip portion form a series of steps which define a series of notional circumferential strips which have, in the axial direction towards the front faces, successively shorter circumferential lengths. The joint between the frame part and the detachable tip portion is constructed so that no separate fixing members or joint parts are required. The counter-faces and front faces provided on the frame part and on the tip portion of the screw transfer the torque to the tip portion. The detachable tip portion of the screw in accordance with the invention is a sleeve-shaped piece which is, at both of its ends, supported on a projection from the frame part, whereby the radial forces applied to the tip portion during use are transmitted directly to the frame part, and no bending strains arise in the joint. In accordance with the present invention, the angle of intersection between the border face and the front and trailing faces of the screw spiral differs from a right angle by a maximum of 45°. This ensures that the screw spiral is not weakened excessively. The front faces are at different circumferential and axial positions, and thus the same is true of the counter-faces. The counter-faces are arranged so that the circumference of the tip portion decreases in steps in the axial direction towards the front faces. Thus, the tip portion can be mounted and removed easily merely by axially pushing or pulling. During use, the reaction force produced by the pitch of the screw spiral holds the joint together. The compacting mandrel that follows the screw also prevents shifting of the detachable tip of the screw in the axial direction out of its place when the machine is not in use. The joint technique in accordance with the present invention is particularly important when ceramic or very hard metallic materials are used wherein, owing to the brittleness or hardness of the material, it is impossible to use, e.g., a bolt fastening or a joint accomplished by means of threading. The material of the tip portion may be, e.g., steel of special hardness or some other metal or metal compound or a ceramic material which endures abrasion well. Also, the frame part and the mantle of the initial end of the screw may be made of a softer but tougher material which is again highly resistant to torsion and bending. The screw may be subjected to very high bending forces when stones contained in the mix enter between the screws. The invention will now be described by way of a non-limiting embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a side view of a feed screw partly in section, Figure 2 shows the feed screw of Fig. 1 seen from the opposite side, Figure 3 shows a section A-A in Fig. 1, Figure 4 shows an alternative section A-A in Fig. 1, and Figures 5 and 6 show an embodiment of a feed screw in accordance with the present invention. The feed screws of Figures 1 to 4 are not in accordance with the present invention, but their description has been retained in order to provide background understanding of Figures 5 and 6 which show a feed screw in accordance with the present invention. Figures 1 to 4 will be described first and then Figures 5 and 6, because the feed screw of Figures 5 and 6 is produced by modifying the feed screw of Figures 1 and 2. (In Figures 2 and 6 the screw spiral is not illustrated as placed exactly in the correct location; they are just illustrations of principle.) The feed screw consists of a conical core part 1 and of a screw spiral 2 wrapped around it. The direction of rotation of the screw is, seen from the right in Fig. 1, i.e. from the trailing end, clockwise. The core part becomes thicker towards the trailing end of the screw. The mantle portion 3 of the trailing end of the screw is shaped as a separate sleeve-like detachable tip. The shaft part 4 of the trailing end is made of one piece with the initial end 5 of the screw or, alternatively, it is a separate sleeve shaft, which is mounted in a recess, e.g. a bore, provided in the frame part. The screw spiral 2 is wrapped continuously around the initial end 5 and around the tip portion 3. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, there is a step-like point at the joint between the detachable tip 3 and the frame part 5, at which said step the faces 6 and 7 parallel to the axis of the screw have been formed, the front face 6 on the frame part and the counter-face 7 in the detachable tip (Fig. 1). On the circumference of the screw, at the opposite side, there may be a similar step formation 8, 9 back (Fig. 2), or the foremost level and the rearmost level of the step may join each other, e.g., as screw-shaped. When the frame part 5 of the screw is rotated by means of suitable drive members, the front face 6 transmits the torque to the tip portion and makes it revolve along with the frame part. The detachable tip is very easily exchangeable, because it can be simply pulled axially off the shaft part 4. By choosing the material hardnesses appropriately, it is achieved that both the frame part and the detachable tip have an equally long service life. However, if necessary, either one of them can be replaced readily. In the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 3, the front face 6 and the counter-face 7 are parallel to the radius of the screw. The front face 6 and the counter-face 7 may also form an angle with the radius, e.g., so that, when the screw revolves, the edge of the front face 6 that is placed further apart from the shaft of the screw moves ahead (Fig. 4). The feed screw of Figures 5 and 6 is produced by modifying the feed screw of Figures 1 and 2 by providing a plurality of front faces 6 and a corresponding plurality of counter-faces 7. The feed screw distributes the torque over three front faces, which are placed on the circumference of the mantle at different locations. In this embodiment, front faces at the screw spiral 2 projecting from the core part 1 are also avoided. The three subsequent parts 6, 6' and 6'' of the front face are placed on the mantle face of the core part at different locations of the circumference. The axial shifting rearwards is placed at the joint faces 8, 9 so that the projecting spiral part 2 has to be cut-off only once. Between the joint faces 8, 9 there is no strain caused by the torque, but at this interface a little gap is formed during the movement of rotation. Where the joint face cuts off the spiral part 2, the cut face must not form an angle excessively far from a right angle with the face of the spiral face that moves ahead and with the face of the trailing side, in order that the interface should not make the spiral weaker. The interface forms an angle with the foremost and the rearmost faces of the spiral that differs from a right angle at the maximum by 45°, most appropriately at the maximum by 30°. In the embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6, the front faces are parallel to the axis of the screw. Each front face may also be at a certain angle relative the direction of the axis, i.e. so that the front face forms such an angle with the direction of the axis that the axially rear end of the front face is ahead of the axially front end when the screw revolves. Besides being suitable for the casting of concrete, the feed screw in accordance with the invention is equally well suitable for any other use whatsoever where the mix causes intensive compression and abrasion.

Claims: A feed screw for feeding a mix for producing products that include one or more cavities and are cast out of concrete by means of slide casting, the screw comprising a core part (1) which becomes thicker towards its trailing end and a screw spiral (2) wrapped continuously around the core part, the feed screw being provided with a detachable tip portion (3) at its thicker end, characterized in that: (i) the detachable tip portion (3) is a sleeve-shaped piece which is supported at both of its ends on an inner part (4) that constitutes a projection from a frame part (5) of the feed screw, (ii) the frame part (5) includes a plurality of front faces (6, 6', 6'') which, when the screw revolves, push onto respective counter-faces (7, 7', 7'') provided on the tip portion (3) so as to transmit torque to the tip portion, (iii) the border face (6, 7 or 8, 9) between the frame part (5) and the tip portion (3), at the place where the border face intersects the screw spiral (2), forms an angle with the front and trailing faces of the screw spiral (2) which project from the core part (1), the angle differing from a right angle by a maximum of 45°, (iv) the front faces (6, 6', 6'') are at different locations around the circumference of the feed screw and at different locations along the axial direction of the feed screw, and (v) the counter-faces (7, 7', 7'') of the tip portion (3) form a series of steps which define a series of notional circumferential strips which have, in the axial direction towards the front faces (6, 6', 6''), successively shorter circumferential lengths.

Inventors: BARSK JAAKKO, HAVOLA PEKKA, KEKALAINEN OLLI, RANTANEN HEIKKI, BARSK, JAAKKO, HAVOLA, PEKKA, KEKALAINEN, OLLI, RANTANEN, HEIKKI
Applicants: PARTEK AB, OY PARTEK AB
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B28B3
IPC codes: B28B3, B28B1, B30B11