DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a raised wall for hoppers, in particular for fertilizer spreading machines, of the type including the features set out in the preamble of the main claim.

The term "fertilizer spreaders" in the following context is intended to be understood to include machines for the broadcast distribution of granular material which is generally obtained by the effect of a centrifugal type distributor, for example, machines for scattering granular chemical products, such as fertilizers, salt spreading machines, broadcast sowers and the like. The raised wall of this invention is preferably used in such machines, but is configured to be used in hoppers which are also intended for other purposes. Fertilizer spreaders can be configured with hoppers with capacities which are different in accordance with the requirements of the user. In order to obtain machines with different capacities, it is possible to construct different hoppers to be combined from time to time with the single basic machine or it is possible to take a basic hopper as a basis and to subsequently add raised portions (raised walls) in order to achieve the total desired capacity. It is very important for the hopper, however it is constructed, to be substantially sealed, that is to say, not to have openings or discontinuities from which the material to be distributed can be discharged, becoming scattered over the environment. This is because this can cause both environmental damage and a useless waste of expensive product. In order to overcome these disadvantages, a known technique is to construct entire hoppers of various sizes which are obtained by welding the panels which constitute them to each other. However, such a methodology involves a large number of disadvantages because it is necessary to know well in advance the configuration selected by the client, it is necessary to have available hoppers with different capacities and it further involves higher costs for the economic expenditure, transport and storage of the hoppers which are constructed in this manner.

The most flexible solution for obtaining hoppers with different capacities is instead to construct a basic hopper, the capacity of which can be enlarged by means of raised walls which are joined to each other and to the basic hopper by means, for example, of bolted fixings. In this case, however, the inevitable tolerances and technical limitations during the preparation of the metal sheets which are constructed with the normal bending techniques lead to the inevitable formation of small openings from which the product to be distributed can be discharged, in particular at the edges of the hopper.

One solution for overcoming the problem is to seal the junctions with silicone. However, this selection is least appreciated both in terms of aesthetic effect and in terms of durability. The silicone over time becomes dirty, changes colour but particularly becomes detached. Another known solution is to use corner pieces made from plastics material. In this case, the entire edge of the hopper or the raised wall is constructed from plastics material. The component made from plastics material becomes a structural element of the hopper which, over time, can break as a result of the phenomena of ageing of the plastics material. Furthermore, it involves high costs of investment for constructing the moulds. There is also provision for constructing sides and corner pieces of the hopper by moulding in a single piece from sheet metal. In this case, the investment costs are also very high but can be reduced by constructing sides and corner pieces from sheet metal which are subsequently joined by welding. However, even this hypothesis is disadvantageous as a result of some aspects connected particularly with the manpower necessary for taking up the components and the potential grinding of the welds.

An example of a hopper is described in EP1820383.

The invention involves this technical context. The main problem confronted by the invention is to provide a raised wall for hoppers which is structurally and functionally configured to overcome at least some of the defects set out with reference to the cited prior art. It is further preferable for the hopper to be able to be assembled at any time, including after delivery to the client, and for it to be able to be modified in terms of capacity and dimensions even at times after the original construction thereof.

This problem is solved according to the invention by means of a raised wall for hoppers, particularly though not exclusively conceived to be used in fertilizer spreading machines, and constructed according to one or more of the claims listed below. According to an embodiment, the raised wall comprises at least one panel with at least a first end and a second end which are arranged for mutual connection to corresponding ends of at least one adjacent panel and a seal which is provided to be applied between adjacent panels in the region of the connection zone. There is defined in a panel suitable for constructing the raised wall a plugging surface which is provided with identically orientated longitudinal edges which are configured to be joined in a superimposed manner on an adjacent edge. Therefore, it will be appreciated that, preferably, the longitudinal edges perform the function of flanges. The longitudinal edges are preferably interrupted in the region of the application zone of the seal where the panel is continued by the single plugging surface. The seal preferably comprises a first surface which is intended to be in abutment with the plugging surface from the exterior of the hopper, a second surface which is intended to be in abutment with the plugging surface from the interior of the hopper, a bridge between the first surface and second surface delimiting a channel between the surfaces in which there is received the plugging surface of adjacent panels for recovering and blocking the gap generated by the interruption of the edges.

In a preferred embodiment, the seal has an angular shape.

According to one embodiment, the channel is shaped to receive four plugging surfaces of four corresponding adjacent panels, both longitudinally and in a superimposed state.

It is preferable for the first surface to have a greater extent than the second surface so as to overhang with respect to the projection thereof in the plane of the first surface and to overhang beyond the gap generated by the interruption of the edges. There is thereby obtained both a correct anchoring of the seal to the panels of the raised wall and a correct seal in the region of the gap.

Advantageously, the channel comprises a portion including a superimposition zone, in which the channel has double the width with respect to that of another portion of the channel in such a manner that the superimposition zone can receive two superimposed plugging surfaces and the other portion can receive a single one of the plugging surfaces. There is thereby constructed a solid junction between adjacent panels by superimposing the ends in the region of the corners. Preferably, the first surface has an inflected course in the region of the end of the superimposition zone. This allows the first surface to return in a manner tight against the corresponding panel just beyond the superimposition zone. The seal is made from plastics material or rubber or other material which is sufficiently resilient and which withstands corrosive phenomena. The first surface of the seal in the region of the inflected course is shaped so as to return in a manner tight against the corresponding plugging surface with a terminal portion thereof which extends so as to cover from the exterior a portion of the plugging surfaces, in which the edge is still present.

A hopper with variable capacity in accordance with the contingent requirements can thereby be constructed by assembling on a hopper base at least one raised wall ring which is constructed with raised walls constructed according to one or more of the preceding features.

The features and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a hopper with raised walls constructed according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the hopper of Figure 1 in an assembled condition; - Figure 3 is a plan view of a detail of the hopper of the preceding Figures;

- Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are respectively a perspective view, a front view, a plan view from above and a cross-section along the line VII-VII of Figure 6 of a detail of the raised wall according to the invention; - Figures 8 to 10 are respectively a perspective view, a view from below and a cross-section along the line X-X of Figure 9 of another detail of the raised wall according to the invention.

In the Figures, there is generally designated 1 a hopper with a variable volume for a fertilizer spreading machine which is not illustrated. The hopper 1 comprises a hopper base 2, for example, with a frustopyramidal shape or frustoconical shape which tapers towards the bottom and which is formed by panels 3 which are joined by angular profiles 4 and which are terminated towards the upper portion (or at the side with the greater extent) with a peripheral edge 5 with a relief which is folded in an L-shaped manner towards the interior of the hopper so as to constitute an end wall thereof. As will be better illustrated below, one or more raised wall rings 6 are positioned and fixed on the peripheral edge 5.

The raised wall rings 6 are constructed by assembling a plurality of panels 7, one for each hopper side. In the exemplary configuration, this involves a hopper with a quadrangular outline and therefore each ring is composed of four panels 7 with a main longitudinal extent, each one having respective longitudinally opposite ends 7a, b which are provided for mutual connection with corresponding ends 7b, a of at least one adjacent panel 7.

The panels 7 have a plugging surface 8 which is provided with longitudinal edges 9 which preferably run along the two greater sides and which are preferably obtained by bending the sheet metal of the plugging surface 8 in an identically orientated manner at right-angles. The term "edge" is therefore preferably intended to refer to the shaping of the sheet metal edges.

As also shown in the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2, the longitudinal edges 9 advantageously act as flanges. More particularly, in addition to stiffening and rigidifying this surface 8, the edges 9 are provided with through-holes 10 for screw/bolt connections which serve to join a respective edge 9 to an adjacent edge 9 with overlap, respectively. Therefore, this allows to construct by superimposing a plurality of panels a continuous wall for extending the hopper base 2 as high as necessary to bring about the desired charging capacity in the hopper 1. It will be observed that the peripheral edge 5 at the apex of the hopper base 2 is preferably equal to the edges 9 of the panels so as to allow the connection thereof over the entire desired height of the wall (raised wall) with overlap. The longitudinal edges 9 are interrupted at the ends 7a, b, bringing about in the angle junctions between panels a gap zone which is generally designated 12. This gap zone 12 is closed according to the invention by applying a seal 13; 17 between the panels.

It may be observed that the ends 7a, b of the panels 7 are preferably formed, the first one 7a in the form of a substantially planar wing which is positioned in continuation of the corresponding plugging surface 8 but with a height which is slightly reduced with respect to the distance between the edges 9 and the second one 7b with the same wing terminated by orthogonal folding at right-angles relative to the longitudinal dimension with which this end is connected with overlap to the planar wing of the end 7a. The joint is preferably completed by connections 14, for example, of the screw/bolt type or the like.

The seal 13; 17 is preferably made from rubber or another moulded plastics material and comprises two sides 15, 16 which are preferably at right-angles relative to each other. It can be constructed as an end seal 17 between adjacent panels of raised wall rings 6 which are superimposed or as an intermediate seal 13 between panels which are both longitudinally adjacent and vertically superimposed.

The difference between the two is that the first one corresponds to the lower half of the second one, the second one preferably being specularly symmetrical with respect to a centre plane.

Having carried out this introduction, there will be described in detail below only the intermediate seal 13, it being understood that the end seal 17 in practice constitutes the lower half of the seal described. Advantageously, the end seal 17 may comprise a covering portion 40 which is able to at least partially cover a respective gap zone 12 of the raised wall ring 6 which is more remote with respect to the hopper base 2.

The seal 13 is applied as has been set out to the panels 7 in the gap zone 12 and comprises a first surface 18 which is intended to be in abutment against the plugging surface 8 at the exterior of the hopper 1, a second surface 19 which is intended to be in abutment against the plugging surface 8 from the interior of the hopper 1, a bridge 20 between the first and second surfaces delimiting a channel 21 between the same surfaces, in which the plugging surface 8 of adjacent panels 7 is received for recovering and blocking the gap 12 generated by the interruption of the edges 9. The channel 21 extends in the seal 13 both in the upper half and in the lower half while it is provided in the seal 17 only in the lower portion, that is to say, the only portion present.

The first external surface 18 has a greater extent than the second internal surface 19 so as to overhang with respect to the projection thereof in the plane of the external surface and to overhang beyond the gap zone 12 which is determined by the interruption of the edges 9.

At locations where the two wings of the ends 7a, b are superimposed, the channel 21 has a portion including a superimposition zone 31 in which the channel 21 has double the width with respect to the width of another portion of the channel 21. In this manner, the superimposition zone can receive two superimposed plugging surfaces. In the other portion, however, the channel 21 has such a width as to be able to receive only one of the end surfaces. At the end of the superimposition zone 31, the first surface 18 forms an inflected course 30 so as to return adherent to the corresponding plugging surface 8 with a terminal portion 22 thereof which extends so as to cover from the exterior a small portion of the plugging surfaces 8 in which the edge 9 is still present.

In order to construct hoppers 1 of various capacities, the hopper base 2 is taken as a basis by applying thereto the rings of raised walls 6 necessary to achieve the desired volume of the hopper 1. The hopper 1 obtained in this manner can also be adapted in future to any new needs simply by adding or removing rings of raised walls 6 as desired. At locations where one or more panels 7 could be damaged as a result of impacts, corrosion phenomena or the like, they may be readily replaced with integral new panels 7. It is further possible to construct basic hoppers which require a small volume of storage and a smaller investment and financial expenditure and to separately construct rings of raised walls 6 by means of which to adapt the basic hoppers to the capacity required by the client without having to use special workpieces, adaptations or the like.