The present invention generally relates to placement of granular materials. More specifically, the present invention relates to a rotary airlock device used in a system or apparatus that moves and places granulate.
Sand, gravel and rock are used in a variety of applications for the construction industry. From aggregate base for concrete slabs, to back fill for retaining walls, granular materials, or granulates, are probably the most widely used substance, outside of concrete, in the construction industry. What has been a common problem has been moving the granulate from place to place when a dump truck and/or cranes and mechanical shovels do not have easy access to the worksite.
Another application, namely the construction of concrete flatwork (slabs on grade and the like) typically require a 2- to 6-inch layer of sand, gravel or other granular material underneath a concrete slab. In these applications, a vapor barrier is often required in order to provide moisture protection. The material of choice for vapor barriers is typically of a size and material that is job-site-specific, and therefore delivered directly from the vendor to a location adjacent to the flatwork in progress. Since the vapor barrier and subsequent granulate installation are the final steps preceding the actual concrete pouring, they are not completed until all other mechanical, electrical lines and footing reinforcement bars have been installed. As such, heavy equipment cannot be driven over the pad (and lines and bars) because the lines and bars (and vapor barrier) would be disturbed. Because of this restriction, the granulate has heretofore been applied manually with wheelbarrows and shovels.
Furthermore, the process of concrete flatwork usually involves the installation of a perimeter forms for the slab (i.e. within which the concrete would be poured). These perimeter forms also interfere with the use of heavy equipment to load the granulate into the pad. What is needed is a device and method that permits the transfer of granulate into a concrete flatwork pad without disturbing the mechanical and electrical lines, the reinforcing bars, the vapor barrier or the perimeter forms.
A number of improvements have been made to mechanisms for the pumping of sand and gravel. U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,774 to Dunlap describes a portable, self-contained apparatus capable of discharging granulate into hard-to-reach areas, as well as providing assistance in covering vast open areas with granulate in a short time. The apparatus 50 comprises a fully functional truck 52 having a substantially flatbed 54 upon which is mounted a high capacity air compressor 56. An air compressor 56, feeder/hopper 58, pumping device 60 and the hose 62 are provided. The feeder/hopper 58 is configured to receive loads of granulate and then feed the granulate in a consistent manner into the attached pumping device 60 for pneumatic compression into the hose 62. The hose 62 is stored on a hydraulic or air driven reel which dispenses the hose 62 for quick set-up and retracts it for ease of returning to storage on the truck 52.
As it relates to pumps generally, an ongoing problem experienced by placing flowable material, in particular materials like sand and gravel, is the extreme wear and tear these abrasive materials cause to these systems, and the differing sizes of the particulates. These abrasive materials rapidly break down and even destroy the parts of the handling systems and pumps. Additionally, even with various improvements a significant amount of inefficiencies exists in currently available systems. Leaks caused by the wear and tear of various parts of the system reduce significantly the operational characteristics of these systems. Furthermore, when the worksite is very far from where a truck can go, the pumping mechanism require sufficient power to pump the materials through a hose to the worksite.
Thus, what is needed is an improved pump/rotary airlock device to achieve a significant increase in the efficiencies of the system and reduce occurrence and frequency of equipment wear.
The following summary of the invention is provided in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention and as such it is not intended to particularly identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.
To achieve the foregoing and other aspects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, an apparatus and method for moving and placing granulate material, is provided.
Accordingly, the disclosure relates to a rotary airlock device or feeder for a portable, self-contained apparatus that is attachable to a motor vehicle (truck) capable of discharging granulate into hard-to-reach areas, as well as providing assistance in covering vast open areas with granulate in a short time.
The rotary airlock feeder and system permits the application of granulate into areas that are normally inaccessible and would require many hours of human labor, and thereby potentially avoiding damage to the site that might be incurred if employing a prior method and device.
The present system provides a rotary airlock mechanism or rotary airlock feeder, and a system mountable to a vehicle or trailer that is a “containerized” “boxed” or “cased” system mountable to a trailer. In this way, the system can be easily shipped and mounted to a trailer. The containerized system comprises operating components for the rotary airlock device and the software, hardware and firmware to operate the granulate moving system. One component of the system, the rotary airlock mechanism, comprises a rotary air lock chamber to move aggregates such as sand, rock, soil, through a hose and discharge at end users point of placement. The rotary airlock mechanism is configured to increase production rates and maximum aggregate size able to be pumped through hose. The device comprises a wear plate assembly, a rotor gasket assembly, a rotor plate assembly and a rotor component.
In embodiments, the rotary airlock feeder comprises a wear plate assembly comprises a bottom wear plate and a top wear plate, wherein the bottom wear plate attached to an upper part of a housing bowl, a rotor plate assembly comprises a first rotor plate and a second rotor plate, wherein the first rotor plate disposed above the bottom wear plate, and a rotor component disposed above the first rotor gasket, wherein the second rotor gasket disposed above the rotor component, wherein the second rotor plate is disposed above the second rotor gasket, wherein the top wear plate is disposed above the second rotor plate, wherein the rotary airlock feeder facilitates application of granulate into predetermined areas.
The first rotor plate and the second rotor plate comprise a plurality of chambers disposed therewith to facilitates the inflow and ejection the aggregate material deposited in chambers. The bottom wear plate is configured to protect the first rotary plate and the housing bowl. The first rotor gasket and the second rotor gasket are provided with a radial and circumferentially arrayed plurality of downwardly projecting flange portions to act as connection members. The gasket assembly and the wear plate assembly arrangement are configured to provide a mechanical and adhesive bond to the rotor component. In one embodiment, the housing bowl is mated to the bottom wear plate.
An upper end of housing comprises notches for fixing the bottom wear plate in place. The top wear plate comprises an air input line connected to a compressor to pump air into the rotary air lock to create pressure to pump the gravel down through the device and out of an output line. The top wear plate comprises a gravel drop to gravel drops and an exhaust to allow airflow of the chamber and release dust and particulate. The rotor component is connected to a hydraulic motor to spin the bowl and move particulate. The rotary airlock feeder is coupled to a feeder to receive granulates for pneumatic compression and discharge granulates into areas that are normally inaccessible. The rotary airlock feeder is configured to increase production rates and increase maximum aggregate size able to be pumped through hose connectable to the containerized system.
In another embodiment, a system for moving aggregate that is attachable to a trailer or truck such as medium duty or heavy-duty truck. The system comprises at least one of the rotatory airlock mechanisms, and multiple electronic and motor components disposed on the trailer in a containerized housing attachable to a truck. The container may comprise a user interface, a network interface module, an HMI module, an input/output module, an actuators/distance sensors module, a hydraulic motor, a safety module, a programmable logic controller (or PLC), and a manual control module. The control components that are mounted to trailer and are operable by a user.
In an embodiment, a system for moving and placing granulate, the system comprises a housing mountable to a trailer; at least one cabinet located on a side of the housing, wherein the at least one cabinet comprises a compressor; at least one back compartment located on the back side of the housing, wherein the at least one back compartment comprises at least one rotary airlock device in communication with the compressor, wherein the compressor feeds air to the rotary airlock device under pressure; an actuatable feeder located on the back side of the housing, wherein the feeder when in an open position receives granulate and feeds the granulate to the at least one rotary airlock device; a hose mount located on the housing and in communication with a bottom portion of the at least one rotary airlock, wherein when the compressor is actuated, the granulate is fed from the feeder, through the at least one rotary airlock and out through the house mount into a hose to place the granulate in a predetermined place.
In an embodiment, a rotary airlock feeder device comprising a wear plate assembly comprises a bottom wear plate and a top wear plate, wherein the bottom wear plate attached to an upper part of a housing bowl, wherein the top wear plat has a granulate input aperture; a rotary component comprising a rotary airlock chamber, wherein the rotary component is coupled to a motor and when actuated, rotates to provide a silo to increase pressure and move the granulate; a housing bowl positioned below the rotary component; an outlet assembly attached to housing bowl, wherein the outlet assembly a granulate outlet, and an air pipe coupled to the outlet assembly to provide an airflow to move granulate out of the outlet assembly.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating specific embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, exemplary constructions of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the specific methods and structures disclosed herein. The description of a method step or a structure referenced by a numeral in a drawing is applicable to the description of that method step or structure shown by that same numeral in any subsequent drawing herein.
Other features, advantages, and aspects of the present system will become more apparent and be more readily understood from the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention is best understood by referencing the detailed figures and description set forth herein.
It is expected that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the examples. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these examples is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art will, in light of the teachings of the present invention, recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, there are numerous modifications and variations of the invention that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive.
It is to be further understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular methodology, compounds, materials, manufacturing techniques, uses, and applications, described herein, as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an element” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, for another example, a reference to “a step” or “a means” is a reference to one or more steps or means and may include sub-steps and subservient means. All conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible. Thus, the word “or” should be understood as having the definition of a logical “or” rather than that of a logical “exclusive or” unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
For purposes of illustrating features of the embodiments, a simple example will now be introduced and referenced throughout the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this example is illustrative and not limiting and is provided purely for explanatory purposes. An example of a computing system environment is disclosed. Any computing system environment is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the system and method described herein. Neither should the computing environment be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment.
Referring now to
The system 100 may be coupled to a trailer 102 having a truss 104 upon which the housing 106 is mounted. The housing 106 comprises for components including but not limited to a high capacity air compressor, a motor (e.g., hydraulic motor), and a programmable logic controller (PLC) together with multiple sensor arrays and manual override components. The system further comprises an openable feeder/hopper 122, and at least one rotary airlock device 210 (shown in
In operation, the feeder/hopper 122 may be actuated downwardly to open and receives loads of granulate. The granulate is filtered by size and is then output into the rotary airlock device 210 for pneumatic compression and output via house mount 120 for output of particulate. In embodiments, the feeder/hopper 122 may be attached to the back of the housing at an upper end above the rotary airlocks outside of any compartments.
With reference to
The functional components of the rotary airlock system 210 comprise a wear plate assembly (222 and 224), a rotor component 242. The rotor component 242 is configured as a material input or intake and rotates to silo the material until it rotates over the outlet chamber for output. The wear plate assembly comprises a bottom wear plate 222, and a top wear plate 224. The bottom wear plate 222 is positioned at a lower portion of the rotary airlock 210, and may be manufactured from, for example, a duplex material composed of a chromium-tungsten carbide, austenitic alloy. However, other materials that are suitable may be used as well. The bottom wear plate 222 is configured to protect the lower rotary plate 230 and the housing bowl 234. The bottom wear plate 222 comprises an aperture to allow material flow and to protect the rotate assembly itself.
The top wear plate 224 is positioned at a top portion of the rotary airlock 210, and like the bottom wear plate 222, may be manufactured from, for example, a duplex material composed of a chromium-tungsten carbide, austenitic alloy. However, other materials that are suitable may be used as well. The top wear plate 224 is configured to protect the upper rotary plate 232.
Still with reference to
In operation, the bottom wear plate 222 attached to an upper part of a housing bowl 234. A lower part of the rotor component 242 attaches to the rotor component 242. The bottom wear plate 222 and the top wear plate 224 are attached to the rotor component 242 via fasteners. The fasteners include, but are not limited to, clamp screws, screws, and bolts. The wearing plate assembly arrangement and configuration are configured to provide mechanical and adhesive bond to the rotor components. In one embodiment, the rotor component 242, the rotor plate assembly and the rotor gasket assembly comprise circumferentially arranged plurality of openings. The circumferentially arranged openings of each assembly are congruent to one another. In operation, when granulate is fed into the rotary airlock via hopper, the granulate falls into the chamber of the bowl (to be discussed in more detail with reference to
Referring now to
Referring to
Referring to
With reference now to
Referring now to
In embodiments, system comprises two rotary airlock mechanisms including a first rotary airlock 201, a second rotary airlock 1002.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. It should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.
Although specific features of various embodiments of the invention may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. In accordance with the principles of the invention, the feature(s) of one drawing may be combined with any or all of the features in any of the other drawings. The words “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and “with” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively, and are not limited to any physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as the only possible embodiments. Rather, modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/896,906 filed Sep. 6, 2019, entitled Rotary Airlock Device for use with an Apparatus for Moving and Placing Granulate Material, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62896906 | Sep 2019 | US |