US2687623A - Ice-making machine - Google Patents

Description

A118 31, 1954 w. H. AUBREY 2,687,623

ICE-MAKING MACHINE Filed Jan- 19. 1951 3 sheets-sheet 1 FIG 2 IN VEN TOR.- W. H. AUBREY Aug.. 31, 1954 w. H. AUBREY ICE-MAKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 19, 1951 FIG. 3

am m frllln MWQAWWAWY INVENTOR w H. AUBREY AT TORN EY Aug. 3l, 1954 w. H. AUBREY ICE-MAKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 19, 1951 INVENTOR.

W. H. AUBREY IIIIIIW' ATTQRN EY Patented ug. 31', 1954 ICE-MAKING MACHINE William H. Aubrey, Waynesboro, Pa., assignor to Frick Company, Waynesboro, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 19, 1951, Serial No. 206,845

(Cl. (i2- 107) 3 Claims.

l This invention relates to refrigeration and more particularly to the production of small particles of ice including a machine employed in the production of the same.

Numerous and sundry machines of this general nature have been manufactured and used with some degree of satisfaction and likewise numerous patents have been granted thereon. However, these machines have been complicated, expensive to produce and operate, and have lacked the desired efficiency.

The present invention contemplates the freezing of Water in sheet form on a surface as, for example, the surface of a refrigerated cylinder and then mechanically removing the ice in small particles or fragments.

Heretoiore one of the problems associated with ice production of this general nature has been that of removing the ice from the cylinder or other body on which it was frozen. This has been done in different ways, as, for example, by supplying water to a exible body, refrigerating such body to cause freezing and the formation of ice, and removing the ice by iiexing the body on which it was formed.

Where a relatively rigid body has been employed on which the ice was formed, Scrapers or milling cutters and other means have been employed to scrape 01T the ice or to remove it by bringing highly localized pressure to bear on spaced portions of the formed sheet of ice. Such devices require the use of special materials to prevent or reduce fatigue of the flexible body and also additional mechanism is necessary with apparatus employing scrapers or milling cutters since these Scrapers or cutters must be accurately and rigidly mounted in close proximity to the body from which the ice is to be removed, and consequently highly accurate machine work is required which materially increases the cost of such machines. Also, in the case of Scrapers and milling cutters there may be frequent damage to the body from which the ice is removed necessitating disassembly and repair thereof at substantial expense as Well as loss of time in the use of the apparatus.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for producing relatively small particles of ice in which physical contact between moving parts of the apparatus is avoided and consisting of parts which require a minimum of highly accurate machine work, thus resulting in an improved apparatus, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for producing relatively small particles of ice which apparatus may be supplied as -a self-contained unit requiring only the connection of electric and water supply lines thereto and which may be conveniently utilized in commercial establishments for supplyingsmall or large quantities of ice for any desired use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for producing relatively small particles of ice in which the materials utilized in the apparatus are not critical and in which the forces exerted between relatively moving parts of the machine are comparatively small and in which there is little likelihood of damage to the parts necessitating removal or repair there-of.

A further object of the invention is to provide `an apparatus for producing relatively small particles of ice in which refrigeration for forming the ice may be supplied from a self-contained refrigerating unit incorporated in the apparatus or, if desired, may be supplied from an external source.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a rotary interference member to facilitate the removal of ice from two adjacent spaced rotary drums on which sheets of ice are simultaneously formed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for producing relatively small particles of ice in which means is provided for assuring that particles of ice do not remain on the freezing bodies subsequent to the removal of the major portion of the ice therefrom.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specications taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section illustrating one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line 2--2 of Fis. 1;

Fig. 3, a longitudinal section similar to that of Fig. 1 but illustrating a modiiied form of the apparatus;

Fig. 4, a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fis. 3;

Fig. 5, a vertical section illustrating another ymodiiied form of the apparatus;

Fig. 6, a longitudinal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7, a vertical section similar to that of Fig. i5, but showing still another modied form of the apparatus; and

Fig. 8, a longitudinal section on the line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

With continued reference to the drawings there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 ice-making apparatus intended to produce relatively small particles of ice in any desired quantity and in which there is shown an outer casing IB which may be provided either with insulation II or may simply be a housing or casing for the device.

Within the casing IB may be placed a second casing I3, which in this form of the invention is oval-shaped, and such second casing I3 likewise, if desired, may be provided with insulation I4 on either or both sides thereof.

Disposed within the casing I3, preferably on vertical axes, are two spaced parallel cylinders I5 and I6, the first cylinder I5 being mounted for rotation on lower and upper hollow shafts I'I and IS. The second cylinder IG is similarlyT mounted on lower and upper hollow shafts I9 and 20.

Cylinders I5 and I5 are hollow and are closed at their ends by plates 2| and 22 secured to the cylinder wall by rivets 23, or other suitable fastening means. The shafts I'I, I8, I9 and 2D are each secured to the end plates 2l or 22 in fluid tight relation by a flange 24 disposed within the cylinder and a clamping plate 25 located externally of the cylinder and engaging the outer surface of end plates 2| and 22.

Flange 2d and clamping plate 25 are clamped together with a sealing gasket 26 therebetween by means of rivets or other fastening elements 2.

Through the hollow shafts I'I, I8, I9 and 20 may be introduced and removed suitable refrigerating medium into and from the interior of cylinders i5 and I5 for cooling the cylinder walls.

Disposed adjacent the upper ends of each of the cylinders I5 and I6 and extending around approximately 8G per cent of the circumference thereof is a conduit 28 provided with a plurality of apertures 29, the conduits 28 being connected through pipe 3G to a source of water which may be city water at normal temperature or pre-cooled in order to reduce the load on the refrigeration system or the amount of refrigeration required.

Below cylinders I5 and I5 may be disposed drip troughs SI and 32, annular or not as desired, and which, as shown in Fig. 2, are in the form of upwardly open channels. These troughs are adapted to receive excess water which does not freeze on the surface of cylinders I5 and I6 in the normal course of operation, such water being re-circulated through the conduits 28 for re-application to the freezing surfaces of the cylinders I5 and I5. Trouglis 3i and 32 are provided with drain pipes 33 and 35, respectively, which may lead to the re-circulating system.

A chute or trough 35 is disposed in the lower part of the apparatus beneath the cylinders I5 and I'G for receiving particles of ice removed from the cylinders I5 and I5 in a manner to be presently described.

As will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2, the surfaces of cylinders I5 and I6 do not contact each other but are spaced apart a relatively small distance, this spacing being only sufficient to compensate for any play in the bearings supporting the cylinders and for any inaccuracies in the configuration thereof in order to prevent actual contact between the surfaces of the cylinders. For efficient operation, this spacing should be the minimum possible consistent with the'prevention of actual contact.

In the operation of the above-described form of the invention, water is introduced through pipes 30 and conduits 28 and is sprayed on the surface of cylinders I5 and I6 adjacent the upper ends thereof. This water will flow by gravity downwardly over the surfaces and as the cylinders I5 and I5 rotate in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 1, a sheet of ice 36 will build up on the external surfaces of these cylinders, the thickness of this sheet will increase in the direction of rotation of the drums. The thickness of the ice sheet 35 is somewhat exaggerated on the drawing in order to more clearly illustrate the operation of the apparatus.

The ice formed on the respective drums I5 and It will be brought into contact adjacent the point 3l of tangency of the drums as shown in Fig. l, and due to the tangential force exerted by the ice at this point the sheet will be shattered and broken away from the surfaces of the drums I5 and I@ and will drop into the chute 35 in relatively vsmall particles. This shattering and breaking action is continuous as the drums rotate and in actual practice takes place for an appreciable angular distance counter to the direction of rotation of the drums.

During operation it sometimes happens that all of the ice is not removed from the drums in the manner described above, in which case small particles thereof adhere to one or both of the drums and are carried beyond the point of tangency. If these particles were permitted to remain, they would result in the formation of ice of an abnormal thickness due to the addition of water thereto and would be difficult to remove as part of a sheet the next time around due to having been crushed between the closely spaced cylinders. In order to remove these particles, therefore, water in excess of that required to form the desired sheet is supplied to the conduits 28 and upon leaving the point of tangency between the drums the adhering particles of ice are partially melted and washed from the surfaces of the drums by the water applied thereto from conduits 28. This procedure results in the formation of a smooth, uniformly tapering sheet of ice on the surfaces of the drums and precludes the formation of areas of abnormal thickness dinicult to remove and which may result in damage to the apparatus.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in which an outer casing 38 may be provided and, as before, this casing may be insulated or not as desired. Within the casing 38 is disposed a generally oval shaped casing 39 which may or may not be heat insulated, as desired, and within this oval casing there are disposed on vertical axes a pair of cylinders ll and 4I similar in construction tothe cylinders I5 and I5 of Figs. l and 2. The cylinders EIB and III are provided with hollow .supporting shafts 52 and 43 which serve to conduct and remove a refrigerant therefrom as in Figs. 1 and 2.

Disposed adjacent 4the upper ends of cylinders I0 and (II are spray conduits lll similar to conduits of Figs. 1 and 2 and provided with apertures to spray water 'on the surfaces of these cylinders in a manner similar to that described above. Also positionedbeneath the cylinders are drip troughs l5 and l which serve to receive any excess water Vflowing from the surface of the cylinders, these 'drip troughs being provided with drain pipes 4l and 48, respectively.

Positioned laterally of the apparatus and below the cylinders 40 and '4I is a chute 43 forreceiving particles of ice detached from the surfaces of the cylinders, this kchute 'extending exteriorly of the casing 38 providing a discharge 50 as shown in Fig. v4 and, if desired, a flap or other closure member 5l may be provided to prevent theentry of relatively warm air into'the interior of the casings 38 and 39.

This form of the invention differs from the form described above in that the cylinders 4B and 4I are spaced a substantial distance apart and have disposed adjacent the point of tangency of the cylinders a relatively small vertically mounted hollow roller or cylindrical body 52 mounted on upper and lower hollow shafts 53 and 54, respectively. The shafts 53 and 54 are like those of Figs. l and 2 and are secured to the roller 52 by flanges 55, clamping plates 56, gaskets 5'1 and fastening means 58. Shafts 53 and 51B are adapted to supply and remove refrigerant from the interior of roller 52, although in certain instances it is not necessary to refrigerate this roller.

In operation, the cylinders 4U and 4| are rotated in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 3 and roller 52 is likewise rotated in the direction of the arrow. As water is sprayed from conduits 44 onto the surfaces of cylinders 4U and 4I, sheets of ice 59 and S0 which increase in thickness in the direction of rotation are formed thereon. The ice sheets approach the roller 52, are contacted thereby, and the tangential force asserted thereagainstv by the roller 52 serves to shatter and break the ice from the surfaces of cylinders 55 and il in the form of relatively small particles which drop into chute 49 and may be removed from the machine.

The basic principles f this invention may be utilized to construct an apparatus in which only a single freezing cylinder is employed, there being a roller or cylindrical body 52 similar to that shown in Fig. 3, closely adjacent the surface thereof to remove ice formed thereon inthe manner described in connection With Figs. 3 and 4.

Also, if desired, an apparatus similar to that disclosed in Figs. l and 2 may be constructed in which only one of the cylinders l and I6 is refrigerated, the other cylinder serving to remove ice formed thereon in the same manner as the relatively small roller 52 accomplishes this purpose in the apparatus of Figs. 3 and 4.

Another modied form of the apparatus is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 wherein the outer casing 62, oval casing 53, cylinders Ell and 55, spray conduits ,56, drip troughs 5l and 58, and chute 69 are all similar or identical in their construction and arrangement with the corresponding elements described in connection with the forms of the apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4. However, in this form of the invention a rotary interference member lll is shown which facilitates the removal of sheets of ice formed simultaneously on the cylinders 5d and 65. The interference member l5 consists of a shaft 'Il on which are mounted a plurality of spaced discs 12 which may be provided with a sharp peripheral cutting edge, as shown, or, if desired, may be provided With saw-tooth edges or sharp points similar to ice picks around the periphery. The discs l2 may, if desired, have a flat relatively Wide peripheral surface and be spaced relatively close together so that their action will be somewhat similar and analogous to the action of the cylinder 52 in the modication shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The shaft 'El may be freely rotatable so that the discs 72 are in substantially rolling contact with the cylinders 55 and 55 or the shaft 'il may be driven in the same direction of rotation such as counter-clockwise, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6.

scraping elements I3 and 'I4 are substantially T-shaped in cross section and are securely at tached to the bottom and top walls of the housing 62. The scraping elements are provided with a plurality of projections 'i 5 and 'It which extend between the spaced discs to a point adjacent shaft 'H to remove ice which may accumulate therein. Another portion of each of the Scrapers extends at right angles to form scraping elements il and 18 which assure the removal of small particles of ice from cylinders 54 and 56, respectively, which have not been broken loose by the action of the discs 12.

Still another modification has been shown in Figs. 7 and 8, which is quite similar to the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and identical parts have been provided with the same numerals. However, in this modification interference member comprises .a rotary shaft 8| with a helical blade 82 mounted thereon. The peripheral edge of the blade 82 is relatively wide and perfectly hat and is coincident with the surface of an imaginary cylinder which is slightly spaced from the cylinders B4 and 55. Blade may be provided with a sharp saw-tooth or pointed edge portion, if so desired.

The scraping elements 83 and 8d in this form merely contact the peripheral edge of the blade 82, but the perpendicular portions 85 and 86 function in the same manner as the portions 'l1 and 18, shown in Fig. 6, to remove pieces of ice from the cylinders t@ and 65 which have not been broken away by the blade 82. Shaft 8l may also be freely rotatable or, if desired, may oe driven in either direction of rotation, preferably in the same direction of rotation as indicated by arrows in Fig. 8.

In both of the above modifications, shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and Figs. '7 and 8, respectively, the interference member is mounted between two cylinders so that any pressure exerted thereon will be substantially equal and in opposite directions which will minimize the stress exerted thereon, particularly on the shafts FI and 8i, and will permit of a much lighter and a less rigid and expensive construction. Furthermore, the interference member need not be positioned in extremely close relation to the ice forming cylinders 64 and 55 in order to function properly, since their primary object is to exert a force on the sheet of ice which will cause it to break away from the cylinder and the scraper blades merely knock off small particles of ice which adhere-to the cylinder after most of the sheet of ice has been removed.

There is provided by the above invention a relatively simple and economical apparatus for producing ice continuously in the form of relatively small particles and in any desired quantity, the apparatus readily adapting itself to installation in small commercial establishments such as soda fountains and the like, or it may be provided in a relatively large size for accommodating large establishments such as hotels and similar places of business.

It is also contemplated that this invention may be utilized to provide ice for the packing of fish, meats, and other commodities wherein it is desired to retain these objects in a refrigerated condition over a relatively long period of time.

A further noteworthy fact is that the apparatus of this invention is simple, utilizes a relatively small number of parts, and that these parts do not require highly accurate machine work-and consequently may be manufactured by relatively unskilled labor thereby materially contributing to the low cost thereof.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Ice making apparatus comprising a casing, cylinders mounted within said casing for rotation about vertical axes, the surfaces of said cylinders being closely spaced, means for rotating each cylinder in the same direction, means for conducting a refrigerant to the interior of each cylinder, means for applying a film of water to a portion of the surface of each cylinder comprising a conduit disposed about a portion of the circumference of each cylinder adjacent the upper end thereof, a plurality of apertures in said conduit and a water supply for each conduit, whereby upon rotation of said cylinders a sheet of ice is formed on each cylinder of increasing thickness toward the area of cylinder adjacency and of such thickness thereat that the total thickness is sufficiently greater than one-half the distance between said surfaces so that the tangential force exerted by one sheet against the other serves to shatter a portion of each sheet and to provide relatively small particles of sheet fragments.

2. Ice making apparatus comprisinga casing, cylinders mounted within said casing for rotation about vertical axes, the surfaces of said cylinders being smooth and closely spaced, means for rotating each cylinder in the same direction, means for refrigerating at least one of said cylinders interiorly and means for applying a film of water to the upper surface of the refrigerated cylinder, whereby upon rotation of said cylinders a sheet of ice is formed on the refrigerated cylinder, of increasing thickness towards the area of cylinder adjacency and of such thickness thereat that the maximum thickness of said sheet is sufficiently greater than the distance between said cylinder surfaces so that the tangential force exerted by one cylinder against the sheet of ice serves to shatter a portion thereof and to provide relatively small particles of ice sheet fragments.

3. Ice making apparatus comprising a casing, spaced cylinders mounted within said casing for rotation about vertical axes, a rotatably mounted roller disposed between said cylinders, the surfaces of said cylinders and said roller being smooth and closely spaced, means for rotating said cylinders and said roller in the same direction, means for conducting a refrigerant to and from the interior of said cylinders and means for applying a lm of Water to a portion of the surface of each near the top thereof whereby upon rotation of said cylinders and said roller a sheet of ice is formed on each cylinder of increasing thickness near the area of roller adjaceny and of such thickness thereat that the maximum thickness of each sheet is suciently greater than the distance between the surface of each cylinder and the surface of said roller so that the tangential force exerted by said roller against each sheet serves to shatter a portion of each sheet and provide relatively small particles of ice sheet fragments.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 8,455 Albertson Oct. l5, 1878 201,486 Baxendale Mar. 19, 1878 240,453 Oexle Apr. 19, 1881 1,620,759 Holden Mar. 19, 1912 1,931,347 G-ay Oct. 17, 1933 2,068,770 Taylor Dec. 8, 1936 2,319,468 Short Feb. 9, 1943 2,575,374 Walsh Nov. 20, 1951 2,585,021 Lessard Feb. 12, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 62,063 Denmark Mar. 27, 1944 669,185 Germany Dec. 19, 1938

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