Concave retaining and removal system for crushers

A top shell for a gyratory or cone crusher, the top shell comprising:

• a frame including a top end and a bottom end joined by an inner wall that defines a crushing chamber;
• a plurality of concaves arranged in at least one row and supported along the inner wall of the top shell, each of the concaves including a wear surface facing the crushing chamber and a back surface in contact with the inner wall, wherein the wear surface and the back surface are joined to each other by straight side walls located at first and second sides of the concave;
• at least one wedge concave positioned between two adjacent concaves, the wedge concave including a wear surface facing the crushing chamber and a back surface in contact with the inner wall, wherein the wear surface has a width greater than the width of the back surface and the wear surface is joined to the back surface by a pair of angled side walls at first and second sides of the wedge concave;
• and
• at least a pair of wedges, wherein a first wedge is configured to be positioned between the straight side wall of a first concave and one of the angled side walls of the wedge concave and a second wedge is configured to be positioned between the straight side wall of a second concave and the other angled side wall of the wedge concave.

A method of installing a crushing shell on an inner wall of a frame of a top shell of a gyratory or cone crusher, the method comprising the steps of:

• arranging a plurality of concaves in at least one row along the inner wall of the top shell with a back surface in contact with the inner wall and a wear surface facing a crushing chamber, wherein straight side walls of adjacent concaves contact each other;
• creating a receiving gap between two of the concaves in a hoop direction of the top shell;
• inserting a wedge concave within the receiving gap such that a portion of an angled side wall on each of first and second sides of the wedge concave contacts the straight side wall of the two concaves spaced by the receiving gap;
• and
• inserting a wedge between the wedge concave and each of the two concaves spaced by the receiving gap to create a holding force between the plurality of concaves in the hoop direction.