System for the processing of powder material and associated lump breaker device, in particular for a production plant of brake pads

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026043449-A1
Application number	US-202319101482-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 28, 2023
Priority date	Aug 5, 2022
Publication date	Feb 12, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for processing a powder material like e.g. a friction material, including a weighting device for the powder material and an extruder to feed the powder material to a lump breaker device arranged immediately downstream the extruder to let a completely pulverized material to fall into a hopper arranged over the weighting device the lump breaker device including a rotating drum arranged transversely the extruder and delimited by a lateral surface provided with a plurality of depressions preferably spoon-like, on the whole extension thereof; the lateral surface being arranged immediately adjacent an outlet end of the extruder and being rotated toward the outlet end from upside down.

First claim

1 . A system for processing a powder material, the powder material consisting in a friction material or a friction material mixture for production of friction material blocks for brake elements, or a mixture for production of an underlayer for brake elements, the brake elements being brake pads or brake shoes the system comprising:
a weighting device configured to receive and weight onto a collecting element thereof a predetermined quantity of the powder material; a feeding device configured to cause a flow of said powder material towards the collecting element of the weighting device; a control unit configured to stop the feeding device in response to a signal generated by the weighting device when the collecting element thereof receives said predetermined quantity or is close to receive said predetermined quantity; and a rotating device interposed between the feeding device and the collecting element to intercept lumps present in the flow of said powder material; wherein said rotating device consists of a lump breaker device arranged immediately downstream the feeding device, with reference to a moving direction of said flow of powder material, and comprising: i) a rotating drum arranged in front of an outlet end of the feeding device and adjacent to it, in order to intercept the whole flow of powder material, the feeding device being configured to cause the whole flow of powder material to hit a lateral surface of the drum; ii) a motor arranged on one side of the drum and configured to rotate the drum towards the outlet end of the feeding device upside down; and iii) the lateral surface of the drum being provided with a plurality of depressions on a whole extension thereof.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the feeding device consists of an extruder the system further comprising:
iv) at least one mixer configured to receive a number of different raw materials which may be solid, in powder or particle form and dry or wet, or in liquid form, and to mix them together to obtain said powder material, preferably having a predetermined degree of humidity, the mixer being configured to feed the powder material to the extruder; v) a hopper arranged beneath the drum, a rotating axis of the drum being arranged substantially horizontal, the hopper being configured to collect said flow of powder material falling by gravity from the drum, or projected towards the hopper by the rotation of the lateral surface of the drum, and guide the powder material to fall on or within said collecting element and vi) an L-shaped shield arranged immediately downstream the drum, with reference to the moving direction of said flow of powder material, the shield being arranged on the side of the drum opposite to the extruder, behind and at least partly beneath the drum, to project with a lower end thereof partly within the hopper, and the shield being arranged immediately adjacent to the lateral surface of the drum.

3 . The system according to claim 2 , further comprising at least a molding station configured to receive said predetermined quantity of powder material from the weighting device to mold an underlayer and/or a block of friction material, on a metallic support the said underlayer and friction material block being designed to compose a brake element for a vehicle, e.g. including a brake pad or a brake shoe.

4 . The system according to anyone claim 1 , wherein said drum is arranged transversely at the outlet of the feeding device where the flow of powder material comes out to fall on the weighting device the rotating axis of the drum being arranged substantially perpendicular to said moving direction of said flow of powder material.

5 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein said depressions are spoon-like and have an at least partially curved perimeter profile being shaped, looking perpendicularly to said lateral surface of the drum, like slots or buttonholes; said lateral surface of the drum being cylindrical.

6 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein said depressions are delimited towards said rotation axis of the drum by an at least partially curved bottom wall and/or by at least partially curved sidewalls.

7 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein said depressions have an elongated shape and are arranged all parallel to each other with respective longer sides thereof arranged parallel to said rotation axis of the drum.

8 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the length of the longer sides of the depressions are around 1.5 times the width thereof measured substantially perpendicular the rotation axis of the drum; and the depth of the depressions essentially the same as the width.

9 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein said drum or at least said lateral surface thereof provided with said depressions is made of a polyamide.

10 . A lump breaker device for processing a powder material consisting of a friction material or friction material mixture for production of friction material blocks for brake elements, including brake pads or brake shoes, or a mixture for production of an underlayer thereof, comprising:
i)a rotating drum configured to be arranged in use in front of an outlet end of an extrusion device for the powder material, the drum being delimited by a lateral surface thereof configured to be hit in use by the powdered material; ii)a motor arranged on one side of the drum and configured to rotate the drum around a rotating axis thereof arranged substantially horizontal, the motor being configured to rotate the drum in a direction such as the lateral surface of the drum crosses in use the outlet end of the extrusion device from upside down; and iii) a plurality of depressions arranged evenly on the lateral surface of the drum for the whole extension thereof.

11 . The lump breaker device according to claim 10 , further comprising an L-shaped shield arranged along the rotation axis of the drum at a first longitudinal side of the drum and adjacent to the lateral surface of the drum, the L-shaped shield being arranged with a lower end thereof at least in part beneath the drum the motor being configured to rotate the drum in a direction such that the lateral surface of the drum travels substantially parallel to the shield and moving forward away from an upper end of the L-shaped shield arranged substantially vertical and opposite to said lower end thereof, the rotation of the drum being directed bottom up toward the L-shaped shield

12 . The lump breaker device according to claim 10 , wherein said drum or at least said lateral surface thereof is provided with spoon-like depressions and is made of a cast polyamide6 charged with a lubrication oil; said spoon-like depressions having an elongated shape and being arranged all parallel to each other with respective longer sides thereof arranged parallel to said rotation axis of the drum; said spoon-like depressions having an at least a partially curved perimeter profile and said lateral surface of the drum being cylindrical.

Assignees

• Itt Italia Srl

Inventors

• Di Bello Massimo

Classifications

• F16D2250/0092

  Tools or machines for producing linings · CPC title

• F16D2069/0491

  Tools, machines, processes · CPC title

• F16D65/092 Primary

  for axially-engaging brakes, e.g. disc brakes · CPC title

• B02C4/30

  Shape or construction of rollers · CPC title

• F16D69/0408 Primary

  specially adapted for plane linings · CPC title