Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a gyratory crusher used for crushing, and can be suitably used in the construction and mining industries.

Background Art

Upon fine crushing of hard material, e.g. stone blocks or ore blocks, material is crushed that has an initial size of approx. 100 mm or less to a size of typically approx. 0-25 mm. Crushing, e.g. fine crushing, is frequently carried out by means of a gyratory crusher. Said crusher has an outer shell that is mounted in a stand. An inner shell is fastened on a crushing head. The inner and outer shells are usually cast in manganese steel, which is strain hardening, i.e. the steel gets an increased hardness when it is exposed to mechanical action. The crushing head is fastened on a shaft, which at the lower end thereof is eccentrically mounted and which is driven by a motor. Between the outer and the inner shell, a crushing gap is formed into which material can be supplied. Upon crushing, the motor will get the shaft and thereby the crushing head to execute a gyratory pendulum motion, i.e., a motion during which the inner and the outer shell approach each other along a rotary generatrix and retreat from each other along another diametrically opposite generatrix.

A material to be crushed is introduced into a feed hopper working as an inlet of the crusher receiving the material and leading it down to the crushing gap to be crushed between the first crushing shell and the second crushing shell as a result of the gyrating movement of the crushing head, during which movement the two crushing shells alternately approach and move away from one another. Furthermore, the crushing head, and the first crushing shell mounted thereon, will be in rolling engagement with said second crushing shell by way of the material to be crushed and all of the inner surfaces of the parts of the crusher being subjected to wear by the material are protected by a lining that is replaceable in a way known per se. The lining works as replaceable wear parts made of robust liners of e.g. special alloy steel.

However, some parts and construction elements are not satisfactory protected from wear or dust/dirt. The lower portion of the feed hopper is connected to the upper portion of the crusher. The lower portion of the feed hopper and the upper portion of the crusher are to some extent protected from wear by an inner rim lining.

However, the connection between these parts is not protected and thus is subject to wear and accumulation of crushing material fragments and dust.

Moreover, prior art feed hoppers are mounted onto the upper portion of the crusher after the inner rim lining are put on the upper portion. The inner rim lining has an upper foot-like base part that is fitted into a groove in an upper end surface of the upper crusher portion, which upper crusher end surface forms a flange. Hence, firstly the inner rim lining is put onto this flange and fitted in the groove when assembling the crusher, and then the feed hopper is put on the flange outside the inner rim lining but over the toes of the foot of the inner rim lining being flush with the upper edge of the groove, and, lastly, the feed hopper is detachably attached to the flange of the crusher securing that the inner rim lining is held in place. This assembly is delicate as the inner rim lining is casted and often is difficult to fit into the groove due to warps or misalignment due to the nature of casting. After operating the crusher a certain time, the inner rim lining has to be replaced due to wear and the feed hopper is detached from the crusher flange, the weared out inner rim lining removed and new rim lining is to be fitted into the groove. Then, difficulties arise due to both misalignment induced by the casting and dust or material that has accumulated in the groove during crusher operation, as the inner rim lining then must be machined into dimensions fitting into the groove, and the groove has to be cleaned from material and dust for not obstructing the fitting in of the rim lining. This on site extra work is demanding on man hours and also time consuming.

Summary of the Invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a feed hopper, which solve, or at least lessen the problems mentioned above.

It is an object of the invention to provide a feed hopper enabling protecting the connection between the feed hopper and the crusher from wear from the material to be crushed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a feed hopper enabling easy assembly and replacement of the inner rim lining.

Another object of the invention is to provide a feed hopper eliminating, or at least reducing, the need for intricate cleaning and/or machining when replacing the inner rim lining.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a feed hopper enabling easy assembly of the feed hopper itself on the crusher, but also simplifies the securing of the inner rim lining in place, as well as the fitting in of the feed hopper in relation to both the inner rim lining and the crusher.

These objects are achieved by means of a feed hopper, an inner rim lining and a gyratory crusher for wear protection as claimed in the associated independent claims, preferred variants thereof being defined in the

associated dependent claims.

The feed hopper according to the independent claim 1 protects the connection between the feed hopper and the crusher from wear from material to be crushed.

The feed hopper according to the independent claim 1 facilitates the assembly and replacement of the inner rim lining by providing a simple construction and a protected connection between the feed hopper and the crusher, which connection is shielded from crushed material and dust, which may be an obstacle when replacing the inner rim lining.

The feed hopper according to the independent claim 1 also improves the assembly and replacement of the feed hopper itself, the inner rim lining and the fitting in of the feed hopper in relation to both the inner rim lining and the crusher by providing a simple construction reducing the demand on the tolerances for the fit at assembly and disassembly and when manufacturing the feed hopper, inner rim lining and the crusher, which makes the assembly and disassembly and manufacturing of these parts easier and reduces the manufacturing and assembly and disassembly costs.

In some embodiments, the holding means is placed at a distance from the lower end of the lower feed hopper portion. Since the holding means is placed at a distance from the lower end of the lower feed hopper portion, the protection of the connection between the feed hopper and the crusher is assured. In some embodiments, the removable inner rim lining comprises a top end portion comprising a projection extending downwards along the lower feed hopper portion, which projection is supported by an upper portion of the crusher, which crusher upper portion comprises an elevated shoulder and the projection is hooked on the crusher shoulder. Thereby, the inner rim lining is secured in relation to the feed hopper and the crusher in a safe and easy way by means of a simple construction. In addition, the replacement of the inner rim lining is facilitated and the need for exhaustive cleaning as well as machining in order to redefine the dimensions of the rim lining and to remove material fragments and dust from the crushing are eliminated.

In some embodiments, the inner rim lining contact surface is arranged at a top end portion of the removable inner rim lining. Thereby, the protection of the connection between the feed hopper and the crusher is further improved and no pocket between the feed hopper and the inner rim lining is present, which pocket could accommodate and store material fragments and dust from the crushing material.

In some embodiments, the holding means is integrated in the feed hopper. This facilitates the manufacturing of the feed hopper and strengthens the construction, since no specific/separate part have to be manufactured.

In some embodiments, the holding means comprises a device for adjustment of the holding means. Thereby, the demand on the tolerances when manufacturing the holding means may be decreased, which makes the manufacturing easier and reduces the manufacturing cost, since the holding means may be adjusted after assembly of the feed hopper on the crusher and therefore does not have to have a perfect fit.

In some embodiments, the device for adjustment of the holding means is adapted to bring the contact surfaces together. Consequently, the holding means contact surface and the inner rim lining contact surface does not have to have a perfect fit derived from the manufacturing of the surfaces. The contact surfaces do not have to be in contact with each other directly when fitting the feed hopper on the crusher, which facilitates both the

manufacturing and the assembly. Instead, the contact surfaces may be brought into contact with each other after the feed hopper has been fitted on the crusher in order to bear against each other and thereby secure the inner rim lining.

One effect of the invention is that the connection between the feed hopper and the crusher is protected from wear from the material to be crushed. Further, the connection between the feed hopper and the crusher is protected from material fragments and dust from the material that is crushed, which means that the assembly and replacement of the inner rim lining is made easier. In addition, the assembly and replacement of the inner rim lining is facilitated because of the improved/simplified constructional design.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, which show examples of presently preferred

embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a crusher with a feed hopper according to the invention partly cut out for showing the inner parts of the crusher,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view in enlarged scale showing a part of the connection between the feed hopper and the crusher assembled in Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view in enlarged scale showing a part of the connected feed hopper and the crusher in Figs. 1 and 2, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a removable inner rim lining for wear protection of the inside of the crusher.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The gyratory crusher 10 with a feed hopper 20 according to the invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The crusher comprises a frame 40 comprising an upper frame portion 41 and a lower frame portion 42 comprising a hub 43. The feed hopper 20 is detachably mounted onto the upper frame portion to function as a first inlet of material to be crushed (see Fig. 1 ). A vertical central shaft 60 is supported by the lower frame portion, via a spherical support in a cylinder-piston assembly 30 comprising a thrust bearing arranged on a piston of a hydraulic cylinder disposed in the frame 40. An eccentric 61 is rotatably arranged about the central shaft 60, i.e. mounted on the shaft, which excenter is adapted to rotate about said shaft. A crushing head 70 is mounted about the central shaft, and thus indirectly in the eccentric. A drive shaft 65 is arranged to cause the eccentric to rotate about the central shaft by means of a conical gear wheel engaging with a gear rim connected to the eccentric. The gear rim connected to the eccentric forms a drive ring 63 and is comparted in a drive ring pocket from the shaft. The eccentric comprises a hole through which the shaft is arranged, which hole is displaced in relation to a centre axis 80 of the hub 43 and is slightly inclined relative to the vertical plane to accommodate the tilting shaft, which is per se known in the art. Because of the displacement of the hole of the eccentric and the shaft, the crushing head will also be slightly inclined relative to the vertical plane.

A first crushing shell 71 is fixedly mounted on the crushing head 70 being fixedly mounted to the shaft 60. A second crushing shell 72 is fixedly mounted on the upper frame portion 41 . Between the two crushing shells a crushing gap 73 is formed, i.e. delimited, the width of which, in axial section as illustrated in Fig. 1 , decreases in the downward direction. When the drive shaft 65 (shown in Fig. 1 ), during operation of the crusher 10, rotates the eccentric 61 , the crushing head will execute a gyrating movement that drives the first crushing shell being an internal cone. A material to be crushed is introduced in the crushing gap 73 and is crushed between the first crushing shell and the second crushing shell as a result of the gyrating movement of the crushing head, during which movement the two crushing shells alternately approach and move away from one another in a gyratory pendulum motion. The crushing head, and the first crushing shell mounted thereon, will be in rolling engagement with said second crushing shell by way of the material to be crushed. This rolling engagement causes the first crushing shell, the crushing head and the shaft to rotate slowly together in a direction of rotation that is substantially opposite to the direction of rotation of the eccentric during crushing.

The feed hopper 20 according to the invention comprises a lower feed hopper portion 21 adapted for detachable mounting to the crusher 10. The lower feed hopper portion comprises a lower end 22. The crusher is protected from wear by the material to be crushed by means of a removable inner rim lining 50 supported by the cone crusher. The lower feed hopper portion 21 comprises holding means 23 adapted to secure the removable inner rim lining 50 in place. The holding means is an integrated edge on the inside of the feed hopper and extending inwards of the feed hopper towards the centre axis 80 extending through the crusher (see Fig 7). The holding means comprises a contact surface 24 adapted to bear against a contact surface 53 of the removable inner rim lining.

The holding means 23 is placed at a distance from the lower end 22 of the lower feed hopper portion 21 in the direction of the centre axis 80. The holding means is placed upstream of the lower feed hopper end 22 in the direction of flow for the material to be crushed through the crusher 10.

The removable inner rim lining 50 comprises a top end portion 51 comprising a rim lining projection 52 extending downwards along the lower feed hopper portion 21 in the direction of the centre axis 80. The projection is supported by an upper portion 1 1 of the crusher, which comprises an elevated shoulder 12 and the rim lining projection is hooked on the crusher shoulder and held in place inwards by the shoulder and outwards by the feed hopper 20. This is shown in Figs 2 and 3. The inner rim lining contact surface 53 is arranged at the top end portion 51 of the removable inner rim lining. The inner rim lining 50 is shown in Fig 4 where its top end surface 53 and foot-like base 52 in the form of projections are clearly shown. The foot-like base of the projection 52 has an underside, i.e. a lower contact surface 54 for bearing against the upper portion of the crusher.

The holding means 23 is integrated in the feed hopper 20 but could also be a separate device 25 detachably and/or adjustably connected to the feed hopper. The holding means 23 comprises the device 25 for adjustment of the holding means. This device 25 is adapted to bring the holding means contact surface 24 together with the rim lining contact surface 53 and/or away from each other. The holding means contact surface 24 is an underside of the holding means (see Figs 2 and 3) adapted to bear against the upper side of the inner rim lining 50, i.e. the rim lining contact surface 53 faces the holding means 23 from below while the holding means contact surface 24 faces the inner rim lining 50 from above.

The holding means 21 are integrated in the feed hopper 20 meaning that the feed hopper is put down on the crusher 10 when assembling the crusher, such that the holding means contact surface 24 bears against the upper contact surface 53 of the upper end 51 of the inner rim lining 50 while the feed hopper at the same time is supported by the upper portion 1 1 of the crusher 10 in the form of a flange 13 (see Figs 2 and 3). Then, the feed hopper is attached for example by tightening screw passing through holes in the feed hopper and into fastening holes on the crusher flange 1 3 for securing the feed hopper.

The inner rim lining 50 is machined at the upper end 51 to get a contact surface with a defined dimension and distance from the underside of the foot- like parts 52 to the upper bearing surface 53 for achieving a tolerance to faulty installation, warped surfaces and misadjustment due to the casting of the inner rim lining. This is important as the inner rim lining comprises separate segments around the inner circumference of the crusher, i.e. the inner rim lining is divided in a plurality of parts similar to separate arcs being a portion of a circular circumference, and the inventors realized that to be able to simplify the assembly and the replacement of the separate rim lining spare parts around the whole inside of the crusher and the fitting of the feed hopper 20 against and over the rim lining to eliminate skewing of the feed hopper and individual rim lining parts locally around the inner edge of the crusher, the dimensions and contact surfaces between the feed hopper, the rim lining and the crusher must be defined, and is done in accordance with the invention.

In one aspect of the invention, the detachable connection between the feed hopper 20 and the crusher 1 0 is protected from wear by the material to be crushed by means of the removable inner rim lining 50. Hence, the lower feed hopper portion 21 is adapted to secure the removable inner rim lining in place by the holding means 23 placed at a distance from the lower feed hopper end 22.

In another aspect of the invention, the crusher 10 comprises an inlet for detachable connection to the lower feed hopper portion 21 , which inlet of the crusher supports the feed hopper 20, whereby the detachable connection between the inlet of the crusher and the feed hopper is protected from wear by the material to be crushed by means of the removable inner rim lining 50, which removable inner rim lining is supported by the inlet of the crusher, characterized in that the lower feed hopper portion is adapted to secure the removable inner rim lining in place by means of the holding means 23 placed at a distance from the lower end 22 of the lower feed hopper portion.

1 0 gyratory crusher

1 1 upper portion of crusher

1 2 elevated shoulder on upper portion of crusher

1 3 flange on upper portion of crusher

20 feed hopper

21 lower portion of feed hopper

22 lower end of feed hopper

23 holding means

24 lower contacting surface of holding means

25 device for adjustment of holding means

30 cylinder-piston arrangement

40 crusher frame

41 upper crusher frame portion

42 lower crusher frame portion

43 crusher frame hub

50 inner rim lining

51 top/upper end portion of inner rim lining

52 projection from upper end of inner rim lining

53 top/upper contact/bearing surface of top end of inner rim lining 54 lower contact/bearing surface of rim lining projection

60 vertical shaft

61 eccentric

62 driving device

70 crushing head

71 first crushing shell

72 second crushing shell

73 crushing gap

80 centre axis of feed hopper/crusher/hub