Traction arrangement for angularly rotatable sweep auger of circulator grain bins

Abstract

Circulator grain bins commonly comprise upright sidewall means customarily circularly surrounding the bin vertical-axis and also a substantially horizontal floor for supporting a lofty depth of grain thereupon; there is a substantially horizontal elongate sweep auger located immediately above the floor and henced submerged at the bottom of the grain pile, the sweep auger radiating lengthily outwardly from and angularly rotatable about the bin vertical-axis. Each of at least two consecutive medial helical flights for the sweep auger is provided with separate distinct cogs extending radially externally from the flighting helical edge whereby said arrayed distinct cogs at their curved free-edges define a segmented spiroid .Iadd.wheel .Iaddend.rim submerged within the grain. A substantially horizontal annular roadway located along the bin floor between the bin sidewall and vertical-axis abuttably underlies the submerged spiroid rim whereby angular rotation of the axially revolving sweep auger is enhanced and improved to an unusually reliable condition.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a circulator type bin for storing grain or other flowable particulate solids and including upright sidewall means surrounding an upright vertical-axis and also a substantially horizontal bin floor intersecting said vertical-axis, said storage bin also including an elongate sweep auger that axially extends along a substantially horizontal auger-axis that radiates outwardly from the bin vertical-axis and is located immediately above the bin floor, said outwardly radiating sweep auger commencing at an inward end being pivotably associated with the bin so that the sweep auger including its outward end is adapted to rotate angularly about the bin vertical-axis, said sweep auger at pitch spacings along the auger-axis comprising helical flighting having a helical external edge spaced an intra-pitch given mean-radius from the auger-axis, the plurality of helical flighting pitches including an innermost pitch, an outermost pitch, and at least four consecutive medial pitches, the elongate sweep auger being revolvable about its auger-axis whereby particulate solids stored atop the bin floor are adapted to be circulated by the auger helical flighting inwardly toward the bin vertical-axis, the improvement of traction mechanism arrangement for the sweep auger and comprising: A. a plurality of cogs attached to at least two consecutive medial pitches of the sweep auger helical flighting and including a plurality of cogs attached to one of said medial pitches, respective cogs having a free-edge located radially externally from the helical edge a finite cog-radius, said arrayed distinctly separated cogs at their free-edges array defining a medial rim of generally spiroid segmented contour and submergible within the stored flowable particulate solids; and   B. a substantially horizontal annular roadway surrounding the bin vertical-axis and abuttably underlying the spiroid cogs array medial rim whereby the axially revolvable and angularly rotatable sweep auger is stably supported above the bin floor thereby assuring that a finite spatial gap exists between the bin floor and the cog-free medial flights of the sweep auger and also providing traction as the revolving distinct cogs churn through said flowable solids matrix environment.   
     
     
       2. The traction mechanism arrangement of claim 1 wherein the cogs attached to any one medial pitch of the sweep auger helical flighting cross-sectionally occupy within the range of one-fourth to three-fourths the external helical edge of its parent medial pitch whereby the cogs do not impede grain flow axially along the revolving sweep auger. 
     
     
       3. The traction mechanism of claim 2 wherein the cogs occupy within the range of about one-third to two-thirds the helical external edge of the parent medial pitch. 
     
     
       4. The traction mechanism of claim 3 wherein the cogs are of like size and shape and spaced at regular increments along the parent pitch helical external edge, each cog being provided with a curved free-edge located said cog-radius from the parent pitch external edge. 
     
     
       5. The traction mechanism of claim 4 wherein only two consecutive medial pitches of the sweep auger helical flighting are provided with said separated cogs. 
     
     
       6. The traction mechanism arrangement of claim 1 wherein each cog comprises a mounting-bracket and a lug, the mounting-bracket being welded to its parent flighting pitch at the helical edge thereof and the lug being removably attached to the mounting-bracket remote of said flighting helical edge to facilitate replacement of worn cogs to ensure long-term use of the spiroid medial rim traction means. 
     
     
       7. The traction mechanism of claim 6 wherein the cogs are of like size and shape and spaced at regular increments along the parent pitch helical external edge, each cog being provided with a curved free-edge located said cog-radius from the parent pitch external edge having said mean-radius. 
     
     
       8. The traction mechanism arrangement of claim 1 wherein the substantially horizontal annular roadway is substantially circular and has a width comparable to about two medial pitches of the sweep auger helical flighting. .Iadd. 9. In a circulator type bin for storing grain or other flowable particulate solids and including upright sidewall means surrounding an upright vertical-axis and also a substantially horizontal bin floor intersecting said vertical-axis, said storage bin also including an elongate sweep auger that axially extends along a substantially horizontal auger-axis that radiates outwardly from the bin vertical-axis and is located immediately above the bin floor, said outwardly radiating sweep auger commencing at an inward end being pivotably associated with the bin so that the sweep auger including its outward end is adapted to rotate angularly about the bin vertical-axis, said sweep auger at pitch spacings along the auger-axis comprising helical flighting having a helical external edge spaced an intra-pitch given mean-radius from the auger-axis, the plurality of helical flighting pitches including an innermost pitch, an outermost pitch, and at least four consecutive medial pitches, the elongate sweep auger being revolvable about its auger-axis whereby particulate solids stored atop the bin floor are adapted to be circulated by the auger helical flighting inwardly toward the bin vertical-axis, the improvement of traction mechanism arrangement for the sweep auger and comprising: A. A cog attached to a medial pitch of the sweep auger helical flighting, said cog having a free-edge located radially externally from the helical edge a finite cog-radius, said cog at its free-edge defining a medial rim of generally spiroid contour and submergible within the stored flowable particulate solids; and   B. A substantially horizontal annular roadway surrounding the bin vertical-axis and abuttably underlying the spiroid cog array medial rim whereby the axially revolvable and angularly rotatable sweep auger is stably supported above the bin floor thereby assuring that a finite spatial gap exists between the bin floor and the cog-free medial flights of the sweep auger and also providing traction as the revolving distinct cog churns through said flowable solids matrix environment. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 10. In a circulator type bin for storing grain or other flowable particulate solids and including upright sidewall means surrounding an upright vertical-axis and also a substantially horizontal bin floor intersecting said vertical-axis, said storage bin also including an elongated sweep auger that axially extends along a substantially horizontal auger-axis that radiates outwardly from the bin vertical-axis and is located immediately above the bin floor, said outwardly radiating sweep auger commencing at an inward end being pivotably associated with the bin so that the sweep auger including its outward end is adapted to rotate augularly about the bin vertical-axis, said sweep auger having helical flighting along its substantial length the elongated sweep auger being revolvable about its auger-axis whereby particulate solids stored atop the bin floor are adapted to be circulated by the auger helical flighting inwardly toward the bin vertical-axis, the improvement of traction mechanism arrangement for the sweep auger and comprising:   A. An auger support wheel on said sweep auger intermediate its inner and outer ends having an effective diameter which is larger than said sweep auger flighting and said support wheel being sufficiently axially open for flowable particulate solids to be conveyed therethrough by said sweep auger flighting; and   B. A substantially horizontal annular roadway surrounding the bin vertical-axis and abuttably underlying said auger support wheel whereby the axially revolvable and angularly rotatable sweep auger is stably supported above the bin floor thereby assuring that a finite spatial gap exists between the bin floor and the flighting of the sweep auger and also providing traction as the revolving support wheel churns through said flowable solids matrix environment. .Iaddend.