EP0095232A2

EP0095232A2 - Shot-blasting machinery housed within a transportable container

Info

Publication number: EP0095232A2
Application number: EP83301709A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lawson Derek Pryke
Original assignee: Tilghman Wheelabrator Ltd
Current assignee: Tilghman Wheelabrator Ltd
Priority date: 1982-05-22
Filing date: 1983-03-25
Publication date: 1983-11-30
Also published as: GB2122120B; EP0095232A3; GB8308345D0; GB2122120A

Abstract

Shot blasting machinery is housed within a transportable container which has predetermined areas of the sheeting which constitute the walls of the container removable to permit a workpiece to be conveyed past a shot blasting wheel of the machinery.

The shot blasting machinery comprises a blast cabinet through which a workpiece can be conveyed, at least one reversible shot blasting wheel assembly, an abrasive storage hopper from which abrasive can be fed to the wheel assembly via a control valve, at least one conveyor screw for collecting spent abrasive and debris from the workpiece and delivering same to at least one bucket elevator which, in turn, delivers same to at least one separator from which clean shot is returned to the storage hopper.

Description

This invention relates to shot blasting machinery, and it is an object of the present invention to provide shot blasting machinery which is easily and readily transportable between sites whereat shot blast cleaning is to be effected.
According to the present invention there is provided shot blasting machinery housed within a transportable container having predetermined areas of the sheeting which constitute the walls of the container removable to permit a workpiece to be conveyed past a shot blasting wheel of the machinery.
Preferably the container is transportable, lying on its side, between sites on a trailer vehicle or other transporter and is disposed upright usually off the trailer or other transporter and on the ground for shot blast cleaning purposes.
The container corner lifting points are employed for moving the container between the trailer or other transporter and ground.
The container corner blocks are preferably employed to fix the container to the site floor for shot blast cleaning purposes.
The shot blast machinery is preferably built onto the end of the container which constitutes the base structure when the antainer is disposed upright. The skeletal framework being built up from the base structure around the shot blading machinery, and the framework being infilled with fixed and removable sheeting to define the container walls.
Wear plates are preferably inset in the walls of the blasting cabinet of the shot blasting machinery at required locations.
The transportable container and shot blasting machinery assembly is preferably a welded structure.
The shot blasting machinery preferably comprises a blast cabinet through which a workpiece can be conveyed, at least one reversible shot blasting wheel assembly, an abrasive storage hopper from which abrasive can be fed to the wheel assembly via a control valve, at least one conveyor screw for collecting spent abrasive and debris from the workpiece and delivering same to at least one bucket elevator which, in turn, delivers same to at least one separator from which dean shot is returned to the storage hopper.
The separator is preferably an air wash separator having associated with it a heavy dust hopper which is adapted to discharge to the floor of the container and a dust extraction box to which a dust collector can be connected by flexible ducting.
It is to be noted that when sheeting is removed to permit passagecf a workpiece through the shot blasting machinery seal plates dependent on the workpiece profile are fitted to contain the abrasive and dust.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the transportable container and shot blasting machinery assembly lying on its side on a trailer for transporting purposes; and
Fig. 2 is a side view of the assembly disposed upright on the ground for shot blast cleaning purposes.

The transportable container 10 is built to standard container dimensions and has the usual corner lifting points.
In producing the assembly which constitutes the present invention, the shot blasting machinery, which will be described shortly, is built onto an end wall 11 of the container, which end wall 11 constitutes the base of the assembly when the latter is free standing on a site floor for shot blast cleaning purposes. As mentioned before, the container corner blocks are used temporarily to fix the container 10 to the site floor.
When the shot blasting machinery has been built onto the wall 11 a skeletal rectangular framework 12 is erected around the machinery and this framework 12 is then infilled with fixed and removable sheeting which defines the walls of the container 10.
Reference is now made to the shot blasting machinery.
In this embodiment it comprises a shot blasting cabinet 13 with wear plates (not shown) on its walls and with a vestibule 14 fitted to each of two opposed sides thereof.
Four reversible abrasive throwing wheels 15 each driven by a directly-coupled electric motor 16 are provided for shot blast cleaning a workpiece W within the area of the shot blasting cabinet 13. Each throwing wheel 15 and its motor 16 is mounted on a door 17 hinged to the blasting cabinet 13 so that access can be gained for maintenance purposes. It will be manifest, therefore, that. the sheeting constituting the container walls is removable in the area of these doors,17.
Each pair of vertically-spaced throwing wheels 15 is fed with abrasive from one of a pair of storage hoppers 18 via manually operable control valves 19 and piping (not shown).
Each storage hopper 18 has an overflow pipe (not shown) for balancing purposes between the hoppers.
Each vestibule 14 has disposed at a different side thereof a bucket elevator 20, each of which delivers spent abrasive and debris from a corresponding delivery screw 21 in the base of the blasting cabinet 13 to a corresponding airwash separator 22.
Clean shot is delivered from each separator 22 to its corresponding storage hopper 18 while heavy dust passes to a corresponding heavy dust hopper 23 dischargeable to the container floor. Each separator 22 has associated with it a dust extraction box 22A linked to a dust extraction box 24 for the cabinet 13 and a dust collector (not shown) can be connected to these at 24A by ducting (also not shown). Here again it will be manifest that the sheeting will be removable to permit securement to the ducting.
A workpiece conveyor 25 passes through the blasting cabinet 13 and vestibules, 14 and, of course, sheeting at opposed sides of the cabinet 10 in this area is removable for passage of the workpiece W.
Depending on the profile of the workpiece to be cleaned a pair of seal plates 26 are fitted at both ends of the workpiece passage to contain abrasive and dust and debris.
It is to be noted that all drives in the shot blasting machinery are by electrical motors which are permanently secured in place.
All motors are grease filled so there is no danger of oil spillage.
The machinery control panel is arranged so that when the container is laid on a trailer 27 the control panel is disposed on one of the major vertical faces of the container 10.
When not in use the container 10 has closed walls and can be conveyed between sites on the trailer 27. On reaching a site where work is to be done the container 10 is laid upright on the ground and is secured to the site floor.
Sheeting is removed to permit passage of the workpieces to be cleaned and the appropriately profiled seal plates 26 fitted. The operator supplies the storage hoppers 18 with abrasive, opens the control valves 19 and starts up the machinery, workpieces being passed through the machinery until the job has been completed.
A gate 28 is then moved from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 to the position shown in dotted lines and the machinery run so that all abrasive is delivered via the heavy dust hoppers 23 onto the container floor from whence it is removed.
All sheeting is then fitted onto the container 10 and it can then be transported to another site.
With the abovedescribed assembly it is possible, by way of example, to shot blast clean one metre beams, 40 inch diameter pipes, two metre plates, four metre plates (with double pass) and various other profiles and sections.

Claims

1. Shot blasting machinery housed within a transportable container having predetermined areas of the sheeting which constitute the walls of the container removable to permit a workpiece to be conveyed past a shot blasting wheel of the machinery.

2. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in claim 1, in which the container is transportable, lying on its side, between sites on a trailer vehicle or other transporter and is disposed upright usually off the trailer or other transporter and on the ground for shot blast cleaning purposes.

3. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the container has container corner lifting points which we employed for moving the container between the trailer or other transporter and ground.

4. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the container has corner blocks which are employed to fix the container to the site floor for shot blast cleaning purposes.

5. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, built onto the end of the container which constitutes the base structure when the container is disposed upright.

6. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the container has a skeletal framework built up from a base structure around the shot blasting machinery, and the framework being infilled with fixed and removable sheeting to define the container walls.

7. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising wear plates inset in the walls of the blasting cabinet of the shot blasting machinery at required locations.

8. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the transportable container and shot blasting machinery assembly is a welded structure.

9. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a blast cabinet through which a workpiece can be conveyed, at least one reversible shot blasting wheel assembly, an abrasive storage hopper from which abrasive can be fed to the wheel assembly via a control valve, at least one conveyor screw for collecting spent abrasive and debris from the workpiece and delivering same to at least one bucket elevator which, in turn, delivers same to at least one separator from which clean shot is returned to the storage hopper.

10. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in claim 9, in which the separator is an air wash separator having associated with it a heavy dust hopper which is adapted to discharge to the floor of the container and a dust extraction box to which a dust collector can be connected by flexible ducting.

11. Shot blasting machinery as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, in whth, when sheeting is removed to permit passage of a workpiece through the shot blasting machinery, seal plates dependent on the workpiece profile are fitted to contain the abrasive and dust.

12. Shot blasting machinery housed within a transportable container, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.