US1857812A

US1857812A - Process and apparatus for cleaning waste

Info

Publication number: US1857812A
Application number: US292772A
Authority: US
Inventors: John R Hiatt; Charles R Wicker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1928-07-14
Filing date: 1928-07-14
Publication date: 1932-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 1949-05-10

Description

y 1932- J. R. HIATT ET AL 1,857,812,

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WASTE Filed July 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Shet 1 y 1932- JVR. HIATT ET AL 1,857,812

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WASTE Filed July 14. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 glwuewtou down 1?, ffm'rri/ro amines Patented May 1-0, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN R. IFIIATT, OF INDIANAPOLIS, AND CHARLES R. WICKER, OF CARMEL, INDIANA PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOB CLEANING WASTE Application filed Jul 14,

The present invention is concerned with the same subject matter of that covered by our co-pending application Serial No. 186,800, filed April 26, 1927-namely, the

6 cleaning and renovation of waste such as is commonly used in the journal boxes of railroad cars. Such waste, after a long period of use, requires removal, as the oil which it contains becomes hardened and cakes and the waste gradually accumulates foreign matter which is undesirable in the journal box.

The general object of the invention covered by this application is to provide a machine and process by the use of which old journal box waste may be thoroughly renovated, the old caked oil and all foreign matter being removed, so that the waste cleaned can be used in journal boxes as before without the necessity for the admixture of new fresh waste.

In carrying outour invention we provide a horizontally disposed screen, preferably submerged in hot oil, and over this screen we pass the waste which is to be cleaned, this waste being arranged in a relatively thin layer.

Above the screen we provide means for combing or shredding the waste and working it so that it becomes thoroughly impregnated with the hot oil and is fairly cleaned thereby. In the preferred form of our invention, the working and shredding means also operate to move the waste over the screen, so that the necessity for any special conveying means for this purpose is eliminated. We supply fresh hot oil from an outside source continuously to the tank in which the screen is located. this clean oil desirably being supplied near the top of the tank; and we provide continuously operating means for withdrawing from the bottom of the tank .alldirty oil as well as all solid foreign matter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention Fig. 1 is a side elevation in partial section of my machine: Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-'4 of Fig. 1: and Fig. 5 is a fragmental plan view of 50 the machine.

Our waste-cleaning machine comprises a 192a. Serial in. 292,772.

tank adapted to contain the hot oil in which the waste is cleaned. Horizontally disposed in the tank 15 and below the level of the oil therein is a screen or adjustable grate over which the waste is passed as it is cleaned. Desirably, this screen. 16 is formed by'a series of transversely extending pivoted vanes 17 each of which is supported by a shaft 18. The shafts 18 are provided with arms 19, the outer ends of which are all connected to a link 20 adapted to be moved by a control lever 21. By adjusting the position of the control lever 21, the effective opening between adjacent vanes can be carried as desired. .1

Upon the screen 16 formed by the vanes 17 are the means which we employ to work the waste and to move it along the screen. This means desirably comprises a plurality of sets of spreading fingers 25, and a plurality of cup members or dashers 26 similar to those employed in washing machines and desirably having serrated edges.. Each of the spreaders is located between two'sets of dashers 26. as is clear from Fig. 1. By suitable operating means, the fingers 25 and dashers 26 are caused to move in such a manner as to work the waste and tomove 1t over the screen 16.

For the purpose of operating the dashers, we provide for each set of dashers a pair of vertically spaced

crank shafts

27 and 28 which rotate in unison and which are of equal throw. As illustrated in the drawings, each set of dashers 26 consists of four dashers ar I ranged in a row extending transversely of the tank 15. Each of the dashers has a stem 30 which extends upward from the dasher and is adapted to be connected to the two

cranks

27 and 28. q

To this end, the, eccentric portion of each of the cranlpshafts 27 carries four guides 27'- in which the upper ends of the stems 30 are respectively received. Springs 30 acting between the guides 27' and their respective dasher stems 30 tend to force the dashers 26 downwardly into contact with the screen 16. The eccentric portion or crank of the crank shaft 28 extends through slots in the stems of the dashers 26.

As has been previously stated, the

shafts

27 and 28 are of equal throw. As a result, the

\ continues to be exerted by the springs 30, and

i 16 and to shred it for the thence move upward and rearwardly out of contact with the waste. In this upward movement, a artial vacuum is produced in and immediate y below each dasher, similarly to the action of the suction cups commonly employed in washing machines, with the result that the cleaning oil is drawn through the waste.

The spreaders 25 are operated to have a similar movement; but in addition are provided with operating means which impart to them a transverse reciprocation in order to distribute the waste evenly over the screen purpose of removing all lumps.

To this end, each set of spreaders 25 may be moved in the longitudinal plane of the tank 15 by means of a pair of vertically spaced crank shafts 31 and 32. On each pair of crank shafts is mounted a pair of arms 33 which extend downward below the lower crank shaft 32 and are there provided respectively with cross-pins 34 extending longitudinally of the tank 15. The crank shafts 31 and 32 are of equal throw, rotate at equal speed, and are in phase with each other, so

that the arms 33 are maintained in vertical position throughout their cycle of movement.

I prefer to arrange each set of spreaders 25 in four groups comprising parallel rows of fingers which extend ransversely across the tank 15. Each group of spreaders is secured to a back 35 having horizontal slots i 37 on adjacent backs are located at opposite 36 for the reception of the cross pins 34. Conveniently, two of the backs together with their associated spreaders 25 are located on one side of the arms 33zand the other two backs are located on the opposite side thereof. Each of the backs 35 has at one end an arm 37 provided-with a vertical slot 38. The backs 35 are so arranged that the arms sides of the tank 15. Along the sides of the tank 15, we provide two longitudinally extending rods 40 which are received respectively within the slots 38. These rods 40 are movable transversely. of the tank 15, and are conveniently supported by swinging links 41 pivotally mounted on the side walls of the tank. One of the links 41 associated with each' of the rods 40 has rigid with it an operating arm 42 connected through a connecting rod 43 with an eccentric crank on a crank shaft 44 adapted to be driven through gearing 45 either from one of the shafts 47 or from one of the shafts 31. Desirably, the gearing 45 is of such a ratio that each group of fingers 25 will make several oscillations transversely of the tank during each cycle of movement in the longitudinal plane of the tank. The cranks of the two crank shafts 44 which oscillate the rods 40 are arranged so that these rods and the finger backs 35 respectively associated with them will move in opposite directions, and the spreaders 25 are so spaced that the fingers of one group will pass fingers of the adjacent group in their transverse reciprocation in order to secure a thorough shreading of the waste.

The shafts 27 and 28., which operate the dashers 26, and the shafts 31 and '32, which operate the fingers 25, desirably rotate in the same direction and at the same speed and are arranged so that their cranks are 180 apart. As a result of this, waste entering upon the right-hand end (Fig. 1) of the the tank is forced through the waste. As A thedashers move upward, the adjacent fingers 25 move downward and engage some of the waste which the dashers have moved to the left and carry it further in that direction, at the sametime passing transversely through it to shred it and remove all lumps. By their leftward movement, the spreaders 25 carry the waste into a position where it will be engaged by the next set of dashers 26, and this action is repeated throughout the length of the screen 16.

At the discharge end of the screen 16, we provide a belt conveyor 55 which receives the waste discharged from the screen 16. This conveyor extends upward to a point above the normal level of the oil in the tank 15 and carries the waste to a chute 56 from which it is discharged to wringer rolls 57 which squeeze the oil from it. To avoid excessive horizontal extent of the conveyor 55, we provide a belt 58 between which and the conveyor 55 the waste is inched as it, is raised. The pinching whidh the waste receives between the two belts 55 and 56 also squeezes some oil from it.

Extending longitudinally through the tank 15 near the bottom thereof is a worm conveyor 60 which, for a portion of its circumference is rather closely surrounded by a casing 61 having inwardly and downwardly sloping side walls 61 which extend to the side walls of the tank 15 and serve to direct to the conveyor 60 any solid matter descending through the oil in the tank. Desirably,

. the casing 61 is interrupted at a point interand thence around a roll 67 located above the normal level of oil in-the tank 15. As in the case of a belt conveyor 55, we may supplement the traveling screen 63 with a second belt or screen 68 which runs around the roll- 66 and around a roll 69 located above the upper roll 67 associated with the screen 63. Q

The upwardly extending stretches of the screen 63 and belt 68 are desirably contained in a lateral extension 7 0 of the tank 15. The rolls 67 and 69 are driven through any suitable gearing 71 from a shaft 72 which is in turn driven from one of. the shafts 27 or 31.

the screen 63 and below the opening 62 we provide a box 75 having an open top across which the screen 63 travels. Communicating with this box, is a pipe 76 through which oil may be withdrawn from the tank 15. The oil thus withdrawn is passed through a suitable cleaner or filter, is heated, and is discharged asfrom a pipe 77, near the top of the tank 15.

The various moving parts of our wastecleaning machine maycbe driven from an electric motor 80 which is connected through suit- .able speed-reduction gearing with a transverse shaft 81. The shafts 81, 27, and 31, may all be provided with sprockets 82 of equal diameter with which there co-operates a chain 83, this method of driving insuring that the shafts 27 and 31 will be driven at the same rate of speed. Another chain- 85 extending from a suitable sprocket on the shaft 81 may drive the conveyors and 56 and still another chain 86 may be employed to drive the conveyor through suitable gearing 87. Each lower dasher shaft 28 may conveniently be driven from the associated upper dasher shaft 27 by a chain 88, and the lower finger-operating shafts 32 may be similarly driven by chains 89.

In operation, the waste to be cleaned is placed in the machine at the right-hand end thereof as shown in Fig. 1 and passes over the screen 16 to the conveyor 55 as above set forth. The action ofthe spreaders 25 and dashers 26' removes all lumps and foreign matter from the waste and thoroughly impregnates it with the fresh clean oil, with the result that the cleaned waste dischar ed from the wringer rolls 57 is in substantially the same condition as it was in before being used Located between the horizontal stretches of cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said tank cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said in journal boxes. Solid matter and short shreds of waste which pass through the openings between the vanes 17 constituting the screen 16 drop downward or are carried downward by the general downward flow of oil in the tank 15, to the conveyor 60 which conveys them to the opening 62 in the casing 61. The solid matter thus conveyedto the opening 62 falls therethrough upon the screen 63 which carries it laterally and upward to discharge it from the tank 15.

By withdrawing dirty cool oil from the bottom of the tank and introducing hot oil at the top of the tank, we obtain a distinct advantage; for the oil introduced at the top of the-tank tends to descend as it cools, thus producing in the tank a general downward flow which carries all solid matter with it away from the waste being cleaned.

While we have described our apparatus as being used for the cleaning of journal-box. waste for re-use, it is not limited to such use; as it can be employed to advantage in cleaning of waste or similar material in any liqu1 We claim as our invention 1. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprislng a tank for containing a supply of means for compressing the waste against said screen, and means for shredding waste on said screen. v

2. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprising a tank for containing a supply of tank, a plurality of means for compressing the waste against said screen, and a plurality of, means for shredding waste on said screen,

said compressing and shredding means being arranged alternately.

3. An apparatus for'cleaning waste, comprising a tank for containing a supply of cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said tank. compressing members for compressing the waste against said screen, and means for moving said compressing members first downwardly into contact with the waste on the screen, thenv forwardly relative to the screen, and then upwardly and rearwardly.

4. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprising a tank for containing a supply of cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said tank, shredding means including a plurality of groups of fingers for shredding waste on said screen, means 'for reciprocating said groups of fingers in opposite directions transversely of said tank, and means for moving said groups of fingers in the longitudinal plane of the tank to move waste along said screen.

5. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprising a tank for-' containing a supply of cleaning liquid, a screen in said tank, means for compressing waste against said screen,

said screen being provided with a plurality i 0 of openings, and means for varying the effective size of such openings.

6. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprising a tank for containing a supply of cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said tank, a plurality of cup members arranged with their open. ends adjacent said screen, and means for moving said cup members toward and from said screen alternately to compress and release waste between them and said screen and for moving said cup members forwardly relative to said screen While com pressing Waste.

7. A process of cleaning waste comprisin alternately and repeatedly shredding an compressing the waste while submerged in cleaning fluid.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Carmel, Indiana, this 27th day of June, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twenty eight. A JOHN R. ATT.

CHARLES R. WICKER.