Auger airlock assembly and end dump housing

• US 20070163859A1
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AG Growth Industries Partnership
• Original Assignee: REM Enterprises Inc.
• Inventors: Rempel, Frank, Noble, Max
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/671
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 33/14 comprising a screw or screws enclosed in a tubular housing
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 33/22 with means for retarding material flow at the delivery end of the housing
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 33/24 Details
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 69/181 by means of sealed systems

Abstract

An auger airlock assembly and end dump housing having a spring loaded bottom for use in a bulk loader which utilizes a source of negative pressure to create a suction air stream that draws particulate materials into the loader for transfer, via the auger assembly, to a location remote of the loader. Materials exiting the auger assembly accumulate within the housing to a point wherein, once the accumulated material has acquired a certain weight, the bottom of the housing is forced open to permit discharge of the material, and, once the material is removed, and is not present in enough quantity to maintain the bottom of the housing to remain open, the spring loaded connection biases the bottom back into a position sealably closing the housing. The bottom of the housing may also be opened by the auger feeding more material into an already full housing, whereby the material is compressed so as to force the door open. Side portions of the housing limit the opportunity for outside air to enter the airlock assembly during the discharge of materials, maintaining the vacuum suction created by the negative pressure in the auger assembly.

Claims

1. A material-conveying end dump housing adapted to cover a discharge end of an auger assembly, the housing comprising:

a front wall;

a rear wall adapted for placement over the discharge end of the auger assembly and defining an inlet port therein, the inlet port being in communication with the discharge end of the auger assembly for discharging material delivered from the auger assembly;

a covering wall attached to the front and side walls, wherein a length of side portions of the covering wall exceeds a length of the front wall and the rear wall;

a bottom wall having a spring loaded connection to the housing, the bottom wall being operably able to biasingly open or close said housing; and

wherein the discharging material entering the housing through the inlet port accumulates within the housing on an upper surface of the bottom wall, the bottom wall being forcibly openable by a presence of the accumulated discharging material on the upper surface of the bottom wall to an extent necessary to force open the bottom wall of the housing and permit gravitational discharge of the accumulated discharging material from the housing, whereby, once the discharging material is removed and is not present to the extent necessary to maintain the bottom wall to remain open, the bottom wall assumes a closed position.

2. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein the spring loaded connection of the bottom wall to the housing is to a bottom surface of the front wall.

5. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein the front wall further comprises a plurality of securing holes defined therein for receiving securing bolts for attachment of an end of the auger assembly to the front wall, the end of the auger assembly being contained substantially within the housing.

6. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein at least one of the side portions of the covering wall is formed of a transparent material for allowing observation of the discharging material.

7. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein the side portions of the covering wall are formed of a transparent material for allowing observation of the discharging material.

8. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein the covering wall is a one piece construction which, when attached substantially along the top and the side edges of the front and side walls, provides a roof and side walls for the housing.

9. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the housing is an arcuate surface.

10. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein the rear wall further comprises

a plurality of securing holes defined therein for receiving securing bolts for attachment of the rear wall to the end of the auger assembly.

11. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall further comprises friction strips, the strips being connected to a bottom surface of the bottom wall, and extend along a length of side edges of the bottom wall.

12. The end dump housing of claim 11, wherein the friction strips are wear strips.

13. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a resilient flap is connected to a bottom surface of the rear wall, the flap extending laterally to encompass a complete distance between each of the side portions of the covering wall wherein, when the spring loaded connection biases the bottom wall back into position, the flap contacts an upper surface of the bottom wall to to sealably close the housing.

25. The end dump housing of claim 1, wherein the spring loaded connection of the bottom wall to the housing is to a bottom surface of the rear wall.

3. A material-conveying end dump housing for use with an auger assembly for a bulk loader which utilizes a negative pressure system to generate a suction air stream for vacuuming and propelling granular material to the auger assembly, the housing comprising:

a front wall;

a rear wall adapted to cover an outer end of an auger assembly and defining an inlet port therein, the inlet port being in communication with the outer end of the auger assembly for discharging the granular material delivered from the auger assembly through the inlet port into the housing;

a covering wall attached to the front and side walls, wherein a length of side portions of the covering wall substantially exceeds a length of the front wall and the rear wall and excludes substantial entry of outside air through the outer end of the auger assembly during the discharge of the granular material to inhibit diminution of a strength of the suction air stream created by the negative pressure system;

a bottom wall having a spring loaded connection to the front wall, the bottom wall being operably able to biasingly open or close the housing; and

wherein the discharging granular material entering the housing through the inlet port accumulates within the housing on an upper surface of the bottom wall, the bottom wall being forcibly openable by a presence of the accumulated discharging granular material on the upper surface of the bottom wall to an extent necessary to force open the bottom wall and permit gravitational discharge of the accumulated discharging granular material from the housing, whereby, once the discharging granular material is removed and is not present to the extent necessary to maintain the bottom wall to remain open, the spring loaded connection biases the bottom wall back into a position sealably closing the housing.

4. The end dump housing of claim 3, wherein, once the spring loaded connection biases the bottom wall back into the position to close the housing, the closed housing excludes a substantial entry of outside air into the housing.

14. The end dump housing of claim 3, wherein the length by which the side portions of the covering wall exceeds the length of the front wall and the rear wall is substantially equivalent to a length of the bottom wall.

15. An auger airlock assembly for use with a bulk loader which utilizes a negative pressure system to generate a suction air stream for vacuuming and propelling granular material to the auger assembly for transferral to a remote location, the assembly comprising:

an elongated material-conveying tube for receiving the granular material, the tube having an inlet and an outlet spaced from the inlet;

an internal auger within the tube and extending outwardly therefrom beyond the outlet of the tube, the auger being rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the tube in a direction so as to transfer the granular material from the tube out through the outlet of the tube; and

an end dump housing adapted to cover the outlet of the tube and substantially retaining therein within the housing an end of the auger extending outwardly therefrom beyond the outlet of the tube, the housing comprising a front wall, a rear wall placed so as to cover the outlet of the tube and defining an inlet port therein, the inlet port being in communication with the outlet of the tube for discharging material delivered from the internal auger, a covering wall attached to the front and side walls, wherein a length of side portions of the covering wall substantially exceeds a length of the front wall and the rear wall and excludes substantial entry of outside air through the outlet of the tube during the discharge of the granular material to inhibit diminution of a strength of the suction air stream created by the negative pressure system, a bottom wall having a spring loaded connection to the front wall, the bottom wall being operably able to biasingly open or close the housing, and wherein the discharging granular material entering the housing through the inlet port accumulates within the housing on an upper surface of the bottom wall, the bottom wall being forcibly openable by a presence of the accumulated discharging granular material on the upper surface of the bottom wall to an extent necessary to force open the bottom wall and permit gravitational discharge of the accumulated discharging granular material from the housing, whereby, once the discharging granular material is removed and is not present to the extent necessary to maintain the bottom wall to remain open, the spring loaded connection biases the bottom wall back into a position sealably closing the housing.

16. The auger airlock assembly of claim 15, wherein the auger is elongated, and oriented generally along the longitudinal axis of the tube.

17. The auger airlock assembly of claim 16, wherein the tube is upwardly and outwardly inclined.

18. The auger airlock assembly of claim 17, wherein at least one of the side portions of the covering wall is formed of a transparent material for allowing observation of the granular material.

19. The auger airlock assembly of claim 17, wherein the side portions of the covering wall are formed of a transparent material for allowing observation of the granular material.

20. The auger airlock assembly of claim 17, wherein the covering wall is a one piece construction which, when attached substantially along the top and the side edges of the front and side walls, provides a roof and side walls for the housing.

21. The auger airlock assembly of claim 17, wherein the length by which the side portions of the covering wall substantially exceeds the length of the front wall and the rear wall is substantially equivalent to a length of the bottom wall.

22. The auger airlock assembly of claim 17, wherein the housing further comprises a resilient flap is connected to a bottom surface of the rear wall, the flap extending laterally to encompass a complete distance between each of the side portions of the covering wall wherein, when the spring loaded connection biases the bottom wall back into position, the flap contacts an upper surface of the bottom wall to sealably close the housing.

23. The auger airlock assembly of claim 17, wherein the rear wall further comprises a lipped portion which encircles the outlet port, a size of the outlet port corresponding to a size of the discharge end of the auger assembly, and wherein the covering wall is attached to the front wall and the rear wall substantially along substantially along top and side edges of the front wall, and along upper edges of the lipped portion of the rear wall.

24. The auger airlock assembly of claim 17, wherein bar means are connected to and extend laterally between lower portions of each of the side portions, so as to restrict the opening of the bottom wall when gravitational discharge of the accumulated discharging granular material from the housing occurs.