US 6,283,327 B1 · Material feed system for selectively delivering lightweight, friable mesh fibers

Abstract

A material feed system and method for conveying a metered quantity of lightweight, friable mesh fibers without minimal damage to the mesh fibers to concrete and like materials mixing tank. The material feed system including a hopper with a spiral fiber guide near the discharge and flexible blades for clearing fibers from the upper and lower surfaces of the spiral fiber guide. A drive assembly is included for rotating the hopper at a rotation rate adequate to move and agitate the mesh fibers to facilitate flow of the mesh fibers first outward against the side walls of the bin and then rapidly downward through the bin being guided by the spiral fiber guide. To convey the fibers from the hopper outlet to the mixing tank with minimal damage, the material feed system includes a vacuum conveyor assembly comprising an air inlet and a vacuum conveyor conduit in which a vacuum is created by a venturi aspirator and blower to draw the fibers from the hopper outlet through the vacuum conveyor conduit in a compact state to minimize damage to fibrils of the mesh fibers. To meter the fibers fed into the hopper, a metered feed assembly is used that includes a feed drum with an inlet-outlet opening, a device for slowly rotating the feed drum, and a feed bin that stores inputted mesh fibers. When the feed drum is rotated, fibers from the feed bin enter the feed drum when the inlet-outlet opening is directed upward, and the fibers are dispensed to the hopper when the inlet-outlet opening is directed downward.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A material feed apparatus for rapidly delivering an amount of lightweight, friable mesh fibers, comprising:

a hopper including an inlet for receiving and holding the mesh fibers and an outlet for dispensing the received mesh fibers;
a drive assembly, contacting at least a portion of an outer surface of said hopper, for rotating said hopper about the central axis of said hopper at a rotation rate;
and
a vacuum conveyor assembly including a fiber inlet adjacent said outlet of said hopper and an air inlet upstream of said fiber inlet, said vacuum conveyor assembly being adapted to produce a vacuum at said outlet to draw the mesh fibers discharged from said hopper through a vacuum conveyor conduit connected to said fiber inlet, whereby the mesh fibers are maintained in a substantially compact state in said vacuum conveyor conduit by said vacuum to limit damage of the mesh fibers during conveyance.

1 more element

A material feed apparatus for delivering lightweight, friable mesh fibers with minimal damage to the mesh fibers, comprising:

a hopper including an inlet for receiving and holding the mesh fibers, an outlet for dispensing the received mesh fibers, and a spiral fiber guide mounted to an inner surface of said hopper adjacent said outlet for guiding the mesh fibers;
a drive assembly, contacting at least a portion of an outer surface of said hopper, for rotating said hopper about the central axis of said hopper at a rotation rate to facilitate movement of the mesh fibers from said inlet to said outlet of said hopper;
a support assembly including a plurality of hopper supports contacting and vertically supporting said hopper, said hopper supports including bearing surfaces adapted to allow said rotation of said hopper;
and
a blade assembly for guiding the mesh fibers and clearing said spiral fiber guide including a fiber-clearing blade fabricated from flexible material, said fiber-clearing blade being mounted to a support rod rigidly mounted to said support assembly, and wherein said fiber-clearing blade is substantially planar and mounted transverse to an axis of said support rod to contact a lower surface of said spiral fiber guide during each rotation of said hopper.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Material feed system for selectively delivering lightweight, friable mesh fibers

Life of this patent

Material feed system for selectively delivering lightweight, friable mesh fibers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24