Segregation testing apparatus for powders and granular materials
First Claim
1. A particulate solids mixture segregation testing apparatus, comprising:
- a channel hopper for collecting the mixture, the channel hopper comprising;
a first pair of opposed walls; and
a second pair of opposed walls coupled with the first pair of opposed walls to form the channel hopper;
wherein the channel hopper maintains a discharge opening at a lower end and a supply opening at an upper end, the supply opening providing access by the mixture to an interior chamber of the channel hopper and the discharge opening providing egress of the mixture from the interior chamber of the channel hopper;
a plurality of mixture sample receptacles disposed to receive mixture supplied to the channel hopper for analysis of mixture segregation; and
a first slidably mounted shuttle having a channel receptacle and a channel block disposed therein, the shuttle configured to slide reciprocally along the discharge opening of the channel hopper between a first position and a second position alternately exposing the channel receptacle to the discharge opening at the first position and the channel block at the second position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus enables testing of sifting segregation of a particulate solid mixture in a storage bin or hopper. The apparatus makes use of a convergently and divergently angled hopper for collecting the mixture. The apparatus further makes use of a minimally-shearing feeder mechanism supplying a desired flow of mixture, with minimal to no sifting segregation, to the angled hopper. A collection mechanism removes samples of the mixture from the angled hopper for analysis with minimal disruption of the particles of the mixture relative to each other. Thus, samples resulting from the testing apparatus, and corresponding method, are highly representative of mixture conditions within a larger storage hopper.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A particulate solids mixture segregation testing apparatus, comprising:
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a channel hopper for collecting the mixture, the channel hopper comprising; a first pair of opposed walls; and a second pair of opposed walls coupled with the first pair of opposed walls to form the channel hopper; wherein the channel hopper maintains a discharge opening at a lower end and a supply opening at an upper end, the supply opening providing access by the mixture to an interior chamber of the channel hopper and the discharge opening providing egress of the mixture from the interior chamber of the channel hopper; a plurality of mixture sample receptacles disposed to receive mixture supplied to the channel hopper for analysis of mixture segregation; and a first slidably mounted shuttle having a channel receptacle and a channel block disposed therein, the shuttle configured to slide reciprocally along the discharge opening of the channel hopper between a first position and a second position alternately exposing the channel receptacle to the discharge opening at the first position and the channel block at the second position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification