Analytical Materials

“Russian Swings”, a fundamentally new technology of loose materials moulding

Application: compacting, employing zoned actuation technology, of solid loose materials (earth, soil, crushed stone, sand, concrete and bituminous concrete mix, coal and ore fines, ceramic, refractory, metal powders, saw dust, seeds) and obtaining of moulded products with dense ordered structure and improved mechanical characteristics.

The zoned actuation technology “Russian Swings” is based on artificial reproduction of the natural effect of “flowing wedge”, that is, the process of self-organization of an ultimately dense structure of coherently moving loose medium particles.

Formation of a zone of such a structure is brought about by sustaining a flow of new portions of the material continuously pressed-in into a preliminarily moulded layer of this loose material with the help of hard surface of the pressing-in tool.

The basic effect of “flowing wedge” consists in the fact that the material density in the actuation zone and its geometrical sizes remain unchanged, despite continuous pressing-in of new portions of the material into it. At the same time, the newly pressed-in portions displace from the zone the same volume of the material as they take, which results in its permant renewal or “flowing”.

The zone extends over the total volume of powder in the open mould due to the press tool travel in the horizontal plane and continuous pressing-in of new portions of a loose powder-like material. At the same time, air and excessive moisture are removed. On pressing-in termination the “flowing wedge” effect disappears, but the material's achieved density remains.

The technology is promising for use in road-building (base soil stabilization and road surfacing shaping with minimal porosity and uniform density by depth), in powder metallurgy and refractory materials production (manufacture of precise-sized articles with a uniform structure, including large-size ones), in construction materials production (wall blocks, panels, nonpressure pipes, well rings), in mining industries (ore materials and coal fines briquetting), in food processing and agriculture (juices and oils squeezing).

Advantages of the technology

• Achievement of high, ultimate for definite materi-als and moulding conditions, density with minimal effort
• Stably high quality, reproducibility of the products' geometrical sizes
• No preliminary portioning of the material being moulded is required
• Possibility to control quality of density of the material being moulded immediately during production
• Feeding, distribution and pressing-in of the material being moulded, its upper surface finishing are carried out by a single action

Special devices, loose media actuating tools are needed to implement the technology, and their design can vary broadly. The actuating tool's design is developed with regard to peculiarities of the pressed-in material, shape and sizes of the product, capacity and other factors.

Over 10 patents of the RF have been taken out for the technology and its elements. The technology received awards at domestic and international innovation exhibitions.