US2794195A

US2794195A - Combination outside stripper and buffer for metal drums

Info

Publication number: US2794195A
Application number: US202252A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kaye Robert Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-12-22
Filing date: 1950-12-22
Publication date: 1957-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 1974-06-04

Description

R. L. KAYE 2,794,195 COMBINATION OUTSIDE STRIPPER AND BUFFER FQR METAL DRUMS June 4, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1950 m m m m E O W d w w A G K a e 4 e w L W H e b O R v w wm I v 9 NO Ln mO lllll w O 0: Q

June 4, 1957 E 2,794,195

COMBINATION OUTSIDE STRIPPER AND BUFFER FOR METAL DRUMS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 22, 1950 ATTORNEYS June 4, 1957 R L K'A E I 2,794,195

COMBINATION OUTSIDE STRIPPER AND BUFFER FOR METAL DRUMS '4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 22, 1950 INVENTOR- EozsEeT LEE Kan:

ATTORNEYS June 4, 1957 R. L. KAYE COMBINATION OUTSIDE STRIPPER AND BUFFER FORMETAL DRUMS Filed Dec. 22, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet. 4

- INVENTOR foa gzr LEE Kara United States Patent COMBINATION OUTSIDE STRIPPER AND BUFFER FOR METAL DRUMS Robert Lee Kaye, Newark, N. J. Application December 22, 1950, Serial No. 202,252 9 Claims. (CI. 15-57) The present invention concerns the reconditioning of metal drums and containers for reuse and in particular relates to an automatic outside stripper and buffer.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device which employs strong wire brushes to give a drum a thorough rub-down, removing rust and polishing the body and both ends simultaneously in preparation for painting.

It is an object of the invention to provide means to cause brushes to exert an even pressure against a drum being cleaned on all surfaces even when the drum is out-of-round or may be rectangular by using controlled air pressure to cause the brushes to (follow the contour of the drum.

It is an object of the invention to provide a fully automatic stripper and buffer with a loader and ejector which can be regulated for speeds up to three or more drums a minute.

It is an object of the invention to provide a stripping and polishing unit in which there are three positions in which the outside of the drums being treated are stripped with a spray of hot caustic solution. In the third one of these three positions, the drum is wire brushed while hot caustic is still being sprayed on it.

It is an object of the invention to provide a rotary loader which times the machine operation.

Other objects will appear as the description continues. In the drawing like numbers refer to like parts throughout.

Fig. l is a side elevation of one form of combined stripper and buffer showing loader and ejector in place.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the loader mechanism to enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the automatic timer.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the timer mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one form of head brush assembly.

Fig. 6 is a side view in fragmentary section of the head brush actuator mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the head brush.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of another form of the invention.

Fig. 9 is an interior view showing the spray nozzle arrangement.

Fig. 10 is a schematic showing of an elevator detail.

A pair of channel skids 10 support a tank housing 11 to end 12 of which is bolted loader 13 by means of bars 14. Within housing 11 is a series of rolls 15 mounted in bearings 16 and driven by chains 17. The three rolls on each end are driven by chains 17 on the rear side of Fig. 1. Chains 17 are driven by a sprocket keyed to the drive shaft of traction drive reducer motor 19 mounted on shelf 20.

Rolls 15 progressively roll drums being treated from the loader entrance on side 12 to the exit on side 21. The drums are rolled along and passed between a pair of head brushes 22 to an elevator cradle 102 operated by air cylinder 124, piston rod 100, and-a suitable air,

18 connected to drive Patented June 4, 1957 'ice supply. Sliding door 29 in housing 11 affords ready access to head brushes 22.

Body brushes 30 are mounted in bearings 31 on angle member 32 attached to the side of housing 11. Body brushes 30 are made of stiff steel wires and are covered by removable hood 33 and are driven by two ten horsepower motors 34 and belts 35.

A screen compartment 36 is filled with caustic solution which is heated by steam coils 37. Hot caustic solution is supplied to header 38 by centrifugal pump 39 driven by a five horsepower motor 40. Screen compartment 36 and clean out compartment 41 are each provided with a drain 42. The last station of the water rinse manifold is indicated at 43 and the rinse drain is shown at 44. v

The up-ender ejector 45 is attached to tank 11 by channel members 46 and comprises a frame 47 and a pivoted cradle 48 actuated by an air cylinder for rotating cleaned drums through ninety degrees with bungs down to drain into tray 49. Drain tray 49 discharges into screen compartment 36 through pipe 50. Cradle 48 may be separately operated by a local drum actuating valve or switch or may be timed from the loader side as an overall synchronized operation.

Loader 13 has a base 51 which mounts a drum elevating .arm 52 pivoted at 53 and having a projection 54 curved to fit a drum to be elevated for cleaning. Drums are rolled to loader 13 and curved projection 54 on pickup ramp 55.

A main actuator wheel 56 is driven by motor 57 through speed reducer 58. The position of motor 57 may be adjusted by hand wheel 59 which turns a worm rod in carriage 60. Actuator wheel 56 is operably connected to arm 52 by a link 61 and carries a tangential arm 62 braced by web 63 and having a roller 64 at its end. Tangential arm 62 deposits elevated drums onto feed ramp 65 on which they roll to the first of the feed rolls 15. Speed reducer 58 is driven from pulley 66.0n motor 57. A sprocket 67 on the output shaft of reducer 58 drives sprocket 69, shaft 68 which mounts actuator wheels 56, one on each side, and the tangential arms 62. Sprockets 67 and 69 are connected by roller chain 70.

Shaft 68 has a safety clutch arrangement 71 which connects the right and left hand parts of the shaft as air to the operating cylinder of up-ender ejector 45 which tilts pivoted cradle 48. Air line 79 and valve 76 control the supply of air to head brush air cylinder 87. Air line 80 and valve 77 control the supply of air to elevator cylinder 24. It will be seen that the initiation of the time cycle of the earns 72, 73 and 74 as well as the events of the individual cams are determined by the rotation of shaft 68 which in turn controls the operation of loader arm 52 and the feeding of drums to the rolls 15. The rotary loader, therefore, picks up the drums from fl-oor level and times their processing through the housing 11.. I

Head brushes 22 are mounted within the side walls 88 of housing 11 adjacent door 29. Removable brushes 22 are held by frame 89 attached to shaft 90 supported in bearings 91. A lever 92 is keyed to one end of shaft 90 and pinned at its other end to a clevis 93 fastened to the movable pistonrlike end 94 of head brush cylinder 87 As frames 89 are ofiset from shafts 90, rotation of the shafts by actuation of cylinder 58 causes the brushes 22 to bear against both heads of the drum being cleaned simultane- .spectto the drums and clean the entire .heads asthey revolve. The pinned ends of lever 92 and clevis 93 are enclosed by a cover 95.

Header 38 enters the top oftank housin'g ll and runs lengthwise thereof, connecting with' cross maiti's lltlavhich carry nozzles 111 which 1 direct 'a knife li-ke J fan-shaped sheet of hot caustic-solt1tio11 =under about eighty pounds pressure at all outside-surfaces of the fluid is returned'to compartment 36 by well known methods such as a motor operated suction pump where'it is screened and recirculated. "That portion of tank housing 11-which corresponds-to the'uight'siX rollsFl'SimFig.

l sprays hot caustic solution on thedrums. That portion corresponding to the three rolls on the left applies awt ater rinse as indicatedlast station 43 on'the'water'rinse mani- "fold. Spent'rinse'water is'caught in the top part'of compartment '36 and drained off'at '44; Clean out compartment 41 collects whatever materials may happen tobe in the drums at the'start and discharge it to sewage through its drain 42.

A preferred arrangement for elevating thedrums against 'body brushes isshown inFig. 10. inwhich the center three *rollslS are mounted'on a beam 102'Which is pivoted at 101 to'pistonmd "100 of air cylinder 124which is mounted on tank housing ll'beneaththeithree central rolls 15. In this form the portionof chain 17 which connects with the end groups of rolls15 is'provided ample slackand an idler take-up which may .bes r'ing-biased orweighted in a manner well known in the art.

Beam 102 has a long arm 103 attached thereto by bolts welding, or the like. The other end of arm 10.3 is resiliently attached to tank housing 11 by a spring 104. The arm 103 is of sufiicient length that the relatively small elevation of beam 102 by piston 124 does not effect an undesirable tilting of beam 102 extreme elevation of beam 102. The angles involved are thus sufiiciently small to preclude instability of a drum being elevated and, at the time maximum elevation is achieved. further'drum stability is effected by the pressures of the brushes onthe drum surface. Spring 104 permits some rocking of beam 102 when a drum thereon is in engagement with the brushes whereby the drum itself provides for proper surface engagement withthe brushes. It is'this structure which enables the brushes to exert an even pressure'on' the drum being cleaned even when the drumis outof round. Fig. 9 shows one-formof interior arrangementof spray noZzleslll. fFigQS shows a'variant of Fig. l. Round head brushes 106. are mounted *OIJwSiHb shafts-107. and 'driveniby belts, one. from eachvmotor 34. -Beltsin "Fig. 8 are housed in guards=108. and the-belts to drive brushes 106 are housed in a 'guard 109 on-eachrsideof thetank 11.

-The operationof the. device is: as, follows. Drumsare supplied atfloor level to curved projection-54-of lift arm I52. Screen compartmentSG is filled with caustic solution such assodium hydroxide 'or...similar material which is heate d by. steam.-coils' 37. Motor= -operates pump '39 andpumps hot caustic solution through manifold-38, cross mains 110v and nozzles. 111 in' theifirst two-thirds 'of housing 11. In the. same manner rinsewaterfrom any water supply connection is. supplied .to--.the.nozzles 111 connectedto water rinse manifold 43.

Motor 57 causesreducer 58 --to.rotate shaft 68 'and -wheel. 56.v Link f61 rotates arm -52' about'pivot 53 causing curved projection .54 to-lift adrum nesting therein until the drum rolls downarm 52 and: rests; against gactua- .torwheel 56.- Tangential armi62: contactsthe drum as wheel 56 continues -to--rotatefand-deposits it Sonramp 65 Yon Whichlthe'drumrolls to. the' first ofzthesfe'edi rolls 15. No me'ans as-lsuchiarei absolutely required to move the drun'is along'through the-machine. It is enough-tomainii -continuous supplyof' drums "enteringthe machine h me-asset loading arm" 52. "Thedrum's thereafterbum'p even at the position of drums. Gaustic mechanism .of 'ducer 18 and .dru'miis'pressedagainst body brushes 30 by beam 102and "elevator cylinder'124, any unevenness is allowed for by "pivot"1'01i"in beam'102, balance being obtained by .the

" going scrubbing action and. pivot1'01.

. action of nozzles 111.

departing from housing, -housing, a plurality -of brushes, elevating -means constructed to press adrum being cleaned againstsaid brushes, said elevator means havinga pivoted' frame mounting lightly or. .nudgepreceding..onesalong.untilejector ..45-is reached. However, improved action is achieved when the rolls 15 are driven by chains 17 as described above. In a normal cleaning plant drums in the machine at the end of a days run are left there until the following day when the machine again begins continuous operation. If for any reason it is desire'd to'remove all the drums from themachin -thelast half dozen or so aresh'ovedalong by hand, using a'longpole or the like.

As a drum rolls along material drops into clean-out compartment'41 which also collects sludge from the stripping operation. The hot caustic spray from nozzles 111 softens and cuts through any residual paint on the drums. As the drums reach the center of housing 11, cams 73 and 74 open valves 76 and 77, admitting air to lines 79 and 80 and energizing head brush cylinder 87 and elevator cylinder 24, respectively. This action rotates the two levers 92 and their'shafts 90, applying the head brushes 22against the opposite heads of the drum simultaneously and cleaning them as the drum rotates. The actuation of elevator cylinder '24 rotates shaft 28 and the elevator roller: cradle.

In the preferred form shown in Fig. 10 cylinder 124 raisesbeam 1'02 and the centralthree-rolls 15. ""Where' slack is provided in chain 17 and a take-up known construction employed traction remotor 19 may remain on shelf 20. When a action of arm '103and spring'104.' The upward movement of.beam 102 need be only a few inches at most so that the. drum being pressed against brushes. 30 isheld-on the ba'm'102 by neighboring drums in the cleaning line. Once the elevated drum is forced against thefspaced 30 it will center itself between them while underthe equalizing effect of the brushes 'As stated the air supplied to cylinder 124 could be cyclically regulated-to even the pressure on rectangular containers. Cams 73 and 74 then close-valves76ancl 77 de-energizing cylinders 87 and 124and-allowing the drum to move progressively along on rollers 15 under the The last third of the linein tank The drum is advanced to pivoted 45. Cam 72 operates valve 75,

11 is a hot water rinse. cradle 48 of up-ender 1 admittingair to pipe :78 and operating the up-ender servo- 'cylinder. 'moved. I Caustic solution The. up-ended drum is drained and then:re is returned to compartment 36 by a suitable sump pump. Rinse waterxis caught in a tray in ,the' topspart of compartment 36 and runs out rinse drain '44.

The speed of. shaft .68 determines .the number of' drums handled in line production and can be readily adjusted to suit. requirements.

While there has been described whatis-at-present con sidered to be the preferred embodimentof this invention,

it will-be obvious .to thoseskilled in the: art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without the invention, and it is, -therefore, intended in the appended claims to cover in generic terrns all such changes and modificationsas fal-l Within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination in a-device for-cleaning drums, a conveyor rollers mounted in sequencein said certain of said rolls and resilient means tobias said frame F and equalize theforce exerted bysa'id brushes.

' 2. 'The conibination set forth in claim 1,"'timing"means feontrollii i'g'the operation 'of -said elevator-means and'the passage of alongi said'conveyor'rolls.

loading drums on said conveyor rollers, a mounting for said lift arm and a common drive for said timing means and said lift arm.

4. In combination in means to clean drums, a housing, conveyor rollers mounted in sequence within said housing, a plurality of body brushes mounted above said rollers, a plurality of head brushes, means to elevate drums against said body brushes, means to apply said head brushes, means to initiate delivery of drums to said conveyor rollers, timing means controlling said means to initiate the delivery of drums, said means to elevate a drum against said body brushes and apply said head brushes in a predetermined sequence, said means to elevate acting on automatic drum position adjusting means arranged to move a drum being cleaned into a force equalizing position.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, means having an elongate spring biased arm member automatically to adjust the force applied by said body brushes.

6. In combination in an outside stripper and buffer for reconditioning metal drums, a housing, a spray nozzle arrangement Within said housing, a supply of caustic solution, means to heat said solution, means to circulate said solution under pressure through said nozzle arrangement and spray drums being processed, a conveyor roller assembly extending through said housing to convey drums being processed therethrough, means to drive said roller assembly, a plurality of body brushes, means to drive said body brushes, a plurality of head brushes, actuating means for said head brushes, elevating means for at least two middle rolls of said roller assembly positioned beneath said body brushes and arranged to press a drum against said body brushes, equalizing means pivotally mounted on said elevating means and spring biased to adjust the pressure of the body brushes on a drum being processed, a loader for placing drums on said conveyor roller assembly, and timer means controlling the operation of said elevating means, said actuating means and said loader to determine the time cycle of treatment of drums being processed.

7. The combination set forth in claim 1, said brushes comprising body brushes bearing on the outer curved surface of a drum when in elevated position and pressed against said body brushes, head brushes mounted within said housing and positioned to act upon the heads of drums being cleaned.

8. The combination set forth in claim 1, drive means for said conveyor rollers which function in conjunction with the bumping of drums against each other to advance drums being cleaned through the device and means to supply drums continuously to said conveyor rollers.

9. The combination set forth in claim 1, and means to supply drums continuously to said conveyor rollerswhereby succeeding drums gently push preceding drums to be cleaned through the device and aid in maintaining the cleaning position of individual drums when elevated by said elevator means and pressed against said brushes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,212,587 Van Horn Jan. 16, 1917 1,231,092 Suhm June 26, 1917 1,244,391 Van Horn Oct. 23, 1917 1,244,392 Van Horn Oct. 23, 1917 2,454,924 Hurst Nov. 30, 1948