Improvement and Simulation of Stirring Device in Cigarette Hopper in FOCKE 800 Hard Packer

To solve the problems of cigarette jam and staggering falling in discharge channel of cigarette hopper in FOCKE 800 hard packer, the stirring device in cigarette hopper was modified via analyzing the factors, such as hopper shape and cigarette flowing, influencing cigarette falling. The four fixed deflectors were replaced by two round movable stirring parts, which were driven by the driving motor of original stirring rollers via a four-linkage mechanism, to stir cigarettes and split cigarette flow. The cigarette flow in cigarette hopper and the stirring action of stirring parts were simulated with a discrete element simulating model. The results showed that: 1) The established simulation model of virtual cigarette hopper met the actual requirements of cigarette flow, and the simulated results basically agreed with actual values. 2) The amount of distorted cigarettes reduced obviously once the stirring parts in cigarette hopper became movable. When the swing frequency, swing angle and running time of stirring parts were 1.6 Hz, 11.2° and 9.0 seconds respectively, the percentage of distorted cigarettes was minimized and decreased by 2.5%. Cigarettes in hopper move fluently, and the packer runs smoothly. The discrete element simulation model can effectively analyze the splitting status of cigarette flow in hopper and cut the cost and time for product research and development.