US1866138A - Portable mixer - Google Patents

Description

July 5, 1932. w VENABLE 1,866,138

PORTABLE MIXER Filed March 23, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR July 5, 1932. w. M. VENABLE PORTABLE MIXER F-iled March 2 5. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 KNVENTOR July 5, 1932. w. M VENABLE PORTABLE MIXER Filed March 23, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 W lllll INVENTOR Patented July 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM MAYO VENABLE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASIG-NOR TO BLAW-KNOX COMPANY, OF BLAWNOX, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY PORTABLE MIXER Application filed March 28, 1981. Serial No. 524,491.

This invention relates generally to portable mixers, and more particularly to means for supplying accuratelymeasured quantity of water to the rotatable drum of a portable mixer mounted on a truck.

According to the present invention, a plurality of water tanks are arranged on the truck chassis below the mixer drum and the water in each of the tanks is forced under pneumatic pressure to spray nozzles arranged within the drum. The tanks preferably have different capacities so that by emptying a proper number and combination of the tanks the desired quantity of water can be supplied 16 to the drum.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the present preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portable 2 mixer, parts being broken away Figure 2 is a plan view;

Figure 3 is an end view looking from the left in Figure 1, and illustrating somewhat diagrammatically the arrangement of piping for supplying water fromthe water tanks to the mixing drum;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a device which may be connected to the exhaust pipe of a gasoline engine in order to supply the high-pressure portion of the exhaust gas to the water tanks for forcing water from the tanks to the mixer drum; and

Figure 5 is a detail of one of the spray nozzles arranged in the mixer drum.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the mixer is mounted on a truck chassis 2 having wheels 3 whereby the mixer may be transported from one place to another. A rotatable drum 3 is provided with a charging opening 4, shown in Figure 2. and the rear end of the drum is provided with a discharge opening closed by a cover 5 which is opened and closed through the operating mechanism indicated generally by the refer- 45 ence numeral. 6. The drum is rotated by means of driving rollers 7 which contact with rings 7a secured to the drum. the rollers 7 being secured to a drive shaft 8 which is rotated from an engine 9. The driving connections between the engine and drive shaft are not shown, as they form no part of the present invention;

Theiwater which is .t,0 be supplied to the spray nozzles 10 is carried in a plurality of tanks arranged below the mixer drum. As lllustrated in the drawings, there are three tanks 15, 16 and 17, the tank 15 being arranged on the opposite side of the chassis from the tanks 16 and 17. The tanks are suspended from the truck chassis by straps 18, and each of 'the, tanks is-provided with a sump 19 and drain cock 19a, whereby the water in the tanks may be entirely drained.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the tank 15 has a capacity which is twice that of either of the tanks 16 or 17 although the ratio of these capacities may be varied according to circumstances. If the m xer is of such size that it will never require more than eighty gallons of water per batch, tank 15 is made of a capacity of forty gallons, and each of the tanks 16 and 17 is of such size that they have a capacity of twenty gallons each. Each of the tanks 15, 16 and 17 is connected to the mixer drum, as hereinafter more fully described, so that if it were desired, for example, to use fifty gallons of water in a certain batch, the entire contents of tank 15 would be used and ten gallons would be withdrawn from tank 17. If sixtyfive gallons were required, the entire contents of tanks 15 and 16 would be used and, in addition, five gallons would be delivered from tank 17. If eighty gallons were requ1red, the entire contents of all of the tanks would be used.

A pipe 20 has its lower end disposed in the sump 19 oi; tank 15 and its upper end is connected to i branch 21 of a fitting indicated generally y the reference numeral 22. A 90 pipe 23 has its lower end disposed in th sump 19 of the tank 16 and has its upper end connected to branch 24 of the fitting 22. Each of the pipes 20 and 23 is illustrated as rigid, but could be made flexible if desired. A flexible hose 25 is connected at its upper end to a branch 26 of the fitting 22 and at its lower end to a pipe 27 which extends through a stufling box 28 into the tank 17. The branches 21, 24 and 26 are provided with 1 check valves 29 to prevent water from flowing from one branch into another. The pipe 27 is adjustable upwardly and downwardly to vary the distance of its inlet from the bottom of the tank so as to regulate the quantity of water which can be delivered from the tank. As best shown in Figure 3, a rack 30 is mounted to slide upwardly and downwardly in guide 31, the rack being raised or lowered by rotation of a pinion 32 secured to a shaft 33 which is provided with a crank 34 so located as to be easily accessible to the truck driver. The rack may be held in adjusted position by'tightening the setscrew 35. The lower end of the rack is connected by a clamp 36 to the pipe 27 so that as the rack is raised or lowered upon rotation of the crank 34, it carries with it the pipe, thereby varylng the distance between the lower end of the p1pe and the bottom of the tank 17. In order to indicate the amount of water which can be withdrawn from the tank 17, a pointer 40 is secured to the pipe 27, the position of the pointer being indicated by a scale 41 secured to the guide 31.

Each of the tanks is provided with an airtight cover 45 through which extends a filling opening 46 which is normally closed by a screw cap 47.

The water is forced from the tanks 15, 16 and 17 to the drum 3 under pneumatic pressure which may be obtained from any desired source, as an air compressor or the exhaust gases from an engine. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the pneumatic pressure is obtained from an air compressor 50 which is connected to the engine 9 which rotates the drum. The engine 9 drives a shaft 51 through transmission gearing enclosed within the casing 52. A sprocket chain 53 passes around a sprocket 54 secured to the shaft 51, and around a sprocket 55 connected to a clutch element 56. The other clutch element 57 is connected to the drive shaft 58 of the air compressor, the clutch mechanism being operable through a handle 59 disposed within the reach of the truck driver.

The air from the compressor 50 flows through a pipe 60 to an equalizing chamber 61 and is delivered from the equalizing chamber through a pipe 64 which leads to a header 65, shown in Figure 3. The tanks 15, 16 and 17 are connected respectively by air pipes 66, 67 and 68 to the header 65, each of the pipes 66, 67 and 68 being provided with a valve 69. When the clutch is thrown in, if it is desired to force water from any of the tanks 15, 16 or 17, the proper valves 69 are opened and the compressed air from the equalizing chamber 61 flows through the header and the pipes 66, 67 and 68 to the tanks and forces the water from the tanks through the water pipes 20, 23 and 25 to the fitting 22. The fitting 22 is connected by a coupling 75 which allows the pipe 76, which extends axially of the drum, to rotate. The water forced through the pipe 76 is sprayed through openings 77 and deflected by bafiles 78 and 79 so as to thoroughly wet the material being mixed.

The water may be forced from the water tanks to the mixing drum by means other than an air compressor. The 1 pneumatic pressure may be obtained from the engine exhaust gases, and if. this method is resorted to, I prefer to employ the device illustrated in Figure 4.

It is well known that when the exhaustvalve from any cylinder of a gasoline engine is opened, the gases are expelled from the cylinder with high velocity and under considerable pressure, but the pressure of the gases in the discharge through the valve falls ofi very rapidly as the gas escapes. By means of the device illustrated in Figure 4, the high-pressure portion of the exhaust gas is utilized for forcing the water from the water tanks to the mixing drum. When the device illustrated in Figure 4 is employed, the mufi ler 80, shown in Figure 1, is replaced by a muflier 81, as shown in Figure 4, the inlet 82 of the mufiler being connected to the exhaust pipe 83 of the engine 9. The mufiier is provided with an outlet 84 controlled by a valve 85, and also has a second outlet 86 which is disposed in alignment with the inlet 82. The outlet 86 is bell-shaped and is connected to the equalizing chamber 61 by a pipe 87 controlled by a check valve 88. The equalizing chamber 61 is connected by a pipe 64, as above described, 100 to the header 65 which supplies the gas under pressure to the water tanks. In the operation of the device, when the exhaust pressure is at its highest and the velocity of the exhaust gas from the exhaust pipe 83 is at its greatest, a part of the exhaust gases will pass through the bell-sh aped outlet 86 and pass the check valve 88 so as to bring up the pressure in the equalizing tank 61, but as soon as the pressure in the mufller 81 has fallen to that of the equalizing tank, the check valve closes and prevents the escape of gases from the equalizing tank while the remaining gases from the exhaust pipe 83 escape through the outlet 84. The amount of gas which can be thus obtained under pressure in the equalizing tank and the pressure that can be obtained there, depends upon the amount of the exhaust gas and its pressure and the amount of restriction to the flow interposedby the valve 85 in the outlet 84. In a device of this character, the check valve 88 should be of a type which is exceedingly quick acting and which is very sensitive, in orderto insure the proper operation of the device.

Instead of supplying the pneumatic pressure for forcing the water from the tanks to the drum by an air compressor, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, or by means of the exhaust gas from the engine 9, as illustrated in Figure 4, a combination of these two sources of pneumatic pressure may be employed by simply connecting the air compressor 50 and the outlet pipe 87 to the equalizing chamber 61. o

In a portable mixer of the kind above described, the weight of the tanks and the water contained therein is located as low as possible so as not to increase the liability of the truck to overturn when traveling on uneven ground. The arrangement is such that the pipes which convey the water from the water tanks to the mixing drum do not have water in them except when the discharge is taking place, and therefore they are not likely to freeze. Since a plurality of-tanks of different capacities are employed, the error in the quantity of water supplied is reduced to a minimum. Although in the illustrated embodiment tanks 16 and 17 are described as having a capacity of twenty gallons each, it will be understood that one, of these tanks could be subdivided into a plurality of compartments and each compartment connected to the mixing drum in the manner described for the tanks 15 and 16, or in the manner described for tank 17. By reducing the size of the compartments, any inaccuracy in the quantity of water delivered to the drum may be reduced to within the desired limits. It will be noted also that any inaccuracy which is caused by the truck being on uneven ground is much less in my invention than would be the case if a single large tank were employed. In order to reduce to a minimum any inaccuracy in the quantity of water which can be delivered from tank 17 when the truck is on uneven ground, the inlet of the pipe 27 is disposed in vertical alignment with the geometric center of the tank.

I have illustrated and described the present preferred embodiment of my invention. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks'of different capacities arranged below the mixer, connections from each of the tanks to the mixer, and means for forcing water under pneumatic pressure from each tank to the mixer.

2. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks of difi'erent capacities arranged on opposite sides of and below the mixer, and means for forcing water under pneumatic pressure from each tank to the mixer.

3. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks of different capacities arranged below the mixer, means for forcing water under pneumatic pressure from each tank to the mixer, and adjustable means for regulating the quantity of water which can be delivered from one of the tanks.

4. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks of different capacities arranged below the mixer, connections from each tank to the mixer, means for forcing water under pneumatic pressure from each tank to the mixer, the connection to one of said tanks being adjustable upwardly and downwardly to regulate the quantity of water which can be delivered from the tank.

5. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks arranged below the mixer, and means for forcing water under pneumatic pressure from each tank to the mixer.

6. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks of different capacities arranged below the mixer, connections between each tank and the drum, an air compressor, and air pipes each provided with a valve and connecting each tank to the compressor for forcing water from the tanks to the mixer.

7. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks of different capacities arranged below the mixer, connections between each tank and the mixer, and a pipe provided with a valve connecting each tank to a source of engine exhaust gas for forcing water from the tanks to the mixer.

8. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks of different capacities arranged below the mixer, connections between each tank and the mixer, a pipe provided with a valve connecting each tank to a source of engine exhaust gas for forcing 100 water from the tanks to the mixer, and a check valve interposed between the source of exhaust gas and the tanks for utilizing the high-pressure portion of the exhaust gas.

9. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks of different capacities arranged below the mixer, connections between each tank and the mixer, a pipe provided with a valve connecting each tank to a source of engine exhaust gas, a check valve in said pipe, and a muffler having an inlet connected to the source of exhaust gas and a plurality of outlets, one of said outletsleading to said check valve.

10. In combination with a portable mixer, a plurality of water tanks arranged below the mixer, means for forcing water under pneumatic pressure from each tank to the mixer, and adjustable means for regulating the quantity of water which can be delivered from one of the tanks.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM MAYO VENABLE.

Images