Multi-barrel media mill and method of grinding
OwnerBill H. Ranneinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multiple barrel chamber for a media mill where the media mill is used to grind and disperse pigments for paint, coating, ink products, and other pigment-vehicle fluids, as well as grinding and dispersing other particulate matter. More particularly, a three barrel grinding chamber including a lengthwise rotatable shaft in each barrel portion is disclosed. Each shaft includes a disc array overlapping an adjacent disc array. Utilization of variable speed bi-directional motors, preferable independently controlled, to rotate each shaft allows impact, tack-shear, and slurry grinding to be accomplished with one media mill. The grinding efficiencies achieved far exceed those of conventional media mills. Media mill grinding discs are also disclosed.
Claims30
A media mill comprising:
- a base;
- a grinding chamber supported by the base, the grinding chamber including three barrels in fluid communication;
- a rotatable shaft operably disposed lengthwise in each barrel;
- a plurality of discs attached to each shaft;
- and
- power means for driving the shafts;
- wherein the three barrels comprise:
- a first outer barrel, a second outer barrel, and a first inner barrel;
- each barrel including a circular cross section;
- and the first outer barrel cross section intersects the first inner barrel cross section and the second outer barrel cross section intersects the first inner barrel cross section;
- wherein the discs attached to the shaft disposed in the first outer barrel are partially overlapping and interposed with the discs attached to the shaft disposed in the first inner barrel;
- and
- wherein the discs attached to the shaft disposed in the second outer barrel are partially overlapping and interposed with the discs attached to the shaft disposed in the first inner barrel.
A media mill for selectively providing variable proportions of slurry grinding, impact grinding and tack-shear grinding of a material received in the mill, comprising:
- a base;
- a grinding chamber supported by the base;
- a plurality of rotatable shafts lengthwise disposed in the grinding chamber, the plurality of shafts including a central shaft, including a first outer shaft and a second outer shaft;
- a plurality of discs spaced along each shaft, the discs spaced along the central shaft partially overlapping the discs spaced along the two outer shafts;
- and
- drive means for rotating the central shaft independent of the outer shafts, the drive means connected to the shafts, so that a rotational speed of the central shaft relative to a rotational speed of the outer shafts may be varied to control a degree of tack-shear grinding of the material received in the mill.
A chamber for use with a media mill, the chamber being specially adapted for grinding and dispersing particulate matter for fluid vehicles therein, the chamber comprising;
- a first barrel portion;
- a second barrel portion;
- and
- a third barrel portion, where the second barrel portion is in fluid communication with the first and third barrel portions;
- wherein each barrel portion comprises a circular cross section having a cross-sectional area, and where the cross sectional area of the second barrel portion at least partially overlaps the cross sectional areas of the first and third barrel portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.