US3840215A

US3840215A - Drier-mixing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3840215A
Application number: US00322919A
Authority: US
Inventors: Connaughay K Mc
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-01-12
Filing date: 1973-01-12
Publication date: 1974-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-08
Also published as: GB1416411A; AU5900373A; CA970767A; IE39009L; ZA731841B; AU469266B2; IE39009B1

Abstract

A drier-mixing apparatus in which a rotatably driven drum provided with opposed inlet and outlet ends has a plurality of vanes mounted therein. An inlet chute is mounted at the inlet end of the drum for introducing materials into said drum and the outlet end of the drum is provided with a discharge opening. Burners are mounted at the drum inlet and outlet ends to discharge flames into said drum. Air collecting ducts are also mounted at the drum inlet and outlet ends and are connected to dust collectors for removing the gases and the solid particles suspended therein from the drum.

Description

United States Patent 1191 McConnaughay I Oct. 8, 1974 1 DRIER-MIXING APPARATUS Prima Examiner-Robert W. Jenkins [76] Inventor: Kenneth E. McConnau ha R0. 1

I BOX 1457, Lafayette, i Attorney, Agent, or Fzrm-Trask, Jenkms & Hanley 22 Fl (1: .12 1973 21 A l N 91; [57] ABSTRACT 1 PP 2 A A drier-mixing apparatus in which a rotatably driven drum provided with opposed inlet and outlet ends has [52] US. Cl. 259/158, 34/108 a plurality of vanes mounted therein. An inlet Chute is [51] Int. Cl. 1328c 1/22 mou t d t the inlet end of the drum for introducing Fleld 0f Search 157, materials into said drum and the outlet end of the 1 R, 17 177 3, drum is provided with a discharge opening. Burners 34/108, 130, 135, 13 137 are mounted at the drum inlet and outlet ends to dis- 1 charge flames into said drum. Air collecting ducts are References Cited also mounted at the drum inlet and outlet ends and UNITED STATES PATENTS are connected to dust collectors for Iremoving the 1,240,481 9/1917 Popkess 259/158 gases and the SOIid'PaYtiCIeS Suspended therein from 2,188,798 1/1940 Smith 259/155 the drum- 1 2,305,938 12/1942 1 Turnbull 259/158 2,421,345 5/1947 McConnaughay 159/152 6 Clams 3 D'awmg Flgures 7o 5 59 59 1s 77 45 47 2 e m 5 45 4 2O 2 5e 1 i 24 i i. i Z 27 35 i 57 26 7 PATENIEDBET 81w 3,840,215 V SHEEI l 0? 4 m H. I Q

DRIER-MIXING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION one end of the drum, andhave employed an exhaust fan at the same or opposite end of the drum. In such driers, the burner cannot normally furnish heat for the entire length of the drier, which results in a nonuniform heating of the materials passing through the drum. In addition, the exhaust fan must produce an extherethrough, have a lower operating cost than conventional driers, and produce less pollution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one form of the invention, a drum is rotatably mounted on a supporting frame and connected to a driver unit. The ends of the drum are closed by apair of end plates. An inlet chute is mounted on one of said plates in open communication with an inlet opening in said plate for introducing the aggregate materials to'be processed into the drum. The other end plate is provided with-a discharge opening for removing the processed materials from the drum.

A pair of burners are mounted on the frame at the opposed ends of the drum. Each of the end plates has an opening formed therein in alignment with its adjacent burner whereby'said burners inject flames into the drum from both the inlet and outlet ends thereof.

A plurality of vanes are mounted in the drum for lifting and dropping the materials passing therethrough. The vanes are disposed in an overlapping relationship adjacentthe center of the drum to assure a dense curtain of said material dropping across the center of the drum. Desirably, a plurality of pusher blades disposed at an angle to the axis of the drum are mounted in the drum adjacent its inlet end for quickly advancing the material toward the center of the drum after it has entered through the inlet opening.

A pair of ducts are mounted on the end plates and are disposed in open communication with the interior of the drum by openings formed in said plates. The ducts are each connected to a knock-out box for collecting dust and other solid particles. Each of the knock-out boxes has an outlet conduit which is connected to an exhaust fan, which fan pulls the gaseous materials, and the solid particles suspended therein, out of the drum and through the ducts and into knock-out boxes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

FIG. 1; 7 FIG. 3 is an axial section taken on line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4'is an end elevation "of the outlet end of the drum shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of theinlet end of the drum shown in FIG. 1; I

FIG. 6-is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an axial section similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modified form of the invention, and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the drum disc shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED I EMBODIMENT The instant invention is particularly well adapted for use in the paving industry for drying aggregates and removing the dust particles and fines therefrom. In addition, it can be employed to mix such aggregates with various bituminous binders to produce pavingcompositions while maintaining the normally attendant atmospheric pollution to a minimum.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus comprises a drum 10 carried on a supporting frame 12 with its axisinclined to the horizontal. Conveniently, as is illustrated in FIG. 1, the frame 12 can be the bed of a truck trailer supported in a non-horizontal orientation by cribbing 13. The drum is rotatably supported on the frame by a plurality of rings 14 mounted on the outer face of the drum and carried in rollers 15 mounted on frame 12. The drum is rotatably driven by a motor 16 mounted on frame 12 and operatively connected to a chain 18 received on a sprocket 20 extending around the drum 10. I

The drum inlet end 22 is disposed at its upper end and its outlet end 24 is-disposed at its lower end. As best shown inFIG. 3, the inlet end 22 is closed by an end plate .25 mounted on frame 12. Plate 25 has an opening 26 through which aggregate is introduced into the drum through a chute 27 mounted on plate 25. Conveniently, the aggregate may be fed to chute 27 through a conventional belt conveyor- (not shown) leading from an aggregate stock pile. The outlet end 24. of the drum is enclosed by an end plate 30 fixedly mounted on frame 12. As shown in FIG. 4, a discharge opening 31 is provided in plate 30 through which the aggregate is discharged'from drum 10.

In order to permit the aggregate to be mixed with a binder and form a paving composition therewith, a pipe 35 connected to a source 36 of said binder projects into the drum through a sleeved opening 37 in plate 25. A nozzle 38 is mounted on the inner. end of the pipe to provide the desired spray pattern within the drum. It is frequently desirable to mix water or water solutions of adhesion or cohesion promoters with the binder. To

this end, a second pipe 39 connected to a source 40 of said water or water solutions is connected to the'pipe 35 upstream of the opening 37. The

pipes

35 and 39 are connected by flexible hoses 41 to conventional proportioners 42 connected to the

supply sources

36 and 40. The pipe 35 is slidably carried in the end plate 25 to thus permit the nozzle 38 to be moved into the desired longitudinal position of adjustment within the drum.

It is to be understood, of course, that if the apparatus is to be used only for drying the aggregate, the

pipes

35 and 39 can be completely withdrawn from the drum 10 Two sets of axially extending, circumferentially spaced, vanes 45 are mounted on the inner face of the drum and project inwardly therefrom for lifting and droppingthe aggregate within said drum as it is rotated.

posite sides of the center of the drum and a third set of axially extending, circumferentially spaced vanes 46 are mounted within the drum adjacent the center thereof. The vanes 46 are radially offset with respect to the vanes 45 and have their opposed ends interposed between adjacent pairs of the vanes 45 to thus dispose the

vanes

45 and 46 in an overlapping relationship. This orientation of the vanes 45-and 46 at the center of the drum creates a more dense curtain of aggregate lifting and falling within the drum adjacent the center thereof.

A set of pusher vanes 47 are mounted within the drum adjacent the inlet end 22. As shown, the vanes 47 are disposed at an angle to the drum axis for thus initiating the flow of the aggregate downwardly along the length of the drum after it has been introduced through the inlet opening 26 of plate 25.

A pair of

burners

48 and 49 are mounted on frame 12 adjacent the inlet and outlet ends of drum 10. The burners are identical in their construction, and each is provided with a nozzle 50 and a blower 51. The nozzle 50 on burner 48 is disposed in alignment with an opening 52 in plate 25, and in a like manner, nozzle 50 on burner 49 is disposed in alignment withan opening 53 in plate 30. The blowers 51 on

burners

48 and 49 furnish all of the necessary air of combustion. The pres sure'on the blowers and the noz'zlescan be adjusted so that the flame from each of the

burners

48 and 49 will be of the desired shape and will extend into the drum to the center thereof. This causes the flames from'the two burners to meet adjacent the center of the drum and to turn outwardly and backwardly toward each end of the drum. With the

vanes

45 and 46 increasing the density of the aggregate curtain dropping across the center of the drum, said flames will tend to further be turned back from the center of the drum toward their respective burners.

Air ducts

54 and 55 extend across the upper ends of, and are connected to, the

end plates

25 and 30, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, duct 54 is in open communication with the upper end of the drum through an opening 56 in plate 25.'In a like manner, duct 55 is in open communication with the upper end of the drum at its outlet end through an opening 57 formed in plate 30. Each of

ducts

54 and 55 is provided at one of its ends with a damper 58. The opposite end of each of said ducts is connected to a knock-out box 59 supported on a plurality of legs 61. v

The knock-out boxes 59 are identical in their construction. As shown in FIG. 6, each of the boxes 59 comprises a plurality of side walls 60 to one of which the

duct

54 or 55 is connected. The top of the box is closed by a top wall 62, and a pair of the side walls 60 slope inwardly adjacent their lower ends and are interconnected at their lower ends by a floor 64. A drawer 66 is slidably mounted in the lower end of the box 59 for removing any dust or solid particles collected therein. A baffle plate 68 extends across the box 59 to provide a circuitous gas flow therethrough. By interrupting the air flow through the boxes, the plates 68 cause the dust and solid particles to drop out of the gases into the drawers 66.

The gases are discharged from each of the boxes 59 through a discharge conduit 70 connected to the top As shown in FIG. 3, the two sets of vanes 45 are on opwall 62. The discharge conduits 70, at their ends re mote from boxes 59, are connected to the cross arm of a T-shaped conduit 73. The leg 74 of the conduit 73 is connected to an exhaust fan 76 provided with a discharge stack 77. The fan 76 is driven by any desired type of drive motor 78. Thus, the exhaust fan 76 pulls the gaseous materials and any solid or dust particles suspended therein from the drum 10 through

ducts

54 and 55 into the knock-out boxes 59 where the dust or solid particles are removed from said gaseous materials. The gaseous materials, free from the dust and solid particles, are pulled from the boxes 59 through the conduits and 73 for discharge through the exhaust stack 77.

7 As will be apparent, the aggregate'to be dried or coated with a binder will enter the drum through the chute 27 and will be constantly lifted and dropped as it moves through said drum through the action of the vanes 45-47. During its movement through the drum, said aggregate or the aggregate binder mixture will be subjected to the heating action of the flames discharged from the

burners

48 and 49, which flames extend for substantially the entire length of the drum. The dust and other light weight particulate matter in the aggregate is removed therefrom through the

ducts

54 and 55 and is deposited in the knock-out boxes 59 so that the gaseous discharge from the stack 77 will be substantially pollution free.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 7 differs from embodiment in FIGS. 1 -6 solely in the means for creating a more dense curtain of the aggregate falling across the center of the drum. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the vanes 46 are eliminated from the drum 10'. As shown in FIG. 7, interposed between the adjacent ends of sets of vanes 45' is a disk 80 extending across the drum. As shown, said disk has a plurality of large openings 82 extending therethrough adjacent its circumference. Thus, theaggregate moving along drum 10 will strike disk 80 and will have its movement impeded thereby to create a dense curtain of aggregate adjacent the center of the drum. The openings 82, however, permit said aggregate to pass through the disk to the discharge end of the drum. F urther, said disk tends to reverse the flow of the flames from burners 49' and the burner at the opposite drum end (not shown) to cause said flames to be directed backwardly toward the drum end plates 25 and 30'.

As will be appreciated, except for the disk 80, the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 7 is in all respects the same as the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1-6.

I claim:

1. A drier-mixing apparatus, comprising a drum rotatably mountedon a frame having an inlet at one of its ends and an outlet at its opposite end, means for rotating said drum, a plurality of vanes mounted in said drum for mixing the materials passing through said drum, air collecting means at the top of the drum at the inlet and outlet ends thereof, a burner at each of said inlet and outlet ends for blowing flames into said drum from the opposite ends thereof, and exhaust means connected to said air collecting means for pulling air and dust particles through said air collecting means from said drum.

2. A drier-mixing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said vanes comprise first and second sets of circumferentially spaced axially extending vanes disposed on opposite sides of the center of the drum, and a third set of circumferentially spaced axially extending vanes at the center of said drum, said third set of vanes being circumferentially offset with respect to said first and second sets of vanes with the ends of the vanes in said third set extending between the ends of adjacent pairs of vanes in said first and second sets.

3. A drier-mixing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 with the addition that a plurality of pusher vanes are mounted in said drum between said first set of vanes and the drum inlet end, said pusher blades being angularly offset with respect to the axis of said drum.

4. A drier-mixing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 with the addition that an apertured disk is mounted in said drum and extends thereacross adjacent the center of said drum.

5. A drier-mixing apparatus, comprising a drum rotatably mounted on a frame, a pair of end plates mounted on said frame at the opposed ends of said for mixing the materials passing therethrough, an inlet chute mounted on one of said end plates, a discharge opening formed in the other of said end plates, a pair of air ducts mounted on said end plates in open communication with said drum, an exhaust fan interconnected to said air ducts for evacuating gaseous materials from said drum, means interconnected to said ducts and exhaust fan for collecting solid particles suspended in said gaseous materials, a pair of burners mounted on said frame at the opposed ends of said drum, each of said burners being provided with a nozzle disposed in alignment with an opening in one of the end plates for blowing the flame from the burners into the drum, and a pipe carried in one of said end plates and connected to a source of binder material for injecting a binder into said drum.

6. A drier-mixing apparatus as set forth in claim 5 with the addition that each of said air ducts has a damper mounted thereon.

Claims

1. A drier-mixing apparatus, comprising a drum rotatably mounted on a frame having an inlet at one of its ends and an outlet at its opposite end, means for rotating said drum, a plurality of vanes mounted in said drum for mixing the materials passing through said drum, air collecting means at the top of the drum at the inlet and outlet ends thereof, a burner at each of said inlet and outlet ends for blowing flames into said drum from the opposite ends thereof, and exhaust means connected to said air collecting means for pulling air and dust particles through said air collecting means from said drum.

5. A drier-mixing apparatus, comprising a drum rotatably mounted on a frame, a pair of end plates mounted on said frame at the opposed ends of said drum for closing said drum ends, means for rotating said drum, a plurality of vanes mounted in said drum for mixing the materials passing therethrough, an inlet chute mounted on one of said end plates, a discharge opening formed in the other of said end plates, a pair of air ducts mounted on said end plates in open communication with said drum, an exhaust fan interconnected to said air ducts for evacuating gaseous materials from said drum, means interconnected to said ducts and exhaust fan for collecting solid particles suspended in said gaseous materials, a pair of burners mounted on said frame at the opposed ends of said drum, each of said burners being provided with a nozzle disposed in alignment with an opening in one of the end plates for blowing the flame from the burners into the drum, and a pipe carried in one of said end plates and connected to a source of binder material for injecting a binder into said drum.