Patent GB-594240-A (GB)
Title: Improvement in vertical mixers
IPC: B01F15/00
Filed: 1945-03-14
Abstract: 594,240. Mixing-machines. AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY CO. March 14, 1945, No. 6423. Convention date, Feb. 19, 1944. [Class 86] A mixing-machine, in which a beater spindle is mounted eccentrically for rotation in a rotary head, is provided with means for adjusting the precession ratio between the rotation of the head and the rotation of the spindle, the driving means for the beater spindles including a driving shaft arranged coaxially with the head and having thereon a pinion meshing with a gear supported within the head coaxially with the spindle. The machine is characterised in that the driving shaft is supported wholly by bearing means disposed within a stationary hollow support on which the head is rotatably mounted. The head and the spindle may both be provided with independent variable driving means, or variable driving means may be provided for the spindle, the rotation of which may rotate the head through a variable driving connection. A shaft 48, Fig. 1, rotated by a motor 156 through a variable speed drive, drives through bevel gearing 44, 46 a shaft 42 which carries a pinion 66 meshing with an internal ring gear 68 keyed to the shaft 69 of a beater 100. The shaft 42 is supported wholly by a bearing 40 mounted in a sleeve secured to a base 32 of the gear housing 30. The variablespeed gear comprises a V-shaped belt 146 and expanding pulleys 142, 144, the halves of which are movable by levers 158 operated by a crank handle 182 by which is rotated a shaft 170 having right- and left-handed screw-threads. The beater shaft 69 is rotatably mounted in a head 54 provided with an external ring gear 105 driven by a pinion 107 on a shaft 109 ; and the latter is rotatable by a variable speed motor 127 through a belt 124, pulleys 123, 125, a driving shaft 121 and bevel gears 117, 119. In an alternative construction, the beater shaft 269, Fig. 4, has at its upper end a pinion 302 which meshes with an internal ring gear 300 mounted on ball bearings 298 on the head 254. A driving shaft 248 rotates the shaft 269 through bevels 244, 246 and a shaft 242 carrying a pinion 266 meshing with an internal ring gear 268 keyed to the shaft 269. The driving shaft 242 is supported wholly by a bearing 240 mounted in a sleeve 235 secured to a. base 232 of the gear housing 230. The ring 300 has external gear teeth 301 and may be rotated by the pinion 244 through a driving connection comprising bevel gearing 322, 316, 314, a clutch 323 and a shaft 308 mounted in a bearing 310 and carrying a pinion 306. By operating a lever 332, the clutch 323 may be set in an upper, lower or intermediate position. In the upper position, a tooth 324 on the clutch engages a notch 325 in the bevel 314, and the pinion 306 rotates the ring 300 in the same direction as the head 254 is rotated by the engagement of the pinion 302 with the internal gear of the ring 300 ; and the speed of rotation of the head 254 is increased. When the clutch 323 is in the lower position, a tooth 336 engages a notch 338 in the bracket 310 and the ring 300 is held stationary so that the head 254 revolves at a lower speed. In the intermediate position of the clutch 323 the pinion 306 is free to rotate, and the ring 300 is rotated by the pinion 302 with the result that the head 254 does not revolve. In both the described constructions of machines the head and the bowl are movable vertically on pillar mountings and the bowl is removable. For mixing dough or other material the apparatus may be operated at a predetermined precession ratio during one stage of the mixing and may be operated at a different precession ratio during a following stage.