JP4787970B2 - Anode alignment device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an alignment apparatus that aligns anodes used for electrolytic refining when they are transferred onto a conveyor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Electrolytic refining is a process for refining crude metal using an electrochemical reaction between an electrolytic bath and an electrode. For example, in lead refining, an anode made of crude lead having a lead content of 90 wt% or more is used. Using lead having a purity of about 4N (99.99 wt%) as a cathode, electrolysis is performed in an acid solution containing lead ions, and about 4N of pure lead is collected on the cathode side. When electrolytic refining is performed, a plate-shaped anode and cathode are alternately arranged in parallel in the electrolytic cell with a predetermined interval. In this case, if the parallel alignment of the anode and the cathode is disturbed and the two electrodes come into contact with each other, it may cause a product defect, and waste of electrical energy loaded between the electrodes will occur. For this reason, before inserting the anode and cathode into the electrolytic cell, a plurality of anodes are aligned in parallel at equal intervals on a dedicated conveyor, and a lifting jig is provided while maintaining the aligned state. The crane is used to carry it into the electrolytic cell, and the anode is correctly placed between each cathode.
[0003]
A chain conveyor is generally used as a conveyor for aligning the anodes in parallel at equal intervals. Then, align the anode by positioning the anode at the correct position on the chain conveyor using a stopper, or by correcting the position of the anode on the chain conveyor using a cylinder or the like. Yes. Here, JP-A-2001-107279 is known as an apparatus for aligning anodes using a cylinder.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the lead anode has a low surface hardness and a weight of 200 kg or more, it is easily deformed when pressed with a strong force from the outside. For this reason, when aligning the anodes, even if they are pushed by the cylinders to be aligned, the anodes may be deformed and do not move to a predetermined position and may be displaced. Also, especially when there are irregularities or other deformations in the ears (parts hung by the chain conveyor or electrolytic cell) formed on both sides of the upper end of the anode, the anode is installed in the electrolytic cell and the electrical wiring is connected to the ears In this case, contact failure occurs and electrical resistance increases.
[0005]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an alignment apparatus that can be aligned and placed on a conveyor without deforming an anode used for electrolytic refining as much as possible.
[0006]
[Means for solving the problems]
In order to achieve this object, according to the present invention, there is provided an alignment device for aligning the anodes used for electrolytic refining in parallel on the conveyor at equal intervals, and at the position where the anode is transferred onto the conveyor, On both sides, a pair of rotatable rollers having a rotation axis in a direction substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor is arranged above the conveying surface of the conveyor, and the distance between the inner surfaces of the rollers is set to the width of the anode ear. An anode alignment device is provided, characterized in that it is set to be slightly longer.
[0007]
The anode aligned on the conveyor by this aligning device is, for example, a lead anode. For example, a chain conveyor is used as the conveyor on which the anode is transferred, and the anode is placed with the ears placed on the chain conveyor.
[0008]
In this aligning device, when the anode is transferred onto the conveyor by an appropriate supply means such as a feeder, the anode is moved to a proper position by pushing the laterally shifted ear of the anode with a roller from the side. The position shift can be corrected. In other words, since the distance between the inner surfaces of the rollers is set slightly longer than the width of the ears of the anode, if the lateral displacement occurs in the anode transferred from the feeder or the like onto the conveyor, it is transferred. In the middle, the anode ears abut against the inner surface of one of the rollers arranged on both sides of the conveyor, and the ears are pushed by the inner surface of the roller, so that the laterally displaced anode is moved to the proper position. , Misalignment is corrected.
[0009]
In this aligning device, when the misalignment is corrected by pushing the ear portion on the inner surface of the roller in this way, the roller rotates appropriately, so that the anode can be smoothly moved without pushing the ear portion of the anode with an excessively large force. Can be moved to. For this reason, deformation of the anode can be reduced.
[0010]
In this aligning device, it is preferable that the rotation axis of the roller is inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor in a plan view so that the interval between the inner surfaces of the rollers increases as the conveying direction advances. In this case, the angle of the rotating shaft of the roller may be variable.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an alignment apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the anodes a that are aligned by the alignment apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a main part of the alignment apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the position shift of the anode a is corrected by the alignment device 1.
[0012]
The feeder 2 and the conveyor 3 as an example of a supply means are arrange | positioned adjacently. The illustrated feeder 2 includes a pair of left and right identical feeder wheels 10 and 10. The feeder wheels 10 and 10 have a disk shape, and a plurality of protrusions 11 are formed at predetermined equal intervals on the circumferential surfaces of the feeder wheels 10 and 10 at positions facing each other. The feeder wheels 10 and 10 rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 at the same rotational speed. The supply means for supplying the anode a to the conveyor 3 is not limited to the feeder 2 shown in the figure, but can take various other configurations. As shown in the feeder 2 shown in FIG. It is desirable that the lower end of 15 can be transported. Further, it is desirable that the anode a is transported by the feeder 2 in the transport direction of the conveyor 3.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of left and right ears 15, 15 are provided to protrude from both sides of the upper end of the anode a. These ear portions 15 are portions that are suspended when the anode a is conveyed by the feeder 2 or the conveyor 3. The anode a is, for example, a lead anode, and is composed of crude lead having a lead content of about 90 wt% or more.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 1, the ears 15 and 15 of the anode a are placed on the peripheral surfaces of the pair of left and right feeder wheels 10 and 10, and the front surfaces of the ears 15 and 15 are formed on the peripheral surfaces of the feeder wheels 10 and 10. The anode a is conveyed leftward in FIG. 1 and delivered to the next conveyor 3 as the feeder wheels 10 and 10 rotate while being in close contact with the projection 11 formed.
[0015]
The illustrated conveyor 3 includes a pair of left and right chain conveyors 20 and 20 arranged in parallel to each other. These chain conveyors 20 and 20 are respectively wound around a pair of left and right start side sprockets 21 and 21 arranged on the start side of the conveyor 3 and a pair of left and right side sprockets (not shown) arranged on the end side of the conveyor 3. As the sprockets rotate, the pair of left and right chain conveyors 20 and 20 rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 at the same constant speed. The spacing between the left and right chain conveyors 20 and 20 is such that the ears 15 and 15 of the anode a can be supported from both sides, and the ears 15 and 15 are placed on the chain conveyors 20 and 20 with the circumferential movement. 1, the anode a is suspended and transported horizontally leftward in FIG.
[0016]
At the position where the anode a is transferred from the feeder 2 onto the conveyor 3, a pair of left and right rollers 4, 4 are disposed on both sides of the conveyor 3. In the illustrated example, rollers 4 and 4 are arranged at a position of about 150 mm from the starting end of the conveyor 3. These rollers 4 and 4 have a cylindrical shape, and as shown in FIG. 3, the rollers 4 and 4 are rotatably supported by the support members 25 and 25 through the rotation shafts 26 and 26, respectively. These rollers 4, 4 are arranged at the same height above the conveying surface (upper surface) of the chain conveyors 20, 20, and when passing the anode a from the feeder 2 to the conveyor 3 as described above. The ears 15 and 15 of the anode a pass between the left and right rollers 4 and 4 from top to bottom.
[0017]
The rotating shafts 26 and 26 of the rollers 4 and 4 are both horizontal, and the left and right rollers 4 and 4 are arranged in the transport direction of the left and right chain conveyors 20 and 20 (the transport surface (upper surface) of the chain conveyors 20 and 20). (Traveling direction) and substantially parallel. The interval between the inner surfaces of these rollers 4 and 4 is set slightly longer than the width between the ears 15 of the anode a (the width of the upper end of the anode a).
[0018]
The support members 25 and 25 supporting the rollers 4 and 4 are disposed inside the frames 30 and 30 whose positions are fixed with respect to the feeder 2 and the conveyor 3. The inner surfaces of the frames 30 and 30 and the distal end sides of the support members 25 and 25 are attached via elastic members 31 and 31. Bolts 32 and 32 screwed into the frames 30 and 30 are in contact with the rear end sides of the support members 25 and 25, and the rear end sides of the support members 25 and 25 are connected to the inner ends of the bolts 32 and 32. It is the structure pressed toward the direction (direction approaching the chain conveyors 20 and 20). Then, the distance between the rear end side of the support members 25 and 25 and the inner surfaces of the frames 30 and 30 is changed by turning the bolts 32 and 32 to change the protruding length of the bolts 32 and 32 with respect to the inner surfaces of the frames 30 and 30. It can be done.
[0019]
In the illustrated example, the front ends of the bolts 32 and 32 are protruded to widen the distance between the rear end side of the support members 25 and 25 and the inner surfaces of the frames 30 and 30. In a plan view (in FIG. 3), the angle is inclined so as to widen with respect to the transport direction of the left and right chain conveyors 20, 20 (the traveling direction of the transport surface (upper surface) of the chain conveyors 20, 20). Thereby, the space | interval of the inner surfaces of the right-and-left rollers 4 and 4 is comprised in the attitude | position which spreads as it advances to the conveyance direction of the chain conveyors 20 and 20. FIG.
[0020]
As described above, the angle θ formed between each rotating shaft 26 of the roller 4 and the chain conveyor 20 is changed by changing the protruding length of the tip of the bolt 32 with respect to the inner surface of the frame 30 by turning the bolt 32. Can be changed.
[0021]
Now, in the aligning apparatus 1 configured as described above, the anodes a stocked in a stacker (not shown) are taken out one by one by the feeder 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the left and right ear portions 15, 15 projecting from the upper end of the anode a are brought into close contact with the left and right feeder wheels 10, 10 circumferential projections 11, 11, respectively. The anodes a in which 15 is placed on the peripheral surfaces of the left and right feeder wheels 10, 10 are conveyed according to the rotation of the feeder wheels 10, 10, and are gradually delivered to the conveyor 3 in sequence. Then, the anode a delivered to the conveyor 3 is conveyed horizontally leftward in FIG. 1 with the left and right ears 15 and 15 being lifted on the left and right chain conveyors 20 and 20. . Then, a predetermined number (for example, 10 to 20) of anodes a delivered to the conveyor 3 are collectively transported to the electrolytic tank by a dedicated crane and loaded into the tank, and the next process is performed.
[0022]
Thus, when the anode a is transferred from the feeder 2 onto the conveyor 3, the ears 15, 15 at the upper end of the anode a pass between the left and right rollers 4, 4 arranged on both sides of the conveyor 3 from above. Pass down. At this time, when the lateral displacement occurs in the anode a delivered from the feeder 2 to the conveyor 3, the laterally displaced ear portions 15 and 15 of the anode a are moved between the rollers 4 and 4, as shown in FIG. When passing, it contacts either the left or right roller 4. Thereby, the roller 4 which contacted the ear | edge part 15 of the anode a starts rotation, and will press the ear | edge part 15 of the anode a with the inner surface of the roller 4 from the side. As a result, the anode a is moved to an appropriate position, and the positional deviation is corrected.
[0023]
In this aligning device 1, when the ear 15 is pushed by the inner surface of the roller 4 to correct the misalignment, the roller 4 rotates appropriately, so that the ear 15 of the anode a is pushed with an excessively large force. The anode a can be smoothly moved to an appropriate position. Moreover, the stress applied to the ear | edge part 15 of the soft anode a can be relieve | moderated by rotation of the roller 4, At the same time, a contact location with the roller 4 can also be planarized and the deformation | transformation of the anode a can be reduced.
[0024]
Further, in this aligning device 1, the angles of the rotary shafts 26, 26 of the rollers 4, 4 are inclined in a divergent manner with respect to the conveying direction of the left and right chain conveyors 20, 20, and the anode a is a feeder. When the position of the anode a is deviated from the vertical with respect to the transport direction of the chain conveyor 20 when being transferred from 2 to the conveyor 3, the anode is caused by the difference in rotational speed between the one roller 4 and the other roller 4. It becomes possible to transfer onto the conveyor 3 in a state where the posture of a is almost vertical and the posture of the anode a is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the chain conveyor 20. Moreover, the impact at the time of installation to the chain conveyor 20 can also be relieved.
[0025]
Actually, the time when the anode a passes between the rollers 4 and 4 and is transferred from the feeder 2 onto the conveyor 3 is short, and until just before being transferred onto the conveyor 3, the anode a Since the left and right ears 15 and 15 are kept in close contact with the left and right feeder wheels 10 and the protrusions 11 and 11 on the circumferential surface, the posture of the anode a is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the chain conveyor 20. It is rare to have a slanted posture that deviates from the above. As described above, when the anode a is transferred from the feeder 2 onto the conveyor 3, the gap between the left and right rollers 4 and 4 arranged on both sides of the conveyor 3 so as to be inclined toward the end is between the ears at the upper end of the anode a. When the parts 15, 15 pass from top to bottom, the ears 15, 15 are pushed by the inner surface of the roller 4. In this case, the left and right ear parts 15, 15 are connected to the projections 11 on the feeder wheel 10, 10 circumferential surface, 11 is kept in close contact with each other, and there is little fear that the anode a is inclined. Thus, when the ears 15, 15 of the anode a are grounded to the chain conveyors 20, 20, the posture of the anode a is correctly maintained so as to be grounded simultaneously at the same position (the same position with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor 3). Can do.
[0026]
The distance between the inner surface of the roller 4 and the outer surface of the chain conveyor 20 is preferably about 5 mm within 15 mm in plan view (in FIG. 3). The angle θ formed between the rotation shaft 26 of the roller 4 and the chain conveyor 20 is the difference between the position where the distance between the inner surface of the roller 4 and the side surface of the chain conveyor 20 in the plan view is the closest and the farthest. However, it is desirable that it is 10 mm or more. This is because if it is less than 10 mm, there is a concern that it will not be possible to cope with variations in the width dimension between the ears 15 and 15 of the anode a generated during the forging of the anode a or casting. The center of the roller 4 preferably has a height of about 10 mm from the upper surface of the chain conveyor 20. This is because at a height of less than 10 mm, there is a concern that the positioning between the rollers 4 and 4 cannot be performed smoothly when protrusions are formed on the lower surfaces of the ears 15 and 15 of the anode a. is there. However, in order to reduce the impact when the anode a is transferred onto the chain conveyor 20, it is desirable that the height to the roller 4 with respect to the upper surface of the chain conveyor 20 is as low as possible.
[0027]
Further, as described with reference to FIG. 3, by attaching the supporting members 25, 25 of the rollers 4, 4 to the frames 30, 30 via the elastic members 31, 31, the anode a contacts the roller 4. At that time, the impact can be reduced. The roller 4 may be made of a material having hardness and tensile strength corresponding to the impact strength, and may be made of steel. However, in order to avoid the possibility that oxides are mixed into the electrode, stainless steel is used. It is desirable that The surface hardness of the roller 4 made of stainless steel is suitable for the lead electrode.
[0028]
【Example】
The anode a was transferred from the feeder 2 to the conveyor 3 and aligned by the alignment apparatus 1 described in the embodiment of the present invention. As the anode a, a 95% wt lead anode having a total width of 600 mm, an average thickness of 30 mm, and a mass of 230 kg was used. Two chain conveyors 20 having a width of 20 mm were arranged approximately in parallel to form a conveyor 3 having a total width of 500 mm and a total length of 10 m. Each time the conveyors 3 are loaded one by one, the conveyor 3 moves by a predetermined distance. About 20 anodes a were previously placed on a stacker in front of the feeder 2, and the anodes a were conveyed one by one by the feeder 2 from the stacker and placed on the chain conveyor 20. Rollers 4 and 4 made of SUS304 stainless steel having a length of 20 cm and a diameter of 6 cm were arranged on both sides of the chain conveyor 20. The distance between the inner surface of the roller 4 and the outer surface of the chain conveyor 20 is 5 mm at the nearest position and 15 mm at the most distant position in plan view (in FIG. 3). 32, the protruding length of the tip was adjusted.
[0029]
When the anodes a sequentially taken out from the stacker were transferred from the feeder 2 to the conveyor 3 and aligned, the rollers 4 installed on both sides of the chain conveyors 20 and 20 were used to transfer the anode a to the chain conveyor 20. , 20 and the angle of the anode a is set on the chain conveyor 20 without being shifted by the rotation of the roller 4. Each time one anode a is aligned, the chain conveyor 20 is moved a predetermined distance, and the next anode a is sequentially transferred and stacked from the stacker to the chain conveyor 20. This was repeated 16 times, and the anodes a for the electrolytic cell half tanks were aligned on the chain conveyor 20. This was lifted by a crane and transferred with the anode a aligned in the electrolytic cell.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, there is provided an anode aligning device that has a simple configuration, has few failures, and is easy to maintain. According to the anode aligning device of the present invention, the anode can be smoothly aligned without being deformed, and the contact portion with the roller can be flattened.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an alignment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an anode.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a main part of the alignment apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an anode position shift is corrected by the alignment apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
a Anode 1 Alignment device 2 Feeder 3 Conveyor 4 Roller 10 Feeder wheel 15 Ear part 20 Chain conveyor 26 Rotating shaft 25 Support member 30 Frame 31 Elastic member 32 Bolt

Claims (4)

An alignment device for aligning anodes used for electrolytic refining in parallel at equal intervals on a conveyor,
At the position where the anode is transferred onto the conveyor, a pair of rotatable rollers having a rotation axis in a direction substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor is disposed on both sides of the conveyor above the conveying surface of the conveyor, and , An anode alignment device characterized in that the interval between the inner surfaces of the rollers is set slightly longer than the width of the ear portion of the anode. 2. The rotation axis of the roller is inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor in a plan view so that an interval between the inner surfaces of the rollers is widened as it advances in the conveying direction of the conveyor. An anode alignment apparatus according to claim 1. The anode alignment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an angle of a rotation axis of the roller is variable. 4. The anode aligning device according to claim 1, wherein the anode is a lead anode.

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