GB2518096A

GB2518096A - Barrel treatment apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2518096A
Application number: GB1423187.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Norris Whyte
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-08-12
Filing date: 2012-08-10
Publication date: 2015-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 2032-08-10
Also published as: GB201214303D0; GB2493633A; GB2518096B; GB2493633B; GB201113913D0

Abstract

A barrel treatment apparatus, and a method of treating barrels comprises a treatment head H mounted on an arm 11, 12, moveable relative to support (S, Fig 2) passing into the barrel for removal of material from the inner surface of the barrel. Treatment head H is mounted in a pivotal connection allowing pivotal movement of head H on the arm. The apparatus has a treatment head feed mechanism configured to move the treatment head H laterally relative to the support and to control the orientation of the treatment head during the lateral movement. A multi-link pivot system controls the orientation for consistent presentation of head H against the barrel regardless of the degree of movement of a cutter (2, Fig 6). The treatment head H has lower and upper cutters 2l, 2u, configured to cut into the surface of the barrel in a cutting pattern which has at least two different depths of cut, i.e. ridges. Typically the ridges are parallel, and are spaced uniformly over the whole of the treated surface of the barrel. Other shown elements include drive shaft 5, bearing blocks 6, front plate 7, bracket 8, bottom plate 15, a pair of rear link arms 12, a pair of pistons 16 and motor 25.

Description

BARREL TREATMENT APPARATUS

This invention relates to barrel treatment apparatus for removal of material from the inner surface of barrels.

Wooden casks or barrels used for storing and conditioning beverages such as wine, rum and whisky etc. may be filled and refilled severa' times. Each time the barrel is re-used the beneficial effects of the wood on the contents is reduced. When the beneficial effects of the wood drop below an acceptable level, the barrel maybe reconditioned by removing material from the inner surface. GB 2199238 describes an earlier design of treatment apparatus for cleaning of casks.

According to the present invention there is provided barrel treatment apparatus comprising a support for rotatably supporting barrels to be treated, a treatment head mounted on an arm and movable relative to the support for removal of material from the inner surface of the barrel when in place on tile support, wherein the treatment head is mounted in a pivotal connection allowing pivotal movement of the treatment head on the arm, the apparatus having a treatment head feed mechanism configured to move the treatment head laterally relative to the support and to control the orientation of the treatment head during the lateral movement.

Typically the treatment head feed mechanism comprises a multi-link pivot system, for examples having 3 or 4 [or more] linkages and having pivotal connections between adjacent linkages. In particular embodiments, the feed mechanism can optionally comprise a four-link system having a pair of spaced apart top and bottom linkages such as plates, arranged generally parallel to one another) and connected by two side linkages (or two pairs of side linkages) typically in the form of bars, which are generally parall& to one another and generally perpendicular to the top and bottom linkages. The top and bottom linkages are typically connected to the side linkages at pivot points at their respective corners, allowing relative pivotal movement of adjacent connected linkages) and thereby controlling the orientation of opposite linkages to restrain their range of movement, and particularly to restrain the orientation of one of the linkages in relation to another, e.g. restraining the orientation or attitude of the bottom linkage relative to the top linkage.

Typically the feed mechanism adopts a parallelogram or trapezoid arrangement, with at least two linkages that are generally parallel to one another, but it is possible to construct other embodiments according to the invention in which opposite linkages are non-parallel. Embodiments of the invention allow the treatment machine to keep the cutter in a consistent orientation for treatment of the barrel regardless of the movement of the cutter relative to the barrel.

Typically the treatment head feed mechanism has an attitude contr& mechanism for controlling and optionally adjusting the orientation of the axis of the treatment head, in order to ensure that the treatment head can be moved relative to the barrel so that it is presented to the inner surface tor the removal of material in an attitude in which the axis of the treatment head is parallel to the concave inner surface of the barrel at different spaced apart locations on the barrel. This can optionally tilt or otherwise adjust the relative orientations of two opposite linkages of the feed mechanism. This allows more of the surface area of the treatment head to be applied to the surface of the barrel being treated, and a more even removal of surface material can then be achieved. It also permits application of more force to the treatment head, reducing the treatment times.

Embodiments of the invention also permit more uniform treatment ofbarrels of different inner dimensions. Embodiments of the invention typically have the flexibility to process many different types of wooden barrels including rum barrels and wine barrels.

The treatment head can comprise a brush for brushing the inside of the barrel or a scraper device for scraping the inside of the barrel. Optionally the brush and scraper device connect to the treatment head interchangeably allowing selection of a brush or a scraper dependent on the preference of the operator, and/or the requirements of the treatment.

Optionally a drive motor is provided [typically on the treatment arm) to drive the treatment head [e.g. the brush or the scraper] in rotation around an axis. The motor can be an electric or a hydraulic motor.

Optionally the treatment head is mounted on a support for movement along the length of a barrel to be cleaned.

Optionally hydraulic and/or pneumatic drive means are provided for moving the treatment head.

Optionally the apparatus is enclosed in an enclosure to contain dust, and optionally the enclosure comprises a dust extraction device.

The invention also provides a treatment head for removing material from the inner surface of a barrel, the treatment head having an axis and being adapted for rotatable mounting on a treatment arm for rotating around its axis relative to the surface of the barrel in order to remove the material from the surface, the treatment head comprising a plurality of treatment elements arranged to rotate around the axis of the head, wherein the treatment elements are configured to cut into the surface of the barrel in a cutting pattern which has at least two different depths of cut.

Typically the treatment elements are stacked in a parallel array, and are spaced from one another. Optionally the treatment elements can be of different radius, and can cut to different depths into the surface of the barrel, but in certain embodiments, the radius of the treatment elements can be the same, and the variation in the cutting pattern can be achieved by other differentials of certain cutting elements in relation to others. For example, differentia' stiffness, hardness, sharpness, etc can all be used to generate a ridged or uneven surface in the barrel.

Optionally the treatment elements can comprise brushes. Optionally the treatment elements can comprise cutters or scrapers.

Typically the treatment head is configured to generate the ridged or uneven surface of the barrel even when the treatment head is rotated on an axis that is parallel to the barrel surface. Therefore, the treatment head typically generates the ridged surface profile uniformly over the inner surface of the barrel.

The invention also provides a method of treating a barrel for use in the storage or conditioning of distilled beverages, the method comprising removing material from the inner surface of the barrel to leave a ridged surface on the barrel.

Typically the ridges are parallel. Typically the ridges are evenly spaced. Typically the ridges are interspaced with grooves. Typically the ridges and optionally the grooves are of generally uniform dimensions, particularly of generally uniform depth.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described byway of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig.1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a barrel treatment apparatus; Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Fig.1; Fig. 4 is a front view of the apparatus of Fig 1; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a feed mechanism and treatment head of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is front view of the Fig 5 arrangement; Fig 7 is a view from beneath the Fig 5 arrangement; Figs B and 9 are respective front and section views of a brush member of the Fig 1 apparatus; Figs 10 and 11 are respective front and section views of a scraper member of the Fig 1 apparatus; Fig 12 shows an alternative design of cutting head; and Figs 13-15 show schematic side views of the treatment head H before and during lateral swinging and tilting movement of the cutting head.

Referring to the drawings one embodiment of a barrel cleaning apparatus comprises a support frame F extending in a vertical place, and having a barrel support turntable (not shown) mounted on the frame between two upright posts of the frame. The barrel is damped in place on the turntable, and a drive motor is mounted on the support frame F and drives the rotation of the barrel on the turntable. The motor can be an electric or a hydraulic motor. The clamping device is typically formed by a pair of clamp arms C which pull the barrel on the turntable and against a set of rollers [not shown] which are driven in rotation by the motor.

As the rollers are pressed against the outer surface of the barrel when itis clamped in place on the turntable, the rotation of the rollers driven by the motor in turn drives the rotation of the barrel and the turntable.

A treatment head H is mounted on a pair of support arms A extending vertically, and typically extending through a cross piece of the frame F. The support arms A typically comprise hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders adapted to move the treatment head up and down in the vertical plane as a result of the extension and retraction of the pistons in the cylinders.

Referring now to Figs 5-7, the treatment head H comprises a cutter assembly 2 having a number of stacked cutters comprising an upper cutter 2u and a tower cutter 21. More cutters can be provided if desired, or a single cutter. The cutter assembly 2 is mounted on a vertical axis comprising a drive shaftS, held in bearing blocks 6 that are welded to a front plate 7, generally disposed in the vertical plane.

The cutter assembly 2 is arranged to rotate around the axis of the shaft to which itis fixed, so that the generally cylindrical cutters 2u and 21 cut into the wall of the barrel as will be described below.

The front plate 7 is welded or otherwise fixed via bracket 8 to a generally rectangular bottom plate 15 on the treatment head H which is held in a generally parallel arrangement in relation to a generally rectangular top plate 16, both the top and bottom plates 16, 15 being fixed generally in the horizontal plane using a multi-linkage arrangement which comprises the top and bottom plates, and a pair of front link arms 11 and a pair of rear link arms 12 connecting the top and the bottom plates at their respective corners by pivot points allowing the link arms to pivot relative to each of the top and bottom p'ates. This arrangement allows the bottom plate to swing relative to the top plate, but since the link arms at the corners connect the top and bottom plates at a fixed distance, the plane of the bottom plate remains in the same orientation with respect to the top plate irrespective of the swinging of the bottom plate relative to the top plate. Therefore, the pivotal linkage system connecting the top and the bottom p'ates 16, 15 maintains the generally horizontal orientation of the bottom plate 15 relative to the top plate 16 during lateral movement of the bottom plate 15 while it is swinging.

The top plate is fixed to the arms A typically by welding, thereby fixing the orientation of the top plate with respect to the apparatus in a generally horizontal plane. The movement of the bottom plate during swinging is therefore also fixed in a generally horizontal plane by the side linkages.

The bottom plate 15 is typically driven in its swinging motion relative to the top plate 16 by at least one [typically a pair of] pneumatic cylinders 13 connected between opposite corners on the side linkages 11,so that expansion of the pistons in the cylinders 13 swings the bottom plate radially outward in the direction of arrow A in Fig 16. The bottom plate 15 swings in an arc, but typically maintains its generally horizontal orientation as a result of the side linkages connecting the corners of the top and bottom plates 16, 15. This swinging movement moves the cutters on the cutter assembly 2 radially within a barrel mounted in the machine to engage the inner surface of the barrel at a controlled orientation.

The horizontal orientation of the bottom plate can be varied by an attitude contr& mechanism typically in the form of a tilt mechanism on the bottom plate 15. The bottom plate 15 is typically attached pivotally to the front side linkages 11 at their lower ends, and at its rear surface the bottom plate 15 is typically pivotally attached to rear side linkages via a pivot pin that is adapted to move in a slot 14, typically an arcuate slot, cut into the side of the rear side linkages and allowing axial movement of the pivot pin along the slot 14 to tilt the bottom plate with respect to the top plate by up to 12 degrees up or down. The pivot pins extending through the slot 14 are fixed to the bottom plate 15 at a location spaced from the rear face 15r of the bottom plate 15, which has a tilt adjustment mechanism in the form of a pneumatic cylinder 9 pivotally attached between the top plate and the rear face 15r of the bottom plate, arranged so that extension of the cylinder 9 moves the pivot pin down the slot 14 and tilts the rear of the bottom plate away from the top plate and thereby rotates the axis of the cutter assembly 2 in an anticlockwise direction as shown in FigS, relative to the top plate 16. Retracting the piston in the cylinder 9 has the opposite effect Therefore, the attitude adjustment mechanism allows the angle of the cutters to be adjusted and controlled during the swinging of the cutter assembly towards and away from the inner surface of the barrel to ensure that the face of the cutters are optimally aligned with the barrel surface being treated.

A drive motor 25 is provided on the bottom plate 15, having a shaft extending through the bottom plate in a horizontal axis and terminating in a pulley 26. The motor 25 can be an electric or a hydraulic motor. The pulley 26 is connected to the drive shaftS of the cutting assembly 2 by a timing belt 27, which transmits the torque from the drive shaft of the motor 25 to the drive shaft of the cutter assembly, thereby driving the cutters in rotation around the axis of the shaft.

Referring now to Figs 1-4 the apparatus is shown with the outer cover in the form of a closed cabinet which has a pair of access doors to allow loading of barrels. A further, smaller cabinet covers a hydraulic and/or pneumatic power unit A control panel is mounted on the side of the cabinet and a viewing panel allows the interior of the cabinet to be viewed from outside. Optionally an outlet pipe can be provided on the side of the cabinet provide a connection point for dust extraction apparatus, not shown, and optionally an inlet pipe on the top of the cabinet allows air to enter the cabinet to replace air being extracted.

B

The apparatus is used to remove material from the inner surface of barrels used in the distilling industry.

In use a barrel to be treated is inserted in the cabinet and placed on the turntable where it is clamped in position by the clamps C in a thcation directly aligned below the treatment head H on the arms A. The doors of the cabinet are then closed. The drive motor is run to rotate the turntable and the barrel. The treatment head H is then inserted into the open upper end of the barrel to be treated by movement of the pistons on the hydraulic cylinders of the arms A. The cutter assembly in swung laterally within the barrel into contact with the inner surface of the barrel by the action of the pneumatic cylinders 13. The cutters 2u, 21 rotate around the axis of the shaft 5 by means of the drive motor 25 and timing belt 27, typically in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the barrel, and the axis of rotation of the cutters 2 is adjusted by extending and retracting the pneumatic cylinder 9 to operate the tilt mechanism, which ensure that the face of the cutters 2 that are pressed against the inner surface of the barrel are oriented in the correct manner with respect to the barrel e.g. parallel to the surface of the barrel. The force with which the cutter assembly is pressed against the inner wall is controlled by the extension of the cylinders 13, which can be controlled from the control panel, or controlled automatically from a computer. The treatment head and the cutter assembly 2 gradually moves down the barrel as the barrel rotates to remove material from the whole internal surface of the barrel. The curvature of the barr& changes with the depth, and the tilt mechanism allows for the changes and maintains the cutters 2 in the correct (e.g. parallel) orientation throughout the operation. When the treatment head has covered the whole of the inner surface of the barrel that is desired to be treated, the barrel may be removed.

Typically the cutter assembly 2 can be substituted for a brush assembly 3.

Embodiments of a cutter assembly 2 and brush assembly 3 are shown in Figs 8-11.

The apparatus can be used with either interchangeably. Referring now to Figs 8 and 9, a brush assembly 3 has a drive shaftS and a number of brush elements in the form of disc shaped wheels 36. The multiple brush elements 36 are typically stacked axially on the shaft 5 between top and bottom bearing plates 35, and different thicknesses of spacers can be inserted between adjacent brushes allowing different patterns (uniform or graduated) of brushing. The bearing plates 35 are designed to run against the inner surface of the barrel and limit the spacing of the shaft from the surface of the barrel, while the generally disc shaped brush elements 36 have a larger diameter and are pressed against the inner surface of the barrel in a predictable manner to remove material in a controlled fashion from the inner surface. The top and bottom bearing plates can be varied in diameter to set the depth of engagement of the bristles, and thus the amount of wood removed.

The brush elements can optionally be the same hardness and stiffness and diameter or alternatively the brush elements can be stacked in different arrays in order to apply different treatments to the inner surface of the barrel. In one embodiment, individual brush elements can have a different purpose, either by having a different diameter to adjacent brush elements, or by being sharper and/or stiffer than adjacent elements, whereby adjacent brush elements are configured to cut to different (e.g. incremental) depths. Typically each brush element can have being a slightly larger diameter than the brush element below it, so that it cuts away more material from the inner surface of the barrel. This facilitates more control for stepped cuts and this also helps to provide more cutting power from smaller motors.

Narrow barrel necks frequently impose size limitations on the motor which is needed to pass into the interior of the barrel (e.g. US bourbon casks) and smaller motors frequently lack the power to make the full amount of material removal in a single cut. Using stepped brush elements in accordance with the present invention) more material can be removed from the inner surface making more efficient use of the available power from smaller motors.

An adjustable spacing on the shaft S allows different barrel surface finishes to be achieved) from a flat uniform surface to a grooved surface, with different down feed rates and hence varying the cycle processing times as well. In some cases, removal of the old char from the inner surface of the barrel is sufficient, which can be done by a uniform diameter of brush with little or no spacing. However, spacing the brushes and stepping their cutting depth facilitates the removal of more material and a cut into the subsurface wood of the barrel, optionally enabling the formation of a grooved surface extending radially deeper into the new wood beneath the previous surface layer. This can be very desirable in some circumstances, as it increases the wood surface area to which the spirit is exposed during maturation of the whisky in the cask, and exposes the contents of the barrel to more of the new subsurface wood which retains more of the natural compounds that have the best effects on the flavour of the barrel contents. Another surprising advantage of this is that the increase in surface area of newly cut wood is achieved with a smaller barrel.

This allows a maturation result that could only be otherwise achieved by a larger or newer barrel, which allows cost and space savings.

Typically the brushes can be stiff and aggressive, having the capability to remove radial layers of wood from the surface of the barrel.

Likewise, when using a cutter assembly 2, as shown in Figs 10 and 11, the cutter assembly 2 has a top and bottom bearing plate 45, 44 mounted on bearings and rotatable relative to the shaft 5, and in between has a plurality of cutters comprising a top cutter 47 and a bottom cutter 47. More cutters (or a single cutter] can be used instead. The bearing plates 45)44 are designed to engage the inner surface of the barrel and to rotate freely with respect to the barrel and the shaft 5. The cutters 46, 47 have blades that extend beyond the outer diameter of the bearing plates 45. 44, and remove material from the inner surface of the barrel. The cutters 46, 47 are fixed to the shaft and rotate with the motor 25, typically in the opposite direction of rotation with respect to the rotation of the barrel.

Like the stepped brush assembly the cutters 45. 46 can optionally be the same hardness and stiffness and diameter or alternatively (as shown in this example in Figs 10 and 11) can be stacked in different arrays in order to apply different treatments to the inner surface of the barrel. In this embodiment, individual cutter elements 46, 47 can have a different diameter and are configured to cut to different (e.g. incremental) depths. If desired they could be made from different materials to achieve the same result or be provided with different cutting patterns etc, without being different diameters. Optionally the diameter [or hardness or cutting pattern) can be stepped and/or otherwise changed along the axial length of the cutter, for example the bottom cutter can optionally comprise a tapered or frustoconical surface. In this example, the top cutter 46 can have being a slightly larger diameter than the bottom cutter, so that it cuts away more material from the inner surface of the barrel. This also facilitates more control for stepped cuts and this also helps to provide more cutting power from smaller motors, as described above.

Fig 12 shows a further example of a cutter head 52 for use with embodiments of the present invention. The cutter head 52 has a top cutter 56 and bottom cutter 57. In the Fig 12 example, the bottom bearing plate is the first to engage the inner surface of the barrel and the spacing of the bearing plate against the surface of the barrel typically allows a 1st cut of e.g. 1.5mm at the 227mm diameter by the bottom cutter 57. The blades on the bottom cutter 57 typically have a chamfer on their bottom edge at 57c to ensure the barrel surface is gradually enlarged as the cutter moves towards its 227mm diameter and 1.5mm cut depth. In this embodiment, the 2nd row of cutter blades [the top cutter) 56 clean the surface typically removing material left from the 1st row. Optionally, a 3rd row of cutter blades removes a further 1mm of wood (227-229mm diameter), and a 4th row removes a further 0.5mm of material, making a total of 3mm for this combination.

The 80 radius is an average barrel radius and this allows the cutting depth to be run out gradually as the cutter passes. The top bearing plate is typicafly set at the diameter of the top row of blades and this allows them a 0 depth of cut ensuring no more material is removed) but also cleans up any stringers left on the surface to provide an improved surface finish.

The bearing plates at top and bottom of the cutters are used to control the amount of material removal (depth of cut per pass) and help to restrict the depth of cut as the cutter is fed axially down the barrel. The bearing plates typically run on the surface of the barrel, and their diameter is set to allow a specific exposure of the blade teeth to the barrel surface. They are typically free to rotate at the barrel rotation speed, and can rotate on the shaft of the cutter head rather than running at the cutter rotational speed.

The bottom bearing pkte is typically interchangeable for several smaller diameter plates and these allow a deeper 1st cut and subsequently remove more materia' overall. In certain embodiments, these can be made up in 4mm diameter increments so that each plate removes a further 2 mm on the preceding row. This arrangement will remove up to 6mm of wood which is close to the limit of what can be removed without compromising the strength of the barrel.

Figs 13-15 show schematic side views of the treatment head H before lateral swinging movement (Fig 13], where both top and bottom plates 16, 15 are generally parallel and before the cutters 2 have been activated to engage the inner surface of the barrel. Fig 14 shows the extension of the piston and the cylinder 13 to collapse the parallelogram formed by the top and bottom plates and the linkages and swing the bottom plate 15 radially outward in an arc B to engage the inner surface of the barrel. Note that the parallelogram linkage maintains the generally horizontal orientation of the bottom plate, and thereby maintains the vertical alignment of the axis of rotation of the cutters 2.

Fig 15 shows the extension of both the cylinders 13 and 9, to swing the bottom plate and cutter radially outward to engage the inner surface of the barrel. Note that the top plate remains in the generally horizontal plane) by the plane of the bottom plate has tilted as a result of the extension of the cylinder 9, so that the top and bottom plate are no longer parallel. Tilting of the bottom plate shifts the axis of rotation of the cutter shaft 2 in an anticlockwise direction, shown by the arrow C in Fig 15, thereby engaging the concave inner surface of the barrel at the neck of the barrel and controllably removing materia' therefrom. The bottom plate 15 can be tilted downward by retracting the piston and cylinder 9 to move the rear face of the bottom plate closer to the top plate (not shown) to orient the axis of the cutter 2 in a clockwise direction, opposite to the arrow C, so that the cutter can be correctly oriented for removing material from the lower sections of the barrel which taper radially inwards. The piston and cylinder 9 are typically set in an extended arrangement to put the cutting head 2 into the Fig 15 arrangement when the treatment head H is treating the top parts of the barrel, and the cylinder 9 is gradually retracted to move tilt the cutter 2 r&ative to the inner surface of the barrel gradually as the treatment head H moves down the barr& axis. The movement of the cylinders 9 and 13 can be coordinated by the control box and/or automated as desired.

Modifications and improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A treatment head for removing material from the inner surface of a barrel, the treatment head having an axis and being adapted for rotatable mounting on a treatment arm for rotating around its axis relative to the surface of the barrel in order to remove the material from the surface, the treatment head comprising a plurality of treatment elements arranged to rotate around the axis of the head) wherein the treatment elements are configured to cut into the surface of the barrel in a cutting pattern which has at least two different depths of cut.
2. A treatment head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the treatment elements are stacked in a parallel array, and are spaced from one another along the axis of rotation.
3. A treatment head as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least some of the treatment elements have different radii.
4. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 1-2, wherein the rotating radius of the treatment elements is the same.
5. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 1-4 wherein at least some of the treatment elements have different stiffness.
6. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 1-5 wherein at least some of the treatment elements have different hardness.
7. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 1-6 wherein at least some of the treatment elements have different sharpness.
8. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the treatment head is mounted on a treatment arm with a drive motor disposed on the arm, wherein the drive motor drives the treatment head in rotation around an axis.
9. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the treatment head is mounted on a support for movement along an axis of the barrel to be treated.
10. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the treatment head is moved by hydraulic and/or pneumatic means.
11. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 1-10, wherein the treatment head is mounted by a pivotal connection allowing pivotal movement of the treatment head on the arm, the treatment head having a treatment head feed mechanism configured to move the treatment head laterally relative to the arm and to control the orientation of the treatment head during the lateral movement.
12. A treatment head as claimed in claim 11, wherein the treatment head feed mechanism comprises a multi-link pivot system having 3 or more linkages and having pivotal connections between adjacent linkages.
13. A treatment head as claimed in claim 12, wherein the feed mechanism comprises a four-link pivot system having a pair of spaced apart plate linkages connected by at least two bar linkages, and wherein the plate linkages are connected to the bar linkages at pivot points formed at their respective corners, allowing relative pivota' movement of the adjacent connected linkages, and thereby controlling the relative orientation or attitude of the plate linkages.
14. A treatment head as claimed in claim 13, wherein the pivot linkages of the feed mechanism are arranged in a parallelogram or trapezoid arrangement, with at least the plate linkages generally parallel to one another.
15. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 11-14, wherein the feed mechanism keeps the cutter in a consistent orientation relative to the barrel for treatment of the barrel as the cutter moves relative to the barrel.
16. A treatment head as claimed in any one of claims 11-15, wherein the treatment head feed mechanism has an attitude control mechanism for controlling the orientation of the axis of the treatment head relative to the barrel, in order to ensure that the attitude of the treatment head can be adjusted relative to the barrel so that it is presented to the inner surface tor the removal of material in an attitude relative to the barrel surface in which the axis of the treatment head is parallel to the concave inner surface of the barrel as the curvature of the barrel changes at different spaced apart locations on the axis of the barrel.
17. A treatment head as claimed in claim 16, wherein the treatment head is adapted to rotate about the axis relative to the barrel.
18. A treatment head as claimed in claim 16 or daim 17, wherein the attitude control mechanism can tilt or otherwise adjust the relative orientations of two opposite pivot linkages of the feed mechanism.
19. A treatment head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the treatment head comprises a brush device for brushing the inside of the barrel.
20. A treatment head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the treatment head comprises a scraper device for scraping the inside of the barrel.
21. A treatment head as claimed in claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the brush and scraper device are adapted to connect to the treatment head interchangeably allowing selection of a brush or a scraper dependent on the preference of the operator, and/or the requirements of the treatment.
22. A treatment head as claimed in any preceding claim, enclosed in an enclosure to contain dust, and wherein the enclosure comprises a dust extraction device.
23. A treatment head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the treatment elements are mounted on a rotating shaft on the treatment head, and wherein the rotating shaft has first and second bearing plates at spaced apart axial positions on the shaft, wherein the first and second bearing plates have a smaller rotating diameter than the treatment elements cutting into the surface of the barrel, and wherein the first and second bearing plates are adapted to bear against the inner surface of the barrel and limit the spacing of the shaft from the barrel surface, thereby limiting the depth of cut made by the treatment elements into the barrel surface.
24. A method of treating a barrel for use in the storage or conditioning of beverages, the method comprising removing material from the inner surface of the barrel to leave a ridged or uneven surface on the barrel.
25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the ridged or uneven surface profile is generated uniformly over the whole treated surface of the barrel.
26. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24 or 25, wherein the ridges are parallel.
27. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-26, wherein the ridges are evenly spaced.
28. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-27, wherein the ridges are interspaced with grooves.
29. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-28, wherein the ridges are of generally uniform dimensions.
30. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-29, wherein the ridged treated surface of the barrel is generated by a treatment head being rotated on an axis that is parallel to the barrel surface.
31. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the treatment head comprises a treatment head feed mechanism having a multi-link pivot system having 3 or more linkages and having pivotal connections between adjacent linkages, and wherein the method includes the step of moving the treatment head laterally with respect to the axis towards and away from the barrel surface while maintaining the orientation of the treatment head in an orientation that is parallel to the barrel surface via pivoting of the linkages in the feed mechanism.
32. A method as claimed in claim 30 or 31, including presenting the treatment head to the surface while rotating the head on an axis that is parallel to the surface of the barrel regardless of the position of the treatment head with respect to the axis of the barrel.
33. A method as claimed in claim 31 or claim 32, wherein the treatment head feed mechanism has an attitude control mechanism and wherein the method includes the step of adjusting the orientation of the axis of the treatment head as the treatment head moves axially through the barrel.
34. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-33, including rotating the treatment head about the axis relative to the barrel, and rotating the barr& in the opposite direction.
35. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-34, including driving the rotation of the treatment head using a motor which passes inside the barrel.
36. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-35, including making at least two different depths of cut into the surface of the barrel.
37. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-36, including spacing the treatment elements in relation to one another in a parallel array along the axis of rotation of the treatment head.
38. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-37, including mounting the treatment head on a treatment arm with a drive motor disposed on the arm, and driving the treatment head in rotation around an axis by the drive motor.
39. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-38, including moving the treatment head along an axis of the barrel.
40. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-39, including keeping the cutter in a consistent orientation relative to the barrel surface as the cutter moves relative to the barrel.
41. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-40, including presenting the cutter to the inner surface of the barrel in an attitude in which the axis of the treatment head is parallel to the concave inner surface of the barrel at different spaced apart locations on the barrel.
42. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24-41, including removing materia' from the barrel surface by treatment elements mounted on a rotating shaft on a treatment head) and including spacing the shaft from the barrel surface by first and second bearing plates at spaced apart axial positions on the rotating shaft of the treatment head, wherein the first and second bearing plates have a smaller rotating diameter than the treatment elements cutting into the surface of the barrel, thereby limiting the depth of cut made by the treatment elements into the barrel surface.
43. Apparatus for removing material from the inner surface of a barrel, comprising a treatment head having an axis and being adapted for rotatable mounting on a treatment arm for rotating around its axis relative to the surface of the barrel in order to remove the material from the surface, the treatment head comprising a plurality of treatment elements arranged to rotate around the axis of the head, wherein the treatment elements are configured to cut into the surface of the barrel) the treatment head incorporating first and second bearing plates at spaced apart axial positions on a rotating shaft of the treatment head, wherein the first and second bearing plates have a smaller rotating diameter than the treatment elements cutting into the surface of the barrel, and wherein the first and second bearing plates are adapted to bear against the inner surface of the barrel and limit the spacing of the shaft from the barrel surface, thereby limiting the depth of cut made by the treatment elements into the barrel surface.