Slurry roller conveyor for gypsum board manufacture
A slurry distributing device including a roller conveyer having a series of roller sections, each section driven by a respective motor and employing a combination of direct drive and belt drive. The slurry distributing device is used for the uniform and low-speed flow distribution of slurries. The invention also relates to a conveyor line for the continuous production of gypsum drywall boards employing the slurry distributing device. The invention also relates to a method for the continuous production of gypsum drywall boards employing the slurry distributing device.
1 . A slurry distributing device comprising:
a roller conveyer comprising:
a support frame;
parallel rollers, disposed in parallel with one another in a common and rotatably mounted about their longitudinal axes in the support frame and disposed essentially perpendicular to a delivery direction of the slurry;
wherein the slurry distributing device is adapted and configured to be supplied with the slurry from at least one mixing device, and
to adapt a speed of the slurry to a conveying device speed and to distribute the slurry uniformly over a desired width of an upper surface of the rollers, the parallel rollers are provided in a series of at least two adjacent said parallel rollers,
wherein each roller section has a respective variable speed drive for driving the rollers of the respective roller section all in the same direction and controlling rotation speed of the rollers of the respective roller section to control spread of the slurry, as the slurry moves over the upper surface of the parallel rollers, to distribute and level the slurry,
wherein each roller section comprises:
a first plurality of pulleys aligned along a first axis and a second plurality of pulleys aligned along a second axis, said first axis is parallel to the said second axis and parallel to a machine direction of the slurry distributing device which is perpendicular to the rollers of the roller section, the first plurality of pulleys and the second plurality of pulleys adapted and configured to rotate while the rollers rotate,
a direct drive roller connected by direct drive to its respective variable speed drive for driving the direct drive roller, and
a first belt roller connected to its respective direct drive roller by a first belt drive for driving the first belt roller, wherein said first plurality of pulleys comprises a direct drive roller pulley concentrically connected to the direct drive roller and a first belt roller pulley concentrically connected to the first belt roller,
a second belt roller connected to its respective first belt roller by:
a) a second belt drive for driving the second belt roller, the second belt drive comprising a second belt, or
b) the first belt drive, wherein if the second belt roller is connected to the first belt roller by the first belt drive then the first belt is adapted and configured to travel along a U-shaped path from the first belt roller pulley concentrically connected to the first belt roller, then onto an intermediate free spinning pulley, and then to a second belt roller pulley concentrically connected to the second belt roller, wherein the first belt roller pulley and second belt roller pulley are pulleys of the first plurality of pulleys and aligned along the first axis, the intermediate free spinning pulley is a pulley of the second plurality of pulleys and aligned along the second axis, and the first axis and second axis are in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the first belt roller and a longitudinal axis of the second belt roller
wherein the first belt drive comprises:
the direct drive roller pulley,
the first belt roller pulley, and
a first belt contacting the direct drive roller pulley and the first belt roller pulley;
and
the slurry distributing device is adapted and configured to then deliver the distributed slurry onto a lower layer, wherein the slurry distributing device actively transports the slurry.
2 . The slurry distributing device according to claim 1 , wherein the second belt roller is connected to its respective first belt roller by the second belt drive.
3 . The slurry distributing device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first belt drive comprises:
the direct drive roller pulley concentrically connected to the direct drive roller,
the first belt roller pulley, wherein the first belt roller pulley is a primary pulley of the first belt roller, and
the first belt, wherein the first belt is adapted and configured to travel on the direct drive roller pulley and the primary pulley of the first belt roller to rotate the first belt roller; and
wherein the second belt drive comprises:
a first belt roller secondary pulley concentrically connected to the first belt roller, wherein the first belt roller secondary pulley is a pulley of the second plurality of pulleys, and
a second belt roller secondary pulley concentrically connected to the second belt roller, and
the second belt, wherein the second belt travels on the first belt roller secondary pulley and the second belt roller secondary pulley to rotate the second belt roller;
wherein the primary pulleys are aligned along the first axis, the secondary pulleys are aligned along the second axis, and the first axis and second axis, the longitudinal axis of the first belt roller and the longitudinal axis of the second belt roller are aligned in a plane.
4 . The slurry distributing device according to claim 1 , wherein the second belt roller is connected to its respective first belt roller by the first belt drive, wherein the first belt travels along the U-shaped path from the first belt roller pulley connected to the first belt roller, then onto the intermediate free spinning pulley, and then to a second belt roller pulley concentrically connected to the second belt roller.
5 . A slurry distributing device comprising:
a roller conveyer comprising:
a support frame;
parallel rollers, disposed in parallel with one another in a common and rotatably mounted about their longitudinal axes in the support frame and disposed essentially perpendicular to a delivery direction of the slurry;
wherein the slurry distributing device is adapted and configured to be supplied with the slurry from at least one mixing device, and
to adapt a speed of the slurry to a conveying device speed and to distribute the slurry uniformly over a desired width of an upper surface of the rollers, the parallel rollers are provided in a series of at least two adjacent said parallel rollers,
wherein each roller section has a respective variable speed drive for driving the rollers of the respective roller section all in the same direction and controlling rotation speed of the rollers of the respective roller section to control spread of the slurry, as the slurry moves over the upper surface of the parallel rollers, to distribute and level the slurry,
wherein each roller section comprises:
a first plurality of pulleys aligned along a first axis and a second plurality of pulleys aligned along a second axis, said first axis is parallel to the said second axis and parallel to a machine direction of the slurry distributing device which is perpendicular to the rollers of the roller section, the first plurality of pulleys and the second plurality of pulleys adapted and configured to rotate while the rollers rotate,
a direct drive roller connected by direct drive to its respective variable speed drive for driving the direct drive roller, and
a first belt roller connected to its respective direct drive roller by a first belt drive for driving the first belt roller, wherein said first plurality of pulleys comprises a direct drive roller pulley concentrically connected to the direct drive roller and a first belt roller pulley concentrically connected to the first belt roller,
wherein the first belt drive comprises:
the direct drive roller pulley,
the first belt roller pulley, and
a first belt contacting the direct drive roller pulley and the first belt roller pulley;
wherein the parallel rollers of each roller section are supported by opposed mounting roller bearings, each said mounting roller bearing has a two part construction including an upper part removably attached to a lower part so the upper part can be lifted off the lower part to access the rollers of the roller section
and
the slurry distributing device is adapted and configured to then deliver the distributed slurry onto a lower layer, wherein the slurry distributing device actively transports the slurry.
6 . A method for the use of a slurry distributing device comprising a roller conveyer,
a support frame;
parallel rollers, disposed in parallel with one another in a common and rotatably mounted about their longitudinal axes in the support frame and disposed essentially perpendicular to a delivery direction of the slurry;
wherein the slurry distributing device is adapted and configured to be supplied with the slurry from at least one mixing device, and
to adapt a speed of the slurry to a conveying device speed and to distribute the slurry uniformly over a desired width of an upper surface of the rollers, the parallel rollers are provided in a series of at least two adjacent said parallel rollers,
wherein each roller section has a respective variable speed drive for driving the rollers of the respective roller section all in the same direction and controlling rotation speed of the rollers of the respective roller section to control spread of the slurry, as the slurry moves over the upper surface of the parallel rollers, to distribute and level the slurry,
wherein each roller section comprises:
a first plurality of pulleys aligned along a first axis and a second plurality of pulleys aligned along a second axis, said first axis is parallel to the said second axis and parallel to a machine direction of the slurry distributing device which is perpendicular to the rollers of the roller section, the first plurality of pulleys and the second plurality of pulleys adapted and configured to rotate while the rollers rotate,
a direct drive roller connected by direct drive to its respective variable speed drive for driving the direct drive roller, and
a first belt roller connected to its respective direct drive roller by a first belt drive for driving the first belt roller, wherein said first plurality of pulleys comprises a direct drive roller pulley concentrically connected to the direct drive roller and a first belt roller pulley concentrically connected to the first belt roller,
a second belt roller connected to its respective first belt roller by:
a) a second belt drive for driving the second belt roller, the second belt drive comprising a second belt, or
b) the first belt drive, wherein if the second belt roller is connected to the first belt roller by the first belt drive then the first belt is adapted and configured to travel along a U-shaped path from the first belt roller pulley concentrically connected to the first belt roller, then onto an intermediate free spinning pulley, and then to a second belt roller pulley concentrically connected to the second belt roller, wherein the first belt roller pulley and second belt roller pulley are pulleys of the first plurality of pulleys and aligned along the first axis, the intermediate free spinning pulley is a pulley of the second plurality of pulleys and aligned along the second axis, and the first axis and second axis are in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the first belt roller and a longitudinal axis of the second belt roller;
wherein the first belt drive comprises:
the direct drive roller pulley,
the first belt roller pulley, and
a first belt contacting the direct drive roller pulley and the first belt roller pulley; and the slurry distributing device is adapted and configured to then deliver the distributed slurry onto a lower layer, wherein the slurry distributing device actively transports the slurry, including producing gypsum plasterboards in a continuous process.