DESIGNING A MIXER OF PROTEIN, MINERAL AND VITAMIN ADDITIVES

Abstract

To ensure the effective use of protein-mineral-vitamin supplements in the diets of dairy cows, a mixer design has been developed for their preliminary mixing before adding to the main mixing process. Based on the structural-morphological analysis, alternative structural elements of the mixer design have been considered and conventional symbols were assigned to them. A morphological matrix of solutions has been compiled to offer a set of alternative options. The mixer drive was chosen by the ability to ensure high speed, rotational speed control, user-friendly operation and cost. The design uses an electromechanical drive combined with a V-belt drive. This solution meets all the specified requirements and allows protecting the drive from possible overloads. The working tool was chosen based on the requirement to contact the material actively throughout the chamber volume and to avoid the formation of stagnant zones. A blade mixer with variable blade positioning was found the most effective tool for the high-speed mixing of bulk materials. The designed mixer will be operating at a continuously varying speed in the range from 500 to 1500 min^-1. This will offer the advantages of high-speed mixing while reducing the influence of negative factors on the final mixture quality. The resulting decision matrix will allow determining the most promising areas for further designing, which makes it possible to improve the quality of the developed technical means.