Uni-drum ram plate for high viscosity materials

Abstract

A ram plate which allows easy lifting and dropping of the plate even when a complete seal has been made with high-viscosity liquids inside a barrel. The system contains two alternative methods of depressurizing the internal liquids in order to more efficiently avoid vacuum and suction effect when the user attempts to raise the plate. The bleed stick components of the plate are completely independent of vent ports components. This allows the user to depressurize the internal air even if the high viscosity liquids fail to evacuate or drip from the vent ports, by way of opening a completely separate port that has not been filled with liquid. Such bleed stick components are levers which, when depressed, will move a cover and expose the internal liquids to outside air pressure via air vents. The vent port components operate through both gravity and potential energy of an internal spring, which place a given amount of downward pressure on a pneumatic cylinder which may or may not be enough pressure to move the cylinder and expose a vent to the outside atmosphere pressure. A pair of polyurethane cylinders running the circumference of the plate seals the ram plate, which allow for maintaining internal pressure. Such ram plate should be attached, by way of nodules on the plate face, to a ram, which raises and lowers the plate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.