Feeder for uniformly supplying a mixture of particulate solids

• US 20080029555A1
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jenike & Johanson, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jenike & Johanson, Inc.
• Inventors: Prescott, James, McCall, Michael, Hedden, David, Clement, Scott, Brone, Dean, Troxel, Thomas, Hancock, Bruno
• Application Number:
  US11/906,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20080029555A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/484
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/20 for flowing or falling materials G01N1/2035 G01N1/12, G01N1/14 take precedence

Abstract

A minimally-shearing feeder mechanism supplies a desired flow of particulate solids mixture, with minimal to no sifting segregation, to a desired location. The feeder mechanism maintains a uniform concentration of each size of particle within the mixture.

Claims

1. A feeder for a mixture of particulate solids, comprising:

a fixed bottom plate having a discharge aperture therethrough;

a second plate rotatably slidable over the bottom plate, having a plurality of pass through apertures disposed therein, and having its rotational axis spaced to cause the plurality of pass through apertures to pass sequentially over the discharge aperture of the bottom plate;

a deposition aperture configured to receive the mixture and deposit the mixture on the rotatably slidable second plate in a deposited trail as the second plate rotates; and

a fixed cam plate slidably mounted over the rotatably slidable second plate, the cam plate having a contoured periphery configured to displace the deposited trail radially and progressively outward to the pass through apertures of the second plate as the second plate rotates, supplying the mixture forming the deposited trail to the discharge aperture.

2. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the deposition aperture is integral with the cam plate.

3. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pass through apertures are uniformly spaced.

4. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pass through apertures have equal dimensions to one another.

5. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pass through apertures are sized sufficiently large enough to prohibit the mixture from arching over the pass through aperture due to particle size or particle cohesion.

6. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pass through apertures are disposed in a substantially circular pattern in the second plate.

7. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the second plate has a substantially circular shape.

8. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pass through apertures are disposed along a periphery of the second plate.

9. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the deposited trail is of uniform cross-section.

10. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the cam plate is configured to displace the deposited trail radially and progressively outward with minimal shearing of the mixture forming the deposited trail.

11. The feeder of claim 1, further comprising a supply hopper disposed to supply the mixture of particulate solids to the feeder.

12. The feeder of claim 1, further comprising a motor configured to rotatably drive the second plate.

13. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the second plate rotates at a rate of between about 2 RPM and about 20 RPM.

14. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the feeder supplies a substantially constant stream of the mixture through the discharge aperture.