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US 4,382,858 AGranted
Pivoted and balanced gate for a material separator
AssigneeReclamet, Inc.
InventorRobert H. Dudley
Life of this patent
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AssigneeReclamet, Inc.
InventorRobert H. Dudley
Estimating the term…
In a device for separating a liquid, as a cutting oil, from a mixture of metal chips and larger pieces of metal, such as bar ends and scrap, there is provided structure for preliminarily separating larger pieces of metal from the entire mass prior to the separation of the oil from the chips by a centrifuge. The structure includes a chute for feeding the mixture to be separated into the centrifuge, and a strong stream of air is caused to flow through the chute into the centrifuge. An opening is provided in the bottom of the chute intermediate its ends such that bar ends and other large pieces of metal which may be included in said mixture will drop through the opening, while air being drawn by the centrifuge into the chute through the opening will entrain the metal chips to prevent their dropping out of the opening and carry them onward through the chute into the centrifuge. A movable gate responsive to the presence in the chute of pieces of metal too large to otherwise drop through the opening is provided for temporarily increasing the size of the opening sufficiently to permit such pieces to drop through the opening.
In a system for recovering the cutting tool liquid from a mixture of heavy, high mass density components, machine turnings, cutting chips and cutting tool liquids, said system including a negative air pressure generating centrifugal separator means for extracting liquids from the machine turnings and cutting chips, means for separating the heavy components prior to entry of the mixture into said centrifugal separator means, said means comprising:
The method of air classifying of heavy, high mass density components from a mixture of such components, machine turnings, cutting chips and cutting tool liquids, including the steps of moving said mixture along a path through an enclosed conduit having an opening in the bottom surface thereof intermediate its ends, withdrawing air at a discharge end of said conduit, substantially blocking the entrance of air into said conduit at an inlet end so that a major portion of inflowing air will occur through said opening to maintain a negative air pressure in said conduit, said major portion of air being drawn into said conduit through said opening at a velocity and volume sufficient to entrain said machine turnings, cutting chips and cutting tool liquids and carry said entrained components through said conduit to said discharge end thereof, but insufficient to prevent said heavy, high mass density components from dropping through said opening under the pull of gravity, and automatically, temporarily increasing the size of said opening in response to the presence in said conduit of a said heavy, high mass density component which is too large to negotiate the preset opening in order to permit said heavy, high mass density component to pass through said opening and a return of said opening to the initial size thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.