Single Mass and Two Mass Vibratory Feeders: What are the Differences?

July 16, 2019

Single-mass (Brute Force) feeders use the ground to balance their destructive energies. Bypassing this floor damaging feature, two-mass machines use inbuilt moving mechanical assemblies that feed off one another. Back with a single-mass system, dual motors and weighted shafts crank out-of-balance parts, and then a linear stroke is imparted. For a two-mass vibratory feeder, one mass energizes the next then the developing force is further amplified by sets of powerful springs. Clearly, these are different vibration-imparting solutions.

Breaking Down the Single-Mass Differences

Distinctly dissimilar, the feeder housing incorporates two electric motors. Linked to each motor shaft, connected weight packages are ready to overcome the tray load. Now, as the first motor uses off-centre rotating action to spin its weights and plates in a clockwise direction, the second drive system spins its equally unbalanced load counter clockwise. The kinetic energy is moored to the floor of the mine. From tray stroke to out-of-balance cranking, then off to the opposing drive motors, the energies are anchored to the floor through banks of amplitude governing springs.

Opting For Two-Mass Energy Exchange

Using the above drive system configuration, the floor of a mining facility acts as a reactive base. For Brute Force feeders, this stripped back vibratory equipment type works, but it can really tear up a brittle floor. Vibrational energy escapes into the reactive base. In this day and age, that’s not an economical way of vibrating a mineral stream. To skip a level up from this simpler but more destructive feed-expediting equipment type, manufacturers add a separate reactive mass. Two-mass vibratory feeders incorporate a moving mass and a reactive mass. As this feeder operates, those two weighted assemblies energize each other, with a set of high-precision coil springs providing the energy-boosting glue between them.

Weighing the Two-Mass Benefits

While it’s true that a single-mass vibrating feeder is a more streamlined option, it’s not the most energy efficient option. Using a single-mass unit, a repair procedure concludes after one of the motors and its off-centre shafting package has been replaced. As for the dual mass model, its sub-resonant frequencies generate more head load. In other words, two motor single mass equipment feeders utilize extra horsepower. By replacing that energy greedy model with a smaller motor, two mass vibratory feeders produce more stroke power, which translates to more mineral processing impetus.

Just to repeat this point, single-mass vibratory equipment is simpler, therefore it’s easier to maintain. However, those floor-anchored motors can really rip up the ground around this brute force mechanism. Two mass systems incorporate a moving weight and a reactive weight, which energize one another via a robust set of coiled springs. Full of sub-resonant vibratory power, the force is directed towards the pan, not the floor.

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