US 4,793,742 AGranted

Truck mounted fertilizer applicator using fluid conveying

AssigneeTci Co., Ltd.

InventorGlen L. Strand

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Abstract

A truck mounted particulate material applicator which entrains metered amounts of the particles in a fluid for conveying the material outwardly along tubes forming boom assemblies. The metering assembly and the booms are mounted in the mid portion of the truck wheel base for minimizing bouncing, and excess shock loads on the booms during travel, and also for providing a centrally located distribution point for the metering assembly. The present device includes a unique manifold for entraining particulate materials such as inorganic fertilizer or grains in fluid flow streams within tubes in which they form the boom assemblies. Each tube carries the metered air entrained material a different distance from the center to cover a wide path. Separate tubes are directed toward the rear of the truck to spread the material in the path of the truck.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An air distribution apparatus for particulate materials discharged from a mobile boom assembly comprising a plurality of boom tubes vertically spaced apart and having axes defining a substantially common vertical plane and the boom tubes receiving particulate material from an air distribution apparatus adapted to minimize space occupied in horizontal direction, comprising:

a frame for supporting the boom assembly and the air distribution apparatus;
metering means for separating the particulate material into individual metered portions;
a plenum chamber mounted on said frame and having a longitudinal axis elongated in substantially vertical direction and being below the metering means;
a source of fluid under pressure to supply fluid to the plenum chamber;
a plurality of outlet openings from said plenum chamber, the outlet openings being spaced in vertical direction along the longitudinal axis to form vertically spaced outlet openings, and the outlet openings being of a first diameter;
a separate mixing chamber tube connected to each outlet opening, the mixing chamber tubes each having a transition section open to the respective outlet opening and tapering to a small diameter in direction away from the outlet opening;
a separate nozzle positioned to open to each mixing chamber tube and adapted to carry particulate material under gravity into the mixing chamber tube, the nozzle being substantially at right angles to the respective mixing chamber tube and having a wall portion, positioned in the mixing chamber tube to form a reduced pressure at an outlet of the nozzle as fluid flows through the mixing chamber tube;
means to mount the metering means vertically above the plenum chamber and the mixing chamber tubes;
separate conduit means for receiving each of the metered portions connected to each of the nozzles respectively, the conduit means carrying the metered portions under gravity to the respective nozzle;
and
means to couple the mixing chamber tubes to corresponding ones of the vertically spaced tubes of the boom assembly.

8 more elements

An air distribution apparatus for particulate materials comprising:

a frame;
metering means for separating the particulate materials into individual metered portions, said metering means comprising conveyor belt means for receiving unmetered material and having discharge ends in alignment with each other but on opposite sides of the frame, said metering means dividing the material coming off each of the ends of the conveyor belt means into individual metered portions;
a pair of plenum chambers mounted on opposite sides of the frame and comprising tubular housings that are elongated in upright direction and the upper ends of said plenum chambers being positioned below the respective ends of the conveyor belt means;
a plurality of separate mixing tubes mounted directly onto said plenum chambers, respectively, and positioned in vertically spaced direction on the plenum chambers, said mixing tubes having axes extending generally laterally from the plenum chambers;
means to provide fluid under pressure to each of the plenums to thereby provide a flow through the mixing tubes;
and
a plurality of conduits, said metering means including means for coupling each of the individual metered portions into one conduit, each of said conduits being connected to a separate one of said mixing tubes, respectively, whereby the material being metered falls under gravity from the ends of the conveyor belt to the respective separate mixing tube.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.