US2742177A

US2742177A - Closure seal

Info

Publication number: US2742177A
Application number: US271226A
Authority: US
Inventors: John W Watson
Original assignee: Hydro Blast Corp
Current assignee: Hydro Blast Corp
Priority date: 1952-02-12
Filing date: 1952-02-12
Publication date: 1956-04-17
Anticipated expiration: 1973-04-17

Description

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'u' lm 11 IN V EN TOR.' fa@ ATTRNEY United States Patent4 O CLOSURE SEAL John W. Watson, Evanston, Ill., assignor to The IIydrorBlast Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 12, 1952, Serial No. 271,226

3 Claims. (Cl. 220-46) This 'invention relates to dewatering devices for granular material and more particularly to the construction of the casing and seal for a dewatering device to prevent the loss'of material during operation.

It has been proposed in the copending application of Roderick S. Webster, Serial No. 136,349, led December 3l, 1949, now Patent No. 2,644,587, to dewater granular material such as sand by confining it in a casing having a perforated bottom closure and forcing water therefrom by a gaseous medium under pressure.

This operation has been highly successful, but a difliculty has been encountered in maintaining a proper seal between the bottom of the casing and the closure to prevent material from leakingtherebetween during operation. Experience `has `shown that when granular material such as sand is wet, it iiows very readily and even though the sealing surfaces are carefully formed, granular material may accumulate therebetween to leave openings through which the material can leak.

It is accordingly one of the objects of the present nvention to provide a dewatering device for granular material in which an effective seal is produced between the casing bottom and the closure to prevent leakage of granular material therebetween during operation.

Another object is to provide a dewatering device in which the seal between the casing bottom and the closure is self cleaning to insure proper sealing therebetween regardless of accumulations of granular material on the surfaces. Y

Still another object is to provide a dewatering device in which the seal is formed by an annular elastic strip which is arranged to wipe over the closure during closing movement thereon and again to wipe over the closure when the casing is subjected to pressure thereby to insure a good seal.

A further object is to provide a dewatering device in `which the sealing strip is easily and securelymounted in the casing by means of an expansible ring.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

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. perforated closure shownas comprising an outer annular Figure l is a partial section through the bottom part i of a dewatering device embodying the inventionshowing the closure in open position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the position of the parts with the closure closed but no pressure in thev casing; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the position of the parts with pressure in the casing;

The apparatus as illustrated comprises a casing or container 10 of vertical tubular form and which preferably has a smooth inner cylindrical surface to receive wet granular material which is to be dewatered. At its lower end the outer surface of the casing is bevelled as indicated ,'at 11 so that the casing terminates in a relatively sharp edge and so that its inner surface continues as a smooth cylinder completely to the bottom thereof.

The bottom of the casing is adapted to be closed by a ring 12 open in its center and supporting a screen 13 in its center portion. The ring 12 is of such a diameter and width that it will seat on the lower edge of the casing and will project radially both inwardly and outwardly beyond the casing edge with the screen 13 lying only inthe central part of the casing bottom.

ln order to effect a tight seal between the closure and the casing, there is provided according to the present invention an annular strip 14 of elastic material such as rubber which is normally of a` slightly smallerv diameter than the casing interior. The strip 14 is secured in the lower end of the casing above the bottom thereof by the annular expansible ring 15, whose ends are connected by an adjustable reversely threaded screw 16 sov that the `diameter of the ring can be varied. To mount the seal, the ring 15 is slipped intoA one end of the annular strip 14 and the assembly is then Vinserted in the bottom of the casing to a point such that the lower edge of the ring will be spaced above the casing bottom as shown. The ring is then expanded by turning the screw 16 to press the sealing strip tightly against the casing inner wall to effect a tight seal therebetween and to hold the sealing strip and the ring in place in the casing by friction. When so mounted, the lower edge of the sealing strip 14 curves inwardly and downwardly as shown in Figure 1 to a point normally below the bottom edge of the casing.

When the closure is moved to its closed position as illustrated in Figure 2, the lower edge of the sealing strip 14 will engage the closure ring 12 and as the closure moves toward the casing the sealing strip will be bent upward so that its lower edge will wipe radially inward over the closure. Thus, any granular material left on the closure will be wiped therefrom under the edge of the sealingstrip to leave a clean surface against which the strip can seal. The relatively sharp lower edge of the casing 10 produced by the bevel 11 will bite through and spread any accumulations of granular material between it and the closure to enable movement of the closure into firm engagement with the casing bottom.

When pressure is applied to the interior of the casing to force water from the granular material therein, the iiexible sealing strip 14 will be stretched and expanded to the position shown in Figure 3. During this movement the inner lower edge of the strip will wipe radially outward across the closure to wipe out any granular material therebetween so that a good sealing contact will be obtained. As finally expanded, the sealing strip will consist of two substantially right angular portions one of which lies ilat against the inner surface of the casing and the other of which lies at against the closure. In this way a tight seal is formed between the casing and the closure which will prevent loss of any material therebetween, even when subjected to relatively high pressure and with the granular'material in an extremely wet and ilowable condition.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that it is illustrative only and is not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dewatering device for granular material comprising a vertical casing open at its bottom and having a smooth cylindrical 4inner surface, the bottom of the casing terminating in a tapering relatively sharp edge, a ilat closure for the bottom of the casing movable against said edge and a tubular strip of elastic material secured to the inner wall of the casing above the bottom thereof and normally extending downward and inward from its line of attachment to a level below the casing bottom to t 4 engage and-wipefradially inward over the closure when it diameter than the casing fitting in the casing an exis` movedintoengagement with. saidedge. pansiblea-ring. ttingtrwithn. the. stu-ip. and. means` to. expandv 2. A dewatering device fongranular material compristhe ring to cause it to prees the strip against the inner ing a vertical casing` open at itstbottom and having a casing wall at a level above the bottom of the casing, smooth cylindricali innersurface,`Y the bottom of' thel 5 the strip being of a width to project radially inward and easing terminating ina'l taneri'ngf relatively -sharp edge, a downward from the ring to a level below the bottom of the a-t closurefor thebottom of the casing movable against casing.

said*- edge, andf aA tubular-strip of elastic;` material Secured" totheinnerwall ofthe casing above the bottom thereof'- Refel'ences Cfediin tha-51@ 0f this Ptet andnormally extending' downward and inwardf from its- 10 UNIIEDA., STATES, BATENIS' line of attachment to a level below the easing bottom to engage adwipe radially liWaId ovef'thve'clsure when it 1 lov. ismovedintoxengagementrwithsaid edge, pressure in: the 1628028, Ceu u e 'a l "MPL 10 1-927 casing stretching the strip into-.- engagement Withfthe lsl''s njvlHS-"Prul "1931 casing-I Walla-11dA causing' the loWe1-ed-g`ethereo'towpe- 15 1861537 L 1Vks aw -e *a I g'7 1932 radially out-WardOVeF thClOSliIef 1,870,973 Tehe me 9 1932 3f, A1 tewater-ing device for granular:materialV COUP 1975554 Mwa1l s n gi 2' 1934 prtising` aix/ernaarcasing-opener itebottom andhavnga- 2 31947 R-omssey bc 18 1941 smootbcl'yindricalinner-surface, the bottonr ofjt'hecasingA 2%9'1'? 63" S1lb`"""``" Ae I' '4"1` terminating. in. a tapering relatively sharp edge, a. "fiati 20 652%65 Lskirg' 'Jllllgs '135i closure. for the bottom of thev casmg movablegamsf 2,644,587 Webster A 11115@ 7,J 1.953`

said edgeiy atubular elastic strig nomallyofsnaller