Impeller for an impact crusher

An impeller for use in a centrifugal impact rock crusher, said crusher having a cylindrical housing with a vertically disposed central axis and an interior, means defining an impact surface positioned radially around the interior of said housing and transverse to said central axis, impeller mounting means for mounting said impeller concentrically within said housing and for rotating said impeller about said axis, and feed means for feedin rock to be crushed to said impeller, said impeller comprising:

• upper and lower cover plates, said lower cover plate being connected to said impeller mounting means and said upper cover plate defining an opening concentric with said axis for receiving rock to be crushed into said impeller;
• means defining a landing surface carried upon said lower cover plate concentrically with said axis for impingement thereon of rock being fed to said impeller by said feed means;
• a generally cylindrical sidewall between said upper and lower cover plates and defining therein a plurality of exit openings in an equally spaced relationship along said sidewall, each of said openings having two opposing side edges and a top edge and bottom edge between said side edges;
• rock retaining means connected to at least one of said cover plates and said sidewall and adjacent to one of said side edges of each of said openings for retaining a portion of rock to be crushed as an accumulation within said impeller in response to rotation thereof, said retaining means being adapted to create an accumulation of such rock at each of said openings, wherein each of said accumulations will include a relatively well-defined accumulation face, rotation of said impeller causing rock to move generally along said accumulation faces as said rock is thrown through said openings;
• and
• varieties of wear plates adapted to be mounted on said upper and lower cover plates and cover said top and bottom edges of said exit openings, each of said wear plates having a wear plate surface extending outwardly from said landing surface away from said central axis, having an outermost edge, and being selectively connected to one of said cover plates such that one of said accumulation faces will intersect at least one of said wear plates at an intersection location, said wear plate at least one of said wear plates defining a recess along the intersection location, said recess extending into said wear plate surface of said at least one of said wear plates to a level below the level of said outermost edge of said at least one of said wear plates and away from said intersection location along at least a portion of said face, said recess extending outwardly relative to the landing surface and being adapted to retain therein a portion of rock to be crushed whereby the recess comprises part of said rock retaining means;
• said varieties of wear plates differing from each other in the shape of the recess, said shapes being determined by the characteristics of types of rock to be crushed, selection of the specific one of said varieties for connection to said cover plates being determined by the type of rock to be crushed.

An impeller for use in a centrifugal impact rock crusher, said crusher having a cylindrical housing with a vertically disposed central axis and an interior, means defining an impact surface positioned radially around the interior of said housing and transverse to said central axis, impeller mounting means for mounting said impeller concentrically within said housing and for rotating said impeller about said axis, and feed means for feeding rock to be crushed to said impeller, said impeller comprising:

• upper and lower cover plates, said lower cover plate being connected to said impeller mounting means and said upper cover plate defining an opening concentric with said axis for receiving rock to be crushed into said impeller;
• means defining a landing surface carried upon said lower cover plate concentrically with said axis for impingement thereon of rock being fed to said impeller by said feed means;
• a generally cylindrical sidewall connecting said upper and lower cover plates and defining therein a plurality of exit openings in an equally spaced relationship along said sidewall, each of said openings having opposing first and second side edges and a top edge and bottom edge between said side edges;
• rock retaining means connected to at least one of said cover plates and said sidewall adjacently said first side edge of each of said openings for retaining a portion of rock to be crushed as an accumulation within said impeller in response to rotation thereof, said retaining means being adapted to create an accumulation of such rock at each of said openings, wherein each of said accumulations will include a relatively well-defined accumulation face, rotation of said impeller causing rock to move generally along said accumulation faces as said rock is thrown through said openings;
• and
• a plurality of first and second wear plates carried on said cover plates and covering said top and bottom edges of said exit openings, each of said first and second wear plates having a wear plate surface continuing from said landing surface, having an outermost edge, and being connected in alternating fashion to one of said cover plates such that one of said first wear plates and one of said second wear plates extend into each of said openings, each said first wear plate extending into said opening adjacent to a said first side edge so as to be intersected by an accumulation face at a respective intersection, said second wear plates extending into said opening adjacent a said second side edges;
• each said first wear plate defining a recess along the respective said intersection which extends into each said first wear plate surface to a level below the level of said outermost edge of each said first wear plate and extends away from said intersection along at least a portion thereof, said recess extending outwardly relative to the landing surface and being adapted to retain therein a portion of the rock to be crushed whereby the recess comprises part of the rock retaining means.

An impeller assembly for use in a centrifugal impact rock crusher, comprising:

• a rotatable cylindrical impeller housing with a vertically disposed central rotary axis, said housing having an upper impeller unit which has a feed opening disposed coaxially with said housing for receiving rock, said housing also having a lower impeller unit which has a landing surface disposed coaxially with said housing for impingement on said landing surface of rock being fed through said feed opening, said impeller units being connected to each other by a generally cylindrical side wall unit which has a plurality of exit openings spaced around said side wall unit, each of said exit openings having an upper opening edge, a bottom opening edge, and two opposing first and second side opening edges, wherein rotation of the impeller housing about said axis defines the first of said side opening edges of each of said exit openigns as a forward side edge and the second of said side edges of each of said exit openings as a rearward side edge with respect to the direction of rotation of the impeller housing;
• rock retaining means connected to at least one of said impeller units and said sidewall and adjacnet to one of said side edges of each of said exit openings for retaining a portion of rock to be crushed as an accumulation wihtin said impeller in response to rotation thereof, said retaining means being adapted to create and accumulation of such rock at each of said exit openings, wherein each of said accumulations will include a relatively well-defined accumulation face, rotation of said impeller causing rock to move generally along said accumulation faces as said rock is thrown through said exit openings;
• said rock retaining means including lip members disposed within said exit openings adjacent the second side edge thereof and extending substantially the full height of the exit openings, each lip member extending inwardly with respect to said cylindrical side wall unit from a respective exit opening and being shaped for facilitating retention of a portion of rock to be crushed to thereby protect the second side edge of each exit opening;
• mounting means for said lip members extending between said upper and lower impeller units and interfitting with said lip members near said side wall unit;
• and
• a plurality of top and bottom wear plates carried on said upper and lower impeller units, respectively, each of said wear plates having a wear plate surface extending outwardly from said landing surface away from said central axis having an external edge, and being connected to one of said cover plates such that one of said accumulation faces will intersect said wear plate at a respective intersection, the wear plate surfaces of said bottom wear plates being at a level above the level of said bottom edges and adjacent thereto, each said bottom wear plate defining a recess along said intersection which extends into its wear plate surface below the level of its outermost edge and away from the location of the respective accumulation face along at least a portion thereof, said recess extending upwardly away from the landing surface and being adapted to retain therein a portion of rock to be crushed whereby the recess comprises part of said rock retaining means.