Asphalt kettle and closure therefor

• US 3,995,616 A
• Filed: 03/17/1975
• Issued: 12/07/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cleasby Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cleasby Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Schrader, William P.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Dea, William F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Joyce, Harold
• Application Number:
  US05/558,663
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 126/343.5, 432/211, 239/130, 239/129, 259/155, 259/156, 259/157, 259/158, 404/79, 404/80, 23/277 C, 220/334, 220/335, 220/88 A
• US Class Current: 126/343.50A
• CPC Class Codes: C10C 3/12 Devices therefor transporting and melting for road construction E01C + s.gr.

Abstract

An asphalt kettle having a heating chamber therein for the receipt of asphalt and a three-dimensional closure secured over the chamber. The side walls of the closure are provided with chute-like openings through which asphalt chunks may be loaded into the chamber and these openings are provided with hingedly mounted interior doors which normally assume a closed condition under the influence of gravity and/or the creation of a high pressure condition within the chamber. The closure may lift, within limits, in the event of an explosion in the chamber and a deflection skirt is provided to downwardly direct gas and debris in such event. An induction pipe is connected between the closure and a gas inductor in the stack for the kettle. The pipe is provided with a heat sink to prevent flash-back from the stack into the interior of the kettle chamber.

Claims

1. An asphalt kettle comprising, in combination:

a kettle chamber having heating means therein to melt asphalt contained within the chamber, said chamber having an open top portion;

a closure disposed over the chamber, said closure having opposed spaced vertically extensive side walls, each of which side walls has at least one opening therein of sufficient size to permit bulk chunks of asphalt to be loaded therethrough into the chamber, end walls spanning the space between the side walls and a top extending between said side and end walls;

a chute portion fixed relative to each opening and extending inwardly therefrom, each such chute portion being peripherally sealed around the opening from which it extends and having inner edges defining an inwardly and downwardly sloping plane;

a door hingedly secured above each of said chute portions, said doors being dimensioned for abutting engagement with the edges of the chute portions whereby the doors seal against said edges in the event the pressure to the interior of the closure exceeds that to the exterior thereof;

means securing the closure to the kettle for movement between a first position wherein the closure effectively seals the kettle chamber around the open top portion thereof and a second position at least partially elevated relative to the chamber wherein gas may escape therearound, said means permitting movement of the closure to the second position responsive to pressure within the chamber in the event of an explosion therein;

a skirt fixed to the closure and extending downwardly around the kettle chamber, said skirt being of a length sufficient to extend around the chamber when the closure is in the second position; and

,

stop means to limit the extent to which the closure can open in the event of an explosion within the chamber to an extent such that when the closure opens to the second position in response to an explosion within the chamber all gas and debris exiting around the closure is deflected downwardly by the skirt.

2. An asphalt kettle, according to claim 1, further comprising flanges secured to and extending outwardly from the doors to assume a position in sealed opposition to the side edges of the chute portions when the doors are in abutting engagement with the edges of the chutes.

3. An asphalt kettle, according to claim 1, wherein said means securing the closure to the kettle comprises a hinge joint between one end of the closure and the kettle.

4. An asphalt kettle, according to claim 3, wherein said stop means comprises at least one lost motion connecting element secured between the kettle and the closure in spaced relationship to the hinge joint.

5. An asphalt kettle, according to claim 3, further including a stack with gas inducting means therein extending upwardly from the kettle to the outside of the hinge joint between the closure and kettle and a conduit connected between said inducting means and the closure, said conduit permitting the unrestricted movement of the closure between the first and second positions.

6. An asphalt kettle, according to claim 4, wherein said connecting element may be selectively released to enable the closure member to be pivoted about said hinge joint to a raised condition affording substantially unrestricted access to the interior of the chamber through the open top portion thereof.

7. An asphalt kettle, according to claim 1, further including:

gas inducting means and means establishing sealed fluid communication between the interior of the kettle chamber and the gas inducting means.

8. An asphalt kettle, according to claim 1, further including:

a stack with gas inducting means therein leading from the heating means within the chamber;

a conduit establishing sealed fluid communication between the interior of the kettle chamber and the gas inducting means; and

,

heat sink means within the conduit to prevent flash-back from the inducting means to the interior of the chamber.

9. An asphalt kettle, according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cover hingedly secured above and to the exterior of each side of the closure for movement between an elevated position affording unrestricted access to the openings in said sides and a lowered position covering the openings in said sides from the exterior thereof.