Method of and apparatus for feeding glass batch materials

摘要

853,603. Hoppers. LIBBEY-OWENSFORD GLASS CO. Jan. 20, 1959 [Feb. 5, 1958], No. 2043/59. Class 78 (1). [Also in Group XXIII] The cullet feeder 38 includes a hopper 48, a vibratory feed pan 49, belt conveyer 50 and delivery stack 51 leading to angularly disposed ducts 58 each of which further divides the cullet material transversely by an inverted U-section 63 leading to branch ducts 67, 68 to which rectangular section shoots 44, 45, 46, 47 are bolted, the shoots flaring at the ends to allow free fall of the cullet material on to a platform 73 on which adjustable angle plates 76 are arranged to control the layers h1, h11. The raw batch materials feeder 39 includes a hopper 82 in which the feed to the main hopper 83 is controlled by sliding plates 90 carried in brackets 91 so that the effective area of the opening 911 can be varied along the length of the hopper. The main hopper 83 comprises a sloping front wall 92 and vertical rear wall 93 angled inwardly to leave a slot 106 leading to a vane wheel 84 for distributing the raw materials, the whole being supported on a frame 99 movable on wheels 100 and including a power unit 101 for driving the vane wheel 84. The wheel 84 is divided by spaced discs 103 and radially disposed ribs 104 into compartments 105. The amount of raw material falling into the compartments 105 is regulated across the wheel by a series of valve members 107 each having a sloping upper surface 111, bent down at the edge 112, and mounted on a threaded rod 120 parallel with wall 92 so that the distance S between the edge 112 and rear wall 93 can be varied, the central member 107 having the greatest distance S and the outermost members the least. A closure plate 108, which may be used to compact or adjust the raw materials in the compartments 105, is mounted for movement towards and away from the wheel 84 on a threaded rod 125 and for pivotal movement relative thereto on a threaded rod 126, the rods 120, 125 and 126 being mounted on wall 92 by brackets. In one modification the vane wheel is in two parts, joined centrally by a universal joint, and which may be adjusted to lie at an angle to each other so that the central thicker part t of the layer J is deposited ahead of the thinner edges f. In a further modification, the thickness of the layer J may be varied additionally by a vane wheel larger at the centre so that the compartments are progressively smaller towards the ends of the wheel.