US3106524A

US3106524A - Parallel wire separator

Info

Publication number: US3106524A
Application number: US60927A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gene R Wolfe; Norman G Robisch
Original assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Current assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Priority date: 1960-10-06
Filing date: 1960-10-06
Publication date: 1963-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 1980-10-08
Also published as: GB1000834A

Description

Oct. 8, 1963 a. R. WOLFE ETAL 3,106,524

PARALLEL. WIRE SEPARATOR Filed Oct. 6, 1960 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. Gems E WOLFE, BY A aeMA/v 6. lees/sch,

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ATTORN EYS.

Oct. 8, 1963 G. R. WOLFE ETAL PARALLEL WIRE SEPARATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 6, 1960 FIG. Z

JNVENTORS. Gene 2 Wou-z; BY Aaznmu G. Poe/sol,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,106,524 Patented Oct. 8, 1963 3,106,524 PARALLEL WEE SEPARATOR Gene R. Wot-Lie, Hamiiton County, and Norman G. Rohisch, Wyoming, (Phio, assignors to The Procter dz Gamble Company, Qincinnati, ()hio, a corporation of Gino Filed Get. 6, 196% Ser. No. 60,927

3 Claims. (Cl. 209-379) This invention relates to an improved wire separating device especially for use on particulate materials which tend to agglomerate when agitated.

The use of parallel wire separators is old, especially when mounted on an inclined plane, to remove particles of an undesirably large size from a mass ofsmaller particles of a particulate solid material. In such devices, the smaller particles fall between the wires and thus are separated from the large particles retained thereon. However, prior devices when in use, especially with materials which are tacky and tend to adhere to each other and thus agglornerate into large lumps, are subject to rapid blinding of the space between the wires due to the material packing the space between two wires or bridging over such spaces. To reduce this loss of separation effectiveness, it is common to induce vibration in the wires to free the wires of the blinding material by devices which pick or strum the wires as by moving transversely across them, or strike all of the wires simultaneously or shake the separator as a unit, or produce an equivalent action.

When parallel wire separators are loaded heavily, however, the weight of the load of material on the wires damps out almost instantaneously any vibration induced in the wires by the methods previously known and the separators rapidly lose efficiency from blinding.

It has now been found that the separating efiiciency of such a device can be increased several-fold if the parallel wires are mounted under tension and are divided into at least two groups, as for instance alternate wires in one group and the intervening wires in the other group, and one group is lifted as a unit by suitable means while the other group is being permitted to return to its rest position, and while the former group is being returned to its rest position, the latter is being raised. Alternately one group may be returned to its rest position before the other group is raised. The positive displacement of the groups of wires is obtained by lifting them in a perpendicular plane by means of lifters which raise the wires simultaneously at points close to each end thereof, and thus raise the wires over essentially the 'full length of the separating 'device. Because the positive motion of the groups ofwires relative to each other is imparted over essentially the full length of the separating surface, the motion of the .wires is resistant to any possible damping effect of the load thereon and is unaffected thereby in contrast to the important damping effect of the load on the separators previously known. By thus positively displacing alternate wires in groups relative to each other in turn at a rate of about 200 to about 2500 times per minute, the effectiveness of a parallel wire separator equipped with the aforesaid high speed lifters is much greater on a given material and under a given set of operating conditions than that of a similar parallel wire separator having wires of equal gauge and spacing but not equipped with wire lifters.

It is an object of the present invention to provide positive displacement means for adjacent wires of a parallel wire separator to move them at a high enough rate that the adjacent wires are in relative motion substantially at all times and thereby any tendency to blind the spaces between the wires of such a separator is greatly reduced and the separating capacity of the device is increased several times.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device of this character is which enough movement is imparted to the wires so that when the separator is mounted in an inclined position, the separated oversize particles are moved positively to the lower edge of the device, and the angle of incline at which the separator device is mounted can be minimized permitting its installation in areas with low head room.

It is another object of the invention to provide sufiicient motion to the bed of material fed to the upper end of the separator that soft agglomerates of a tacky material which are too large to pass between the wires and would thus slide down the wires and be rejected as oversize are instead broken up by the motion of the wires and the resultant particles pass between the wires and the recycling o-f oversize product is minimized thereby.

It is an additional object of the invention to alternately lift the adjacent wires of the separator at each end by positive means so that there is no need to consider the efiects of dampening caused by a load thereon.

These and other objects of the invention which is described in more detail hereinafter, or which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, are accomplished by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which we describe below an exemplary'ernbodiment. 7 According to the present invention there is provided a frame to which parallel lengthwise tension members and two cross members at either end of the frame are secured, the cross members being mounted below the tension members and transversely thereto, and connected to move in pairs, one cross member of each pair being at either end of the frame. The cross members are caused to lift the tension members in contact therewith, and as a result the adjacent tension members are caused to be constantly in relative motion to each other, so that the parallel tension member separator does not become subject to blinding when it is used to separate oversize particles from a tacky powder.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

FGURE 1 is a plan viewof a separator embodying I this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation, partially in cross section, taken alongthe line 3--3- of FIG. 1 showing the rocker plate at the middle of its arc of travel; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, partially in cross section, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1 showing the rocker plate at one end of its arc of travel; and FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of part of one of the pairs of wire lifter cross' rods; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of part of the separator taken along the line 6--6' of FIG. 1 showing the displacement of the tension members when the rocker plate is at one end of its arc of travel.

Referring to the drawings; it) designates the supporting structure of the separator which is constructed of conventional structural metal shapes attached to legs 11 and a base 12. The frame 13 of the separator, constructed at the sides of conventional structural metal shapes i4, and at the ends of wooden anchor blocks 15, is attached to the supporting structure 10 by bolts 16. A motive power source 17 such as a conventional electric motor is secured to the base 12 of the support 10 of the separator. Attached to the shaft 1% of the motor is a pulley 19 which drives a pulley 20 by means of V-belts 21. The pulley 20 is keyed to a drive shaft 22 mounted transverselyot the separator. The drive shaft 22 journaled in bearings 23 in eaoh'side of the supporting structure 10, is provided with eccentric portions at the locations where the collars 24 are mounted thereon outwardly of each side of the supporting structure 10. The shaft is not provided with eccentric portions at the locations where it is journalcd in the bearings 23, and as a result it imparts in turning an eccentric motion to the two collars 24. By means of followers riding on each of the collars 24, and connecting rods 26 attached to the followers 25 by means of threaded pins 27, the eccentric motion of the drive shaft collar is converted to a reciprocating motion which is transmitted in turn through loop fasteners 28 and pins 29 to rocker arms 30. The rocker arms 30 are mounted outwardly of the frame on stub shafts 31 journaled in bearings 32 in the sides of the frame. Inwardly of the frame are mounted on each of the four stub shafts 31 a rocker plate 33, at the two upper corners of which are bearing

mounts

34 and 35 holding bearings 36 and 37. Journaled in the four bearings 36 at opposite sides of the frame and extending inwardly therefrom are four stub shafts 38 on each opposing pair of which are rotatively mounted a Wire lifter cross member 39 by means of roller bearings one of which is shown in FIG. 3 at 49A. Similarly two other wire lifter cross members 40 are rotatively mounted on opposing pairs of the four stub shafts 41 journaled in the four bearings 37. Thus there is at each end of the separator a pair of wire

lifter cross members

39 and 40 with the member 39 being the one of the pair closer to the end of the separator. The rocker arms 30 at either end of the separator are mounted on the shafts 31 in an opposed manner as will be seen in FIG. 2 so that the reciprocating motion imparted to the shafts 31 by the rocker arms 30, as they move from the mid-point of their are of travel results in the simultaneous raising of the two cross members 39 and the lowering of the two cross members 40, followed as the shaft31 is reversed in its direction of travel by the simultaneous raising of the two cross members 40 as the two cross members 39 are lowered.

By mounting the wire

lifter cross members

39 and 40 rotatively by means of the rocker bearings 40A or the shafts 38 and 41, the wire lifter cross members are free to revolve in operation, and in so doing reduce the wear on the wire lifter cross members and provide a self cleaning mechanism to remove any material that may have fallen through the tension members onto the wire lifter cross members.

The wire lifter cross members as is shown on an enlarged scale in FIGS. 4 and 5 consist of alternating Wire lifters 42 in the form of a grooved annular ridge and recessed grooves 43 of the proper width to receive one of the tension members 44 of the separator. The total number of wire lifters and of recessed grooves in a single wire lifter cross member is equal to the total number of tension members. The material of construction of the wire lifter cross members may be of any conventional material compatible with the tension members but nonmetallic hard plastics are the materials of choice. The wire lifter cross members are so designed (as shown in FIG. 5) that alternate tension members are in contact with the wire lifters of cross member 39 and the intervening tension members are in contact with the wire lifters of cross member 40 when the rocker plates 33 are stationary at mid-point of their are of travel. The two wire lifter cross members 39 at either end of the separator have their wire lifters 42 positioned to be in contact with the same group of tension members, and the intervening group of tension members is in contact with the wire lifters of the two wire lifter cross members 40.

It is of course within the field of this invention if desired to cause less than all of the tension members to be lifted at any time, thus for instance, it may be desired to provide only one wire lifter cross member at each end of the separator, or to omit the corresponding wire lifters on each of the two wire lifter cross members which normally would lift certain of the tension members during operation;

As the tension members 44 strung the length of the separator, while under tension, still are capable of being stretched further, the simultaneous lifting of the two corresponding Wire lifter cfoss members at either end of the separator imparts a lifting motion in an upward direction perpendicular to the plane of the separator to the group of tension members in contact with the two wire lifter cross members especially for the portion of the tension members therebetween. The wire lifter cross members preferably are positioned relative to the tension members engaged thereby by shims placed beneath the frame 13 so that the rest position of the tension members is essentially at the point of maximum depression from the plane of the separator of the top of the wire lifters 42 of a wire lifter cross member. In this arrangement as shown in FIG. 6, the tension members are in contact with the wire lifters throughout essentially the entire lifting and lowering cycle, and the groups of tension members are in motion relative to each other essentially at all times. However the wire lifter cross members may be positioned relative to the tension members engaged thereby so that the rest position of the tension members is essentially at the plane of the top of the wire lifters 42 when the rocker plates 33 are at their mid-point of travel. In this case as the one group of alternate tension members is lifted the group of intervening tension members remains level as its members pass through the recessed grooves 43 of the pair of raised wire lifter cross members. When the rocker plates 33 reach the end of their arc of travel, the one group of tension members is displaced perpendicularly upward to the full extent provided by the device, and as the rocker plates return to the mid-point of their are of travel the tension in the tension members returns the group of displaced alternate tension members to their rest position in the plane of the separator. In continuing their travel to the other end of their are of travel the rocker plates now cause the previously lowered wire lifter cross member in each group of wire lifter cross members to be raised, thereby lifting perpendicularly the formerly horizontal group of intervening tension members. In this case one of the groups of tension members is in motion relative to the other substantially at all times but each group is at rest half of the time. Adjustment of the Wire lifter cross members relative to the tension members at points between the two extreme conditions described above is included among the exemplifications of the invention.

Approximately half of the tension members comprising the separator have one end attached to piano type tuning pins 45 arranged in a plurality of transverse rows and anchored in the bottom of the anchor block 15 at one end of the separator and are strung the length of the separator, passing under a cross rod 46, under a semicircular cross rod 47, over a support plate 48, and a threaded cross rod 49 which aligns the tension members properly, and at the opposite end of the separator pass over the second threaded cross rod 49, over the second support plate 43, under the second cross rod 47 and around the second cross rod 46, and are returned to the first end of the separator passing again under the cross rod 47 and over the plate 48 and the threaded cross rods 49 lying thereon in a thread recess one removed from the thread recess occupied by the first half of the tension member, then over the support plate 48 and under the

cross rods

46 and 47 and having the second end of the tension member secured to the pin 45 in the bottom of the anchor block which is offset the least amount from the pin to which the first end of the tension member is attached. The remaining tension members of the separator are strung in the same manner in reverse with their ends being attached to the pins in the bottom of the anchor block opposite to the block to which the first group of the tension members are attached through their tuning pins. If desired tension members can be used of a length equal to about one-half that disclosed above, in which case the ends thereof are fastened at opposite ends of the separator and double the number of anchor pins of the embodiment described must be provided. All tension members are kept under tension by adjustment of the tuning pins as necessary. The forward edge of the wooden anchor blocks is protected by a metal facing 50 attached in place by pins 51.

In the manner described the continued driving of shaft 22 causes one group of alternate tension members to be lifted perpendicularly from the plane of the separator and then to be returned to a point at or above the rest position of the tension members, while the other group of intervening tension members is caused to travel the same cycle but 180 out of phase from the first group. With proper choice of the speed of the motor 17 each rocker plate is caused to oscillate and each group of alternate tension members can be lifted to the full amount and returned to its point of lowest travel at the speed of 200 to 2500 times per minute. The contiguous tension members of the separator are substantially in constant motion relative to each other. With especially tacky particulate materials as prepared cake mixes the preferred speed of lifting each group of tension members ranges between about 1000 and about 1400 times per minute.

It is this substantially continuous motion relative to each other of each pair of contiguous tension members across the separator that reduces to a great degree the blinding to which previous separators were subject when in use with a tacky powder. The powder or granulated material from which oversized particles are to be removed is fed onto the tension members (which may be wires, rods, cords or of other desired forms and materials) at the upper end of the separator which is mounted in an inclined plane through a feed chute 52. The particles of the feed small enough to pass through the open space between contiguous tension members pass through a discharge hopper 53 to any desired further processing or packaging step. A sheet metal protective casing 54 surrounds the revolving shaft 22 to prevent the particles contacting it. The particles of the feed which are too large to pass through the separator are forced by the motion of the tension members and gravity to pass down the slope of the separator and after passing over the top of the lower anchor block fall into a discharge hopper 55, provided with an access door 56, from which the oversized material can be sent to discard, to separate packaging, or to reprocessing as desired. If desired a cover plate may be provided at the lower end of the separator between the plate 48 and the anchor block 15, so that the rejected particles will all be discharged over the bottom end of the anchor block and will not tend to choke the openings between the various cross members there situated. Any particles of small enough size to pass between the wires which adhered to the oversized particles and were rejected therewith in former separators are shaken loose and fall through the tension members of the separator as a result of the buifeting each oversized particle receives in its passage down the face of the separator. In a similar manner loose aggregates of individual particles in the desired size range are separated by the bufieting action into their constituent particles which pass between the wires and thus do not have to be recycled. 7

Most important, however, in increasing the separating capacity of the device of this invention is the great reduction in tendency of tacky materials to pack into the space between the tension members and thus to blind that area of the separator. The substantially continuous motion relative to each other of contiguous tension members reduces greatly the opportunity for such a packing action to occur as an aggregate of particles is buffeted apart as soon as it is formed. The vertical motion of the tension members produces a maximum of bulfeting with a minimum of a squeezing action between contiguous tension members, so that the forces acting to break apart an aggregation of tacky particles are maximized while at the sametirne the forces acting to squeeze other particles together into a large aggregate are minimized. Finally, the positive displacement imparted to the tension members at both ends thereof does not permit their motion relative to each other to be damped out regardless of the load placed on the separator, a defect that is common to other parallel wire separators wherein the tension members are not positively displaced. For greatest separating efficiency the amplitude of the vertical motion of the tension members when lifted should exceed the horizontal distance between adjacent tension members at rest and preferably be not substantially in excess of about three times the horizontal separation between adjacent tension members at rest.

It will of course, be understood that various details of the construction described may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An inclined screening device comprising in combination a frame, :a plurality of parallel wire-like tension members strung the length of said frame in a generally longitudinal plane, the ends of said tension members being fastened to said frame at the opposite ends thereof, a pair of rocker plate members mounted for oscillating motion at each side of said frame close to one end of said frame, a second pair of rocker plate members mounted at about the same distance from the other end of said frame, two pairs of cross members in parallel relationshipextending across and beneath said tension members, said cross members being configured to provide grooved ridges spaced throughout the length of said cross members, said grooved ridges being so positioned that the grooved ridges of one of each pair of said cross members will contact certain of said tension members while the grooved ridges of the other of each pair of said cross members will contact certain other of said tension members, means for imparting a simultaneous rapid oscillating motion to said rocker plate members whereby to move the cross members in each pair of said cross members oppositely in a general direction transverse to said tension members, said cross members being pivoted to said rocker plate members, whereby during the oscillating motion of said rocker plate members various ones of said tension members are raised and lowered with respect to the general plane of said tension members without the application thereto of forces tending to move said tension members longitudinally.

2. An inclined screening device comprising in combination a frame, a plurality of parallel wire-like tension members strung the length of said frame in a generally longitudinal plane, the ends of said tension members being fastened to said frame at the opposite ends thereof, a pair of rocker plate members mounted for oscillating motion at each side of said frame close to one end of said frame,

a second pair of rocker plate members mounted at about the same distance from the other end of said frame, two pairs of cross members in parallel relationship extending across and beneath said tension members, said cross members being configured to provide grooved ridges spaced throughout the length of said cross members, said grooved ridges being so positioned that the grooved rid es of one of each par of said cross members will contact certain of said tension members while the grooved ridges of the other of each pair of said cross members will contact certain other of said tension members, means for imparting a simultaneous rapid oscillating motion to said rocker plate members whereby to move the cross members in each pair of said cross members oppositely in a general direction transverse to said tension members, said cross 7 times a minute with respect to the general plane of said tension members without the application thereto of forces tending to move said tension members longitudinally.

3. The screening device of claim 2 in which alternate tension members are in contact with the grooved ridges a References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Edstrom Feb. 13, 1906 Cunningham July 2, 1907 Converse July 28, 1908 Fourment July 23, 1935 Wehmiller Nov. 10, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 10, 1894 Great Britain 1930 Great Britain Dec. 27, 1933

Claims

1. AN INCLINED SCREENING DEVICE COMPRISING IN CONBINATION A FRAME, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL WIRE-LIKE TENSION MEMBERS STRUNG THE LENGTH OF SAID FRANE IN A GENERALLY LONGITUDINAL PLANE, THE ENDS OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS BEING FASTENED TO SAID FRAME AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, A PAIR OF ROCKER PLATE MEMBERS MOUNTED FOR OSCILLATING MOTION AT EACH SIDE OF SAID FRAME CLOSE TO ONE END OF SAID FRAME, A SECOND PAIR OF ROCKER PLATE MEMBERS MOUNTED AT ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID FRAME, TWO PAIRS OF CROSS MEMBERS IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP EXTENDING ACROSS AND BENEATH SAID TENSION MEMBERS, SAID CROSS MEMBERS BEING CONFIGURED TO PROVIDE GROOVED RIDGES SPACED THROUGHOUT THE LENGHT OF SAID CROSS MEMBERS, SAID GROOVED RIDGES BEING SO POSITIONED THAT THE GROOVED RIDGES OF ONE OF EACH PAIR OF SAID CROSS MEMBERS WILL CONTACT CERTAIN OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS WHILE THE GROOVED RIDGES OF THE OTHER OF EACH PAIR OF SAID CROSS MEMBERS WILL CONTACT CERTAIN OTHER OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS, MEANS FOR IMPARTING A SIMULTANEOUS RAPID OSCILLATING MOTION TO SAID ROCKER PLATE MEMBERS WHEREBY TO MOVE THE CROSS MEMBERS IN EACH PAIR OF SAID CROSS MEMBERS OPPOSITELY IN A GENERAL DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID TENSION MEMBERS, SAID CROSS MEMBERS BEING PIVOTED TO SAID ROCKER PLATE MEMBERS, WHEREBY DURING THE OSCILLATING MOTION OF SAID ROCKER PLATE MEMBERS VARIOUS ONES OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS ARE RAISED AND LOWERED WITH RESPECT TO THE GENERAL PLANE OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS WITHOUT THE APPLICATION THERETO OF FORCES TENDING TO MOVE SAID TENSION MEMBERS LONGITUDINALLY.