US 6,682,213 B2Granted

Twin-screw continuous kneading apparatus and kneading method using the same

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho

InventorsKimio Inoue, Koichi Miyake

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Abstract

A twin-screw continuous kneading apparatus is provided which can stably supply an additive without reducing the production capability and greatly increase the throughput of a high-quality compound. The kneading apparatus includes a second supply unit connected to an upstream end or a midstream portion of a barrel and supplying an additive into kneading chambers, and has a kneading zone provided by a part of each of kneading screws downstream of the second supply unit for mixing the additive into a kneaded material. The kneading zone is constituted by a segment group made up of a plurality of rotor segments arranged successively in an axial direction of the kneading screw, the segment group satisfying conditions (a) the segment group comprises only feed segments having flights twisted in a direction to feed the kneaded material downstream with rotation of the kneading screw, or comprises the feed segments and neutral segments having flights parallel to the axial direction, and (b) each of the rotor segments making up the segment group has flights formed by arranging a high-height tip portion providing a comparatively small tip clearance relative to an inner wall surface of the kneading chamber and a low-height tip portion providing a comparatively large tip clearance alternately in the axial direction in succession.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A twin-screw continuous kneading apparatus comprising:

a barrel having a pair of kneading chambers formed therein in communication with each other;
a pair of kneading screws rotatably inserted in said kneading chambers;
first supply means for supplying a material to be kneaded into said kneading chambers, said first supply means being connected to an upstream end portion of said barrel;
second supply means for supplying an additive into said kneading chambers, said second supply means being connected to the upstream end portion or a midstream portion of said barrel;
an additive feed zone provided by a part of each of said kneading screws corresponding to said second supply means, said additive feed zone being made up of screw segments;
a downstream feed zone provided by a part of each of said kneading screws downstream of said additive feed zone, said downstream feed zone being made up of screw segments;
and
an additive mixing zone provided by a part of each of said kneading screws downstream of said additive feed zone and between said additive feed zone and said downstream feed zone, said additive mixing zone being made up of rotor segments arranged successively in an axial direction of said kneading screw,
wherein a segment group constituting said additive mixing zone satisfies conditions (a) and (b) given below:
(a) the segment group comprises only feed segments having flights twisted in a direction to feed the kneaded material downstream with rotation of said kneading screw, or comprises said feed segments and neutral segments having flights parallel to the axial direction of said kneading screw, and
(b) each of said rotor segments making up the segment group has flights formed by arranging a high-height tip portion providing a comparatively small tip clearance relative to an inner wall surface of said kneading chamber and a low-height tip portion providing a comparatively large tip clearance alternately in the axial direction in succession.

8 more elements

A twin-screw continuous kneading apparatus comprising:

a barrel having a pair of kneading chambers formed therein in communication with each other;
a pair of kneading screws rotatably inserted in said kneading chambers;
first supply means for supplying a material to be kneaded into said kneading chambers, said first supply means being connected to an upstream end portion of said barrel;
a first feed zone provided by a part of each of said kneading screws corresponding to said first supply means, said first feed zone being made up of screw segments;
a downstream feed zone provided by a part of each of said kneading screws downstream of said first feed zone, said downstream feed zone being made up of screw segments;
and
a first kneading zone provided by a part of each of said kneading screws downstream of said first feed zone and between said first feed zone and said downstream feed zone, said first kneading zone being made up of rotor segments arranged successively in an axial direction of said kneading screw,
wherein a segment group constituting said first kneading zone satisfies conditions (a) and (b) given below:
(a) the segment group comprises only feed segments having flights twisted in a direction to feed the kneaded material downstream with rotation of said kneading screw, or comprises said feed segments and neutral segments having flights parallel to the axial direction of said kneading screw, and
(b) each of said rotor segments making up the segment group has flights formed by arranging a high-height tip portion providing a comparatively small tip clearance relative to an inner wall surface of said kneading chamber and a low-height tip portion providing a comparatively large tip clearance alternately in the axial direction in succession.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/032,555Filed 2 Jan 2002
Priority: JP 2001-00830216 Jan 2001
Published: US 2002/0093118 A118 Jul 2002
Granted: 27 Jan 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B29B 7/481
With intermeshing devices, e.g. screws: provided with paddles, gears or discs
B29B 7/482
With intermeshing devices, e.g. screws: provided with screw parts in addition to other mixing parts, e.g. paddles, gears, discs
B29B 7/483
Provided with screw parts in addition to other mixing parts, e.g. paddles, gears, discs: the other mixing parts being discs perpendicular to the…
B29B 7/7495
Systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams; Plants: for mixing rubber