US2677534A - Blender - Google Patents

Description

y 954 J. J. FISCHER ET AL BLENDER i Filed May 12, 1951 IN V EN TORS John J fikc/rer and .fo/m K. Petr MVQM.

ATTORNEYS Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BLENDER Application May 12, 1951, Serial No. 225,958

2 Claims.

This invention relates to material mixing devices of the type referred to as blenders, for use in various industries wherein it is required to intimately blend powdered or granular solid materials with other solid or liquid materials. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in blending apparatus designed for handling such materials as are normally considered to be difiicult to blend. Furthermore, the invention relates generally to the subject referred to in Patent 2,514,126 issued July 4, 1950; and the present invention relates to further improvements in devices as disclosed for example the aforesaid patent.

Whereas, it is known that in order to obtain thorough mixing of materials in devices of the character referred to it is essential to provide an action consisting of continuous relative displacements and infolding of the large load masses, it is also known that excessive sliding of the material relative to the container surfaces is undesirable because this results in objectionable grinding of the material and wearing of the contamer surfaces, as well as loss of useful power. Also, we have now determined that for certain materials maximum mixing efliciency also requires in addition to the aforesaid general mixing action a vigorous localized blending or intensified blending action.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved blender device employing in combination, the advantages of a suitably designed rotating tumbler type blending mill to provide for continuous relative displacement and rearrangement of the large masses of the material load, in combination with means designed specifically to provide improved localized admixing of the material particles as the latter are fed thereto by the larger mass mixing operation of the mill.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved intensified blending device as aforesaid which obtains a vastly improved blending action in return for application of minimum additional power.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved blender as aforesaid which is of structurally simple and rugged form, and which so constructed as to be most readily and easily cleaned between operations on different materials.

Another obiect of the invention is to provide an improved blender of the character aforesaid which will provide a uniformly and intimately blended mixture of materials, when working either on lumpy materials, or on fine powders or materials tending to smear, or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved blender of the character aforesaid which is also effective in breaking down materials tending to lump during normal handling.

Another object of the invention is to provide a blender of the character aforesaid which is particularly suited to produce uniform blends of liquids and dry materials.

Another object is to provide a mill for the purposes referred to, which is readily convertible to provide either intensive blending or relatively mild blending actions upon the materials being processed.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a blending mill embodying the invention, with portions broken away to show the interior thereof;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, showing in disassembled relation details of the intensifier mounting and driving mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 of another portion of the mechanism; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical illustration taken as along line IV-IV of Fig. 1, showing the nature of the material flow and the intensifier operation thereon.

The invention is shown in the drawing as being embodied in a tumbling mill of the type illustrated in co-applicants patent previously referred to; the blending mill comprising generally a hollow container formed of opposite side leg portions lit-i2 of frusto-cylindri al form disposed with their cylinder axes intersecting at approximately and welded together as indicated at it. The outer ends of the cylinder or leg portions iili2 are closed by end plates iii, iii, and detachable covers are provided thereon as indicated at ii9. The container is fitted at its opposite sides with integral aligned frustocylindrical brackets iii-26 which mount upon stub shaft devices 22, 2 which in turn are carried within trunnion bearings 25, 26 supported upon pedestals ill-28 at opposite ends of the mill.

As shown in the drawing (Fig. 1) the stub shaft 2 5 is fitted with a coupling device 29 for connection to the main power supply shaft 3% which in turn may of course be connected either directly to a drive motor or to any other source of power (not shown). The stub shaft 24 is keyed to the adjacent bearing bracket 20, and thus it will be understood that application of power through the shaft 3! will cause the mill to rotate upon its trunnion bearings, whereupon material placed within the mill will be subjected to a generalized admixing and vertical and horizontal infolding action, as explained in the aforesaid patent. A discharge spout and control valve therefor as indicated at 3234, respectively, is supplied for the purpose of emptying the mill subsequent to each blending operation therein.

In accord with the present invention it is arranged that the material to be blended within the rotating mill at the same time be subjected to an intensified blending operation. For best results this added treatment is localized at a position in line with the path of delivery by the major tumbling operation of a continuous stream of the newly displaced and intermixed larger masses of feed material.

Thus, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the intensifier action may be obtained by mounting an intensifier shaft 35 to extend between the stub shafts 22-2 5 of the tumbler mill; said intensifier shaft 35 being fitted with small paddles as indicated at 36 and arranged to be power driven as by means of a separate motor 38 at relatively high speed compared to the speed of rotation of the mill proper.

To this end the stub shaft 22 of the mill proper may be constructed as shown in Fig. 2 to be longitudinally bored so as to accommodate therein an intensifier drive shaft 33 carried within the mill stub shaft 22 by means of bearings 3939. At one end the drive shaft 38 carries a pulley which in turn connects by a drive belt 32 or the like with the motor Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the other end of the drive shaft 38 is provided with a key device 43 for cooperation with grooved end portion 44 of the intensifier shaft 35, so that when the two members are telescopically fitted together the shaft 35 is thereby coupled to the motor 38. As shown by Fig. 3, the mill stub shaft 24 is counterbored and 41 fitted with a bearing device which mounts therein a floating shaft 45 provided with a key '59 to. similarly engage the other end of the intensiiier shaft 35. The shaft 48 carries a second key 5b which is thus arranged to bear against a compression spring 52 which operates to continuously biasgthe shaft 48 outwardly of the stub shaft device 24. Dust seals are provided interiorly of thestub shafts E22 l, as indicated at 54, and 56 respectively, for sealing the inner bearings against dust and dirt accumulations.

Thus, it villbe appreciated that the intensifier shaft 255 is readily mountable and dismountable within the-mill proper; the disniounting operation being effected simply by removing one of the covers it and reaching into the mill and then manually pressing the intensifier shaft 35 endwise against the compression spring 52 until the other end of the intensifier shaft is freed from its coupling with the drive shaft 33. The intensifier shaft may then be simply lifted out of the feed opening of the mill, whereupon it may be readily cleaned or otherwise serviced prior to replacement in the mill for operation upon a different batch of material.

As illustrated by Fig. 4, it is a particular feature of the present invention that whereas the mill proper rotates at a relatively low speed and thereby provides a continuous tumbling and ininabove.

folding of the large masses of the material load, the intensifier shaft 35 is simultaneously driven to rotate at relatively high speed so that the paddle devices 36 thereof turn within the down flowing stream of material load with an intensely rapid motion. As shown in the drawing, the novel construction of the present invention results in ready disposition of the intensifier shaft within the upper level of the material load, and thus the intensifier shaft is continuously fed with a downwardly flowing stream of material and the paddles 36 thereof impinge against the top layer of this material in such manner and with such rapidity as to pick up the material and throw it free from the main body of the material load as shown in Fig. 4. Thus, it will be appreciated .that the operation of this shaft produces a very intensive mixing action which is effective against material tending to lump during handling and/or materials tending to smear, or which tend to cling together or which are otherwise difficult to blend.

It is another particular feature and advantage of the invention that the disposition of the intensifier shaft at the top surface of the material load of the mill proper enables the intensifier shaft to be driven rapidly in return for only a very low power consumption. This is because the intensifier is not buried within the load, and thus a greatly improved blending operation is obtained by the mill of the invention in return for only a relatively insignificant increase in power consumption. Whereas, in the drawing the intensifier shaft is illustrated as being driven by a separate motor 38, it will of course be understood that the shaft may be driven by any other suitable source of power, such as through a gearing device connected to the drive shaft for the mill proper. As explained in the aforesaid patent, the blending mill of the type illustrated therein provides a particularly effective interflow of the large masses of the feed material in directions horizontally as well as vertically incidental to rotation of the mill, and thus this action when combined with the action of the intensifier shaft procures a particularly effective and intimate blending operation upon materials such as are normally difficult or im-- possible to properly blend. Whereas, on the other hand, some materials may be readily blended by a relatively milder blending action, the mill of the present invention may be readily converted to provide the milder type action by simply removing the intensifier shaft as explained here- Thus, the mill of the invention possesses a broader usefulness than do units which. are designed only for intense mixing actions.

Although only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. .A blending apparatus comprising a supporting structure including bearings spaced each other, stub shafts rotatably mounted through said bearings and aligned with h other and projecting from said hearings in. lly of the supporting structure, a V-shaped container carried by and rotatably supported be* tween said stub shafts, said container having diagonally disposed cylindrical arms diverging upwardly from lower ends which are connected in communicating relation with each other, the upper ends of said arms being open, closures for the open ends of the arms movable into and out of closing relation thereto, said stub shafts extending into said arms through outer side portions thereof in spaced relation to the upper ends of the arms and disposed under the open upper ends of the arms, a floating shaft disposed axially of one stub shaft, said floating shaft being rotatably carried by the said stub shaft and slidable longitudinally thereof and having one end portion protruding from the inner end of the said stub shaft, spring means yieldably holding said floating shaft in an extended position, a drive shaft rotatably mounted through the other stub shaft axially thereof with opposite end portions protruding from the inner and outer ends thereof, the outer end portion of said drive shaft being adapted to have rotary motion imparted to it, and an agitator extending horizontally in said container and consisting of a shaft disposed between the drive shaft and the floating shaft and at its opposite ends being formed with sockets into which the inner ends of the said drive shaft and the floating shaft removably fit, said agitator being removable from the casing through the open end of an arm thereof when detached from the drive shaft and the floating shaft, and clutch members carried by the inner ends of the floating shaft and the drive shaft and removably fitting into open ended slots formed in the walls of the sockets at the ends of the agitator shaft.

2. A blending machine comprising a supporting structure provided with bearings spaced from each other, a V-shaped container between said bearings having a hollow apex portion and hollow legs extending from the apex portion, the legs being open at their outer ends and at their inner ends communicating with each other through the apex portion, removable closures for the outer ends of the legs, stub shafts mounted through said bearings and entering said container in spaced relation to the ends of the legs thereof, one stub shaft being adapted to have rotary motion imparted to it and being rigid with the container for turning the container with the driven stub shaft, a drive shaftrotatably mounted through the other stub shaft axially thereof and having its inner end portion protruding therefrom, and an agitator removably introduced into said container through the open upper end of the leg thereof into which the drive shaft protrudes and extending horizontally in the container through the apex portion and inner end portions of the legs, said agitator including a shaft disposed between and in axial alignment with the stub shafts and} having one end rotatably and detachably supported from the inner end of the driven stub shaft, the other end of the agitator shaft being detaohably engaged with the inner end of the drive shaft to turn therewith relative to turning movement of the container, said agitator when detached from the drive shaft being removable from the container through the open outer end of one leg whereby the blending machine may be selectively operated with or without the agitator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 221,387 Bassett Nov. 11, 1879 661,793 Dolph Nov. 13, 1900 980,827 Osner Jan. 3, 1911 1,752,628 Aeschback Apr. 1, 1930 2,108,502 Muench Feb. 15, 1938 2,514,126 Fischer July 4, 1950

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