Grate support element and open-ended grinding mill
A grate support element for supporting a grate of an open-ended grinding mill that includes an outer perimeter section, an inner section, and at least one vane extending between the outer perimeter section and the inner section. The grate support element further includes a mounting flange at the outer perimeter of the grate support element configured to enable mounting of the grate support element to a shell of the grinding mill at an area of the shell not intruding to the grinding mill volume. The mounting flange extends outwards from the middle of the cross section of the grinding mill.
1. A grate support element configured to support a discharge grate of an open-ended grinding mill devoid of a discharge trunnion, pulp lifters to lift ground material to the discharge trunnion or a solid discharge head plate or a discharge grate of a semi-open-ended grinding mill including a partial head plate at a discharge end extending partially from a perimeter of a shell towards a longitudinal axis of a drum but no discharge trunnion or traditional pulp lifters, whereby ground material is configured to be discharged from the discharge grate straight to the atmosphere, wherein the grate support element comprises:
an outer perimeter section directed away from a middle of a cross section of the open-ended grinding mill in a transverse direction of the open-ended grinding mill,
an inner section directed towards the middle of the cross section of the open-ended grinding mill in the transverse direction of the open-ended grinding mill, and
a vane extending between the outer perimeter section and the inner section in such a manner that the vane has an inner section side end connected to the inner section and an outer perimeter section side end connected to the outer perimeter section,
wherein the grate support element includes a mounting flange at an outer perimeter of the grate support element that is configured to enable mounting of the grate support element to a shell of the open-ended grinding mill at an area of the shell not intruding to a grinding mill volume, the mounting flange extending outwards from the middle of the cross section of the open-ended grinding mill.
2. A The grate support element according to claim 1 , wherein the vane is angled with respect to a plane defined by an outer edge of the outer perimeter section in such a manner that the inner section is configured to be provided outwards from the plane defined by the outer edge of the outer perimeter section.
3. The grate support element according to claim 2 , wherein the mounting flange is provided with flange openings for bolts for mounting the grate support, the flange openings configured to extend through the mounting flange in a horizontal direction.
4. The grate support element according to claim 2 , wherein the mounting flange is configured to extend outwards beyond a diameter of an inner volume of the shell of the grinding mill, when the grate support element is mounted in the grinding mill.
5. The grate support element according to claim 2 , wherein the grate support element comprises a mounting surface parallel to the end of the of the shell of the grinding mill.
6. The grate support element according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting flange is configured to extend in a radial direction of the grate.
7. The grate support element according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting flange is configured to extend at an angle with respect to a radial direction of the grate.
8. The grate support element according to claim 7 , wherein the angle of the mounting flange is equal to an angle of the vane at the outer perimeter section side end of the vane.
9. The grate support element according to claim 7 , wherein the angle of the mounting flange is different from an angle of the vane at the outer perimeter section side end of the vane.
10. The grate support element according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting flange is provided with flange openings for bolts for mounting the grate support, the flange openings configured to extend through the mounting flange in a horizontal direction.
11. The grate support element according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting flange is configured to extend outwards beyond a diameter of an inner volume of the shell of the open-ended grinding mill.
12. The grate support element according to claim 1 , wherein the grate support element comprises a mounting surface parallel to the end of the of the shell of the open-ended grinding mill.
13. The grate support element according to claim 1 , wherein the vane extends between the outer perimeter section and the inner section in a direction radial with respect to the cross section of the open-ended grinding mill in the transverse direction.
14. The grate support element according to claim 1 , wherein the vane extends between the outer perimeter section and the inner section in a curved manner.
15. An open-ended grinding mill configured to grind material, comprising:
a shell including an inner volume for the material to be ground; and
at least one grate support element mounted to the shell at a discharge end of the grinding mill, the grate support element comprising:
an outer perimeter section directed away from a middle of a cross section of the grinding mill in a transverse direction of the grinding mill,
an inner section directed towards the middle of the cross section of the grinding mill in the transverse direction of the grinding mill, and
at least one vane extending between the outer perimeter section and the inner section in such a manner that the vane has an inner section side end connected to the inner section and an outer perimeter section side end connected to the outer perimeter section,
wherein the grate support element includes a mounting flange at an outer perimeter of the grate support element that is configured to enable mounting of the grate support element to a shell of the grinding mill at an area of the shell not intruding to the grinding mill volume, the mounting flange extending outwards from the middle of the cross section of the grinding mill,
wherein the open-ended grinding mill is either a fully open-ended grinding mill, wherein the fully open-ended grinding mill does not have a discharge trunnion, pulp lifters to lift ground material to the discharge trunnion or a solid discharge head plate, or
a semi-open-ended grinding mill, wherein the semi-open-ended grinding mill includes a partial head plate at the discharge end extending partially from a perimeter of a shell towards a longitudinal axis of a drum but no discharge trunnion or pulp lifters,
whereby the ground material is configured to be discharged from the discharge grate straight to the atmosphere.
16. The open-ended grinding mill according to claim 15 , wherein
the shell comprises a shell flange extending in a radial direction away from the inner volume of the shell, and
wherein the grate support element is mounted via the mounting flange to the shell flange.
17. The open-ended grinding mill according to claim 16 , wherein
the mounting flange and the shell flange are provided with flange openings for bolts for mounting the grate support element to the shell, at least some of the flange openings in the mounting flange are configured to be aligned with the flange openings in the shell flange when the grate support element is mounted to the shell, and
wherein the grate support element is mounted to the shell by bolts extending in a horizontal direction through the flange openings in both the mounting flange and the shell flange.