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US 5,489,204 AGranted
Apparatus for sintering abrasive grain
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsStanley L. Conwell, William P. Wood
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus useful for sintering unsintered abrasive grain precursor to provide sintered abrasive grain. The sintered abrasive grain can be incorporated into abrasive articles such as bonded abrasives (e.g., grinding wheels), coated abrasives, and nonwoven abrasives.
Claims37
A sintering apparatus comprising a non-rotating kiln including
- wall means having inner surfaces for defining a sintering chamber, said inner surfaces including a generally planar support surface, said wall means having each of (i) a feed opening through said wall means and said inner surface affording introducing unsintered particulate precursor material onto said support surface in said sintering chamber, and (ii) a discharge opening through said wall means affording discharging sintered particulate material from said sintering chamber,
- two heating elements,
- means mounting said heating elements on said kiln,
- a pusher plate having a pushing surface,
- means mounting said pusher plate on said kiln for relative movement between a first position with said pusher plate spaced from said support surface and a second position with said pushing surface adjacent said discharge opening with said pushing surface moving along said support surface during movement of said pusher plate from said first position to said second position,
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first position to said second position;
- and
- means for heating said sintering chamber to a temperature in the range from about 1000.degree. C. to about 1600.degree. C.,
- said feed opening and said sintering chamber being arranged to afford movement of unsintered particle precursor material initially at a temperature of 25.degree. C. into said sintering chamber and to expose the surface of said unsintered particle precursor material entering said sintering chamber through said feed opening at an initial temperature of 25.degree. C. to said temperature of said sintering chamber in less than 3 seconds, and said heating elements being arranged such that unsintered particulate precursor material fed into said kiln via said feed opening passes between said heating elements.
6 more elements
A sintering apparatus comprising a non-rotating kiln including
- wall means having inner surfaces for defining a sintering chamber, said inner surfaces including a generally planar support surface, said wall means having each of (i) a feed opening through said wall means and said inner surface affording introducing unsintered particulate precursor material onto said support surface in said sintering chamber, and (ii) a discharge opening through said wall means affording discharging sintered particulate material from said sintering chamber,
- a pusher plate having a pushing surface,
- means mounting said pusher plate on said kiln for relative movement between a first position with said pusher plate spaced from said support surface and a second position with said pushing surface adjacent said discharge opening with said pushing surface moving along said support surface during movement of said pusher plate from said first position to said second position,
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first position to said second position;
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first position to a first intermediate position between said first portion and said second position;
- means for returning said pusher plate from said first intermediate position to a first return position at or adjacent said first position;
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first return position to a second intermediate position between said first intermediate position and said first position;
- means for returning said pusher plate from said second intermediate position to a second return position at or adjacent said first position;
- and
- means for heating said sintering chamber to a temperature in the range from about 1000.degree. C. to about 1600.degree. C.,
- said feed opening and said sintering chamber being arranged to afford movement of unsintered particle precursor material initially at a temperature of 25.degree. C. into said sintering chamber and to expose the surface of said unsintered particle precursor material entering said sintering chamber through said feed opening at an initial temperature of 25.degree. C. to said temperature of said sintering chamber in less than 3 seconds.
8 more elements
A sintering apparatus comprising a non-rotating kiln including
- wall means having inner surfaces for defining a sintering chamber, said inner surfaces including a generally planar support surface, said wall means having each of (i) a feed opening through said wall means and said inner surface affording introducing unsintered particulate precursor material onto said support surface in said sintering chamber, and (ii) a discharge opening through said wall means affording discharging sintered particulate material from said sintering chamber,
- a pusher plate having a pushing surface,
- means mounting said pusher plate on said kiln for relative movement between a first position with said pusher plate spaced from said support surface and a second position with said pushing surface adjacent said discharge opening with said pushing surface moving along said support surface during movement of said pusher plate from said first position to said second position,
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first position to said second position;
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first position to a first intermediate position between said first portion and said second position;
- means for returning said pusher plate from said first intermediate position to a first return position at or adjacent said first position;
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first return position to a second intermediate position between said first intermediate position and said first position;
- means for returning said pusher plate from said second intermediate position to a second return position at or adjacent said first position;
- means for moving said pusher plate from said second return position to a third intermediate position between said first portion and said second intermediate position;
- means for returning said pusher plate from said third intermediate position to a
- third return position at or adjacent said first position;
- and
- means for heating said sintering chamber to a temperature in the range from about 1000.degree. C. to about 1600.degree. C.,
- said feed opening and said sintering chamber being arranged to afford movement of unsintered particle precursor material initially at a temperature of 25.degree. C. into said sintering chamber and to expose the surface of said unsintered particle precursor material entering said sintering chamber through said feed opening at an initial temperature of 25.degree. C. to said temperature of said sintering chamber in less than 3 seconds.
11 more elements
A sintering apparatus comprising a non-rotating kiln including
- wall means having inner surfaces for defining a sintering chamber, said inner surfaces including a generally planar support surface, said wall means having each of (i) a feed opening through said wall means and said inner surface affording introducing unsintered particulate precursor material onto said support surface in said sintering chamber, and (ii) a discharge opening through said wall means affording discharging sintered particulate material from said sintering chamber,
- a pusher plate having a pushing surface,
- means mounting said pusher plate on said kiln for relative movement between a first position with said pusher plate spaced from said support surface and a second position with said pushing surface adjacent said discharge opening with said pushing surface moving along said support surface during movement of said pusher plate from said first position to said second position,
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first position to said second position;
- and
- means for heating said sintering chamber to a temperature in the range from about 1000.degree. C. to about 1600.degree. C.,
- wherein said feed opening and said sintering chamber are arranged to afford movement of unsintered particle precursor material initially at a temperature of 25.degree. C. into said sintering chamber and to expose the surface of said unsintered particle precursor material entering said sintering chamber through said feed opening at an initial temperature of 25.degree. C. to said temperature of said sintering chamber in less than 3 seconds, and wherein said discharge opening opens through said support surface.
4 more elements
A sintering apparatus comprising a non-rotating kiln including
- wall means having inner surfaces for defining a sintering chamber, said inner surfaces including a generally planar support surface, said wall means having each of (i) a feed opening through said wall means and said inner surface affording introducing unsintered particulate precursor material onto said support surface in said sintering chamber, and (ii) a discharge opening through said wall means affording discharging sintered particulate material from said sintering chamber,
- a pusher plate having a pushing surface,
- means mounting said pusher plate on said kiln for relative movement between a first position with said pusher plate spaced from said support surface and a second position with said pushing surface adjacent said discharge opening with said pushing surface moving along said support surface during movement of said pusher plate from said first position to said second position,
- means for moving said pusher plate from said first position to said second position;
- and
- means for heating said sintering chamber to a temperature in the range from about 1000.degree. C. to about 1600.degree. C.,
- wherein said feed opening and said sintering chamber are arranged to afford movement of unsintered particle precursor material initially at a temperature of 25.degree. C. into said sintering chamber and to expose the surface of said unsintered particle precursor material entering said sintering chamber through said feed opening at an initial temperature of 25.degree. C. to said temperature of said sintering chamber in less than 3 seconds, and wherein said sintering apparatus further comprises a feeding means for feeding particulate precursor material into said feed opening, said feeding means being selected from the group consisting of a vibratory feeder and an auger feeder.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.