US 5,492,655 AGranted

Air/liquid static foam generator

AssigneeSchuller International, Inc.

InventorsLowell K. Morton, Kent R. Matthews

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An air/liquid polymeric latex foam coating generator includes a static splash plate mixer for forming a coarse foam coating and a conventional static refining mixer which further refines and homogenizes the coarse foam produced by the static splash plate mixer before delivering a refined foam to application heads or nozzles for application to a workpiece. The static splash plate mixer comprises a housing which is divided into two chambers by a splash plate. A stream of pressurized air and a stream of pressurized polymeric latex coating material are introduced into the upstream chamber where the streams intersect each other, impinge upon the splash plate and are mixed into a coarse foam in the upstream chamber. The foam passes through openings in the splash plate to the downstream chamber where the foam is further refine before being discharged from the static splash plate mixer.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An air/liquid static splash plate mixer comprising:

a tubular housing having an upstream end and a downstream end;
a splash plate mounted within said tubular housing intermediate the upstream end and the downstream end of said tubular housing;
said splash plate dividing said tubular housing into an upstream chamber and a downstream chamber;
said splash plate having a concave upstream surface, an impervious central portion, and having openings therein adjacent a periphery of said splash plate to permit a coarse foam formed in said upstream chamber from pressurized air and a pressurized liquid to flow into said downstream chamber;
pressurized air inlet means in said upstream chamber for introducing a pressurized air stream into said upstream chamber and directing the pressurized air stream toward said impervious central portion of said splash plate;
pressurized liquid inlet means in said upstream chamber for introducing a pressurized liquid stream into said upstream chamber and directing the pressurized liquid stream toward said impervious central portion of said splash plate to intersect the pressurized air stream adjacent said upstream concave surface of said splash plate to mix the pressurized liquid stream with the pressurized air stream and form a foam;
and
an outlet means in said downstream chamber for discharging the coarse foam from said housing.

5 more elements

In a static foam generator comprising, a liquid coating feed tank;

means for delivering a liquid coating under pressure from said liquid coating feed tank to a refining mixer;
a source of pressurized air;
means for delivering pressurized air from said source of air to said refining mixer;
said refining mixer being a static refining mixer for refining and homogenizing an air/liquid foam;
application means for applying said foam to a workpiece;
and means for delivering said foam from said refining mixer to said application means;
the improvement comprising:
an air/liquid static splash plate mixer intermediate said liquid coating feed tank and said source of air and said static refining mixer for mixing the pressurized air and pressurized liquid to form a coarse foam which is delivered to said static refining mixer;
said static splash plate mixer comprising:
a tubular housing having an upstream end and a downstream end;
a splash plate mounted within said tubular housing intermediate the upstream end and the downstream end of said tubular housing;
said splash plate dividing said tubular housing into an upstream chamber and a downstream chamber;
said splash plate having openings therein adjacent the periphery of said splash plate to permit an air/liquid foam to flow from said upstream chamber to said downstream chamber;
air inlet means in said upstream chamber for introducing a pressurized air stream into said upstream chamber;
liquid inlet means in said upstream chamber for introducing a pressurized liquid stream into said upstream chamber to mix with the pressurized air stream and form a foam;
and
an outlet means in said downstream chamber for discharging an air/liquid foam formed in said static splash plate mixer from said static splash plate mixer to said refining mixer.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/250,981Filed 31 May 1994
Granted: 20 Feb 1996
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

B01F 25/4521
Characterised by elements provided with orifices or interstitial spaces: the components being pressed through orifices in elements, e.g. flat…
B01F 25/25
Jet mixers, i.e. mixers using high-speed fluid streams: mixing by jets impinging against collision plates
B01F 25/45
Static mixers: mixers in which the materials to be mixed are pressed together through orifices or interstitial spaces, e.g. between beads
B01F 33/82
Mixing plants; Combinations of mixers: combinations of dissimilar mixers