US2707304A

US2707304A - Balling drum

Info

Publication number: US2707304A
Application number: US415346A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kenneth M Haley
Original assignee: Reserve Mining Co
Current assignee: Reserve Mining Co
Priority date: 1954-03-10
Filing date: 1954-03-10
Publication date: 1955-05-03
Anticipated expiration: 1972-05-03

Description

y 3, 1955 K. M. HALEY 2,707,304

BALLING DRUM Filed March 10, 1954 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 A/EMYEI'HI/ALEY G. 1 W", W,

Arraew 5 May 3, 1955 HALIIEY 2,707,304

BALLING DRUM Filed March 10, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. KEN/v57 M #445) Arron/v ys United States Patent nALLrNo DRUM Kenneth M. Hale, Babbitt, Minn, assignor to Reserve Mining Company, Duluth, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application March It 1954, Serial No. 415,346

6 Claims. (Cl. 13-1) This invention relates to rotary drums such as are used in connection with the formation of balls, pellets or glomerules, as they are called, from moisture containing pulverant material as for example, tines obtained by virtue of the benefication of metal containing minerals such as magnetic ores, and concentrates obtained by beneiication of Taconite.

The prior art discloses the use of a rotatable drum which is so mounted that its axis is inclined to the horizontal and wherein the interior surface of the drum is coated by a layer or lining of the pulverant material which is to be processed, and additionally, including a means such as a scraper bar for controlling the thickness of the lining adhering to the inner surface of the drum. Such an arrangement is disclosed in the patent to Charles V. Firth, Serial No. 2,411,832.

In connection with the use of such a drum as referred to, it is known practice to introduce into the high end of the drum moistened pulverant material which is to be bailed or pelletized, meanwhile the drum is caused to rotate whereupon particles of the pulverant material form nuclei and due to the rotation and inclination of the drum partake of a rolling action which results in the formation of balls which are commonly referred to as ellets or glomerules. The pellets or balls are discharged t'rom the lower end of the drum.

The amount of moisture which is associated with the pulverant material which is delivered into the rotating drum, is rather carefully controlled, nevertheless due to the rolling action of the pellets as they progress through the drum a certain amount of moisture works itself toward the surface of the pellets giving them a rather glistening appearance and an outer surface which is moist and somewhat tacky. When therefore, these balls or pellets are discharged from the lower end of the rotating drum upon a surface such as a screen or traveling belt, it frequently happens that the pellets more or less stick together in clamps and even though the beforementioned screen or belt may be vibrated, the adhering pellets are not entirely segregated into individual balls.

it is the purpose of the invention herein disclosed to provide effective means associated with the rotary pelletizing drum whereby the pellets when delivered from the drum are spread out in scattered relation, upon the screen or belt or similar surface to which they are delivered and thus the individual balls do not adhere to each other even though the surface of the balls are of a tacky nature.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing a rotatable drum and its mounting together with other devices which receive the delivered pellets or balls;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the showing in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the showing in Fig. l; and,

Fig. 4 is a plan development of the structure at the discharge end of the drum.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a drum open at both ends and which at spaced apart portions is pro- "ice vided with tracks 2, so that the drum may be mounted upon rollers such as indicated at 3, thereby facilitating rotation of the drum.

Obviously, any means can be used for rotating the drum and one such means is illustrated in the drawings consisting of a ring gear 4 which is attached to the drum and is driven by a mating gear 5, which is operated by means of a motor such as is generally indicated at 6.

The rollers 3 are mounted upon a bed structure which forms no part of the present invention but is generallyrepresented at 7.

The drum 1 is mounted so that its axis is at an angle to the horizontal, the higher end of the drum, as indicated at 8, being open and adapted to receive moistened pulverant material and the opposite end of the drum being open and adapted to discharge the balls or pellets which are formed by virtue of the action of the pelletizing process incident to the rolling of the moist pulverant material through the drum.

At the exit or lower portion of the drum, extending partly beneath and at right angles to the axis of the drum, is a vibrating screening member 9, and this member is arranged at an angle inclined to the horizontal, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The lower end of the screening member 9 extends above a traveling belt 10 so that material which is discharged from the screening member 9 is delivered to the traveling belt ill to be carried away forfurther processing.

The screening member 9 is adapted to be vibrated and for this purpose there is provided a motor 11 which belt drives a pulley 12 upon a shaft which provides for a vibratory movement to the screening member 9.

Beneath the screening member 9 there extends a belt which is more particularly shown at 14 in Fig. 3, which receives the material which has been screened out by the screening member 9 and conveys such material to a conveyor 15 which carries the material to a place where it is further processed and is usually returned for recirculation through the balling drum.

At the lower or discharge end of the drum an annular member 16 is secured to the drum so that it rotates with the drum and in effect is a part of the end portion of the drum. This annular member is provided with a series of extensions generally represented at 17.

In the drawing in Fig. 4 is shown a developed plan view of the structure embodying the extensions 17.

Each of the extensions has converging slanting sides so that considered as a whole the structure provides an annular series of projections and intervening spaces and which may be properly described as a series of seallops which extend in an annular fashion around that end of the drum through which the material is to be discharged. Obviously the pellets or glomerules and other material which roll out from the discharge end of the drum will in part roll into the spaces between the scallops and in part will roll upon the scallops and in this manner there will be a rather scattered discharge across whatever member or apparatus is provided for the reception of the pellets and other material which are discharged from the drum.

The number of scallops provided at the discharge end of the drum is a matter for determination with respect to the specific material which is being discharged. In other words, there may be more or less than the num ber of scallops which is shown in Fig. 4-.

Furthermore, the shape of the scallops does not neces sarily have to follow the shape that is shown in Fig. 4. Also it should be said that it is entirely possible to form the scallops or extensions directly in the periphery of the drum at the discharge end thereof.

It will be appreciated that the pellets which are discharged between the scallops and those which are discharged across the scallops, is not a clearly defined separation but the efiect is that of scattering the pellets thus delivered from the end of the rotating drum in a spreadout condition. The delivery of the pellets or glomerules from the end of the balling drum, in the spread-out condition such as referred to, serves to prevent the pellets or glomerules from sticking together in bunches or masses and it is found in practice that the pellets are substantially individually delivered and spread across the paratus which is placed to receive them.

The screening member 9, as before pointed out, is located adjacent the discharge end of the drum 1, and beneath the lowermost portion of the drum so that the pellets or glomerulcs discharged from the rotating drum are delivered upon the screening member. Associated with the member 9 is a wall 9 at the outside portion of the member 9, so that the pellets delivered to the screening member will not roll beyond the outer periphery thereof. In fact the inner side and end of the memher 9 is provided with a wall to prevent loss of pellets.

As heretofore described, and as shown more particularly in Fig. 3, the screening member 9 is arranged in a slanting direction and is adapted to be vibrated so that when the pellets are delivered to the member in separated and scattered condition, that situation with respect to the individual pellets is in all essential respects maintained as the pellets are vibrated and roll downwardly upon the screening member by virtue of the slanting angular mounting of the screening member.

The pellets or glomerules which are spread upon the screening member 9, and which roll down the same, will obviously be of a size greater than that which would be screened out by virtue of the screening action of the screening member 9 and such undersized pellets or glornerules are delivered to a belt which is indicated at 10, which conveys them to a place for further treatment which usually is an indurating furnace.

The material which is delivered from the discharge end of the drum 1, will inevitably be in part composed of pellets which are undersize as well as material which could be described as fines. This mixture together with the pellets of desired size will be, as it Were, simultaneously discharged from the end of the drum and will be subject to the spreading action of the extensions 17 associated with the delivery end of the drum and such mixture or" materials will be spread out across the screening member 9, which spreading action greatly facilitates the screening action of the member 9 to separate the fines and the undersize pellets from those pellets or glomerules which are of proper size and which are delivered to the suitable piece of apparatus such as the traveling belt 10 for conducting the pellets to a place for further processing.

While it will be clear that the projections or scallops associated with the discharge end of the drum will function with their spreading action in respect to the material discharging from the rotating drum, regardless of whatever means may be provided for receiving the material which is discharged from the drum, nevertheless it will be apparent that where, at least in part, the problem involves the separation of those pellets or glomerules which are of acceptable size, from the fines and undersized pellcts which are discharged from the drum, the operative coordination of a screening member with the discharge end of the rotating drum, is greatly facilitated by virtue of the fact that the material discharging from the drum is spread out across the screening apparatus and not merely deposited upon the same enmass.

Obviously changes may be made in the specific instrumentalities used without departing from the principle of the invention as expressed in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a hollow drum of greater length than its diameter, means for mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly, the higher end of said drum being adapted to receive pulverant material fed thereto, the lower end of said drum being open and forming a discharge portion of the drum, means for rotating the said drum whereby the pulverant material becomes bailed or pelletized as it passes through the drum, a receiving means located adjacent to and beneath the exit end of the drum, means carried by the discharge end of the drum for spreading out upon the aforesaid receiving means the balls or pellets as they are discharged from the drum.

2. The combination of a hollow drum of greater length than its diameter, means for mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly, the higher end of said drum being adapted to receive moist pulverant material fed thereto, the lower end of said drum being open and forming a discharge portion of the drum, means for retating the said drum whereby the pulverant material becomes balled or pelletized as it passes through the revolving drum, a screening means located adjacent the discharge end of the drum and in position to receive material discharged from the drum, and means carried by the discharge end of the drum for spreading out upon the aforesaid screening means the material including the balls or pellets as they are discharged from the drum.

3. The combination of a hollow drum of greater length than its diameter, means for mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly, the higher end of said drum being adapted to receive moist pulverant material fed thereto, the lower end of said drum being open and forming a discharge portion of the drum, means for rotating the said drum whereby the pulverant material becomes balled or pelletized as it passes through the revolving drum, a screening means located adjacent the discharge end of the drum and in position to receive material discharged from the drum, the discharge end of the drum being provided with a series of spaced extensions or scallops which extend outwardly from the discharge end of the drum and serving to spread upon the screening means the material as it is discharged from the said drum.

4. A drum for pelletizing pulverant metal containing material, means mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly, the upper end of said drum adapted to receive a moistened pulverant material, the lower end of said drum being open and serving as a discharge opening, means for rotating the drum, the discharge end of said drum being provided with spaced extensions for discharging material from the drum in spread-out condition.

5. A drum for pelletizing pulverant metal containing material, means for mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly the upper end of said drum adapted to receive a moist pulverant material, the lower end of said drum being open and serving as a discharge opening, means for rotating the drum, the discharge end of the said drum being provided with a series of extensions which extensions have converging sides providing a spaced relation with respect to the extensions, said extensions serving to spread the material discharged from the drum.

6. A drum for pelletizing pulverant metal containing material, means mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly, the upper end of said drum adapted to receive a moist pulverant material, the lower end of said drum being open and serving as a discharge opening, means for rotating the drum, the discharge end of the drum being provided with a series of scallops extending peripherally with regard to the discharge end of the drum and extending outwardly therefrom and in spaced relation with respect to each other, said scallops serving to spread the material as it is discharged from the drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims

6. A DRUM FOR PELLETIZING PULVERANT METAL CONTAINING MATERIAL, MEANS MOUNTING SAID DRUM SO THAT ITS AXIS IS INCLINED DOWNWARDLY, THE UPPER END OF SAID DRUM ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A MOIST PULVERANT MATERIAL, THE LOWER END OF SAID DRUM BEING OPEN AND SERVING AS A DISCHARGE OPENING, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE DRUM, THE DISCHARGE END OF THE DRUM BEING PROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF SCALLOPS EXTENDING PERIPHERALLY WITH REGARD TO THE DISCHARGE END OF THE DRUM AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND IN SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, SAID SCALLOPS SERVING TO SPREAD THE MATERIAL AS IT IS DISCHARGES FROM THE DRUM.