US2794400A - Pump for fluid and semi-fluid materials - Google Patents

Description

June 4, 1957 A. e. BODINE, JR 2,794,400

PUMP FOR FLUID AND SEMI-FLUID MATERIALS Filed May 28, 1956 1 4 Sheets-Sneet l INVENTOR. dbe/zt a ga? ,4 OPNEY June 4, 1957 Filed May 28, 1956 A. G. BODINE, JR

PUMP FOR FLUID AND SEMI-FLUID MATERIALS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q INVENTOR.

June 4, 1957 Filed May 28, 1956 A. G. BODINE, JR

PUMP FOR FLUID AND SEMI-FLUID MATERIALS 4 Shets-Sneet s ,4 Tram/E Y I June 4, 1957 A. e. BODINE, JR

PUMP FOR FLUID AND SEMI-FLUID MATERIALS 4 Sheets-Sneet 4 Filed May 28, 1956 INVENT OR. 1415f??? 6500mm Jk.

United States Patent This invention relates generally to pumps for pumping fluids or semi-fluid mixtures containing sohd materials or aggregates of various sizes, such as plaster, stucco, and

mixtures of cement and water with sand, gravel or rock. 1

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application entitled Pump for Fluid and Semi-fluid Materials, Ser. No. 468,769, filed November 15, 1954, and allowed December 1, 1955.

The invention is directed to improvements in a known type of pump comprising an arcuate trough or open conduit for the material to be pumped, and a plurality of wheels or rollers adapted to roll in succession along said trough or conduit, in a manner to force the fluid or semifluid substance in a forward direction. Such pumps of this class as have previously been known have employed solid wheels, and have, in consequence, suffered two major disabilities: first, the wheels or rollers could not pass over large solid particles, such as rock, which might temporarily become slowed or jammed in their forward progress, with the consequence that the entire pump mechanism became jammed; and second, closure of the pump outlet, eitherby closure of a valve, or by becoming obstructed for any other reason, similarly jammed the entire pump mechanism. a v

A purpose of the present invention is the provision of a pump of the class named having improvements designed to permit the pump mechanism to continue its normal operation notwithstanding blocking of the pump outlet, or

temporary stoppage or slowing of large solid particles in v the pump conduit.

The characterizing feature of the present invention is the provision of pneumatic tires on the wheels or rollers, such tires being compressible to pass over large temporarily arrested solid particles, and being also compressible to pass over the entire mass of material in the pump conduit in event of stoppage of the pump outlet. This gives the pump an automatic pressure maximizing characteristic.

A further advantage of this pneumatic adaptation is that the roller closest to the outlet in any instance tends to yield and slip part of its load back to the next roller, and so on back, so that the pump gives an automatically distributed pressure in multi-stage division.

The invention provides also a novel single wheel pump of the general class mentioned.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of one present illustnative embodiment thereof, reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of a pump in accordance with the invention;

,Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the pump of Fig. 1;

. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4a is a fragmentary view similar to a portion of Fig. 4 but with the parts in a ditferent position;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to a portion of Fig. 4, but showing a modification;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the invention using a single wheel;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional detail taken from Fig. 6; and

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are somewhat diagrammatic views showing successive positions in the operation of the pump.

The pump is provided with a frame structure 10, here illustratively shown as comprising a horizontal inverted channel member 11 adapted for engagement with a horizontal supporting surface, spaced horizontal channel members 12 mounted on the edges of base channel 11, upright channel members 13 and 14 at opposite ends of the channels 11 and 12, and a pair of outwardly facing uprightchannel members 15 and 16 extending from opposite sides of base channel 11 midway between the end members 13 and 14. An arcuate or substantially semicircular open trough or conduit member 20, forming a longitudinally curved channel half round in cross section (see Fig. 3) is suspended between the upright end members 13 and 14. As here shown, this conduit 20 is formed as a casting provided at one end with a tubular inlet fitting 21, and at its opposite end with a similar tubular outlet fitting 22. These inlet and outlet fittings, which are formed with integral coupling flanges 23, are supported by plates 24 on the upper ends of upright members 13 and 14.

The tubular inlet and outlet fittings 21 and 22 are formed at the top of their inner ends with flanges 25 to which are secured opposite ends of a flexible strip 26, preferably of elastic material, such as rubber, which extends from end to end of the conduit member 2!) and is fastened to outwardly turned edge flanges 20a of the latter by means of curved hold down straps 27 and a series of suitable screws 28. As here shown, the central members 28a of these screws are somewhat longer than the remainder of the series so as to pass also through the upper flanges of channel members 12, whereby to secure the conduit 20 to the base structure of the pump. The normal undeformed or unstretched position of the rubberstrip 26 is in the curved plane defined by the top surfaces of the arcuate conduit flanges 25.

A earlier time 30 for later described pneumatic tired wheels is rotatably mounted on an axis concentric with the center of the arc formed by the semi-circular conduit 20. In the illustrative embodiment, a shaft member 31 is mounted in frame members 15 and 16 on the axis of rotation for frame 30. On this shaft 31, and confined between the webs of channel members 15 and 16, is a bearing bushing 32, and rotatably mounted on the latter, are the tubular hubs 33 and 34 of a pair of spiders 35"and 36, respectively, constituting the aforementioned rotatable frame 30. The two spiders 35 and 36 are held against relative rotation to one another by interengaging clutch jaw formations at the adjacent ends of their hubs 33 and 34, as indicated at 37.

Keyed to an outwardly projecting hub portion 49 of spider 36 is a spur gear 41 driven by a pinion 42 on a drive shaft 43 journalled in a bushing 44 extending through the web of upright frame member 16 and supported by a tubular boss 45 welded to the latter. The frame 30 made up of the two spiders 35 and 36 is thus understood as constantly rotated when shaft 43 is driven by any suitable prime mover, not shown. The extremities of the arms of spiders 35 and 36 have journalled therein the opposite end hub portions 48 and 49 of pneumatic tired wheels generally designated by numeral 50. The hubs of these Wheels are formed with axial bores receiving rotatable shafts 51 with a free-running fit. At one end, these shafts 51 carry a head 52 positioning a gear 53 Patented June 4, 1951 v keyed or otherwise fixed to said shaft, and each such gear 53 meshes with an idler pinion 54 rotatably mounted on the spider arm inward of the gear 53 land meshing in turn with a;fixed spun gear 55 .whose hubvsurroundsrbushing 32 and which is secured tightly to the webi offframe up, right as by means ofscrew56:

Each of the describedlwheels 50 comprises preferably an ordinary pneumatic inflatable tire, 60',- Ecomprising,;ca'sing 61 and inner tube 62, the latter :furnished with valve stem 63 understood to have the usual tire valve, and as; clearly shown in Fig. 3, such tire is mounted on a more: or less conventional rim 64 mounted,,in: turn, in anysuitable. fashion, on the wheelhub,'as ,clearlyr -shown'iin. Figure 3. The inflated tires engagetherubberstrip, 26; stretchi.ug.. and. pressing it firmly downagainst the bottom=ofccomi duit .20;

In operation, spider-frame.30 :rotates in';a.clockwise:= direction as 'viewed in Figs. 1 and 4.= In this rotation,.idler gears 54 roll on fixed gear 55, causing rotation of wheel. gears -53 in a counterclockwise. direction, as indicated by thearrows in Fig. l. The. rubber tired wheels.-50' accordingly turn in a counter-clockwise direction as frame' 30 is driven in the clockwise direction. 'The relative. size. of gears 53, 54 and 55is so chosen that the peripheral speed of the tires 50 about the wheel axes is just. equal. tozthe speed of travel of the outermost points:of the tires relativeto the arcuate conduit-.20, with theconse quence that the tires 50'roll alongthe rubber. strip. 26 pressed down in the conduit without skidding and without materialtendencyto drag the rubbetstriplfiv in. either directionalong the conduit. Thepreferredsem bodiment of the invention incorporates this positivezgear drive for the wheels. However, in simplerforms 'ofzthe pump, such positive drive of the wheels may beeIiminated, in which case the rubber tired wheels'will rotate by'means' of frictional contact with the rubber strip 26 pressed down against the conduit.

In the operation of the'pump, the fiuidor semi-fluid" material, with orwithout solids, is supplied via pipe or" through fitting 21 and into an upper'end iportion of'the-- conduit. 20 in back ofthe wheel; Theunext wheel in'succession, passing the inlet 21, closes-the same off, as clearly illustrated in Fig; 4, trapping a charge of the semi-fluid material in the conduit space 60, inside the. rubber-strip 26, and between the two adjacent-wheels 50. Thismaterial is gradually advanced around the trough or'conduit 20- toward the outlet by a'rolling and pinchingv action of the-- rearrnost of the two Wheels, the foremost of'the wheels correspondingly vacating space. at the front end of-the charge of material to permit its advance; Thechargeis thus caused to progress around the conduit 20, to be finally ejected via outlet fitting 22, and'it willi'br seenxthat acharge, such as that in the space .61,- will be forced out the outlet fitting 22 as the wheel in-advancethereof passes 1 the outlet fitting and the wheel to the rear thentrolls the. material forwardly, forcing it to discharge.

It may be readily seen that in the event that 3.80l1df pareticleof material, suchas' indicated in dotted. lines. at 8' in Fig. 4, should become temporarily stalled in the" conduit 20, the pneumatic tire 50, as well as the rubber strip 26', will readily indent to pass over such obstacle, the deformation occurring under. these conditions being im dicated in dotted lines in thefigure. Pumping may thus continue without the wheel becoming wedged against suchsolidmaterial and the entire pumping mechanism jammed The tires roll easily over.any:suchilodged:or' slowed: ma

4 terial, without the pumping action otherwise being interfered with, the remainder of the fluid mass being forced ahead in the normal manner: The rubber strip 26 tends to seal about the solid particle or particles being passed by the roller, so that the fluid material is forced ahead.

Likewise, in the event that the discharge conduit leading from outlet fitting 22-.sh0uld become stopped, the pump can still continue to rotateby reason of the ability of the rubber tires tov flatten as ,they encounter the stopped material. It will further be noted that any such flattening deformation of the'rubber tires will increase the pressure thereof and will correspondingly increase the discharge pressure of the pump, thus tending automatically to clear the outlet. Accordingly, in'theevent-that the material in the discharge outlet or conduit should become merely stopped or wedged, possibly because of accumulation of solid material, the pneumatic wheels will automatically deform to ride: overrthe'stopped material, but will also continue to :exert .a discharge pressure, which discharge pressure may, because :of .the deformation of .the tire, be increased sufiicientlyytoclearthe discharge conduit of the obstruction. On theother hand, if the obstruction in the discharge conduit. is positive, as by reason of closinga control valve therein, the pump can still continue to re.- tate, the tires simply deforming sufficiently to roll over the stoppedmaterial.

A modification shownin-Fig. 5 consists in forming thebottomof the trough, here'indicated by, the numeral 20a, with a corrugated outline suchas indicated at 20b. The engagement of the rubber: tire with the rubber strip 26, pressed down on thiscorrugated'formation provides at non-skid contact, and gearing means for positively driving the wheels on their individual axes are accordingly; notused in this case.

Inthe event that the material tobe pumped is supplied to the inlet with suflicient pressure, as from anelevated hopper, the pump is. self-filling, and the flexible strip 26 then need not'have elastic properties, as the pump will fill without the necessity ofelastic contractionof the. flexible strip behind the advancing wheels. Moreover, other obvious biasing means can be used to cause the strip 26, or equivalent side wall of thesqueezed conduit, to be constrained open. If desired, the depth of thetrough; can bereduced or eliminated if the flexiblemember pro:- vides commensurate: embracement Figs. 6 to 11 show another'illu'strative embodiment of; the invention, employing a single pneumatictiredwheel; Thesupporting frame structure :is. shown. tov comprisezbase plate supporting frame; .101. supportingptubular. inlet-J. andoutlet fittings 103 and .104; respectively; formedin; the upper end portions, of arcuate track '105 which restssaf the bottom on baseplate 100. and is suitably secured to the: latter;

Secured to the-top end portions. of track 105;..aboveinlet and outlet fittings 103 and 104, and along the longitudinal edges of track 105, as by suitable screws, as shown, is afiexible'strip or diaphragm 106, composed of fabric, or an elastic material, such as rubber. Thisstrip, in this embodiment, has somewhat greaterwidth than the track 105, so as to be capable of bowing or bulgingupwardly, (see'Fig. 7), therebydefining a conduit 107 for the material to be pumped. This conduit is adapted to be progres= sively closed and opened by means of the-illustratively, single pneumatically tired'wheel 110, as presently de= scribed.

The wheel-110*comprises two annular; pressed steel members 111, riveted together as at 112, and'form'edatthe outside to provide a rim for rubber' tire 113 having inner tube 114. The the 113 has' a radius nearly as 'largeas theradius of arcuate-track' 105, andit'ismountedfor gyration about the center of the arc defined by track"10'5i In-the arrangement here shown, the'inner portion .of the wheel is tightly mounted on the outside of the outer sleeveof a 'ballbearing'assembly 121 .whose inner bearing sleeve-123 is-press=fitted onto an eccentric 124.

The eccentric 124 is mounted on a shaft 125 furnished with bearings 126 and 127 carried by brackets 128 and 129, respectively, extending upwardly from frame 101. Shaft 125 may be rotated by any suitable means, not shown, such as gears, chain and sprocket, or the like.

Preferably, though not necessarily, the flexible strip or diaphragm 106 is secured to the casing of tire 113 at a point approximately opposite inlet 103, and this fastening may be by means of a rivet such as indicated at 130. The point of fastening should be sufliciently below the upper end of the flexible strip or diaphragm 106 such that the diaphragm is capable of flexing with the movement of the tire, as presently described. The drive shaft 125 for eccentric 124 is concentric with the center of curvature of arcuate track 105, and the throw of eccentric 124 is equal to the difference between the radius of the arcuate track and the radius of the tire. This means that as the eccentric turns through the lower half of its stroke, the tire progressively moves along the track from the inlet to the outlet, pressing the flexible diaphragm firmly against the track as it travels around, and squeezing any contents of the conduit 107 progressively forward. During the upper half of the stroke of the eccentric, the tire is cleared from the track, as represented in Fig. 9.

Operation is as follows: the fluid or semi-fluid to be pumped, with or without included solids, is supplied via a uitable conduit coupled to the inlet fitting. The tire will be seen to describe a gyratory motion, its center describing a circle whose radius is equal to the throw of the eccentric, and which throw is equal to the difference between the radius of the track and the radius of the tire. In this case, owing to the attachment of the tire to the flexible diaphragm at 130, the tire does not rotate on its axis, but gyrates bodily as described. In this gyratory action the tire, from such a position as illustrated in Fig. 9, approaches inlet 103 and presses the diaphragm firmly against the track over this inlet. The point at which the tire presses the diaphragm tightly against the track, then progresses around the track from the inlet to, and past, the outlet, passing from the position of Fig. 9 through those of Figs. 10 and 11 and back to Fig. 9. As the point of contact moves on beyond inlet 103, the diaphragm is retracted from the inlet opening by reason of the fastening at 130, developing a suction which draws a charge of material in through the inlet and into the conduit, as indicated at c in Fig. 11. A previously intaken charge of material c in the conduit ahead of the tire is at the same time progressively advanced and forced out outlet 104. The tire then passes through the position of Fig. 9, the charge of material remaining in the conduit (charge c in Fig. 9) being advanced to and out through the outlet 104 on the next trip of the tire along the track.

An alternate arrangement results from omitting the fastening of the diaphragm to the tire casing. In this case, of course, the tire is enabled to roll around the track, as in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5. In this case, some means is required to induce inflow of material through inlet 103. This means may be any arrangement to create an inlet pressure; for example, create a pressure head at the inlet, e. g., a riser pipe connected to the inlet through which the material is conveyed to the inlet. Or, inflow may be induced by employing an elastic diaphragm and the trough type of conduit such as shown in the embodiment of Figs. l-S. The embodiment of Fig. 6 shows a single wheel driven by an eccentric of small eccentricity, which is of evident advantage. However, it will be seen that the embodiment of Figs. l-S will operate in the same general fashion by eliminating three of its four wheels. It is then a single wheeled pump, of smaller wheel radius, but larger throw. This type of pump is especially well fitted to the pumping of paste-like materials which do not readily run backwards in the conduit when the wheel moves out of contract.

It will be understood that the drawings and description are for illustrative purposes only, and that various changes in design, structure and arrangement may be made with-" out departing from the claims.

I claim: 1. In a pump, the combination of: a conduit for the spirit and scope of the appended pumped material, an inlet communicating with one end portion of said conduit, an outlet leading from the opposite' end portion of said conduit, a flexible wall forming longitudinally along said conduit over'said flexible wall and for pressing said wall toward contact with the interior of said conduit, and means for guiding and moving said pneumatic-tired wheels in spaced relation from one another progressively along said conduit from said inlet toward said outlet, said pneumatic tries being deformable to pass over material stopped in said conduit.

2. The subject matter of claim 1, wherein said flexible wall is composed of an elastic material which is elastically stretched by the successive wheels passing thereover.

3. The subject matter of claim 1, including means for rotating said wheels on their individual axes at peripheral speeds equal to the speed of travel of the wheels along the trough whereby to eliminate tendency for skidding of the wheels relative to the conduit.

4. The subject matter of claim 1, wherein said conduit is longitudinally curved into the arc of a circle, and said means for guiding and moving said wheels comprising a frame rotatable on an axis coinciding with the center of said arc, said wheels being mounted for individual rotation on said rotatable frame in circumferentially spaced positions about said axis.

5. In a pump for fluid or semi-fluid materials, the combination of: a conduit for the material, and inlet and an outlet communicating with opposite ends of said conduit, said conduit having opposed side wall portions extending longitudinally between said inlet and outlet, at least one of said opposed side wall portions being flexible and deflectable toward contact with the opposed side wall portion, a plurality of wheels fitted with soft, resiliently de formable tires, and wheel supporting and driving mechanism for rolling said tired wheels in succession on and along said flexible wall portion of said conduit in a fixed path in which the peripheries of the tires progessively deflect said flexible conduit wall portion toward the opposed conduit wall portion and thereby compress the conduit and advance the material contained therewithin, said tires being deformable to pass over large solids in the material in the conduit or over stopped material in the conduit in event of jambing or choking between the tire and said outlet.

6. The subject matter of claim 5, wherein said tires are pneumatic.

7. The subject matter of claim 5, wherein said flexible side wall portion of said conduit is composed of an elastic material which is elastically stretched by the wheels running therealong.

8. The subject matter of claim 6, wherein said flexible side wall portion of said conduit is composed of an elastic material which is elastically stretched by the wheels running therealong.

9. In a pump for fluid or semi-fluid materials, the combination of: a conduit for the material, an inlet and an outlet communicating with opposite ends of said conduit, said conduit having opposed side wall portions extending longitudinally between said inlet and outlet, at least one of said opposed side wall portions being flexible and deflectable toward contact with the opposed side wall portion, a wheel fitted with a soft, resiliently deformable tire, and wheel supporting and driving mechanism for moving said tired wheel on and along said flexible wall portion of said conduit in a fixed path in which the periphery of the tire progressively deflects said flexible condui-t' wall portion -teward theioppesed 'COIJdUi'FWaILPDIfiOH and thereby' compresses the conduit and advances =th'e ma' terial contained therewithin, said tire being deformable 10. The subject'matterof claim 9, wherein said conduit is. arcuate in -longitudinal contour, and thereis a singlewheel and tire; a bearing at the center of said 'wheel and a driving eccentric therein, saideccentric h aving-an axisof rotation concentric with the center-of curvature of said conduit, and'thethrowof said eccentric being a=rninor" fraction of the radius or said arcuate conduit.

1 11 2 The subject matter oi "clainr 10, wherein saidtire and flexiiale wall portion -are attached to one another in the-regicn of said inlet] References '(Zited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 312,106" Fajen" Feb. 10, 1885' 2,018,998' De Baker- Oct. 29, 1935' Jensen" Dec.v 7,1954

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