Vibrating floor for and method of unloading residual grain from a grain storage enclosure
OwnerLarry K. Moeninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus, system, and method for unloading residual particulate matter such as grain from a storage enclosure such as a grain bin, silo, or building having at least one floor opening. In one embodiment, a corrugated metal overfloor is added spaced above the bin floor by a framework of generally horizontal beams and plural downwardly depending legs. The frame work supports the overflooring at a slight (e.g. 1 or 2 degrees) slope from the bin sidewall towards the floor opening. Vibration generators are distributed across the overflooring and can be operated to generate vibration in the overflooring to influence residual particulate towards the floor opening.
Claims21
A vibratory overflooring assembly to influence residual particulate material to at least one unloading opening comprising:
- a. an overflooring section;
- b. a framework under the overflooring section;
- c. one or more vibrational force generators operably coupled to the overflooring section;
- d. the framework comprising:
- i. main underbeams having a direction and to which the overflooring section is mounted;
- ii. downward depending legs having upper ends attached to the underbeams and lower ends free and unattached;
- iii. wherein the legs are configured to support the overflooring section at a slight slope toward the at least one unloading opening of at or between 1 and 5 degrees in a direction relative to horizontal;
- e. wherein the overflooring section comprises corrugated sheet metal having corrugations with a direction and the direction of corrugations are at least generally in the direction of the slope;
- f. wherein the direction of the main underbeams is transverse to the direction of the slope and the direction of the corrugations.
A method of unloading residual particulate matter from a particulate matter storage enclosure having a floor and a sidewall extending upwardly from the floor, and at least one unloading opening in the floor or the sidewall near the floor comprising:
- a. adding an overflooring spaced from and over the floor having a slight slope in a direction toward the at least one unloading opening wherein the overflooring comprises corrugated sheet metal having corrugations with a direction and the direction of the corregations are at least generally in the direction of the slope;
- the overflooring supported by a framework comprising:
- i. main underbeams having a direction and to which the overflooring section is mounted;
- ii. downward depending legs having upper ends attached to the underbeams and lower ends free and unattached;
- iii. wherein the legs are configured to support the overflooring section at a slight slope of at or between 1 and 5 degrees relative to horizontal;
- and the direction of the main underbeams is transverse to the direction of the slope and the direction of the corrugations;
- b. vibrating the overflooring at a frequency and force to influence residual grain along the slope toward the at least one unloading opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.