Tile Etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a tile, particularly a wear and/or abrasive resistant tile, to a tile

carrier and to a tile and carrier combination.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

It is known to employ ceramic, metallic, metallic alloys or the like tiles as at least part

of a wear and/or abrasive resistant surface.

Thus, for example, it is known to mount such tiles by means of a suitable bonding

material on a carrier or the like which constitutes part of the blade or the like of apparatus

intended to handle abrasive materials, such as, for example, classifiers; centrifuges etc. It is also

known to employ a plurality of such tiles of wedge-like configuration in side-by-side abutting

relationship to define the curved blade of such an apparatus.

The aforesaid carriers are usually of a suitable metal, and they are usually secured to the

main body of the apparatus through welding or the like, the welding being carried out after the

tiles have been bonded to the carriers by means of a suitable epoxy type adhesive, or the like.

The thermal shock involved in such welding operations can have a deleterious effect on

the aforesaid bonding material which can result in the tiles becoming detached from their carriers

during use.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an improved tile, tile carrier, and

tile and carrier combination with which the aforesaid problems may be overcome or at least

minimised.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tile, particularly

a wear and/or abrasive resistant tile, having a front, working face, and a rear mounting face, a

pair of spaced-apart, parallel slide surfaces associated with the rear mounting face, at least one

of which slide surfaces is a lip formation, to provide, in use, for sliding, lateral insertion of the

tile into a complementary receiving slot of a tile carrier, with the or each lip formation providing

mechanical resistance to inadvertent detachment of the tile from its carrier, in a direction towards

the front face.

The tile may be of alumina.

In a tile with one lip formation, the latter may be downwardly projecting, or upwardly

projecting, and could be constituted by a web or flange. In a tile with two, opposed lip

formations, one may be half dovetail.

At least one groove, typically of concave profile, may be provided in the rear face of the

tile.

The tile may be of substantially wedge-like configuration having a pair of mutually

inclined, radially extending end faces, a tangential innermost face, and an outermost face having

a shallow, arcuate profile.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, of independent significance, there

is provided a tile carrier to receive a tile, comprising a body member having a laterally open slot

defined at least in part by a pair of mutually facing, parallel mounting faces, between which faces

spaced-apart, slide surfaces of a tile may be slid laterally, with a lip formation associated with

at least one mounting face to provide mechanical resistance to inadvertent removal of a laterally

inserted tile in a non-lateral, forward direction, and with an aperture communicating between a

base of the slot and a rear opening of the tile, whereby an adhesive may be injected from outside

the carrier through the aperture to enter the slot and make contact with a rear face of a laterally

inserted tile.

Preferably, the carrier is of steel.

Preferably, the carrier is provided with two, mutually opposed lip formations, with at

least one of the formations comprising a groove or half dovetail.

Bonding of a tile to its carrier may, for example, be effected through the employment of

a suitable adhesive such as, for example, a suitable epoxy or the like.

Above the slot, the carrier may be provided with a transverse, planar support surface for

a portion of the rear face of an inserted tile. To ensure contact of adhesive with such portion,

the planar surface may be provided with a transverse groove, which stops short of the terminal

ends of the support surface, the transverse groove being in communication with the slot, for fluid

flow of adhesive, by means of an inter-connecting groove.

Preferably, the carrier is of such construction that, within limits, it may carry a range of

tile sizes.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, of independent significance, there

is provided a tile and carrier combination, with the carrier in accordance with the second aspect

and with an adhesive accommodating space defined by a rear of a laterally inserted tile and the

base of the slot, whereby injected adhesive fills this space to make contact with both the rear

face, or a substantial portion of the rear face, of a tile, and with the base of the slot, for bonded

retention of the tile in the carrier, in addition to mechanical retention provided by the inter-

engagement of the tile lip formations with the carrier slot.

It will be appreciated that with such an arrangement, the tile may be mounted on the

carrier simply by bringing the said slide surfaces of the tile in the required inter-relationship with

the slot of the carrier and then sliding the tile in a direction at right angles to the direction of the

force that will be imposed on the tile in service; until the tile and carrier are in the required

interlocking relationship. This third aspect thus provides both mechanical interlock, and

chemical bond, between the tile and carrier.

Preferably, at what, in use, will be a radially outer end of the combination, the tile carrier

protrudes beyond an outer edge of the tile so as to protect this edge during installation of the

combined tile and carrier on a scroll etc.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention of independent significance, there is

provided a scroll or other rotary member of apparatus such as a classifier or centrifuge provided

with an array of tile and carrier combinations in accordance with the third aspect, such that the

combinations describe a circle, with adjacent lateral edges of adjacent combinations in closely

spaced, abutting relationship, whereby lateral displacement of a tile from its slot is precluded.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing

a tile and carrier combination in accordance with the third aspect, comprising

(i) inserting a tile laterally into a receiving groove of the carrier by inter-

engagement of complementary slide surfaces;

(ii) welding the carrier to a scroll or similar component of a machine such as a

classifier; and

(iii) injecting an adhesive through the aperture of the carrier into the slot to make

contact between a rear face of a laterally inserted tile, whereby the latter is secured

not only mechanically but also by chemical bonding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference

to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figures 1 - 4 are, respectively, front elevation, rear elevation, plan view and section A -

A of a first embodiment of tile in accordance with a first aspect of the invention;

Figures 5 - 8 are, respectively, front elevation, rear elevation, Section B - B, and

enlargement of the circled portion of Figure 7 of a first embodiment of carrier in accordance

with the second aspect of the invention;

Figures 9, 10 and 11 are, respectively, diagrammatic front, rear and sectional views of

the tile and carrier combination of Figures 1 to 8;

Figure 12 indicates the side-by-side laterally abutting mounting on a scroll, of tile and

carrier combination of Figures 9 to 11 ;

Figure 13 corresponds to Figure 11 but shows a second embodiment of tile and a second

embodiment of carrier; and

Figure 14 indicates the side-by-side, laterally abutting mounting of an array of tile and

carrier combinations of the Figure 13 embodiment on a scroll etc., of a classifier etc.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In all Figures, like component parts are allocated like reference numerals.

In Figures 1 - 4 is illustrated a tile 10 having a front, working face 12 and a rear,

mounting face 9.

The tile 10 may, for example, be of a suitable wear and/or abrasive resistant material such

as alumina, a suitable metal, or metallic alloy, or the like, while carrier 11 may, for example, be

of stainless steel.

As can be seen from Figures 1 to 4, in use. a force will be exerted on the tile 10 in the

direction indicated by arrow 13, and the outline of the tile and carrier combination is of

substantially wedge-like configuration having a pair of mutually inclined, radially extending end

faces 1, a tangential innermost face which constitutes a slide surface 2, and an outermost face 3

having a shallow, arcuate profile.

The lower edge of the rear face 9 of the tile 10 together with a chamfered face 7 at the

lower edge of the working face 12 defines a lower lip formation 14 extending the full width of

the tile 10, and terminating at the lower, transversely extending slide surface 2, whilst an upper,

parallel slide surface 5 is located part-way down the rear face 9 from which slide surface 5

extends a half dovetail, upper lip formation 22. The otherwise planar rear face 9 is interrupted

by a groove 6 extending from the face 2 to the upper slide surface 5.

From Figures 5 to 8, it can be seen that the carrier 11 includes a transverse groove 16

defined between mutually facing, upper and lower parallel mounting surfaces 8 and 4

respectively, adapted, in use, to be engaged by the slide surfaces 2 and 5 of a tile 11. A lip

formation 15 extends upwardly from the upper surface 8, whilst a lip formation 19 extends

downwardly from the lower surface 8, to define upper and lower half dovetailed shaped grooves

18 for mechanical retention of a tile 10 within its carrier 11. An upper support face 26 of he

carrier is provided with a transverse groove 23 stopping short of the ends of the carrier and, via

a groove 24, communicating with the transverse grove 16 of the carrier 11.

As indicated in Figures 9 to 11, tile 10 is mounted on carrier 11 by bringing one end of

its lip formation 14 and one end of its upper slide surface 5 in alignment with the open end of

groove 16 and its mounting surfaces 8 and 4, and then sliding tile 10 relative to carrier 11 until

both tile end faces 1 are slightly exposed, to the same extent beyond the carrier 11 , can be seen

in Figure 10.

With the tile 10 so mounted on carrier 11, the latter may be welded to a substructure, such

as a scroll 25 of the relevant apparatus in its required position, so that, with a plurality of such

combinations is located in side-by-side abutting relationship, as is indicated in Figures 12 and

14, they will collectively describe a circle which could, for example, be that of a circular or

scroll-like blade, of an apparatus such as a classifier, centrifuge, etc.

In addition to the mechanical retention of the tile within its carrier - provided by inter-

engagement of the lip formations, the tile 10 may be chemically bonded to carrier 11 by

applying thereto an adhesive, such as a suitable epoxy, for example, which may be deposited into

a relatively narrow gap 17 between the rear face 9 of tile 10 and a base 21 of the transverse

groove 16 on carrier 11 and also into the groove 6 by injecting, from the outside, a flowable

epoxy through a passage or aperture 20 in carrier 11, and, via the gap 17, into the grooves 24 and

23 with, as stated previously, this chemical bonding effected after the carrier 11 has been welded

to the scroll 25.