Method of sampling solid materials and sampling system to execute the method

A method of sampling solid materials by executing following steps repeatedly at fixed intervals comprising:

• weighing a fixed amount of solid materials for sampling continuously manufactured from a compression molding machine;
• feeding a fixed amount of sampled solid materials between the bodies of a transport plug disposed in a stand-by position of a transport pipe;
• pneumatically transferring said sampled materials into an inspecting station by said transport plug at a low speed in said transport pipe from its stand-by position to a terminal position by the use of pressurized gas, said sampled materials being kept between the bodies of transport plug;
• receiving said sampled materials in a receiver of said inspecting station by dropping the materials kept between the bodies of said plug under substantially gravitational fall;
• after completing transportation of said sampled materials, returning only said transport plug left at said terminal position to said stand-by position through said transport pipe by a suction operation of gas control means.

A sampling system for solid materials comprising:

• a sampling/feeding means to sample solid materials as continuously manufactured by a compression molding machine at fixed intervals and to feed said sampled materials, said sampling/feeding means including a conic valve having a valve control means too control the insertion of solid materials;
• said sampling/feeding means including a damper having a balance weight to weigh a fixed amount of solid materials;
• a transport gas control means to supply transport gas;
• a transport pipe having an inlet to receive sampled materials from said sampling/feeding means and connected to said transport gas control means at the initial end thereof and to a material receiver of an inspecting station at its terminal end;
• a means to open said transport pipe into atmosphere, provided at initial end side of plug housing portion constituting a stand-by position of said transport plug;
• an air purge unit to inject pressurized gas provided at terminal end side of the terminal position of transport plug in said transport pipe, said air purge unit including a projectable air injection pipe which is housed while said transport plug is pneumatically transported and is projected when said plug is returned;
• and
• said transport plug disposed in said pipe under said sampling inlet, as a stand-by position, said plug being pneumatically transported while keeping said sampled materials between the bodies thereof at a low speed into a terminal position in proximity to said inspecting station from said stand-by position by the use of pressurized gas, and then being returned to said stand-by position from said terminal position after being transferred into the terminal position in said pipe by means of said air purge unit.