Other

Whiteman Manufacturing Company

John A Richards

An apparatus and method for pumping powdered materials. The apparatus includes a hopper having a discharge outlet in one end wall thereof. An agitator gently stirs the powdered material to prevent it from bridging and packing in the hopper. A sliding cylindrical sleeve, axially aligned with the discharge outlet, and a main piston therein are movable in the hopper for successively entrapping, or segregating, and discharging a portion of the powdered material through the discharge outlet. An auxiliary hydraulic cylinder within the sleeve contains a plunger that slides through a bore in the main piston. The plunger is independently movable relative to the main piston and sleeve, and, upon retraction, provides a void in the entrapped material to prevent bridging and packing in the sleeve. A fluidizing element in the hopper below the path of travel of the sleeve keeps the powdered material in a loose condition to further eliminate any tendency to bridge or pack in the sleeve. A slide valve is mounted on said one end wall of the hopper for controlling the discharge of powdered material from the discharge outlet into a chamber that may be pressurized. The method comprises essentially, extending the plunger into the body of powdered material, entrapping a portion of the powdered material adjacent to and surrounding the plunger, withdrawing the plunger from the entrapped powdered material to form a void therein, and discharging the entrapped material.

Apparatus and method for pumping powdered material

A valve, comprising: a cylindrical casing, closed at its ends by covers, and having axially aligned inlet and outlet chambers midway of its length disposed at right angles to the axis of the casing. Communication between said chambers is controlled by a ported, fluid pressure operated, movable valve plate assembly, including parallel cylinders, each containing a stationary piston connected to the inner end of a pair of axially aligned rods, or guides, fixed at their outer end to the covers. Each rod has a passageway communicating at its inner end with one end of its associated cylinder for supplying operating fluid thereto to bodily reciprocate the valve plate assembly on said rods within the casing. An adjustable collar positions a fixed wear plate in sealing engagement with one side of the valve plate assembly, and a fluid pressure actuated loading ring urges a floating wear plate into contact with the other side of said valve plate assembly. The casing may be pressurized by gas or liquid, but in any event, such pressure is maintained equal to or preferably slightly lower than the fluid pressure applied to the loading ring, but higher than the pressure in the system in which the valve is installed. With such pressure relationship, any abrasive material being handled by the system is prevented from entering between the movable valve plate assembly and the fixed and floating wear plates, respectively, thereby eliminating or reducing leakage and wear to a minimum. When liquid is used as the casing pressurizing fluid and/or the operating fluid supplied to the cylinders, it is preferably filtered, and may also be circulated through heat exchange means, if cooling thereof is necessary or desirable. The invention further includes a method of preventing abrasion, i.e., scoring and galling of the valve seating surfaces when the valve is installed in a system handling abrasive material.

Valve for use in handling abrasive materials and method of wear

Method and apparatus are provided for converting heat to electricity wherein a non-porous dielectric barrier layer is placed on a conducting member, a cathode is placed on the barrier layer, a grommet is placed thereon and an anode is mounted on the grommet in spaced proximity with the barrier layer and the cathode to define a chamber. The anode and the cathode are electrically connected across a load by external circuit means. Gas is then admitted to the chamber and maintained at a desired pressure. DC voltage is then applied across the above electrodes and the conducting member to establish an electric field therebetween and heat is applied to the conducting member to cause current to flow in the external circuit. In another embodiment, porous dielectric material is placed in the cavity to enhance such current flow.

Thermal electric converter

Concrete pumping apparatus of the positive displacement type in which primary and secondary pumping units are actuated in a manner such that the pumping discharges from the pumping units overlap in a manner to produce a substantially constant flow delivery, the pumping units having pistons operably connected to a pivoted rocker arm having a driving connection with a main shaft, and another overriding driving connection with the main shaft which varies the driving action of the rocker arm, wherein the pivot of the rocker arm is supported on a swingable lever having its outer end operably engaged with rotatable cam means carried by the main shaft. A manifold housing connected to the similar open ends of the cylinders of the pumping units, contains valve members for controlling the pumping operations so that one pumping unit serves as a primary unit to initially discharge the pumped material concurrently into a delivery line and into the cylinder of the other pumping unit which then operates as a secondary pumping unit to discharge its previously received material into the delivery line. The manifold housing is further provided with access means permitting removal of the valve members for cleaning, replacement, repair, etc., without having to disassemble the manifold housing. The apparatus also includes a hinged material delivery spout on the manifold housing with latching means which may be initially actuated to permit hinged movement of the spot to a partially opened latched position to relieve the pressurized material therein, prior to its being completely unlatched for hinged movement to a fully opened position.

Concrete pumping apparatus

A concrete hopper has a plurality of arcuate channels in its bottom portion, preferably lined with a resilient material, such as rubber. The hopper includes a discharge end with discharge outlets formed therein in communication with the channels. A sliding sleeve-piston combination is associated with each channel for segregating and discharging a portion of the concrete through its associated discharge outlet. In other words, the sleeves are alternately filled by moving them through the hopper, and the pistons are operated to force the concrete out of the sleeves. A slide valve assembly including a discharge nozzle for connecting to a discharge hose and a pair of wear plates controls the discharge of pumped concrete from the discharge outlets. Hydraulic control means are included which automatically program the sequential operation of the sliding sleeve-piston combinations and the sliding valve. The pumping apparatus is designed to prevent the crushing of rock during shifting of the slide valve by being constructed so that the ends of the pistons and sleeves when fully extended lie in the same plane as the wear faces of the valve wear plates.

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Santa Ana, CA, United States of America

John A Richards