US 7,559,493 B1 · Deterring wear at a bearing construct in a basket media mill

Abstract

A media basket mill utilizes a media bed having very small media to attain a mixture of finely divided solids in a liquid vehicle. A bearing construct which journals the rotor of the basket mill within the basket of the mill includes a bearing which is protected against excessive wear by including a recess in the rotor. The recess is juxtaposed with the bearing and communicates with the media bed such that upon rotation of the rotor to pass feedstock through the media bed for a mixing operation, media and feedstock in the vicinity of the bearing will be directed from the recess into the bed of media and feedstock outside the rotor, thereby diverting media and feedstock away from the bearing and deterring excessive wear which might otherwise result from media and feedstock interacting with the bearing during rotation of the rotor for the mixing operation.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An improvement in a media basket mill having a basket with a basket wall establishing an interior for containing a bed of very small media within the basket, and a rotor having a hub journaled within a basket bearing construct for rotation about an axial direction within the basket while feedstock is passed through the basket, the improvement comprising:

a recess within the hub of the rotor, the recess being juxtaposed with the bearing construct and extending in the axial direction away from the bearing construct and into the hub, and in radial directions to expose the bearing construct to the recess and to establish a hub wall between the recess and the interior of the basket;
and
at least one at least one opening in the hub, the opening extending through the hub wall in a radial direction from the recess to the interior of the basket outside the rotor such that upon rotation of the rotor, media and feedstock in the vicinity of the bearing construct will be directed from the recess through the at least one opening to the interior of the basket and into the bed of media and feedstock outside the rotor, thereby diverting media and feedstock away from the bearing construct and deterring excessive wear which might otherwise result from media and feedstock interacting with the bearing construct during rotation of the rotor.

A method for deterring wear at a basket bearing construct in a media basket mill having a basket with a basket wall establishing an interior for containing a bed of very small media within the basket, and a rotor having a hub journaled within the basket bearing construct for rotation about an axial direction within the basket while feedstock is passed through the basket, the method comprising:

providing a recess within the hub of the rotor;
placing the recess in juxtaposition with the bearing construct so as to extend in the axial direction away from the bearing construct and into the hub, and in radial directions to expose the bearing construct to the recess and to establish a hub wall between the recess and the interior of the basket;
providing at least one opening in the hub;
placing the at least one opening so as to extend through the hub wall in a radial direction from the recess to the interior of the basket outside the rotor;
and
rotating the rotor to direct media and feedstock in the vicinity of the bearing construct from the recess through the at least one opening to the interior of the basket and into the bed of media and feedstock outside the rotor, to thereby divert media and feedstock away from the bearing construct and deter excessive wear at the bearing construct which might otherwise result from media and feedstock interacting with the bearing construct during rotation of the rotor.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Deterring wear at a bearing construct in a basket media mill

Life of this patent

Deterring wear at a bearing construct in a basket media mill

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17