US2104191A

US2104191A - Mixing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2104191A
Application number: US126095A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joe M Flynn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1937-02-16
Filing date: 1937-02-16
Publication date: 1938-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 1955-01-04

Description

Jan. 4, 1938. J M FLYNN 2,104,191

MIXING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 4, 1938. J. M. FLYNN MIXING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1937 @sheetssheet 2 Jan. 4, 1938. .1.r M. FLYNN 2,104,191

Y MIXING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1957 3 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STA PATENT, OFIQE.

Claims.

This invention relates to mixers adapted without material structural modification to versatile uses, for example, the mixing of concrete or stock feed. In the following specification, the appa- 5 ratus will be described as a concrete mixer.

One of the objects of the invention is the provi-- sion of apparatus in which the several ingredients to be mixed are fed simultaneously and gradually to a mixing chamber, proportionately to their relli' spective quantities so as to secure continuous uniform distribution of the ingredients from they initial point of their coming together.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for elevating the dry ingredients in lo separate streams to a point from which they are cascaded convergently upon a conveyor, being thus preliminarily mixed, and being elevated by said conveyor to an agitating chamber where they are wet mixed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mixer in which, in the interest of optimumeeii- Yciency, the mixing operation is spread along as great a longitudinal path as possible, and in which the maximum length of mixing path is concentrated within the dimensions of a practical portable apparatus by arranging part of the path longitudinally of the apparatus and part transversely thereof, the longitudinal part including nights arranged in multiple, while the transverse 3g part comprises a plurality of elongated mixing tanks or troughs serially connected and in superposed relation.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings throughout the several figures of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of mixing apparatus embodying the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken along the line 4 4 of Figure 1; and

4,5 Figure 5 is an oblique section taken along the line 5--5 of Figure 3. e

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral l represents a frame which might be mounted upon the chassis of a vehicle. A hopper 50 2 is mounted upon one end of the frame, being suitably secured as by the supports 3.

It will be seen from FigureZ thatthe hopper consists of three

compartments

4, 5 and E, separated by partitions 'l and 8 and convergent to- 55 ward the bottom. The floor 9 of the hooper slopes upward. The compartments are designed to receivethree separate ingredients of the mixture which are dumped into the forward ends of the compartments. Since the invention is being described as a concrete mixer it'will be assumed 5 that the three ingredients are gravel, sand and cement. These are customarily used in unequal proportions and it will be assumed for example, that in the present instance they are to be mixed in the proportion of three parts gravel, two parts 10 sand and one of cement and that the respective quantities of the three ingredients dumped into the compartments will be in proportion to these ratios. y v

One of the purposes of the invention is to cone 15 tinuously combine the ingredients approximately in these proportions at the point where they are first brought together for mixing. Therefore Screw conveyors Ill, Il and I2 are provided in the bottom portions of the compartments for lifting 20 the materials to the top of the hopper and letting them fall from the upper end of said hopper. These conveyors are operated from a power shaft I3 through a chain and sprocket connection i4, a lay shaft I5 through chain and sprocket con- 25 nections i6, another lay shaft il, chain and sprocket connection ll' to a shaft i8', chain i8, to a gear shaft I9 arranged transversely of the hopper and having the bevelled gears 25,26 and 22 which mesh with the pinion units 23, 24 and 3U 25, respectively, said units comprising xed bear,n ings 2G in each of which is journalled a shaft 2l, see Figure 3, having a bevelled gear 28, said bevelled gears meshing with the gears on the shaft l!! While the opposite ends of the shafts 21 carry 35 spur gears 29, 3D and 3l. These last named gears mesh with

idlers

32, 33 and 34, the idlers meshing with gears 35 atthe upperI ends of the conveyors l2 and by which the conveyors are driven.

The spur gears 29, 3!! and 3l are removable and 40 interchangeable. In the present illustrated embodiment the idlers are of the same size, but the spur gears are of different size giving gear ratios of 1, 2 and 3 so that the conveyors will revolve at a rate proportionater to the quantities of ingredients Awhich they are called upon to lift, the result being that all of the hoppers will be emptied simultaneously and that the ingredients will be brought together where they fall from the top of said hopper continuously in said proportion-ate amount. In order to make the gear ratios between the spur gears and the corresponding idlersl variable, the idlers are each mounted upon a bracket 36 which swings about the axis of the conveyor gear 35 with which it is associated so 55 wall 38 of the chute 31 landing upon the dashV board 39 from which it discharges into the transverse pockets 40 formed along an endless beltY conveyor 4l which is located in the bottom of the chute. It will be observed from Figure 3 that the oor 42 of the chute, as Well as the conveyor 4l inclines upwardly. The pockets 40 are dened by the blades 43, upstanding from said belt conveyor, and the dash board 3B is pivotallyV secured as at M to the end wall 38 of the chute and freely rests upon the blades 43 against which itbumps during the travel of said conveyor. The bumping action creates vibrations or shocks which prevents material from sticking in the pockets of the conveyor or against the upstanding blades.A

It will be observed from Figure 2 that the chute 3l while wide enough at the upper incident end to receive the streams of separate ingredientsY from the compartments of the hopper, narrows as it approaches the plane of the conveyor` 4l so as to coalesce these streams into a single stream by the time they reach the pockets 40. Thus the mixing oi the ingredients starts at the time they begin to cascade from the upper ends of the screw conveyors l0, il and l2 at which time the ingredients are falling loosely, providing spaces between the grains or particles into which particles from the other streams, may enter Vfacilitating the intermingling of the ingredients.

The conveyor @I at its upper end discharges gravitationally into the agitating troughs or tanks l5 and 46 placed transversely of the base or frame l and beneath the upper end of the conveyor 4I. It Will be seen that the forward end of the chute including the upper portion of the conveyor 4l is enclosed by a casing 41 which is continuous with the walls of the

agitating tanks

45 and 45, so that the mixer is substantially dust-Y less. Figure 4 shows that the conveyor 4I discharges into the upper agitating tank 45 at one end thereof and that the two tanks communicate with one another at the opposite end by means of the connecting conduit 48 so that the material entering the agitating tanks passes serially through them before reaching the final discharge 49.

Since it is frequently desirable to add another ingredient such for example, as a coloring factor to the mixture an auxiliary hopper 50 is provided above the conveyor 4l having a feed door 5i and a rotary beater 52 by means of which the ingredient within the auxiliary hopper is agitated and kept from sticking.

Referring now to Figure 2, it will be observed that the

agitating tanks

45 and 46 are provided with

rotary agitators

53 and 54, respectively, each consisting of a shaft l5 and Il mounted coaxially of the said tanks in bearings in the end walls thereof and suitably driven from the power shaft i3. The shafts l5 and I1 are provided at intervals with circumferential series of impeller blades 5U which continuously mix the mass Within the tanksand progressively moves it through the tanks in series into the discharge 4S. Itis contemplated in general that the ingredients introduced into the

hopper compartments

4, 5 and 6 will be in dry state and that in the case of concrete this condition will continue until the ingredients'reach the agitating tank 45. In this tank they are wetted and the

agitators

53 and 54 are particularly designed for handling a wet mixture. Water is supplied tothe agitating tank 45 by means of a manifold 6| having a plurality of valve controlled nozzles 62, the valves of which are simultaneously controlled by a plurality of levers 53 pivotally connected to an operating rod 64 actuated by means of a handle B5 shown in Figure 4. The manifold '6i is connected by a Vconduit 66 in alternative ways, to a pump 67, see

source, but if the Water must be taken from a stream it is drawn up by the pump. The induction end of the pump is connected to the connection 68 by a pipe GS. A suitable cut-ofi valve i6 determines whether the water supply shall be delivered to the pump or by-pass the pump. Any Vsuitable type of pump may be employed with this concrete mixer; the pump shown by way of example includesY a bull wheel H with a crank 'l2 which through a connecting rod 'I3 operates a cross head I4 which actuates a piston or pistons within the pump chamber.

A double ended spout l5 is positioned beneath the nal discharge 49 and receives the finished mixture. Said spout is shown journalled on an extending portion 16 of the casing of the lowermost agitating'chamber by means of the bearing ring Tl, while on the other side it is journalled upon an extension of the agitator shaft I1. A

handle '18 vis attached to the outer end of the spout and pivoted coaxially'with the shaft I1 by means such as the bolt 19. By moving the handle 18 in either direction, the double ended spout 15 may beV correspondingly tilted. Y

As has been suggested in the preliminary statement of the Vobjects of this invention, it seeks to increase the efficiency of mixing by extending the ingredients in as long a longitudinal path as possible during the act of mixing. This is in contra-distinction to ordinary methods of mixing which is to dump the ingredients together in a pile resulting in a promiscuous mixing which has no certainty of uniformity of mixture and which Vnecessitates the lifting of materials a great many more times than is required by the present invention. In order to secure this linear mixing especially when the ingredients are employed in ldiiiferent denite proportions, it is essential that they be progressively brought together in the proportions in which they are to be mixed and that in order to adapt such a system to the small dimensions required for a truck or other portable vehicle it is necessary that the construction Vbe such that the streams or columns of separate materials be in multiple relation, and that the path through which the wetted ingredients must pass during the period of agitation shall be transverse with respect to the frame or base of the apparatus, ldisposed in tiers, serially connected, all of which essential and desirable features have been provided in the present machine. Y

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the specic details of construction and arrangement of parts is by way of example and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. Mixing machine comprising a frame, a plurality of hoppers arranged in side by side relation toward one end of said frame, an upwardly inclined screw conveyor for each hopper, a trough inclined upwardly in the same direction as said screw Conveyors having its lower end beneath the high ends of said screw conveyors, a belt conveyor in said trough, a chute flaring upwardly toward said screw conveyors and embracing the discharge ends thereof, converging downwardly toward said trough and communicating therewith adjacent the lower portion of said belt conveyor where material is discharged from said screw conveyors upon said belt conveyor, and transverse mixing troughs, arranged in superposed serial relation toward the opposite end of said frame beneath the upper end of said belt conveyor in communication with the upper 'end of sai-d chute for receiving material from said belt conveyor, and a nal discharge for the lowermost of said mixing troughs.

2. Mixing machine as claimed in claim 1, including interchangeable gear sets in the driving connections of said screw conveyors whereby they may be driven at selectively determined speed ratios.

3. Mixing machine as claimed in claim 1, the final discharge from the lowermost of said mixers comprising an oscillating spout coaxial with the agitator in said mixer, said spout being open at both ends longitudinally of said frame.

4. Mixing machine as claimed in claim 1, including a conduit having a spray pipe overlying the uppermost of said transverse mixing troughs, said conduit having an end adapted to be coupled to a source of liquid supply, a pump, and a by-pass around said pump adapting said conduit to conduct water under main pressure or to create pressure in said conduit.

5. Mixing machine as claimed in claim 1, said belt conveyor having transverse vanes forming pockets, and a jarring element engageable with said pockets for dislodging adherent substance therefrom.

JOE M. FLYNN.