US1358702A - Machine for treating rubber and similar material - Google Patents

Description

.D.. R. BOWEN AND C. F. SCHNUCK.

MACHINE" FOR TREATING RUBBER AND SIMILAR MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED 001218. 1917. RENEWED AUG. 3|. 1920.

1 ,358,702. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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DAVID R. BOWEN, F ANSONIA, AND CARL F. SCHNUCK, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTI- CUT, ASSIGNORS T0 FARREL FOUNDRY AND MACHINE COMPANY, OF ANSONIA,

CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR TREATING RUBBER- AND SIMILAR MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 16, 1920.

Application filedOctober 18, 1917, Serial No. 197,191. Renewed August 31, 1920. Serial No. 407,221.

; clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to machines for treating rubber and similar material, and it pertains especially to machines for mixing, masticating, working or kneading rubber which is to be used for various industrial purposes. The invention pertains more particularly to machines of the type shown in our application, Serial No. 193,186. In that application there is described a rubber mixer or like machine having a plurality of auxiliary chambers or containers adapted to cooperate successively with the working chamber, whereby the machine may be operated with great economy of time and labor. For this purpose the machine described in the aforesaid application is provided with a working chamber having an opening in the lower part thereof, and a rotary magazine having a plurality of upwardly opening chambers or containers arranged beneath the Working chamber, so that by rotation of 'said magazine the auxiliary chambers or containers may be brought into alinement with the opening of the working chamber for charging or discharging of the material. The magazine may be moved lengthwiseof its axis by a special fluid pressure cylinder and piston, so that the rim of one auxiliary chamber or container may be held in leakproof contact with the rim of the opening of the working chamber. While the working chamber and the auxiliary chamber are held in such leak-proof communication with each other by the cylinder and piston aforesaid, a follower in the auxiliary chamber or container is actuated by another fluid pressure cylinder and piston in such a manner as to charge the material into the working chamber from the container, hold it in contact with the blades of the rotor, and then permit the discharge of the treated material from the working chamber into the container by lowering the follower afterthe mixing operation has been completed.

The primary object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction shown in the prior application above mentioned.

More specifically, the object of our invention is to-furnish a machine of the type in dicated having a single means for moving a charge container relatively to the working chamber, and for operating a follower or the like in said charge container. Such an arrangement simplifies the machine con struction considerably, as well as the operation thereof, and reduces the number of parts. :1

Again, our invention is intended to furnish a rubber mixer or like machine in which a single fluid pressure device is adapted to cause relative movement between the work ing chamber and a charge container, and to cause a movement of the material from the container or auxiliary chamber into the working chamber and vice versa.

To these and other ends, the invention consists inthe novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a rubber mixing machine embodying our improvements; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical, transverse section of the machine.

We have shown our improvements applied to a rubber mixer which is very similar in its general features to that disclosed in our application, Serial No. 193,186, but it will be understood from the following description that the type of the machine may be considerably varied without departure from the invention. In the embodiment shown, a working or mixing chamber ,10 is supported between suitable pedestals or end frames 11 which extend upward from a sub'base 11 the lower end of the pedestals or end frames being-located at about the floor level. In the example shown, the working chamber is constituted by asingle cylinder horizontally arranged, in which is located a central mixing element or rotor 12 having a shaft with bearings in the respective end frames. The machine may, however, comprise two or more communicating cylinders, each having a rotor therein, or it may have a still difierent arrangement of the mixing or Working parts without departure from the scope of our invention, which concerns itself primarily with the means for charging and discharging the chamber, or Space of whatever form, in which the material is workedor mixed. In order to facilitate an understanding of the description, however, it may be said. that, in the particular example illustrated, the working cylinder and rotor are of the type described and claimed in our application, Serial No. 191,413, the working chamber being constricted intermediate of its ends by a transverse constriction or rib 13, and the rotor having blades 14 at opposite sides of the rib adapted to mash the plastic material against the side wall of cylinder 10 and to extrude such material alternately in opposite directions through the restricted extrusion space provided by said rib. The chamber 10 is divided diametrically into an upper section 10 and a lower section 10 said sections being interconnected by bolts 10.

The working chamber 10 is intended to be charged and discharged at the bottomthrough an opening 15 provided in the lower section 10 of the chamber, and communi- 'cating with the working space, and the charging and discharging device hereinafter described is adapted tocooperate with a chamber having such an opening, although the filling and dischargi g opening or Openings may be otherwise located without departure from the invention. In the form shown, we use a magazine chargin and dischargin device involving a plurallty of auxiliary c ambers or containers 16 located below the opening 15 and adapted to turn about a central axis. The auxiliary chambers, of which two are provided in the present instance, are similar to each other, being formed as compartments in a generally cylindrical receptacle or magazine 17 adapted to turn about .thejaxis of an upright shaft 18. The chambers 16 are oreated by dividing the receptacle or magazine 17 diametrically by a partition 19 through which shaft 18 passes, each auxiliary chamber being, therefore, of substantially semi-cylindrical shape. The lower end of the shaft 18 has a bearing 21 in the sub-base 11 and the upper end of shaft 18 has a bearing in a detachable bar 22 applied to the lower section 10 of the working chamber along the straight edge of the opening 15, which opening has a segmental shape correspondiri to the cross-section of the containers 16. he bar 22 is detaehably held in place by bolts 23, the arrangement being'such that by removing bar 22, in which shaft 18 has its upper bearing, said shaft may be tilted out- Wardsomewhat at itsupper part, so that it When the magazine is supported onthe ballbearing 24, the central lower surface of the partition 19 engages the upper surface of the ball-bearing. In Fig. 2, we have shown the magazine raised upwardly from the ballbearing, so that the opening or mouth of' one of the containers 16 is held in leak-proof contact with the rim of the opening 15. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the upper edge of the partition 19 is in tight contact with the lower surface of the bar 22 across the straight edge of the container mouth, whereas at the curved edge of the container mouth a rabbeted rim 16 is provided, which makes leak-proof contact with the rabbeted rim portion 16 of openin 15.

. ach of the auxiliary chambers or con tainers 16'is provided with a piston, follower, or bottom 25, which is movable up and down therein. These pistons or 1fol-.

lowers correspond in shape to the segmental cross-section of the respective containers.

Each piston or follower is preferably provided with suitable packin to prevent leakage. The lower end of each container is open, as well as the up er end, but the corresponding piston or ollower is prevented from falling out of the lower end by a suitable stop 26. Each of the pistons or followers 25 is adapted to be moved up and down, whenthe corresponding container is alined with the opening 15 by a relatively stationary fluid ,pressure mechanism associated with the sub-base 11", located for the most part below the floor level. For this purpose a downwardly extending cylinder 27 is supported from the sub-base in a fixed position, in substantial alinement with the opening 15, said cylinder being provided interiorly with a piston or plunger 28, substantially as shown in our application Serial No. 193,186 hereinbefore mentioned. The piston or plunger 28 has a large piston rod 29 extending upwardly therefrom through a movable head or gland 30 at the follower 25.' As the receptacle 17 is rotated about shaft 18, the followers 25 will successively slide into operative engagement with the disk 31 as each container comes into alinement with the working chamber opening 1.5. The gland 30 is movable up and down in the upper end of cylinder 27 for the purpose of raising and lowering the receptacle or magazine 17. To this end, the gland is provided at its upper part with one or more upwardly directed prongs or extensions 33, adapted to engage the under party of the magazine. In the particular form shown, we have only illustrated one prong 33 on the movable gland, which prong is adaptedto engage under the peripheral portion of the magazine, as shown in Fig. 2. Suitable packing will preferably be associated with the joint between the piston rod 29 and the gland for the purpose of preventing leakage.

The fluid pressure device 27, 28 may be actuated hydraulically, for example. For this purpose suitable operating connections, such as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2 may be provided. Water under pressure comes in through an inlet pipe 34 having a branch 35 communicating with the space beneath piston 28, and a branch 36 communicating with the space of relatively small cross-section around the piston rod 29. Water admitted to the cylinder by way of branch 36 acts on quite a small area of piston 28 at the upper face thereof, whereas water admitted to the cylinder through the branch 35 acts on the piston 28 over a much greater area at the lower face thereof. In the branch 35 is a double acting valve 37, which in one position establishes communication between the pipe or main 34 and the cylinder, while in another position it cuts off such communication and permits exhaust of the cylinder throu h a pipe 38. A similar valve 39 is used in the branch 36. In one position, the valve 39 establishes communication between the inlet pipe and the cylinder, and in another position said valve cuts oif such communication and permits exhaust of the cylinder through an exhaust pipe 40.

In order, to lock the magazine in either of two positions, in which either one or the other of the containers 16 is in exactalinement with the opening of the working chamher, we employ suitable latch mechanism 41, which may be similar to that disclosed in our prior application, Serial No. 193,186. The latch mechanism is shown in Fi 2 but omitted in Fig. 1. As such mec anism forms no part of the present invention we do not consider it necessary to describe it in detail in this application.

The operation of the machine is substantially as follows:

Supposing that both of the valves 37 39 are so turned as to exhaust the water from the cylinder 27,'the upwardly sliding pres.-

sure member or gland 30 will occupy its lowermost position, in which its flange rests by gravity on the upper end of cylinder 27.

The magazine 17 will be lowered slightly from the position shown in Fig. 2, with its central part resting on the ball-bearing 24. It will be so located relatively to the working chamber that the mouth of one of the containers 16 will be'alined with but slightly below the working chamber opening 15, the magazine being held in this position by the latch mechanism 41. Material can then be charged into the outer container 16, viz., the one at the right of Fig. 2, from the top, and the latch mechanism being released, the magazine is swung by hand horizontally through 180, so as to aline said container with the working chamber opening. Just as the magazine reaches this position, the latch mecha nism catches and holds it. Fluid under pressure being admitted through branch 36 prong or prongs 33, and this downward pressure on the gland, which is assisted by gravity, prevents the gland from moving upward under the influence of the water introduced into the cylinder through pipe 36. Suppose now that water is introduced into the lower part of the cylinder 27 through pipe 35 by opening valve 37, such water will act on the large area at the lower face of the piston, and the pressure will be sufiiciently great to overcome that acting on the small upper piston area, whereby the piston and its rod 29 will be forced upwardly. In this manner, the follower 25 in the left-hand chamber is moved upward, carrying upward the material above the same, and such material is thereby charged into the working chamber through the opening 15. As soon as fluid under pressure is admitted beneath piston 28 and the same is moved upward to a slight extent, carrying with it follower 25, the gland 30 is free to rise and does so under pressure of the water in the upper part of cylinder 27, thereby moving the upper end of the left hand container into leak-proo f engagement with the rim of opening 15 and holding it in such engagement. This occurs before the material on top of follower 25 reaches the upper part of the container. As the follower 25 continues to move upward, the material is delivered from the container 16 into the working chamber past the joint between the container and the working chamber. The rotor 12 in the working chamber is continuously rotatedand the fol I lower 25, acted onby the fluid pressure deinto the working chamber in an upward direction, but it holds the material in contact with the rotor blade or blades throughout the mixing operation, for which purpose the pressure underneath piston 28 is continued throughout such operation. As the follower '25 is forced upward by piston 28, the pressure water in the space above the piston is forced out into the system, while still under pressure, by way of the branch 36. When the mixing has been completed the valve 37 is manipulated to release the pressure below piston 28, and the valve 39 remaining in the position" to which it is first adjusted, the

pressure on the upper piston face, assisted by gravity, causes the piston to carry the follower 25 downward again. In this way the discharge of the treated material from the mixing chamber through the opening 15 is permitted, the material adhering to the rotor falling down into the container 16 by gravity, or bein thrown off, or stripped off by the rib 13. follower has descended to its initial position in the magazine all of the material in the mixing chamber will have been discharged into the container on top of said follower. As the follower reaches the limit of its downward movement in the container, it brings up against the stop 26 and the magazine as a whole is, therefore, pulled downward, sliding on shaft 18 until it brings up against the ball-bearing 24. As the magazine moves downward, it pushes down on the prong or prongs 33, and the-downward pressure on the gland 30, assisted by gravity, causes said gland to move down out of the way of the magazine, so that the magazine will be pulled out of engagement with the mouth of the working chamber in an effective way to prevent sticking. While the material in the left-hand container is being charged into the working chamber, mixed and discharged, a new batch of material is placed in the righthand container. The magazine then being in the lowered position, the latch mechanism is released and the magazine is swung through 180 to carryone container into position for charging the new batch of material, while at the same time the batch of treated material is moved to a position 'in which it can be readily taken out or discharged from its container.

It will be understood, of course, thatas the magazine 17 is swung on its axis, one of the followers 25 swings out of engagement with the disk 31 of fluid pressure device 27, 28, and the other follower swings into engagement with said disk.

It will be understood from what has been said abovei'that after the machine has once been placed operation the movement of the charge 'container relatively to the working chamber-enacts operation of the follower or charging member 4 associated with sually by the time that the the container will be controlled in a very simple and effective way merely by opening and closing valve 37 or a similar controlling device. In the example illustrated, this valve, when in one position, actuates the piston by the applicatlon of pressure to the larger of two different pressure areas, thereby overcoming a pressure which is continuously applied to the smaller piston area and causing the container to be moved upward by the movable gland concurrently with the upward movement of the follower in the container by the hydraulic iston. When the valve is in the other position, the pressure on the large piston area is released and the pressure on the small piston area then becomes effective to lower both the follower and the charge container preliminary to another operation.

Various modifications may be made in the structure herein illustrated and described Without departure from the scope of our invention as described in the claims.

, We do not claim broadly'herein a rubber mixing machine having a working chamber with an intermediate extrusion rib and a rotor having blades at opposite sides of said rib, as claimed in our application, Serial No. 191,413; nor do we claim broadly herein a rubber mixer or like machine having a working chamber and a pressure operated charging device for said chamber located at the under portion thereof, as claimed in ourapplication, Serial No. 192,030; nor do we claim herein a machine of the character described having a working chamber, an auxiliary chamber communicating therewith,- and a piston in the auxiliary chamber having a face adapted to conform to the curvature of the working chamber, as claimed in our application, Serial No. 192,619; nor do we claim broadly herein a rubber mixer or like machine having a magazine of charge containers, as claimed in our application, Serial No. 193,186, previously identified. Furthermore we do not claim herein the method of masticating rubber or vsimilar material which comprises subjecting the mass to a mixing extrusion action, as claimed in our application Serial No. 223,537.

What we claim is:

1. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a

working chamber, a charge container, and a single means for moving the charge container relatively to the working chamber and for carrying the material from the charge container into said chamber.

2. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber, a charge container, and a single device for causing relative movement of the container and working chamber and for shifting the material in the container.

3. In arubber mixer or like machine, a Working chamber, a charge container, and a single device including a fluid pressure cylinder and piston for moving the container and chamber relatively to each other and for causing a shifting movement of the material in the container.

4. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber, a movably mounted oon-' tainer arranged exteriorly thereof but adapt- .ed to communicate therewith and to hold and charge the material, and a common means for shifting said container relatively to said working chamber and for moving the Lnaterial from said container into said cham- 5. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having an opening in its lower portion, a movable container adapted to communicate with said working chamber by way of said opening, and a common means for moving said container into leakproof contact with said chamber and for forcing the material from the container into the chamber.

6. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having an opening, a movably mounted container adapted to communicate with said opening and having a movable follower therein, and a single devicefor shifting said container relativel to said chamber and for operating said fo lower.

7. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a

working chamber having an opening, a movv ably mounted'container adapted to communicate with said opening and having a movable follower therein, and a fluid pressure device for shifting said container relatively to said working chamber and for operating said follower.

8. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having an opening, a movably mounted container adapted to communicate with said opening and having a movable follower therein, and means including a fluid pressure cylinder and piston for moving said container toward said opening and for operating said follower.

9. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having an opening, a con tainer movable axially toward said opening and havingamovablefollower therein, and

means located in the axis of said container for shifting it toward said opening and for operating said follower.

10. In a machine of the character de scribed, a magazine having a plurality of compartments, movable followers therein, and a common means for shifting said magazine bodily and for actuating said followers.

11. In amachine of the character described, a working chamber, a movable magazine having a plurality of compartments adapted to communicate with said chamber successively, movable followers mounted in the respective compartments,

and a single fluid pressure means for shifting the magazine relatively to the working chamber and for operating the followers.

12. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a movable magazine, a plurality of charging devices associated therewith, and a common means for shifting themagazine and operating said charging devices. k i 13. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber, a charge container located beneath the same, and means located beneath said charge container for shifting the same.

14. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having an opening in the lower portion thereof, a charge container movable up and down beneath said opening and adapted to communicate therewith, and

means located beneath the charge container for moving it upward into communication wlth said opening.

15. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a

working chamber having an opening in the lower portion thereof, a charge container beneath said opening, and a fluid pressure device located beneath said charge container for moving it upward toward said working chamber so that it will communicate with said opening.

16. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a charge containerhaving a follower, a fluid pressur device having a movable piston member and a movable gland member,

means for connecting the container with one.

scribed, a vertically movable container, and.

a fluid pressure device beneath the same having a movable gland cooperating with said container.

20. In a machine of the character de-' scribed, a bodily shiftable container having a movable charging device, and a fluid pressure device having two separately movable members for shifting said container and actuating said charging device respectively.

21. A machine having the elements enumerated in claim 20, wherein one of the separately movable members of the fluid piston and the other is pressure device is a a movable gland. V I 22. A rubber mixing machine having a mixing machine in which a ber, the latter being provided with a suitable rotor.

24. A rubber mixer having a fluid pressur device for causing relative movement 15 of the charge container and working chamber and for moving the material from the container into the chamber. 7

In witness whereof we'have hereunto set our hands on thelOth day of October, 1917. 20

DAVID R. BOWEN. CARL F SCHNUCK.

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