GB722182A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for washing and like treatment of hollow vessels - Google Patents

Abstract

722,182. Cleaning oil drums &c. WALDE, S. S., and BLAGDEN & CO., Ltd., V. March 6, 1952] Dec. 6, 1950; Feb. 29,1952], Nos. 29918/50 and 5407/52. Class 21. [Also in Group XXIII] Relates to a washing apparatus for oil drums and like vessels which are mounted inverted in a line on a step-by-step endless-chain conveyer and wherein each vessel is cleaned by a long detergent spraying jet which is entered from below the vessel and through its mouth so that the jet end reaches towards the closed end of the vessel and the flow of detergent is maintained whilst the jet is withdrawn from the vessel. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, drums 20 are carried by supports 17, 19 on the conveyer which comprises a pair of endless chains 11. The jet structure 36 includes a long tubular portion extending centrally between the chains and is provided at each side at each end with pairs of slotted guides 47, 48 respectively. Two levers 52 one at each side of the conveyer are mounted on a rock shaft 533 and are rockable by the piston rod 51 of a hydraulic pressure cylinder 50. The levers 52 are connected to rods 54 and 60. The rods 54 connect with bell cranks 55 the second arms 56 of which connect with links 57 also connected with guide levers 58 supported on a rock shaft 59. Rollers provided centrally on the links 57 engage in the slots 47. Similarly the rods 60 connect with links 63 provided with central rollers engaging in the slots 48. The linkage is arranged so that the rollers will perform a vertical movement. The structure 36 is connected by brackets 65, 66 and bar 67 to the horizontal piston rod 68 of a hydraulic pressure cylinder 69. The tubular portion of the structure 36 is divided into two parts at 39 the left hand side having jets 42-45 and the right hand side a jet 46. The jets 42-45 are supplied with detergent from a sump chamber 26, heated by a steam coil 28, by a pump 34, and pipe 35 connected by a flexible hose to the jet structure, which detergent returns to the chamber 26. Similarly, the jet 46 is supplied with rinsing water, from a sump chamber 27 heated by a steam coil 29, by a pump 40 and flexible hose connection, the water returning to the chamber 27. In operation the jets are first raised by operating the cylinder 50 and pass through the supports 19 into the drums. Whilse so raised the cylinder 69 is operated to cause the structure to move horizontally, the rollers running in the slots 47, 48, and at the same time to move the conveyer through one step corresponding to the distance between the centres of two drums. The structure is then lowered and returned in the opposite horizontal direction to its original position. If required other operations such as hot air drying may be included. Valves for the cylinders 50, 69 may be operated manually but are preferably automatically operated in correct sequence by an electrically driven timing controller known per se, which may also operate valves provided for the jets. The "square" movement of'the jet structure may be performed by a square cam surrounding a motor driven three-cusped cam operating member as described in the first Provisional Specification in lieu of the hydraulically operated mechanism. At the loading end of the conveyer there is provided a bar 105 operable by the drums. The bar is supported by pivotted links 106 one of which has a counterweight 107 located above an electric switch 108 in the circuit controlling the cylinders 50, 69. All the time drums are being loaded the bar 105 is depressed and the machine is operated. If loading is stopped the counterweight falls and operates the switch to stop the machine. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the jet structure 72 is only movable in the vertical direction. A central bracket 79 is provided on the structure and has rollers 80 working in vertical guides 81 at each side of the conveyer. The slotted guides 77, 78 at the ends of the structure engage with rollers on crank arms 84 driven by sprockets 86 connected by a chain 87. The chain 87 is driven from a continuously driven shaft 91 through sprockets 90 and 88 and chain 89. The shaft 91 also drives a crank 92 having a pin 93 engageable with slots in a Geneva wheel 94 mounted on a shaft 95 which also carries a sprocket 96 connected by a chain 97 with a sprocket 98 on the shaft of a conveyer chain sprocket 71. The setting of the crank pin 93 relative to the cranks 84 is such that the conveyer is moved through one step when the jets are in the lowermost zone of their travel.