Continuous kneading device

1. A continuous kneading device comprising:

an internally hollowed barrel;

a pair of kneading rotors housed in the barrel and configured to rotate in respective directions different from each other, each of the kneading rotors including a plurality of kneading flights for kneading a material supplied into the barrel, the kneading flights being aligned in an axial direction of the kneading rotors;

the plurality of kneading flights and portions of the barrel, the portions housing the kneading flights, respectively, constitute a plurality of kneading sections aligned in an axial direction of the kneading rotors, respectively, and each of the kneading rotors has a shape for feeding the material supplied into the barrel in the axial direction from a first kneading section of the kneading sections that is upstream from a second kneading section of the kneading sections to thereby cause each of the kneading sections to knead the material sequentially;

in the pair of the kneading rotors, the kneading flight constituting the second kneading section has a second rotational outer diameter larger than a first rotational outer diameter of the kneading flights constituting the first kneading section;

in the pair of the kneading rotors, the second rotational outer diameter of the kneading flight constituting the second kneading section is larger than an inter-axis distance between the pair of kneading rotors to cause the kneading flight constituting the second kneading section of each of the kneading rotors to rotate in mesh in respective directions different from each other;

a feeding section between the first kneading section and the second kneading section; and

a restriction section between the feeding section and the first kneading section, wherein

the restriction section includes an opening portion providing a communication between the feeding section and the first kneading section, the opening portion having an inner diameter smaller than an inner diameter of each of the first kneading section, the feeding section, and the second kneading section, to restrict circulation of the material between the barrel and the kneading rotors, to restrict circulation of the material from the first kneading section to the second kneading section through the feeding section, and to adjust a kneading degree of the material;

the feeding section is configured to feed the material kneaded by the first kneading section, the degree of the kneading being adjusted by the restriction section, to the second kneading section; and

the second kneading section is configured to knead the material that is supplied from the first kneading section through the restriction section and the feeding section, the degree of the kneading of the material supplied to the second kneading section being adjusted by the restriction section.

2. The continuous kneading device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the first kneading section and the second kneading section are spaced in the axial direction of the kneading rotors;

the pair of kneading rotors is disposed such that respective axes of the kneading rotors are parallel to each other; and

the first rotational outer diameter of the kneading flight constituting the first kneading section among the kneading flights of each of the kneading rotors is smaller than the inter-axis distance between the pair of kneading rotors to cause the kneading flight constituting the first kneading section of each of the kneading rotors to rotate in non-mesh in respective directions different from each other.

3. The continuous kneading device according to claim 2 , wherein the first kneading section including the kneading flights each having the first rotational outer diameter among the plurality of kneading sections is disposed in a first section of the continuous kneading device that is adjacent to a kneaded material feeding section at an entrance of the barrel, and the second kneading section including the kneading flights each having the second rotational outer diameter is disposed in a second section of the continuous kneading device that is adjacent to a kneaded material exit of the barrel.

4. The continuous kneading device according to claim 1 , wherein the kneading flights of the pair of kneading rotors are in mesh in the second kneading section and are non-meshed in the first kneading section.

5. A continuous kneading device comprising:

an internally hollowed barrel;

a pair of kneading rotors housed in the barrel and configured to rotate in respective directions different from each other, each of the kneading rotors including a plurality of kneading flights for kneading a material supplied into the barrel, the kneading flights being aligned in an axial direction of the kneading rotors;

the plurality of kneading flights and portions of the barrel, the portions housing the kneading flights, respectively, constitute a plurality of kneading sections aligned in an axial direction of the kneading rotors, respectively, and each of the kneading rotors has a shape for feeding the material supplied into the barrel in the axial direction from a first kneading section of the kneading sections that is upstream from a second kneading section of the kneading sections to thereby cause each of the kneading sections to knead the material sequentially,

wherein the kneading flights of the pair of kneading rotors are in mesh in the second kneading section and are non-meshed in the first kneading section, and the pair of in mesh kneading rotors in the second kneading section shears the material based on the different direction of rotation of each of the kneading rotors;

in the pair of the kneading rotors, the kneading flight constituting the second kneading section has a second rotational outer diameter larger than a first rotational outer diameter of the kneading flights constituting the first kneading section;

in the pair of the kneading rotors, the second rotational outer diameter of the kneading flight constituting the second kneading section is larger than an inter-axis distance between the pair of kneading rotors to cause the kneading flight constituting the second kneading section of each of the kneading rotors to rotate in mesh in respective directions different from each other;

a feeding section between the first kneading section and the second kneading section; and

a restriction section between the feeding section and the first kneading section, wherein

the restriction section includes an opening portion providing a communication between the feeding section and the first kneading section, the opening portion having an inner diameter smaller than an inner diameter of each of the first kneading section, the feeding section, and the second kneading section, to restrict circulation of the material between the barrel and the kneading rotors, to restrict circulation of the material from the first kneading section to the second kneading section through the feeding section, and to adjust a kneading degree of the material;

the feeding section is configured to feed the material kneaded by the first kneading section, the degree of the kneading being adjusted by the restriction section, to the second kneading section; and

the second kneading section is configured to knead the material that is supplied from the first kneading section through the restriction section and the feeding section, the degree of the kneading of the material supplied to the second kneading section being adjusted by the restriction section.