US2028719A - Dry material feeding device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 21, 1936. w H T j- AL 2,028,719

DRY MATERIAL FEEDING DEVICE Filed 0ct.'9 1935 Affo/"ney Patented Jan. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES DRY MATERIAL FEEDING DEVICE Wilbur M. Hurst, Washington, D. 0., and Walter R. Humphries, Silver Spring, Md.; dedicated to the free use of the Public Application October 9, 1935, Serial No. 44,206

2 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described and claimed may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

We hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use of the Public, to take eifect upon the granting of a patent to us.

Our invention relates to improvements in dry material feeding devices and is particularly adapted for feeding dry chemical powders used in treating grain.

5 Heavy powder-like materials usually have a great angle of repose and will not readily flow down an incline. They become packed easily and form an arch or bridge over an opening, This tendency to remain immobile and to form a vertical hollow column or to bridge above an opening in the bottom of a hopper has resulted in a lack of uniformity in feeding the material. Efforts to dislodge the material when packed have required considerable power, due to the friction and weight of the material requiring heavy paddles or agitators.

An object of our invention is to provide means for feeding the material uniformly from a full hopper to a practically empty hopper and to avoid the inequalities in feeding encountered in prior devices due to differences in head of the material in the hopper.

Another object is to provide a feeding device requiring very little power to operate and simple in construction.

In carrying out the objects of our invention we employ a partitioned hopper having an offset or supply section and a main or discharge section so that the discharge means operates under a minimum head and very little power is required.

The material is ejected by means of a double acting kicker which reciprocates in the discharge section of an oifset hopper. The lower end of the kicker pushes the material out the ends of a trough in the bottom of the discharge section of the hopper. The upper portion of the kicker has beveled edges so it will easily advance: through the material.

5 In the drawing illustrating one form of the invention:

Figure 1 is a top view of the feeding device;

Figure 2 is a side elevation in section; and

Figure 3 is an end view showing a section on 55 line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawing wherein like numerals of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views:

A hopper l for the dry material is divided into two sections, an offset or supply section 2 and a. discharge section 3 by means of a partition 4 which is spaced above the bottom of the hopper to provide a passage 5. Below a slot 6 in the bottom I of discharge section 3 is a trough 8' open at the ends for discharge of the material and of a greater length than said slot 6. A kicker 9, comprising a lower portion l0 and an upper portion having beveled edges II, is adjustably mounted on a horizontal reciprocating 10 rod I2 by means of a slot I3, cap screw l4, and lock washer l5. Reciprocating motion may be imparted to rod I2 by a connecting rod l6, crank pin I1 and crank l8 mounted on a shaft I9, or by any other suitable means. Agitators 20 and 15 2! of spring steel wire are mounted near the lower end of kicker 9, extend through passage 5 into the offset section 2, and are adapted to slide near the inclined bottom 22 of offset section 2 and the partition 4, respectively. 20 In the operation of our device, dry material is placed in offset hopper section 2, enters the discharge section 3 through passage 5 and fills trough 8. As reciprocating motion is imparted to rod l2 by crank l8 and connecting rod I6, the 25 lower end of kicker 9 pushes the dry material out the ends of trough 8. The quantity fed may be varied by raising or lowering the kicker 9 by means of the slot l3 and cap screw M, or by increasing or decreasing the speed of crank I8. 30 The agitators 20 and 2| provide a continuous flow of material through passage 5 and maintain a uniform head in discharge section 3.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim for Letters Patent is: 35 1. A dry material feeding device comprising a hopper having an offset supply section and a main discharge section, said discharge section having a slot formed in the bottom thereof, a partition between said sections, a trough below 4 and in line with said slot having open ends projecting beyond the ends of said slot, and a kicker comprising an upper portion having beveled edges and a lower portion adapted to reciprocate in said slot. 7 45 2. A dry material feeding device comprising a hopper having an offset supply section and a main discharge section, said discharge section having a slot formed in the bottom thereof, a partition between said sections, a trough below and in line with said slot having open ends projecting beyond the ends of said slot, a kicker comprising an upper portion having beveled edges and a lower portion adapted to reciprocate in said slot, and an agitator on said kicker extending into the offset portion of said hopper.

WILBUR M. HURST. WALTER R. HUMPHRIES.

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