Magnetic drum materials separator
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorErnst F. R. A. Schloemann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Materials separating apparatus comprising an inclined drum rotatable about its longitudinal axis and having an inner surface comprised of an array of permanent magnets arranged in parallel strips extending circumferentially at an angle to the drum axis, and means for depositing commingled materials within the drum upon the magnet array whereby as the drum and magnet array rotate the magnetic field of the magnets will induce eddy currents in conductive items causing them to move progressively upward and out the upper end of the drum, while nonconductive items will slide downwardly out the lower end of the drum. In another embodiment of the invention a liner is provided over the magnet array to carry magnetic items upwardly to be deposited separately in a chute or the like.
Claims18
A magnetic rotary drum materials separating system for separating electrically conductive items from a supply of commingled materials comprising a drum disposed at a selected angle to the horizontal, said drum having on its inner surface means for separating electrically conductive items from nonconductive items in said supply, said means comprising steady-state magnetic means for establishing an alternating series of oppositely directed magnetic fields throughout a major portion of the interior of the drum at an angle to the axis thereof, said steady-state magnetic means including an array of alternating north and south magnetic pole pieces lining the inner side of the drum, said array comprising a plurality of magnets arranged in strips disposed in substantially parallel relation with each other in spirals arranged around the interior of the drum at a selected angle to said axis and in a predetermined direction;
- means for depositing a supply of commingled materials to be separated on said steady-state magnetic means within the drum at an axial midpoint thereof, and means for rotating the drum and said magnetic means about the longitudinal axis of the drum in a direction opposite to the direction of said spirals for causing the alternating oppositely directed magnetic fields to pass sequentially through said commingled materials and causing eddy currents to be induced in electrically conductive items in the comingled materials to produce force components which move said conductive items progressively axially upwardly toward the upper end of the drum.
A rotary drum classifier system for separating electrically conductive materials from nonconductive materials in a supply of commingled materials, comprising a drum disposed with its longitudinal axis at a selected angle of inclination to the horizontal, said drum having disposed on its inner side an array of permanent magnets arranged in contiguous parallel alternatingly polarized rows extending in spirals around the interior of the drum at a selected angle to said axis and in a predetermined direction and producing an alternating series of oppositely directed magnetic fields extending into the interior of the drum, at an axial midpoint thereof means for depositing commingled materials within the drum and in the magnetic fields, and means for rotating the drum and magnet array about said axis to cause the alternating magnetic fields and in a direction opposite to that of said spirals to pass sequentially through said commingled materials whereby eddy currents induced in electrically conductive items in the commingled materials will produce force components which move said items progressively axially upwardly toward the upper end of the drum.
A rotary drum classifier system for simultaneously separating magnetic items, electrically conductive items and nonconductive items in a supply of commingled materials, comprising a drum disposed with its longitudinal axis at a selected angle of inclination to the horizontal, said drum having on its inner side an array of permanent magnets arranged in continuous parallel alternatingly polarized rows extending in spirals around the interior of the drum at a selected angle to said axis in a predetermined direction and producing an alternating series of oppositely directed magnetic fields extending into the interior of the drum, a flexible liner of nonmagnetic material disposed over the surface of said magnet array and supported for movement with the drum, the liner being sufficiently thin to permit said magnetic fields to extend therethrough, means for depositing a supply of commingled materials in said drum on said liner at an axial midpoint thereof and within the magnetic fields, and means for rotating the drum and consequently the magnet array and liner about said axis of the drum in a direction opposite to that of said spirals to cause magnetic items on the commingled materials in the drum which have been magnetically attracted to the liner to be moved with the liner circumferentially upwardly out of the supply of commingled materials, and to simultaneously cause the alternating magnetic fields to pass sequentially through said supply of commingled materials whereby eddy currents induced in electrically conductive items therein will produce force components which move said conductive items progressively axially upwardly toward the upper end of the drum, and further to simultaneously cause the remaining nonmagnetic nonconductive items to proceed axially downwardly in the drum.
A rotary drum materials separating system for separating magnetic materials from commingled magnetic and nonmagnetic non-conductive materials, comprising a drum disposed at an angle to the horizontal, said drum having on its inner surface an array of permanent magnets arranged in continuous parallel alternatingly polarized rows extending in spirals in a predetermined direction around the interior of the drum at a selected angle to said axis for establishing magnetic fields extending into the interior of the drum, a flexible liner of nonmagnetic material disposed over the surface of said magnet array and supported for movement with the drum, the liner being sufficiently thin enough to permit said magnetic fields to extend therethrough, means for depositing a supply of commingled magnetic and nonmagnetic materials in said drum on said liner and within the magnetic fields, means for rotating the drum and consequently the magnet array and liner about the longitudinal axis of the drum to cause magnetic items in the commingled materials in the drum which have been magnetically attracted to the liner to be moved with the liner circumferentially upwardly away from the nonmagnetic items, and means for removing the separated magnetic items from the drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.