Washington State University

Berol Corporation

John W Talbott

James David Logan

James D Logan

John M Kirkwood

An apparatus for breaking up clumps of particulate material into an even dispersion entrained within an airstream. It includes an elongated vortex tube that is open to an intake of a radial blade blower. The opposite end of the vortex tube includes a coaxial choke orifice. Particulate material is fed into the vortex tube through a tangential chute at a location adjacent the one vortex tube end. In operation, a pair of coaxial helical or vortex airstreams are formed within the vortex tube, one contained within the other. The outer vortex includes a directional component directed outward from the blower intake, while the inner vortex feeds toward the blower intake and blower blades. Material fed through the chute is received tangentially within the first outer vortex and is drawn in the outward direction. As its velocity drops, it meets the interface between the two concentric vortices. At this point, a clump of material may be completely dispersed due to the shearing effect of the oppositely moving vortices and the turbulence of the air within the area at the interface. The dispersed material will work its way along the inner vortex and eventually be fed through the blower intake and subsequently forced out its discharge.

Method and apparatus for induction and dispersion of particles in an

The description describes a process for forming a composite mat of directionally oriented lignocellulosic material in which elongated small pieces of the material are caused to descend individually as separate and discrete objects through an electric field orienting zone. A horizontal mat-support surface is moved immediately below the orienting zone to receive the descending pieces thereon with the elongated pieces overlapping each other to form a composite mat. An electric current is passed through the mat to produce a directional electric field immediately above the mat in which the electric field is directed in the direction of movement of the mat and parallel with the mat to exert forces on the elongated small pieces to cause the pieces to orient their long dimensions in the direction of the electric field as the pieces descend through the orienting zone in the formation of the composite mat. The electric current is produced within the mat by contacting the mat with electrodes and applying a voltage difference between the electrodes to cause electric current to flow through the mat between the electrodes in the direction of mat travel.

Method of forming a composite mat of directionally oriented

Method and apparatus for forming boards and slats by consolidation of a mat of individual elongated fibers and particles which are preliminarily aligned or oriented in the same direction by free-fall through an electric field in order to achieve the desired physical properties such as stiffness, strength, and dimensional stability in the grain direction.

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Moscow, ID, United States of America

John W Talbott