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US 4,045,334 AGranted
Method and apparatus for separating lighter and heavier portions of threshed tobacco
AssigneeAMF Incorporated
InventorsFerdinand F. Ferrary, Herman T. Johnson, John H. Hudson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The method and apparatus for separating lighter and heavier portions of threshed tobacco by creating two adjacent vortices circulating in opposite directions the turbulence of which separates the threshed tobacco; the vortices coacting to form rising column of high velocity air for carrying off lighter portions of tobacco while heavier portions of tobacco drop to a pneumatic take-off.
Claims20
A method of separating lighter and heavier portions of threshed tobacco comprising the steps of:
- providing a separator chamber having a discharge at its top for such lighter portions and a take-off at its bottom for such heavier portions;
- providing air inlets in opposite sides of the separator chamber and providing flows of inlet air therethrough;
- controlling the quantity and vertical deflection of each of the inlet air flows thereby creating two vortices adjacent to one another in the separator chamber each in a circulatory path in a direction opposite to the direction of the other of the vortices with the adjacent portions of said vortices coacting to provide a high velocity rising air column to the discharge of the separator chamber;
- providing a flow of threshed tobacco into the lower portions of both vortices in the separator chamber;
- separating the threshed tobacco by the turbulence of said vortices;
- and
- carrying the lighter portions of threshed tobacco to the discharge of the separator chamber by said high velocity rising air column while permitting the heavier portions to drop to the take-off.
4 more elements
Apparatus for separating lighter and heavier portions of threshed tobacco, comprising:
- a separator defining a separator chamber having a dishcharge at the top thereof for lighter portions of threshed tobacco, and a pair of air inlets each at one side of the chamber opposite from the other;
- each of said inlets having means for controlling the amount and vertical deflection of the air flow therethrough creating two oppositely circulating vortices adjacent to one another in said chamber providing turbulence for separating portions of threshed tobacco and coacting to form a high velocity rising column of air carrying lighter portions of threshed tobacco to said discharge while heavier portions of threshed tobacco are permitted to drop to the bottom of said chamber;
- means for propelling a flow of threshed tobacco into the lower portions of the two vortices;
- and
- a venturi communicating with the bottom of said chamber and removing the heavier portions of tobacco therefrom.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.