US2365250A - Cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec.'19, 1944. I T. c. CROWLEY 2,365,250

CLEANING APPARATUS Filed June-18, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l n s a; l D

IN VEN TOR.

760mm? CCPOM ky Dec."1'9, 1944. T. c. CROWLEY CLEANING APPARATUS Filed June 18, 1943' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVIENTOR.

C Crowley,

Patented Dec. 19, .1944

UN TE STATES PATENT a-OFF]CE v A I w 'LEANl1 V :I P :\I tA U v Turco Products, Inc., Los Angeles,.Calif., a corporation of California Application June-18, 1943, Serial No. 491,317

Myinvention has to do with method and apparatus for cleaning surfaces and it is among the principal objects ofthe invention to provide ap-' paratus wherein a pulverulent abrasive such as cleaning operation without the creation of objectionable dust v 2 Claims.-

It: is anotherobject to provide-in such an apparatus means for taking'care of any back pressures that might becreated.

Another object of the-invention is to provide a cleaning unit incorporating the advantages of sand blasting as well as steam and chemical cleaning and which is capable of performing in a single cleaning operation that which has heretofore required two separate operations.

My invention also contemplates a novel and highly eflicient method of cleaning surfaces.

Still further and subordinate advantages are provided by my invention and how those as well as the objects pointed out are achieved will be best understood from the following detailed explanation of a presently preferred adaptation, for

which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing the complete unit;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section showing the nozzle member;

ing a vapor and/or liquid cleaning agent, a mix ing member 8, a final admixing and nozzle member 9, and a chemical delivery line I0.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the hopper has a conical lower side wall portion l2 and a cover lid l4. An outlet member I5 is secured within the neck of the hopper and has a top wall presenting an opening within which the circular flange lBa of.a plate I6 is disposed to provide a seat for a valve I! to control feed of the abrasive to the unit. .Valve I1 is preferably made of a resilient material such as cork or relatively soft rubber, inasmuch as the hopper is to contain sand or other pulverulent material, not shown. A valve stem I9 is joumaled for rotathreadedly mounted in an'opening 2| in the cover I 4, andhas an o'p'erating'c'rank 22. Thus, as the crank 22 is'manually rotated, the valve I! may be raised or lowered to open or close the hopper v abrasive nature, I find it preferable to line member as with a suitable plastic lining 3 8.

The mixingv member 8 has its inlet end 40 threadedly mounted in the outlet end of member 35 and has a transverse bore 42 and a longitudinal bore 43 communicating with a mixing chamber 44. Bore 43 discharges into a curved pocket 45 opening into the'bottom of chamber 44. A nipple is mounted in bore 42, being held against escape by wing screw 5|, the discharge end of the nipple extending beyond the point of discharge of bore 43 into the chamber. The outlet hose 6a' is connected to the mixing chamber 8 by means of adapter held in position by wing.

screw 56. To prevent back pressure in chamber 44, adapter 55 and line So are of relatively large interior diameter. In a typical use of my apparatus the inlet end of line 6 is connected to an air compressor, not shown, although for some uses it may be connected to a source for supplying water under pressure, likewise not shown.

The nozzle member 9 is comprised of a body portion 60, having a threaded opening Ella and an inlet b, the latter opening angular to the longitudinal axis of the body. A discharge tube 5| has its inlet end threaded into the opening 60a and is there connected to hose 6a. The discharge end of tube 6| is concentric with the discharge of the body 60 and is spaced from the inner surface thereof.

Aline l, which preferably has its inlet end connected toa source of steam, not shown, has its discharge end connected to opening 602) of the tion in a bracket 20 and adjacent its top end it is 55 nozzle, there being a manual control valve in the line. Chemical supply line Ill has its discharge end connected into line I by means of a T Illa and has its inlet connected to a liquid or chemical source, not shown. A manual control valve lllb may be provided in line II].

In operation, with valve ll, 65 and lllb open and line 6 connected to an air compressor, the

sand or other abrasive material in the hopper drops by gravity into pocket 45 in chamber 44 and is there picked up by the vacuum created by the discharge of air under pressure from nipple 50, and is carried along to be discharged through tube 6| in the nozzle. Bore 42 through mixing chamber 8 is preferably disposed'in a downwardly slopingnplane to Iurther facilitate the abrasive being picked up by the air stream.:

Simultaneously, the steam enters the nozzles through line I, carrying in admixture therewith.

a chemical from line H]. The chemical and steam vcharged from the nozzle annularly of the discharge end of tube 6|, so that thespulverized abrasive being discharged from tube Stisen:

circled by the tubular stream of steam and cleaning chemical. If for any reasonzthere should 00-;

our any back pressure in chamber 44, the rubber check valve 30 immediately flexies into contact with. theend: of :neck; 2.5; and stop the .gravity'flow' orsand sodongas the. back pressure remains:

While, in, the foregoingpl have. resorted to com siderable detail of. structure and association .of

such; details. i On the. contrary; invention .is only to. be; limitedziassappearsxin. the-appended claims...- i I claimr:

1. Cleaning apparatus rcomDIisin '.;,1n. combie nation, a hopper adapted to contain a pulve'ruent abrasive, a line for supplying steam under pressure, a nozzle having concentric substan tially coplanar discharge orifices, a fluid line .capable of delivering fluid under pressure and having its outlet communicating with the innermost of the discharge orifices, and a passageway leading from thehopper to, the fluid line whereby abrasiveis received from the hopper by gravity flow and deposited in the fluid line, a check valve in ,said passageway seating towards the hopper,

' said line for supplying steam under pressure haventer the nozzle in a swirling stream and aredis--- ing itsontlet end communicating with the outermost of the discharge orifices.

2. Cleaning apparatus comprising, in combin'atloma hopper. adapted to contain a pulverulent abrasive, a line for supplying steam under pressure; .a nozzle having concentric substantially ooplanar discharge orifices, a fluid line capable of delivering fluid under pressure and having its outlet; communicating with the-innermost otthe dischargev orifices, anda passageway leading, from. the hopper to the fluid line-whereby abrasive is received from the hopper and deposited inthe fluid line, a valve.seatinsaidpassageway, a relativelysoft elastic. check, valve normallyspaced municating. with the. outermostof, the discharge.

orifices.

THOMAS, .C.v CROWLEY...-

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