GB1071701A - Apparatus for filling flasks with granular material - Google Patents

Abstract

1,071,701. Discharging material from hoppers. NATIONAL ENGINEERING CO. OF CANADA Ltd. Aug. 27, 1964 [Sept. 6, 1963], No. 35137/64. Heading B8S. Apparatus for filling mould flasks with foundry sand comprises a hopper 12 having a sloping bottom wall 18 with an opening 20 adjacent its lower end, an endless belt conveyer 22 disposed below the opening and including a belt 24 forming a downwardly travelling hopper wall portion, and a pivotally mounted clam-shell door 78 having a leading edge movable towards and away from the belt 24 to control the discharge of the sand from the hopper. The belt 24 has ridges 24a thereon which may be integral with the belt or may be wood slats bolted to the belt. The conveyer includes backing boards 32 for supporting the belt 24 and has a tension pulley 34 at its front end and a drive pulley 44 at its rear end, the pulley 44 being driven through a torque-arm gear reducer 52 by an electric motor 56. A strip of belting material 66 overlies the belt 24 at the opening 20. The lower end of the hopper 12 is provided with a discharge hood 68 to which the clam-shell door 78 is pivoted and the leading edge of the door has. attached thereto a strip of belting material. The door 78 is moved by an air or hydraulic cylinder 94. A discharge shoot 100, Fig. 3 (not shown), is disposed below the door 78. In operation the flasks are first supplied with a thin stream of sand by the conveyer 22, the clam-shell door 78 being in the closed position. Because the stream of sand is thin it is thoroughly aerated as it falls into the flasks and loosely covers the mould patterns therein for permitting the metal to expand during the subsequent moulding process. When the coating of loosely packed sand is sufficient the clam-shell door 78 is fully opened to provide a rapid discharge of sand from the hood 68, the sand being tightly packed over the loosely packed sand.