Back to results
US 5,152,400 AGranted
Snap action particle separating apparatus
AssigneeEngineered Systems, Inc.
InventorG. Wayne Lybecker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeEngineered Systems, Inc.
InventorG. Wayne Lybecker
Estimating the term…
Particle separating apparatus includes a horizontally disposed rectangular screen or grid having openings adapted to pass smaller particles from a stream of particles of varying sizes while retaining larger particles upon the top of the screen. A conveying screw mounted in a trough below the screen conveys the smaller particles forwardly along the trough to a discharge opening. The screen is mounted above the screw for horizontal reciprocation along a path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the screw and is biassed by springs engaged between the front and rear ends of the screen and stationary surfaces to a normal rest position midway between the ends of the reciprocating path. A rigid drive member having a flight engaging roller or slide plate at its lower end projects downwardly from the screen into the path of the conveying flight of the screw and is driven forwardly by the screw flight as the screw is rotated until the front end edge of the flight rotates past the drive member to allow the screen to be driven rearwardly in a snap action by the springs engaged with the front end of the screen. The screen subsequently oscillates about its rest position under the action of the springs at the opposite ends of the screen to shake and sift smaller particles from the mass of particles collected at the top of the screen. Various arrangements for minimizing pinching of larger particles between the screw auger flight and the trough wall are disclosed.
Separating apparatus for separating separating particles which exceed a selected size from a stream of particles of varying sizes, said apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed generally rectangular rigid perforated grid located to receive said stream of particles upon its top surface to retain particles which exceed said selected size upon the top of said grid while accommodating the passage of particles of a size less than said selected size downwardly through said grid, means defining an elongate trough mounted beneath said grid to receive particles passing through said grid, a conveying screw auger in said trough and including an elongate shaft extending the entire length said trough and mounted for rotation about a horizontal longitudinal axis, and a helical conveying flight auger fixed to said shaft having a pitch P and an outer radius R, first drive means for driving said auger in rotation about said axis in a first direction to cause said flight to advance particles in said trough forwardly along said trough to a discharge opening adjacent the forward end of said trough, said flight terminating at a forward end edge adjacent said forward end of said trough extending radially outwardly from said shaft, guide means mounting said grid for horizontal reciprocatory movement relative said trough along a path parallel to said axis, spring means engaged with said grid for resiliently biassing said grid to a normal rest position at the midpoint of said path, second drive means including a rigid drive member fixed to said grid about said shaft and projecting downwardly from said grid to a lower end spaced from said axis of said shaft by a distance less than R, said lower end of said drive member being axially spaced rearwardly of said forward end edge of said flight by a distance equal to or less than P/2 when said grid is in said normal rest position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.