US2447413A - Charging hopper and door mechanism for rotary-drum mixers - Google Patents

Description

9 1948- E. JOSEPH 2,447,413

CHARGING HOPPER AND DOOR MECHANISM FOR ROTARY-DRUM MIXERS Filed April 8, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet l 2 12 v/q/mi III/m,

INVENTOR Aawrencefidoseph L. E. JOSEPH CHARGING HOPPER AND DOOR MECHANISM FOR ROTARY-DRUM MIXERS Aug. 17, 1948.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 8, 1946 I NV E N T O R A aM/rence .6 dose 2h Aug. 17, 1948. E. JOSEPH 2,447,413

CHARGING HOPPER AND DOOR MECHANISM FOR RQTARY-DRUM MIXERS Filed April 8, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR lan/reflcefdoseph Aug. 17, 1948. L, E, JOSEPH 2,447,413

CHARGING HOPPER AND DOOR HANISM FOR ROTARY-DRUM MIX 7 Filed April 8, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 g W43 L.. E. JOSEPH v 2,447,413

CHARGING HOPPER AND DOOR MECHANISM FOR ROTARY-DRUM MIXERS Filed April 8, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 96 F o a I g I 45 38 Q 57 INVENTOR lahkrefla idosepfi Patented Aug. 17, 1948 CHARGING norrnn noon MECHA- msMJmR'nor RY-DnUMi/nxmzs Lawrence E. Joseph, 'Fox Chapel Borough, 'Alleghen'y 'County, Pa, assignorto Blow-Knox Gompa'ny, Pittsburgh, Ba.,xa:corporation of New Jersey np ucsnonnmirs,1946; se isi decries-9" Bhi's invention "relates "to apparatus f or charging maiteria ls, such as cement, sand and aggregate, into the open end of a rotary mixer drum andciosing said end while the materials are being mixed by notation of theorem. The invention is particularly adapted to and will he specifically described with reierence to -so-called mgh-rdischarge concrete 'Inixe'rs which are usually truck mounted, but is also applicable to other kinds of mixers embodying a rotating drum.

-iI=Iigh-riischarge imix'ers as constructed heretofoize' have usually been provided with a charging hopper permanently mounted adjacent the open end of the drum and shaving sliding contacttherewith so the hopper'anan be held stationary whilejthe 'drnm rotates. 'Thi-s iconstruetion reduires-m'eansfor sealing ith'e joint between the hopper and' drum. Such sealing means have a relative short hie and are troublesome to main-- tain. Ordinarily no closure is provided tio'r the open end of the drum but a temporar cover is sometimes applied while the 'truck is traveling. If the drum is :not provided with a charging hopper, -'the mixer must be backed "up under a stationary :hopper supported helowith'e supply of materials. This-is obviously a slow operation requiring carefiul maneuvering 56f the truck;

*1 have invented a :novel charging hopper and door mechanism vfor a rotary mixer drum which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages permitting various materials to he introduced readily-and .in rapid succession, and providing a tight closure .for the open :end f the without sliding contact between the :closure and .In a preferred embodiment, =I provide supports extending outwardly from the irameinwhich :the mixer drum is journaled for rotation,

and .mount a (charging hopper on .said supports for movement from and toward the open end of themlrum. l also provide-a closure-movable from a -,-position overlying the end of the "drum to an outn'f-the-way position to permit the hopper to be moved into charging relation 430 the drum. In one form of. the invention, the closure is mounted on the hopper and both are rotatable as a unit between alternative positions, "in addition to being movable from;.and toward the drum. In another form, the closure is pivotedl-ior-an w lar movement relative to the hopper.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description and explanation which refer to the accompanyin drawings illustrating two preferred embodiments. In the drawings, V

Figure'l is apartial side elevation of Lthe=oharging end of a mixer having the invention applied -7 Claims. :(01. zss ren.

I thereto with a portion brohen out and shown in section; v v I Figure 2 is a similar View showing the hopper and door retracted, with -a different portion 1 brolsen outanil shown in section;

'F'igure 3 is a view similar toms-ore '2 showing the hopper in charging relation "to fihe dr-llml;

Figure a section taken along the plane oi? line -IVIV of :Figure 11';

Figure .5 is :a partial transverse section taken along the :p-l-ane of line 'VV-:of Figure 1;;

' Figure :6 is :a view similar to Figure llishowing fa modification;

. Figure '7 is a view 01; the: modified form similarto. Figure 3;

Figure .8 isia SBGtiOn tBZkenJ-dmg the plane of line vfll-m of ffigurn-ioyand Figure-9 is a partial transverse section taken.

along the plane of ilin-elIXAX of Figure 6.

"Refenrmgmow'fin detail to the drawings :and;

for the present, to Fv'rgures'i rthroug'h 5., amixer drum H3 is journaled for notationiniasupporting frame 1:! with its axis inclined upwardly. The frame H iirma-y mounted :a rtruok chassis andsuitable means are provided for rotating the drum to effiect "theJni-uing of material (charged into the drum. rFixedhlades are mounted interiouly' of the drum to assist the mixingaction. A cincularcharging :and discharging opening l 2 ,at the upper "end of ethewdrumhas :22, flange or lip l3 extending \therearound. The blades are arranged in the drum so that on reversal of the lattenthe contents of the drum are forcednpe wardly and. "outwardly through the -.open end.

A yoke Id extends outwardlyrfromthevfrarne H in theplane through the axis of the :drum. The yoke includesparallel side portions 15 secured to the .sides of anarch it-6 extending upwardly aroundtheend of the-dr um. Theframe H and the yoke Mare-fabricated =frc-m suitablestructuralshapes, the yoke being secured to the arch Hiby g usset plates i1. Diagonal braces t8 -extending from the frame to the yoke impart the desired rigidity .tothe entire supporting structure.

.A charging hopper II 19 in the .form :of a tubularelibow iabricated f-rom plate is :disposed between the side portions v.lii of the yoke 1-4. Trunnions 20 are :secured .to' the hopper on opposite sides .and

extend therefrom along a common transverse axis. The ,trunnions are journaled in bearing b1oks.2 l .andsextend through slots .22 in .the side portions J5.- fIhe blocks Illare s'lidable in slots extending longitudinally .of guidevbars 23 .-secured to .theside portions -.l 5. Double-actinghydriau'lic .motors '24 are Itrunm'oned in the .side portions P5 of the yoke and outer'bearing plates 25 3 extending therefrom. The piston rods of the motors are secured to collars 2G fitting on the extreme ends of the trunnions 20. The hydraulic motors are supplied with fluid under pressure from any convenient source, under the control of a single manually operable valve '(not shown). The valve is adapted to actuate both the motors simultaneously in the same direction, whereby they act in unison to move the hopper away from the end 12 of the drum to the position shown in Figure 2 or return it to the position shownin Figure l.

A closure or door 21 in the form of ,a dished circular plate is mounted on the hopper for engagement with the lip i3. The hopper has spaced slidable in an axial bore through the shaft 38 and is normally urged into locking position by a compression spring 44 positioned within an enlargement of the bore at the outer end of the shaft. The pin 43 has a knob 45 at the outer end thereof whereby the rod may lee-retracted when it is desired to rotate the hopper. The hub 46 of the hand wheel confines the spring and locking pin within the bore through the shaft 38.

I For the sake of completeness, a full operating cycle including charging, mixing and discharging circumferential angles 28 secured thereto and a bearing block 29 is secured centrally therebetween by bolts 30. A bearing plug 3i is 'journaled in a bore through the block 29 and has its exposed face concave. A bearing boss 32 in the form of a spherical segmentis secured centrally of the closure 21' and is yieldingly held a ainst the exposed face of the plug 3| bya through pin 33 having a compression spring thereon. The end of the pin 33 on the inside of the closure and the compression spring are enclosed within a cylindrical housing having a removable cover 34. As clearly shown in Figure 4, the pin extends through a central hole in the plug 3| and through a larger central hole in the boss 32. By this construction, theclosure is universally supported on the hopper for limited tilting movement in any direction. It is thus self-aiming and selfcentering so that it automatically seats itself properly against the lip I3 when the hopper is moved to the position shown in Figure 1.

In addition, the closure is rotatable about its axis with the drum in by virtue of the fact that the plug 3| is journaled in the block 29. The closure may thus be designed to fit tightly against the'lip I3 since there is no continued sliding movement therebetween. When the hopper and closure have been retracted from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2, the contents of the drum may be discharged, as previously stated, by reversing the direction of rotation thereof. The concrete, for example, after being mixed by rotation of the drum, is thus caused'to flow UP- wardly along the interior of the drum, out through the open end and down over the lip l3. A guide chute or spout 35 supported on the frame ll delivers the outwardly flowing concrete into a receptacle positioned thereunder or to any point of delivery accessible to a truck.

'In order to place 'thehopper into charging position vrelative to the drum, it must first be rotated counterclockwise through an angle of about 120 from that in which it is shown in Figure 2 and then advanced to the position shown in Figure 3. For the purpose of rotating the hopper, one of the trunnions' has a gear 36 keyed thereto as shown in Figure 5. The gear is turned by means of a pinion 31 keyed to a hollow shaft 38 having a hand wheel 39 keyed thereon. The shaft 38 turns in a bearing sleeve 40. The sleeve 40 extends outwardly from a post 4| extending upwardly from one of the bearing blocks 2 l g A disc 42 secured to the trunnion 30 adjacent the gear 38 43, the holes being so positioned as to aline with the pin in extreme positions of the hopper, i. e.,

those shown Figures 2 and 3. The pin. 43 is has holes spaced circumferentially thereof adapted to accommodate a locking pinstages will'now be described, Assuming that the drum lfl'has a charge of material therein to be mixed and the hopper and door are in the positions' shown in Figure 1, mixing may be efiected by turning the drum in the proper direction. During the mixing operation, the closure 21 turns with the drum and maintains tight-fitting engagement therewith to prevent leakage of the mixer contents. When the desired mixing period has elapsed, the drum I0 is stopped and the motors 24 are operated to retract the hopper and closure to the positions shown in Figure 2. Reverse rotation of the drum will then cause concrete to be discharged from the end of the drum over the lip I 3 through spout 35 as indicated by the arrow. When the mixer contents have been discharged, the drum is stopped and another batch of material may be charged thereinto by pulling out on the knob 45 of locking pin 43 and turning hand wheel 39 to bring thehopperinto charging position. The motors 24 are then operated to cause the discharge end of the chute to enter the open end of the drum as shown in Figure 3.- The chute is then ready to receive material for delivery into the drum as shown by the arrow. It will be evident that, since the door or closure 21 is mounted (in the hopper, it automatically swings to an out-of-the-Way position as the hopper is rotated into material-receiving position.

- After the succeeding batch of material has been charged into the drum, the motors 24 are then actuated to retract the hopper and the latter is rotated back to its original position, thus bringing the door into axial alinement with the drum. The door is brought into tight-sealing engagement with the drum by operating the motors to move the hopper toward the drum. The locking pin 43 automatically enters one of the holes in the disc 42 when the hopper comes to either extreme of its angular movement and thereafter maintains the hopper against rotation until the struction are designated by the same numerals; used in describing the structure of Figures 1 through 5, with a prime ailixed thereto. The principal difierence between the construction already described and that illustrated in Figures 6 through 9 is that the hopper 19' of the latter does not rotate about a transverse axis and the closure 21' is mounted independently of the hopper for swinging movement from a position overlying the end of the drum Ill to an out-of-theway position.

The trunnions or more properly the stub shafts 29' of the hopper l9 are keyed to the bearing blocks 2| and are thus held against rotation. The hopper is movable rectilinearly, however. from the position shown in Figure 6 to the position shown in Figure '7 by means of the motors 24'. The piston rodsof the motors are secured to links 49 extending forwardly from the bearing blocks 2!. The door or closure 27' is rotatably mounted on a yoke 58 in the same manner as the door 27 is rotatably mounted on the hopper 19. The yoke 50 is journaled on the shafts 20'. Gear 36' is secured to the yoke 59 for causing angular movement thereof to swing the door from closed position to out-of-the-way position. It will be understood that slight retraction of the blocks 2 I will be necessary to permit the door to clear the lip I 3 before the yoke can be swung about the shafts 20'. When the door has been swung to an out-of-the-way position, as indicated in Figure 7, the hopper l9 may be advanced by the motors 24 into charging relation to the drum in. The door 21', of course, moves rectilinearly with the hopper but is angularly movable independent of the hopper.

As shown in Figure 9, the mechanism for rotating the yoke 59 is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 5, the only difference being that the disc 42 having holes cooperating with the locking pin 43 is secured to the yoke 50 for angular movement therewith, instead of to the hopper.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the invention is characterized by numerous advantages over means available heretofore for charging batches of material into a mixer. In the first place, the hopper is mounted on the frame which supports the drum for rotation and may easily be placed in operative relation thereto. Second- 1y, a tight-fitting closure is provided for the open end of the drum and rotatable therewith so that sliding contact and the necessity for sealing are eliminated. In addition, the door is self-centering. In the form of the invention first described, the door and hopper have simultaneous angular movement so that the door is swung out of the way as the hopper is moved into charging position. In the modified form, the door only is mounted for swinging movement. In either case, means are provided whereby the desired angular movement may be easily effected by manual effort. On the other hand, the rectilinear movement of the hopper in both cases is effected by power means. In both forms of the invention, the construction is relatively simple, requiring little or no maintenance, and does not add materially to the cost of the mixer.

Although I have illustrated and described but two preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be recognized that changes in the details of construction disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A charging and discharging mechanism for a mixer including a. frame and a drum rotatable therein having an opening at one end, said mechanism comprising spaced supports extending from said frame adjacent said end, blocks slidable along said supports, a charging hopper disposed between said supports, shafts extending coaxially from said hopper and seated in said blocks, a closure for said end and means mounting said closure for swinging movement about the axis of said shafts.

2. A charging and discharging mechanism for a mixer as defined by claim 1 characterized by said closure being mounted on the hopper and said hopper rotating with the closure.

3. A charging and discharging mechanism for a. mixer as defined by claim 1 characterized by said hopper being non-rotatable.

4. A charging and discharging mechanism for a mixer as defined by claim 1 characterized by means for actuating said blocks along said supports.

5. A charging and discharging mechanism for a mixer including a frame and a drum rotatable therein having an opening at one end, said mechanism comprising spaced supports extending from said frame adj acent said end, bearing blocks slidable along said supports, a charging hopper disposed between said supports, trunnions on said hopper journaled in said blocks and a closure for said end carried on said hopper.

6. A charging and discharging mechanism for a mixer including a frame and a drum rotatable therein having an opening at one end, said mechanism comprising spaced supports extending from said frame adjacent said end, blocks slidable along said supports, a charging hopper disposed between said supports, shafts extending coaxially from said hopper and seated in said blocks, a closure for said end, a yoke journaled on said shafts and a closure for said end mounted on said yoke.

7. A charging and discharging mechanism for a mixer as defined by claim 1 characterized by hydraulic motors on said supports for actuating said blocks.

LAWRENCE E. JOSEPH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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