Briquetting apparatus and die member arrangement therefor

Claim 1

In a briquetting machine; a wheel comprising a main body part mounted for rotation on a central axis, radially outwardly opening axially extending pockets which are V-shaped in cross section formed in the periphery of said body part in circumferentially adjacent relation, support blocks having radially inner sides complementary in shape to said pockets and seated in said pockets, the opposite ends of each block being closely adjacent the ends of the blocks next adjacent thereto, each block having radially outwardly facing shoulders formed thereon at the opposite axial ends and each shoulder extending the full length of the respective block, flange means on the axial ends of the body part each having a radially inwardly facing shoulder on the axially inner side engaging the adjacent shoulders on said blocks and clamping the blocks in the respective pockets, at least one flange means being detachable from said body part for releasing said blocks from said pockets, each block having a groove formed in the radially outer side with a bottom wall and side walls, the said grooves in said blocks being in aligned end to end relation and forming a continuous annular recess about the wheel, a corresponding side wall of each groove inclining toward the other side wall in the radially outward direction, a die member of hard wear resistant material in each groove having recess means formed in the radially outer side, each die member having a radially inner side resting on the bottom wall of the groove in the respective block and one axial side which is inclined correspondingly to and in engagement with the inclined side wall of the respective groove, the other axial side of said die member being axially spaced from the other side wall of the groove and diverging therefrom in the radially outward direction, and a bar-like wedge member about the same length as said die member wedged between said other side of the die member and said other side wall of said groove and clamping said die member in said groove.