US1898354A - Means for transporting and delivering powdered material - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 19339 w. 1.. FICKEY 1,893,354

MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING AND DELIVERING POWDERED MATERIAL Filed July 28. 1930 Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES L. FICKEY, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA MEANS FOR rmsronrme AN D DELIVERING POWDEBED MATERIAL Application filed. Inly 28, 1930. Serial No. 471,253.-

The principal object of this invention is to provide a device for carrying owdered material such as comminuted coal rom a central point or reduction plant to outlying points where it is used.

A further object is to provide a means that will not only transport powdered material but one that will deliver the material to a receivin bin at location of use with dispatch and e ciency.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a means that will transport and deliver powdered material such as powdered coal without any loss of the material during transit or delivery at receiving end.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a powdered material transporting means that is capable of delivering the transported material in not readily accessible places at the receiving point.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a means for transporting and delivering powdered coal that is economical in manufacture and durable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional View of the powdered material holding tank and more fully illustrates its interior construction.

Fig. 3 is a top plan sectional view showing the spider holding the lower end portion of the outlet pipe in proper position in the bottom portion of the tank.

The present method of furnishing powdered fuel and the like to points of use is to place the fuel in sacks at the plant or central location, haul the filled sacks to the purchaser or user, and then empty the sacks in the hopper or bin of the purchaser or user. This procedure has many disadvanta es, principally due to the fuel itself as its eness and lightness makes it very susceptible to mixing with the atmosphere which invariably takes place when the sack is opened and the contents shaken out into the bin. This means not only a waste of material but the soiling of property in the vicinity. Furthermore the sacks must be of almost air tight construction such as paper sacks. When a sack becomes torn which often happens, much valuable material is lost. Also the sacks are an economic loss. This method of transportation and delivery of powdered material is very dirty and tiresome to the workmen and much valuable and costly time is experienced. I have overcome all these objections as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

I have used the numeral 10 to generally deslgnate an automotive vehicle having the usual wheels 11. Mounted on this vehicle is my powdered material holding tank 12 having its bottom tapering downwardly as shown in Fig. 2. The numeral 13 designates a neck on top of the tank communicating with the inside of the same and having a peripheral flange 14: at its rim. I have used the numeral 15 to designate a bracket having its. two hooked ends capable of engaging the underside of the flange 14 and extending over the top of the neck 13. Threaded through the central portion ofthis bracket is a rod 15 having swlvelled onits lower end the lid 17 capable of closing the top of the neck 13. The numeral 18 designates. a hand wheel rigidly secured to the top of the threaded rod 16 to facilitate its manual rotation. By this construction when the wheel is rotated to the left the bracket 15 carrying the rod 16 and the lid 17 will be removed from the neck 13. To replace this portion of the device on' the neck 13 it is merely necessary-to place the two hooked ends of the bracket under the flange 14. and rotate the hand wheel 18 to the right which will force the lid 17 tightly on top of the neck 13 and rigidly secure the bracket 15 to the neck 13. The lid 17 and neck 13 should be of such fit one to the other that when the lid is tightened downwardly on the neck it will hermetically seal the tank 12. It is through this neck 13 that the powdered material is inserted in bulk condition. The

numeral 19 designates the powdered material outlet pipe extending into the tank 12 and terminating near its bottom as shown in Fig. 2 and having its dead center bottom portion flattened as at 12. The lower end portion of this pipe is held in pro r position near the dead center bottom ortion 12 of the tank by the spider 20 which as its outer ends secured to the tank 12 by a suitable means.

Interimposed in the pipe 19 at a point outside of the tank 12 is a manually operated valve 21 shown in conventional form. Formed on the upper and outer end of the pipe 19 is the usual screw hose connection 22 designed to receive in the usual manner one end of a flexible hose 23 which when not in use may be rolled on a reel 24 mounted on the vehicle as shown in Fig. 1. The numeral 25 designates a small air compressor operated by an electric motor 26, both of which are shown in'conventional form and mounted on the vehicle 10. The electric motor 26 may receive its source of electrical energy from the storage batter or generator of the motor of the vehicle or, i desired, the air compressor 25 may be run by the internal combustion motor of the vehicle itself. The numeral 27 designates a ipe on top of the tank 12 and having one 0 its ends communicating with the inside of the tank 12. On the other end of the pipe 27 is an ordinary air pressure gauge 28 shown in conventional form. The numeral 29 designates a pipe or like having one end communicating with the air compressor 25 and its other end communicating with the inside of the pipe 27. Interimposed in this pipe 29 is a manually operated valve 30 shown in conventional form.

The practical operation of the invention is as follows: The powdered material to be transported and delivered is placed in the tank 12 at the central or coal reduction plant through the neck 13. Any desired amount of material may be deposited in the tank 12 but the tank 12 should not be completely filled with the powdered material.

In other words an air space should exist in the top of the tank 12 after the powdered fuel has been placed therein. After the powdered material has been placed in the tank 12 the neck should be hermetically closed by the lid 17. The hand valve 21 should be in a closed position and the hand valve 30 in an open condition. The compressor 25 should then be actuated which will create a pressure tank 12 and above the powdered material therein. This pressure inside be sufficient to expel the powdered material, and is designated by the pressure gauge 28. After suitable pressure exists in the tank 12 the compressor 25 should be stopped and the hand operated valve 30 closed. After the vehicle 10 has transported the powdered material to the location or locations of use, the hose 23 is unwound from the reel 24 and one of its ends screwed into the connection 22. The 0 posite end of the hose 23 will naturally be tl ie discharge end and it should be inserted into the hopper or bin to receive the powdered material. By the use of'a flexible hose out-of-the-way places such as basements and the like become readily accessible due to the fact that the flexible hose may be passed through a window or like and ma e any number of turns before it reaches its destination. By opening the valve 21 the air pressure above the powdered fuel will cause it to pass up and through the pipe 19 and into and through the hose 23 to the receiving hopper or bin. As will be noted such a method of transporting and delivering powdered fuel will be very quick, clean, economical, without loss of material, and require little effort on the part of the operator. To stop the flow of the powdered fuel through the pipe 19 it is merely necessary to close the valve 21.

If the pressure inside the tank becomes too low to properly force the powdered fuel through the pipe 19, it is merely necessary to start the compressor 25. By the bottom of the tank 12 being tapered practically all of the powdered fuel in the tank 12 may be removed.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arran ement of my improved means for transporting and delivering powdered material without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. Means for handling and delivering packable but substantially impervious-to-air material such as powdered coal from a source of supply to a place of use without pollution of the surrounding atmosphere at any time and comprising,-a tank having a restricted horizontal bottom and a closure-controlled ing opening above the bottom, a valvecontrolled material discharge pipe having its inlet adjacent and substantially perpendicular to said tank bottom, and means for applying a head of pressure to the top of the material within the tank whereby to flow the material out through said pipe without a carrying vehicle therefor.

cans for handling and delivering packable but substantially impervious-to-air material such as powdered coal from a source of supply to a lace of use without pollution of the surroun ing atmosphere, and compris- 1ng,-a tank having a plane and restricted horizontal bottom and a closure-controlled filling openin above said bottom, a sectional material disc arge pipe comprising separable sections, one section being within and carried by an up er wall ortion of the tank and having its in et end a jacent to and perdicular to such bottom, and tank-carriedmeans for applying a head of air pressure to said tank above the material therein whereby to flow the material out through said pipe without a carrying vehicle therefor, the plane surfaced tank bottom and the adjacent perpendicularly disposed outlet pipe section provlding 'an antipacking flowing I means.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2,- and the other section of said outlet pipe being detachable from the first named section exteriorly of the tank, and an exterior base extension projecting from said tank providing a support for said second-mentioned pipe section.

WARD L. FICKEY.

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