GB2258412A - Slurry containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A modular assembly of a set of slurry containers 10 is carried by a road or water vehicle, each container including an inclined helically bladed agitator 18-20 and a screw conveyor 28 inclined to the horizontal in an opposite direction to that of the agitator with the upper end of the conveyor comprising the discharge end thereof. Each agitator and each conveyor is drivable independently. The different containers may contain mortars of differing colours. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Slurry Containers This invention relates to a set of containers for slurry material and particularly, but not exclusively, relates to a set of containers arranged as a module thereof for land or water transportation from site to site.

It is an object of the invention to provide a new or improved set of containers for slurry material.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a set of containers for slurry material wherein each container comprises a top opening through which slurry material is chargeable to the container; discharge means adjacent the bottom of the container; and agitator means located within the container intermediate the top thereof and the discharge means.

Conveniently agitator means extends through each container from one side to another side thereof and comprises a rotatable agitator assembly having an axis of rotation inclined to the horizontal. Said assembly may comprise an inclined spindle having one or more agitator blades mounted thereon and, in one embodiment, said assembly may comprise a plurality of blades each extending helically of the said spindle from one end to the other thereof. Conveniently the spindle is rotatably drivable by a motor, such as a hydraulic motor, mounted externally of the container.

The discharge means conveniently comprises a screw conveyor extending through the container from one side to another side thereof, a discharge valve assembly being provided adjacent a discharge end of the conveyor.

The conveyor is conveniently rotatably drivable by a motor, such as a hydraulic niotor, mounted externally of the container.

Conveniently the conveyor is inclined to the horizontal with its higher end being the discharge end which is preferably disposed at that one side of the hopper adjacent the lower end of the inclined spindle of the agitator assembly.

Said conveyor is conveniently disposed within a correspondingly inclined troughlike base portion of the hopper having opposed side walls defining an included angle therebetween which is greater at the upper or discharge end of the conveyor than it is at the lower end thereof.

Preferably each container of the set thereof is provided with an individual agitator means and discharge means, each agitator means and each discharge means associated with each container being operable independently of one another and of the other agitator means and discharge means associated with the other containers of the set.

The containers of the set are conveniently arranged as a module for mounting onto and off transportation means which may comprise land transportation means such as a road truck or trailer, or water transportation means such as a barge or ship.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description given herein solely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a module of four containers for slurry material mounted on a flat bed road truck, and Figure 2 is a diagrammatic end view of the truck and container module shown in Figure 1 taken from the rear of the truck.

In the one embodiment of the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings a set of four containers 10 is provided as a module carried on the flat bed of a truck. The module of containers is particularly advantageously utilised in the transportation of mortar in slurry form i.e. in liquid suspension from one site to another and wherein, for example, mortars of differing colours may be transported in the different containers of the module.

As will be clearly seen from the drawings, each container 10 of the module comprises an open topped hopper having an upper portion 12 of substantially rectangular plan form with vertical side and end walls, a lower portion 14 of inverted frusto-pyramidal form having opposed pairs of inclined planar side and end walls and a rounded base or trough portion 16 having opposed vertical end walls. The overall width of each hopper, as defined with respect to the width of the truck, exceeds the length of each hopper and, within each hopper, there is provided independently drivable agitator means and discharge means extending through the hopper from one end thereof to the other.

As will be seen from Figure 2 of the drawings, an agitator means comprises a rotatably drivable spindle 18 having a pair of opposed agitator blades each extending helically from one end of the spindle to the other in the manner of the blade arrangement of a lawnmower cylinder. The spindle 18 is inclined to the horizontal and is mounted at its upper end in a bearing 22 sealed to one vertical end wall of the upper portion 12 of the hopper and is mounted in a similar bearing 24 at its lower end in that inclined end wall of the lower portion 14 on the opposite side of the hopper to the wall mounting the upper end of the spindle. Externally of the hopper on said inclined end wall there is provided a hydraulic motor 26 selectively operable to drive the spindle 18 and its blades for rotation.From Figure 2 of the drawings it will be seen that such hydraulic drive motor 26 is located inboard of the overall vehicle width within the space below the upper portion 12 of each hopper afforded by the inclined end wall of the lower portion 14 thereof. During transportation of a slurry material such as mortar from site to site there is a natural tendency for the solids to settle to the bottom of the hopper with an accumulation of liquid at the top of the slurry.

With the inclined agitator arrangement within each container of the present invention, the upper part of the agitator, being located within the upper portion 12 of the hopper, will tend to draw accumulated liquid from the top of the slurry downwardly into the slurry and entrain it towards the bottom of the hopper.

Each hopper of the module also includes an independently drivable screw discharge conveyor 28 which, as will be seen from Figure 2 of the drawings, is inclined to the horizontal from a lower end, at that end of the hopper at which the upper end 22 of the agitator is located, to an upper discharge end 30 immediately below the hydraulic motor 26 at the lower end of the agitator means.

The discharge conveyor is sealed to the opposed vertical end walls of the troughlike base portion 16 of the hopper and has a hydraulic drive motor 32 at its lower end operable independently of the agitator motor 26. The discharge end 30 of the conveyor is in communication with a valve assembly 34 comprising a flap or butterfly valve manually operable to open the assembly for discharge of slurry material to a detachable discharge chute 36. If desired, the discharge valve assembly 34 may be mechanically operated, for example, by pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical means. As will be apparent from Figure 2 of the drawings, the conveyor drive motor 32 at the one end, and the valve assembly 34 at the discharge end of the conveyor, are located inboard of the overall vehicle width below each respective inclined end wall of the lower portion 14 of each hopper.

As will be seen from the drawings, the base portion 16 of each hopper 10 has a rounded lower wall extending at an angle to the horizontal between the opposed vertical end walls of said base portion. The horizontal distance across the top edge of each of said end walls is equal so that the inclined opposed side walls of the base portion define an included angle therebetween which decreases from the upper end (the left hand end with respect to Figure 2) to the lower end (the right hand end with respect to Figure 2) of the base portion 16. That is to say, the opposed inclined side walls of the troughlike base portion 16 are steeper at the lower end of the discharge conveyor which is disposed in said base portion 16 than at the upper discharge end of the conveyor.

Each agitator means drive motor 26 and each discharge means drive motor 32 is operable independently of one another and, since each hopper of the module thereof is a discrete unit having its own agitator means and discharge means, there is no possibility of the differing contents of the different hoppers becoming inadvertently contaminated by one another.

The top of each hopper is open for initial charging of slurry material into the hopper and the open top thereof is conveniently closeable by a canvass cover 38 movable between open and closed positions on guide rails.

As illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings the module comprises four hoppers 10 although it will be appreciated that any convenient number of hoppers may be provided. The module may include one or more hinged stowable access platforms 40 with ladders and one or more water tanks 42 for use in cleaning and/or mixing operations.

A module of containers for slurry material constructed in accordance with the invention thus provides a means of transporting differing slurry materials having differing characteristics and wherein each container of the module may have its contents agitated and discharged independently of the other containers of the module. The module may be built up on a common framework for craning onto and off a transportation means such as the flat bed of a truck as is described and illustrated herein by way of example. It will be appreciated that a container module in accordance with the invention may be mounted for transportation on a road trailer or for water transportation such as on a barge or ship.

Claims (21)

1. A set of containers for slurry material wherein each container comprises a top opening through which slurry is chargeable to the container; discharge means adjacent the bottom of the container; and agitator means located within the container intermediate the top thereof and the discharge means.

2. A set of containers as claimed in claim 1 wherein a said agitator means extends through each container from one side to another side thereof and each said agitator means comprises a rotatable agitator assembly having an axis of rotation which is inclined to the horizontal.

3. A set of containers as claimed in claim 2 wherein said agitator assembly comprises an inclined spindle containing said axis of rotation and one or more agitator blades carried by said spindle.

4. A set of containers as claimed in claim 3 wherein a plurality of said agitator blades is carried by said spindle and extend helically therealong.

5. A set of containers as claimed in claim 4 wherein said agitator blades extend helically along said spindle substantially from one end to the other end thereof.

6. A set of containers as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein each said agitator means is driven by motor means.

7. A set of containers as claimed in claim 6 when dependent from any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein a said motor means is coupled to each said agitator assembly to rotate said assembly.

8. A set of containers as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said discharge means comprises a screw conveyor extending through each said container from one side to another side thereof.

9. A set of containers as claimed in claim 8 wherein each said screw conveyor is rotatably drivable by motor means.

10. A set of containers as claimed in either one of claims 8 or 9 wherein each said screw conveyor has an axis of rotation which is inclined to the horizontal.

11. A set of containers as claimed in claim 10 when dependent from any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein a discharge end of each screw conveyor is disposed at the upper end thereof.

12. A set of containers as claimed in claim 11 wherein the said discharge end of each screw conveyor is disposed below the lower end of a respective said agitator assembly in each container.

13. A set of containers as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein a said screw conveyor is disposed in each container within an inclined troughlike base portion of the container having opposed side walls defining an included angle therebetween which is greater at the upper end of the conveyor than it is at the lower end thereof.

14. A set of containers as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein each container of the set is provided with individual agitator means and discharge means each of which is operable independently of the other.

15. A set of containers as claimed in claim 14 wherein each of said individual agitator means and discharge means is operable independently of the agitator means and discharge means associated with the other containers of the set.

16. A set of containers as claimed in any one of the preceding claims arranged as a modular assembly of a plurality of said containers.

17. Transportation means having a modular assembly of a set of containers as claimed in claim 16 carried thereon.

18. A set of containers for slurry material constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. Transportation means having a set of containers carried thereon constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. A road vehicle having a set of containers carried thereon constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

21. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.