The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 28, 1991
Filed:
Mar. 12, 1986
Robert E Sparks, Kirkwood, MO (US);
Norbert S Mason, Clayton, MO (US);
Michael Center, St. Louis, MO (US);
Washington University Technology Associates, Inc., St. Louis, MO (US);
Abstract
Method and apparatus for the formation of granules of a larger size or mass of a desired range from a feed stock of smaller particles comprising feeding a meltable powdery material to be granulated, or a non-meltable powdery material with a meltable binder to the surface of a rotating spreader means in the form of a disk or bowl, at least a portion of which has been heated to a temperature above the melting point of the meltable component of the feed material wherein the rate of feeding, the energy input to the spreader means and the rotational speed of the spreader means are controlled so that there is sufficient time for at least a partial melting of the meltable component of the feed material substantially solely by contact with the heated surface of the spreader means, centrifugally spreading the material across the surface of the disk or bowl and dispersing the same from the edge thereof into an atmosphere cooler than the melting temperature to form the granulated product. For certain materials only a part of the powdery feed material is melted forming a liquid film carrying a major portion of substantially unaffected or minimally affected feed material to produce a product comprising individual granules containing a core as the major part of each granule with the original powdery material essentially unchanged maintained in self-sustaining form by a matrix of melted and resolidified particles bonded to each other at their surface.