Title of Invention

A DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY INCORPORATING PRECISELY METERED POWDERED MATERIAL SUCH AS CARBON BLACK INTO AN ELASTOMER

Abstract ABSTRACT 1183/MAS/95 A device for continuously incorporating precisely metered powdered material such as carbon black into an elastomer comprising a mixing chamber (9), a metering device for granular/pulverulent products comprising product feed means; a rotor (2) having a circular plate (21) on to which the product is delivered by the feed means for rotatably driving the said rotor (2), the said plate being bordered by a cylindrical wall (22) bored with at least one channel (24), a cylinder (3) containing the rotor (2), adjusted with respect to the said cylindrical wall (22) so as to leave a slight clearance to permit the rotation of the rotor (2) inside the cylinder (3), said cylinder (3) comprising a port (5) disposed axially opposite the said channel or channels (24) a screen (4) which is fixed with respect to the cylinder (3) and disposed axially at the same level as the said port (5), radially inward of the cylindrical wall (22), and adjusted with respect to the latter so as to permit movement of the rotor (2), the said screen (4) extending angularly beyond both sides of the port (5) by an amount corresponding at least to the angular opening of the said channels and a transfer chamber (6) located down stream of the port (5) , the said transfer chamber being in communication with the mixing chamber via a diverging passage and housing a slidable delivery piston.
Full Text



The present invention relates to the quantitative metering of granular or powdered products. The metered feeding of such products by weight or volume has numerous applications in industry. In certain cases it is highly desirable that the weight or volume measurement can be effected continuously in order to obtain a continuous flow, or one which pulses as little as possible.
While continuous quantitative metering has been fully mastered in the case of liquid products, this is not true in the case of products which are in powdered or even granular form. Numerous systems which operate, in particular, on basis of weighings are already known. However, all the known metering techniques for granular or powdered products have recourse to automatic controls and/or attached means of calculation, making these systems complex, bulky, expensive and/or unreliable in an industrial atmosphere or poorly adapted to operate at variable rates. Furthermore, volumetric systems raise difficulties with respect to the filling and removal of the unit metered volume.
The present invention proposes a simple, reliable and very precise device for the quantitative metering of such products, and one which is fully adapted to continuous metering
The device of the present invention for the metered dispensing of granular or cowdered products comprises:
- product feed means ;
- a rotor comprising a circular plate onto which the product is delivered by feed means, said plate being provided at its edge with a cylindrical wall pierced by at least one recess ;
- a cylinder containing the rotor, which is so adjusted with respect to said cylindrical wall as to leave a slight clearance which permits rotation of the rotor within the cylinder, the cylinder having a hole arranged opposite said
- a screen which is fixed with respect to the cylinder and arranged axially at the same level as said opening, radially inwards of the cylindrical wall and so adjusted with respect to the latter as to permit movement of the rotor, said screen extending over an angle beyond both sides of the opening by an amount corresponding to at least the angular opening of the said recesses ;
- means driving the rotation of said rotor.

The following figures and the description thereof illustrate the non-limitative application of the invention to the quantitative metering of carbon black, used as reinforcing filler in rubber mixes. Accordingly the present invention
provides a: device for continuously incorporating precisely metered powdered material such as carbon black into an elastomer comprising a mixing chamber (9), a metering device for granular/pulverulent products comprising product feed means; a rotor (2) having a circular plate (21) on to which the product is delivered by the feed means ; means for rotatably driving the said rotor (2), the said plate being bordered by a cylindrical wall (22) bored with at least one channel (24), a cylinder (3) containing the rotor (2), adjusted with respect to the said cylindrical wall (22) so as to leave a slight clearance to permit the rotation of the rotor (2) inside the cylinder (3), said cylinder (3) comprising a port (5) disposed axially opposite the said channel or channels (24) , a screen (4) which is fixed with respect to the cylinder (3) and disposed axially at the same level as the said port (5), radially inward of the cylindrical wall (22), and adjusted with respect to the latter so as to permit movement of the rotor (2), the said screen (4) extending angularly beyond both sides of the port (5) by an amount corresponding at least to the angular opening of the said channels and a transfer chamber (6) located down stream of the port (5) , the said transfer chamber being in communication with the mixing chamber via a diverging passage and housing a slidable delivery piston.
• 6 FEB im DUPLICATE

With reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a general elevational view showing the device incorporated in a rubber mixing installation ; Figure 2 is a section along the line II-II of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 shows a detail of execution .
From Figure 1, one can seen that feed means consist of a filling hopper 1. Upstream of the hopper 1 it is seen to it that the average flow of carbon black corresponds at least to the flow supplied by the metering device without other condition than to avoid any interruption of the feed which the metering device would be definitely incapable of compensating for. No precision is required at this stage. In order to avoid a blocking of the hopper as a result of arching (carbon black easily tends to form an arch, resting on two convergent walls), an agitator (not shown) is, for example, provided within the hopper 1. This agitator can, furthermore, be used to drive the carbon black towards the metering device described below. The feed system can, of course, be of very different shape, numerous solutions being possible in order to assure a force feeding of the metering device. The design of the feed system depends to a large extent on the product metered, which, in the rubber industry, may be carbon black, sulfur, kaolin, numerous accelerators or the like .
This device is based on the centrifuging of the carbon black, which falls onto a plate 21 which is driven in rotation. There can be noted the rotor 2 iormed by said circular plate 21 on the edge of which there is a cylindrical wall 22. The rotor 2 is free to rotate within a cylinder 3 developed in the body 30. An upper bell shaped cover 31 defines an enclosure 32 in which the carbon black is centrifuged. The axis of rotation 20 of the rotor 2 is vertical and the carbon black drops onto the plate 21 by simple gravity. It is then driven in rotation; a centrifugal force appears which has the effect of throwing it against the cylindrical wall 22 which is firmly attached to the plate 21. in order to guarantee the driving in rotation of the carbon black, radial ribs 2 3 are advantageously provided on the plate 21, they protruding slightly from said plate 21.
The device operates perfectly even when the enclosure 32 is completely filled with carbon black. It is therefore, sufficient to stuff the metering device, that is to say, feed it fully in order to be certain that there is no interruptionin the feed. The centrifuging effect makes the effect of gravity on the operation of the device negligib]^. The orientation of the plate 21 can therefore differ greatly

from horizontal, the forces dictating the orientation coming rather from the feeding with carbon black of the device .
The cylindrical wall 22 has at least one recess 24 (in this case four) pierced through the cylindrical wall 22. Such a recess constitutes a sort of reservoir of fully definable volume. During the major part of a revolution of the rotor
2, the end of the recess 24 is masked by the cylinder 3. At
a given moment, each recess 24 disappears behind a stationary
screen 4, which is rigidly attached to the bell shaped cover
31, which is, in turn, connected to the body 30. The screen
4 is arranged axially at the same level as the said recesses 24 and radially inwards of the cylindrical wall 21, leaving, with respect to the latter, the precise clearance necessary to permit movement. It has been found, with the type of carbon black indicated below, that with a clearance of 50 micrometers, the carbon black does not enter between the cylinder 3 and the cylindrical wall 22 of the rotor 2. Therefore, the volume of each reservoir formed by the recesses 24 is defined by the faces 240 of the recess 24 in the thickness of the cylindrical wall 22, by the cylinder 3 provided in the body 30, and by the radially outer face 400 of the screen 4, which face is necessarily shaped as a cylindrical arc.
If the feed is sufficient, the carbon black which is flung against the wall 22 by the centrifugal force necessarily fills all the recesses 24.
One af.t,f^r the other, the recesses 24 pass behind the screen 4 and then arrive opposite a hole 5 provided in the cylinder
3. The screen 4 preferably extends over an ample on each
side of the hole 5 by at least an amount corresponding to the
angular opening of said recesses 24 so that the volume
defined by each recess 24 (as explained above) can never be
in communication with both the hole 5 and the enclosure 32
containing the carbon black deposited by the feed means. The
carbon black is thus metered precisely quantitatively by a
precise volumetric removal.
It is to be noted that it is desired to incorporate a given weight of carbon black and a given weight of rubber. After calibration for each type of carbon black which it is desired to add or, in general, for each type of material (granular or powdered products), one effects a weight measurement via a volxime measurement.
The metering device of the invention has a possible leak between its rotary member and its stationairy member and, therefore, between the end 220 of the cylindrical^wall 22 of the rotor 2 and the corresponding end 310 of the bell shaped cover 31. It is advisable to adjust the clearance to the minimum possible. However, the centrifuging of the ^ carbon black, despite everything, may cause a slight entry of

carbon black between rotor 2 and stator, formed here of the bell shaped cover 31 and by the body 30 in which the cylinder 3 is produced. In order to avoid progressive clogging, which could damage the metering device, a radial groove 221 has been provided at a point on the end 220 of the cylindrical wall 22. Thus, the carbon black which has started to migrate between the rotor 2 and the bell shaped cover 31 is collected by scraping and, then, upon each revolution, expelled through the opening 5, which is adapted to this purpose, or else it is expelled through an opening provided to collect said leaking carbon black at any place on the cylinder 3, provided that it can be opposite the groove 221. However, the quantity of carbon black which can leak out is infinitesimal as compared with the volume of carbonblack metered and the amount leaked can therefore be rejectedin the volume metered.
After metering, as in the example illustrating the invention, the carbon black is incorporated continuously into uncured rubber. The method of continuous mixing of uncured rubber, which consists of continuously introducing an elastomer into a mixing chamber 9 and continuously incorporating therein a precisely metered powdered product, is characterized by the fact that the metering consists in feeding powdered product to a rotor 2 comprising a circular plate 21 onto which the product is delivered by the feed means, said plate being provided at its edge with a cylindrical wall 22 pierced by at least one recess 24; causing the rotor 2 to rotate in a cylinder 3 containing the rotor 2 which is so adjusted with respect to the said cylindrical wall 22 as to leave a slight clearance which permits rotation of the rotor 2 within the cylinder 3, the cylinder 3 having a hole 5 arranged axially „opposite the said recess or recesses 24; providing a screen 4 which is stationary with respect to the cylinder 3, axially at the same level as the said hole 5, radially inwards of the cylindrical wall 22 and so adjusted with respect to the latter as to permit movement of the rotor 2, said screen 4 extending over an angle on both sides beyond the hole 5 by an amount corresponding at least to the angular opening of the recesses 24.
The hole 5 debouches into a transfer chamber 6 in which a piston 7 which pushes the carbon black into a mixing chamber 9 can slide. The shape of the transfer chamber 6, as clearly shown in Figure 2, is dictated by the direction of centrifugation of the carbon black as soon as it is no longer contained by the cylinder 3. The hole 5 is therefore the common interface between the cylinder 3 and the transfer chamber 6. As soon as the piston 7 moves down to deliver the carbon black, it masks the hole 5 and interrupts the ^ quantitative metering, since the recesses 24 can no longer empty themselves of the carbon black which they contain. A rotary mixing member 90, such as numerous descriptions of which are found in the prior art, moves within the mixing . chamber 9.

Due to the descent of the piston 7, the incorporating of the carbon black in the raw rubber can be effected under pressure. Between the transfer chamber 6 and the mixing chamber S, there is provided a diverging passage 8 in which the cross section of passage of the carbon black increases. Thus, due to the arching effect mentioned above, a non-return effect is naturally obtained.
The assembly for the incorporating of carbon black into raw rubber lends itself particularly well to the introduction of the carbon black continuously under pressure, making truly continuous preparation of the rubber mixes feasible.


I , A device for continuously incorporating precisely metered powdered material such as carbon black into an elastomer comprising a mixing chamber (9), a metering device for granular/pulverulent products comprising product feed means; a rotor (2) having a circular plate (21) on to which the product :s delivered by the feed means means for rotatably driving the said rotor (2), the said plate being bordered by a cylindrical wall (22) bored with at least one channel (24), a cylinder (3) containing the rotor (2), adjusted with respect to the said cylindrical wall (22) so as to leave a slight clearance to permit the rotation of the rotor (2) inside the cylinder (3), said cylinder (3) comprising a port (5) disposed axially opposite the said channel or channels (24) , a screen (4) which is fixed with respect to the cylinder (3) and disposed axially at the same level as the said port (5), radially inward of the cylindrical wall (22), and adjusted with respect to the latter so as to permit movement of the rotor (2), the said screen (4) extending angularly beyond both sides of the port (5) by an amount corresponding at least to the angular opening of the said channels and a transfer chamber (6) located down stream of the port (5) , the said transfer chamber being in communication with the mixing chamber via a diverging passage and housing a slidable delivery piston.

2. A device for continuously incorporating precisely metered powdered material substantially as herein above described with reference to the accompanying drawings.


Documents:

1183- mas-1995 abstract.pdf

1183- mas-1995 claims.pdf

1183- mas-1995 correspondence -others.pdf

1183- mas-1995 correspondence -po.pdf

1183- mas-1995 description (complete).pdf

1183- mas-1995 drawings.pdf

1183- mas-1995 form-1.pdf

1183- mas-1995 form-26.pdf

1183- mas-1995 form-4.pdf


Patent Number 190414
Indian Patent Application Number 1183/MAS/1995
PG Journal Number 30/2009
Publication Date 24-Jul-2009
Grant Date 15-Mar-2004
Date of Filing 12-Sep-1995
Name of Patentee M/S. SEDEPRO
Applicant Address 230,RUE LECOURBE, 75015 PARIS
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 DANIEL LAURENT 23, AVENUE DE LA PLAINE FLEURIE, 38240, MEYLAND,
PCT International Classification Number B65D 83/06
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 NA