US1659577A - Apparatus for distributing powdered material - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1928.

V. ROYLE APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING POWDERED MATERIAL Filed Nov. 21, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 21, 1928.

V. ROYLE APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING POWDERED MATERIAL Filed Nov. 21. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill/Ill INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,659,577 PATENTOFFICE.

vEaNoN norm, or rnrnnson, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTTNG POWDERED MATERIAL.

Application filed November 21, 1924. Serial Ho: 751,412.

This invention relatesto an apparatus for distributing powdered material, such, for instance, as soapstone, talc or the like, WhlCh is commonly employed in tubing or extruding machines for coating the extruded prod not in order to prevent adhesion of its parts.

An object of the invention consists in providing improved means whereby the powder may be carried along with acomparatively slow moving current of air or the like generated by apparatus tending to produce a partial vacuum.

Another object consists in providing improved means for creating the partial vacuum and hence, generating the current of air or the like.

Another object consists in providing improved means for passing the powdered material into the said currentof air or the like and for continuously returning to the said current such of the powdered material as has been passedthereinto and not been carried along thereby.

Another object consists in providing improved means whereby the means for generating the current of air or the like andthe means for passing the powdered material thereinto are actuated from a common source. i

Another object consists in providing imroved means for re ulating the force of t e current of air or t e like.

Anotherobject consists in providing improved means for feeding the material frpm the distributing apparatus to the tubing or extruding machine.

Another object consists in providing improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts, whereby the above named and other objects may be effectively attained.

A practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a side'elevation of the improved apparatus. a

Fig. 2 represents a viewpartly in end elevation and partly in vertical section of the same.

Fig. 3 represents a detail section taken in the plane of the line III-III of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

In supplying non-adhesive powdered material totubin machines, it has been customar to partially fill a suitable receptacle with the said material and then inject it current of compressed airinto the said receptacle,wh1ch current would stir up a cloud of the powdered material and force it out through a pipe or other suitable outlet lead- 111g from the receptacle. This procedure requires an air current ofvery considerable force, and this force frequently causes injury to the product of the tubing machine, particularly whenthe said product consists of a tube of relatively small diameter which is being produced in considerable len th. This injury generally arises from the act that thesurface frictionof the air within the tube generates a back pressure after a considerable length of tubing has'been extruded, which back pressure causes the air to expand, and thereby distort, a portion of the tubing. Disadvantages have also existed in the fact that the powder sometimes is forced into the tube in small lumps instead of in a very finely subdivided condition and alsoin the fact that the supply of powder carried along by the current of air has been irregular. My present invention overcomes these prior difficulties by providing improved means attaining the objects previously named.

gential to the circumference of the casing 2, i

as clearlyshown in Fig. 1.

The opening from the casing into the chute 5 is. partially restricted by the circumferential wall of the casing 2, as indicated at 6, and a gate 7 is mounted on the saidportion 6 of the wall .of the casing by a cap screw 8 that projects through a slot fashioned in the gate. By this arrangement, the gate is adjustable so as to provide means for still further restricting and, in fact, practically closing, communication between the chute 5 andthe interior of the casing 2. The top of the chute 5 has a hinged lid 9 that is pivoted at 10and has a grip 11 for manualo oration. a

One si e of the casing 2 is open, and a cover plate 12, which is suitably shaped to that one 2, is removably secured thereto by screws 13.

This cover plate 12 has a central aperture 14 that is closed by a disc 15 fixed in position by screws 16.

The disc 15 has an 'annula'rly disposed series of holes 17, and a shutter 18, which consists of a thin circular plate, is mounted on a journal 19, which forms part of the disc 15, and is provided with a series of holes 20 that are fitted to register with the holes 17. The shutter 13 is rotatable upon the journal 19 and has a handle 21 for this purpose.

From this construction, it will be seen that, by rotating the shutter 18, the openings 17 and 20 may be made to wholly coincide, to partly coincide, or not to coincide at all, so that this constitutes aeans for opening, to a greater or less extent, communication between the surrounding atmosphere and the interior of the casing 2.

The journal 19 formed on the disc 15 projects both within and without the casing 2, and in said journal, a hollow shaft 22 finds its bearing. One end of said shaft extends beyond the journal 19 and into the casing 2 so as to be centrally disposed therein. This inner end of the shaft 22 carries a skeleton wheel 23. j The wheel 23 has its rim formed so as to constitute a plurality of seats 24 inclined at an angle to the adjacent radii of the wheel, which seats serve as supports for scoops 25 that consist of plates bent to a cross sectional form of acute angular shape.

The outer end of the shaft 22 has a collar 26 fixed thereto by a set screw '27, and this collar is developed into a flange 28 that has a stud 29 set therein and projecting into a large gear 30 which has. a sleeve bearing 31 on the exterior of the journal 19. The said sleeve bearing serves to hold the shutter 18 firmly in position against the "disc 15, as is shown in Fig. 2.

The large gear meshes with an intermediate gear 32 that is mounted by means of a bolt 33 in a slot 34 formed in an arm 35 that projects laterally from a hub 36 which is mounted on a countershaft 37.

The said hub 36 has a flange 38 which is provided with, an arcuate slot 39; and a cap screw 40 is passed through the slot 39 and threaded into a flange 41 formed on a hearing 42 which is fast to a plate 43 that is fixed to the casing 2 by screws 44. i

This arrangement permits the arm 35 to be adjusted in a curved path about the shaft- 37 so as to move the intermediate gear 32 toward and away from the large gear 30.

A pinion 45 is fast on the shaft 37 by a key 46 and held in position by a nut 47;

This pinion is intended to mesh with the intermediate gear 32, so that the rotation of the shaft 37 will drive the large :gear 30 and hence rotate the wheel 23.

The pinion 45 may be removed, if desired, and another sized pinion substituted for it, in order to vary the speed of rotation of the wheel 23 with respect to a given speed of rotation of the shaft 37. In case the size of the pinion 45 is, changed, the adjustability of the intermediate gear 32 in the slot extremity of the said shaft'has a worm gear 49 fixed thereon by a set screw 50.

The said worm gear meshes with a worm 51 which is fixed on a shaft 52 by a set screw 53, the said shaft 52 being mounted in an elongated bearing 54 that is'fast to a plate 55 secured by screws 56 to the side of a housing 57 that is fastened by screws 58 to the side of the casing 2 opposite the cover 7 plate 12.

The end of the shaft '52 opposite the worm 51 carries another worm gear .59 that meshes with a worm 60 which is fixed to a shaft 61 by a set screw 62.

The shaft 61 has oneend mounted in a bushing 63 that is carried in a journal 64 formed integral with and projecting from the housing 57. The other end of the shaft 61 passes through a yielding washer 65, that may be composed of felt or other suitable material. This washer is held in position by a pair of rings that are forced into the shouldered outer end of the hollow shaft 22, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 and, as said washer has a close engagement with the surface of the shaft 61, it serves to prevent the egress of the powdered material or, substantially, the ingress of air at this point. A housing 66 composed of two halves, fastened together by bolts 67, serves to cover. the worm gear 59, worm 60 and adjacent parts, the said,

housing 66 being supported-by oneiend of the shaft 52 and the contiguous end of shaft 61.

The shaft 61 projects axially through the casing 2 and terminates in a coupling 68, which coupling is keyed to a power shaft 69 projecting from .a motor 70 that is carried on a bracket 71 mounted on one side of the base 1. It will be clear that the operation of the motor serves, through the chain of shafting rand gearing above described, to drive the wheel 23.

The housing 57, above mentioned, en

compasses afan or blower 72 that is fast to the shaft 61 by a cotter '7 3, so that the fan to govern the amount of air as to or blower rotates with and at the same speed as the shaft 61. The arrangementof gearing is such "that the said shaft, and hence -on, and it will be seen'that the rotation of the fan or blower 72 will tend to. draw the air from the interiorof the casing 2 and exhaust it through vthe outlet 74 and nozzle 7 5, so that the said fan acts asa centrifugal suction pump tending to create a partial vacuum within the casing 2. This operation, of course, sucks airthrough the openings 17 and 20 in the disc 15 and shutter 18 and, by adjusting theshutter in a rotary direction with respect to the disc, the effective sizeof said openings can be varied so as permitted to enter the casing 2. a.

A suitable electric, heating unit76 is secured to the lower side of the casing 2 by screws 77 and may be connected by wires 7 8 with any suitable source (not shown) of electricity. This heating unit serves to keep the powdered material within the casing 2 in a dry condition and insure that it shall remain finely subdivided and not form lumps. In operation, the lid 9 is lifted and the cover 7 adjusted to provide a suitable opening between the chute 5 and the casing 2, so permit the powdered material to pass into the casingwith greater or less rapidity. A suitable amount of the powdered material, such as talc, is now admitted into the chute 5 and the lid 9 closed. The said material will move downwardly toward, and part of it will actually reach, the bottom of the casing 2, as indicated in Fig. 1. The electricity is turned on so as to heat the element 76. The shutter 18 is turned by its handle 21 so as to perniit a certain amount of coincidence between the openings 17 and 20. The motor is started, thus causing the fan or blower 72 and the scoop wheel 23 to rotate.

The arrangement is such that the scoop wheel rotates in an anti-clockwise direct-ion, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, so that the scoops 25 move upwardly toward and against the material passing down through the chute 5 into the casing 2. As the apparatus operates, the scoops will be filled with the incoming material and will carry it upwardly totward the top of the casing 2. As each scoop approaches the top, it will begin to spill more and more of its load of powdered material and, after it has passed beyond the highest point of its travel, each scoop will entirely empty itself. This will generate a continuous descending cloud or curtain of powdered material which will, in its downward course, come to the axis of the wheel 23 and casing 2. The air let in through the openings 17 and 20 will bedrawn through the casing 2 in an axial direction. toward the fan 72 and ejected through the outlet 74 and nozzle7 5, and this current} of air will carry along with it part 'of the descending cloud of powder within tlrecasing 2 and cause the same to be passed out through the outlet 7 4 and nozzle 75. By regulating the shutter 18, as well as the s deed .of rotation of the fan 72, the power 0 the suction created in the casing 2 can be adjust ed to suit the circumstances, so that a greater or less amountof the powdered material will be passed out of the casing in any given periodof time. These means ofregulation enable the operator to insure an adequate and even supply of the powdered material from the distributing apparatus to the tubing machine while, at the same time, preventing any excess of pressure which would injure the tubing. j

The arrangement of the chute 5, with one side tangential to the circumference of the casing 2, in combination with the anti-clockwise-rotation of the wheel 23, provides a very effective means for supplying the owderedmaterial to the scoop carrying w eel,

and prevents undue collection and clogging of the material within the casing 2.

- It-may be mentioned that the nozzle 75 on the outlet 74 is intended to be connected by suitable hosing or piping with a tubing machine, in the usual manner; and it is preferred to mount the apparatus so that the nozzle 75 will be at a higher level than the point of connection to the tubing machine, so that gravity may assist in the feed of the powdered material.

It will be understood that various changes may be resorted to in the form, constructlon and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; and hence, I do not intend to be limited to the details herein shown and described, except as they may be included in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle for the material, a fantending to create a vacuum within the receptacle, a scoop carrying wheel for agitating material in the receptacle, and-a pair of shafts, one within the other, for rotating the fan and wheel. 2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle for the material, a

fan mounted on one side of the receptacle for within the receptacle for agitating the material, a seeond shaft SllI'IOllIldiIlg said first shaft and connected to said wheel, and a train of mechanism exterior to the receptacle connecting said shafts, whereby the rotation of the first shaft will rotate the second shaft.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle for the material, a wheel in the receptacle for agitating the material, a hollow shaft upon which said wheel is mounted projecting through-a side of the receptacle, an actuating shaft traversing said hollow shaft and spaced from the inner wall thereof, and means located between said two shafts for preventing the egress of powdered material from the receptacle or the ingress of air thereinto.

4:. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle for the material, a wheel in the receptacle for agitating the material, a hollow shaft upon which said wheel .is mounted projecting through a side of the receptacle, an actuatingshaft traversing said hollow shaft and spaced from the inner wall thereof, and a yielding washer located between said two shafts for preventing the egress of powdered material from the receptacle or the ingress of air thereinto.

5. An apparatus-of the character described comprising, a receptacle for the material, 21

wheel in the receptacle, for agitating the 6. apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle for the material having a central outlet, a housing secured to said receptacle in register with said outlet, a fan located in said housing tending to create a vacuum within the receptacle through the outlet, a scoop carrying wheel in the receptacle for agitating vthe material, and a motor for rotating the fan and wheel,

said motor and fan being disposed on opposite sides of the receptacle and substantially coaxially mounted with the wheel.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, Ihave signed my name this 17th day of November, 1924.

VERNON BOYLE.

mg said hollow shaft and spaced from the

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