Vibrating screen with self-supporting screen cloth

A plurality of truss-like supports are secured, as by welding, and in spaced relationship, to the underside of a screen cloth. The supported screen cloth is then removably secured in position in a vibrating frame to form therewith a vibrating screen. Each truss-like support includes a support rod formed of wire rod of predetermined diameter disposed with a major portion thereof spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the screen cloth, and with end portions thereof merging into the plane of the end pieces of selected wire rods forming the screen cloth and being welded thereto. A spacer wire, formed from wire rod of a diameter less than that of the support rod and to an approximate sinusoidal configuration, is disposed so that the upper tips, formed by the sine configuration, are welded to the bottom surface of the screen cloth and so that the lower such tips are welded to the upper surface of the support rod.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION-FIELD OF APPLICATION 
This invention relates to bulk material processing equipment; and more 
particularly, to vibrating screens and screen cloth for vibrating screens. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION-DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
Vibrating screens find many uses in many diverse industries and 
applications. Their general purpose is to separate by size bulk material 
placed upon the screen wherein the constituent makeup of the bulk material 
includes elements which vary in size. 
Where the constituent elements making up the bulk material, includes 
components like rock, aggregate or the like, that does not have sticky 
surface characteristics and therefore does not include lumps of pieces 
that are stuck together, the vibrating screen merely separates the 
components by size. The pieces too large to pass through the screen 
openings pass over the screen deck to be collected by suitable means. The 
pieces that are smaller than the openings pass therethrough and are either 
collected at the next lower level or are again separated by size by 
another level of screening. 
However, some bulk materials, for one reason or another, may have to be 
processed even though its surfaces are sticky. The sticky surfaces may be 
natural to the bulk material or it may result from a particular process 
undergone by the material. No matter what, it may be desirable to utilize 
the screening function to break up the lumps of stuck together material 
into their individual pieces in addition to separating such pieces by 
size. If the pieces when so separated are essentially of uniform size then 
the screening function is merely to break up the lumps. 
Some available vibrating screens utilize perforated plates for the screen 
deck or screening element. However, these have been found generally 
unsatisfactory because the interaction between the relatively smooth 
surfaced deck and the stuck together lumps does not provide as effective a 
separation of the lumps as is required and/or desired in many 
applications. 
Other vibrating screens utilize screen cloth because the nodules or peaks, 
formed by the intersecting wire rods, present an irregular surface to the 
lumps of stuck together material and help abrade and separate same. 
However, in many applications the lack of rigidity of the installed screen 
cloth has proved to be detrimental to screen cloth life and has resulted 
in excessive down time. 
Crowning of the screen cloth to impart some degree of rigidity to the 
installed deck while improving that aspect of the installation usually 
results in a migration of the screened material to the sides of the 
screen. This hinders collection of the screened material and often results 
in a disproportionate wear of the side plate and left and right side 
screen frame components. 
Other attempts to providing a more rigidly installed screen deck involve 
fabricating the screen frame itself so as to be in contact with and to 
support the wire cloth with the cloth welded to such screen frame. In 
equipment so constructed when the screen cloth wears out, as it will 
eventually do, the separation of the welded joints is often so time 
consuming or impossible that a new screen frame, and possibly a new screen 
may be the less expensive alternative. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved 
screen cloth. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved 
screen cloth for a vibrating screen. 
It is still another object of this invention to provide a new and improved 
vibrating screen. 
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a new and improved 
self-supporting screen cloth. 
It is yet still another object of this invention to provide a new and 
improved vibrating screen incorporating a self-supporting screen cloth 
deck. 
This invention involves vibrating screens and screen cloth decks therefore; 
and contemplates forming the screen cloth deck so as to be self-supporting 
in a generally and substantially horizontally disposed planar 
configuration when installed in the vibrating frame of the vibrating 
screen. 
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention in its details of 
construction and arrangement of parts will be seen from the above, from 
the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with 
the drawings and from the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
For convenience the invention will be described as applied to a vibrating 
screen having a pair of horizontally disposed spaced screen decks each 
including a single screen panel and all of which being supported by a 
vibrating frame that is springmounted on cement pads, and wherein the 
vibrating mechanism is mounted across the width of the screen and over the 
top of the upper screen deck; it should be understood, nevertheless, that 
without departing from the scope of this invention that the vibrating 
screen can have only one deck or more than two decks, that each deck can 
include any desired and appropriate number of screen panels, that the 
frame need not be horizontally disposed or spring mounted on cement pads 
as long as other suitable mounting means are provided, and that the 
vibrating mechanism can be positioned other than across and over the top 
screen deck as long as it is disposed to vibrate the frame and screen 
decks in an appropriate manner. 
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is generally shown at 10 a vibrating 
screen including a spring mounted vibrating frame assembly 12, a pair of 
spaced screen deck assemblies 14, 16 (FIG. 1), and a vibrator or vibrating 
mechanism assembly 18 supported on and spanning vibrating frame assembly 
12. 
Vibrating or live frame assembly 12 includes a pair of spaced side plates 
30, 32 spanned by and freely secured together by a plurality of support 
frame members 34 (only one shown in FIG. 2). Channel members 36, and other 
appropriately fabricated and suitably positioned members complete 
vibrating frame assembly 12 in substantially conventional manner. 
A plurality of spring assemblies 40 facilitate the mounting of vibrating 
screen 12 on cement pads 42; it being understood that other suitable means 
such as pedestals (not shown) may be used for this purpose. 
The vibrator or vibrating mechanism 18 is of conventional construction and 
is conventionally mounted across the top of and between side plates 30, 
32. When connected to a suitable means of motive power and through 
suitable controls, vibrator 18 will impart a vibration to vibrating frame 
assembly 12 of predetermined characteristics to vibrate frame assembly 12, 
screen decks 14, 16, and any material disposed thereupon. 
Screen decks 14, 16 each include a signal screen panel assembly 50 (FIGS. 
2-6) sized to span the space between sideplates 30, 32 and to extend the 
length of vibrating screen 10. Each deck 14, 16, may however, just as 
easily consist of a plurality of screen panels sized to span the space 
between sideplates 30, 32 but each being shorter than the length of screen 
12; the number of such panels being selected to provide a screen deck of 
appropriate length. In either instance the construction of each screen 
panel assembly 50 will be substantially identical. 
Each screen panel assembly 50 includes a screen cloth section 52 fabricated 
in substantially conventional manner from a plurality of wire rods 54, 56 
of predetermined size and cross-sectional configuration. Rods 54 extend in 
a side to side direction (across the width of screen 10) and are spaced 
from each other and are secured as by welding to rods 56 which extend 
front to back (in the direction of material flow) and are also spaced from 
each other. The spacing between rods 54, 56 is determined by the size of 
the desired screening openings 60. The weaving process for screen cloth 50 
creates bumps or nodules 62 which coact with lumps of material 66 (FIG. 2) 
when disposed upon vibrating screen deck 14 to abrade same and facilitate 
separation of such lumps 66 into its individual particles 66a, 66b, etc.. 
A plurality of truss-like screen cloth support assemblies 70 (FIGS. 2, 4 
and 6), 72 (FIG. 6), 74, 76, 78, 80 are secured (as by welding) to the 
underside of screen cloth section 52 to impart rigidly thereto and render 
same self-supporting. Each assembly 70-80 includes a support rod 90 (FIGS. 
2, 4, 6 and 7) of predetermined diameter extending the width of screen 
cloth section 52. A major portion 92 (FIG. 2) of rod 90 is formed so as to 
be spaced from the underside of screen cloth section 52. End portions 94 
(FIG. 2) and 96 (FIGS. 2-2, and 7) of rod 90 are formed to bend up towards 
and into the plane of screen cloth section 52. The extreme ends 98 of each 
support rod 90 are bent so as to lie in the plane of the ends of wire rods 
54 of screen cloth section 52; and are each disposed adjacent selected 
ones of such rod ends (see FIGS. 5-7) and are secured thereto as by 
welding. 
A support wire 100 (FIGS. 2-4) is formed into a substantially sinusoidal 
configuration with the upper tips 102 (FIG. 3) thereof spaced from the 
lower tips 104 so as to fill the space between the lower surface of screen 
cloth section 52 and an upper surface 106 of support rod 90. Support wire 
100 is secured in position by welding, or otherwise, suitably attaching, 
tips 102 to the wires of screen cloth section 52, and tips 104 to surface 
106 of rod 90. 
An end piece 110 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 6) secured atop and to each side of screen 
cloth section 52, to facilitate it's installation into frame assembly 12, 
completes screen panel assembly 50. 
A ledge 120 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is secured to the inside wall of each side 
plate 30, 32 so as to run the length thereof and to receive the ends of 
each screen panel assembly 50. Once a screen panel assembly 50 is disposed 
atop ledge 120 it is secured in position by one or more clamp block 
assemblies 122 (FIG. 3) of substantially conventional configuration and 
operation. If desired a wear plate 122 may be disposed as shown in FIG. 3 
to protect the elements of clamp block assembly 122 from the accumulating 
and possibly abrasive effects of the material to be screened. 
Each screen panel assembly 50 is thus of rigid construction with its screen 
cloth section 52 substantially self-supported, due to truss-like 
assemblies 70-80, and so supported in substantially a horiztonal plane. 
Installation and removal of such screen panel assembly or assemblies 50 in 
vibrating frame assembly 12 is easily accomplished as described 
hereinabove. When so installed material desposited in Jumps 66 on top of 
screen deck 14 will be vibrated, due to the coaction of vibrator 18, 
vibrating frame 12 and deck 14, and will coact with screen cloth 52 and 
its nodules 62 to be separated and sifted into its component particles 
66a, 66b etc.. If desired screen 10 can include material flow shelves 120, 
appropriately secured to side plates 30, 32 to direct the flow of the 
sifted and sorted material. 
From the above description it will thus be seen that there has been 
provided a novel and improved apparatus for sorting and sifting bulk 
material; which apparatus incorporates a substantially self-supported 
screen cloth disposed between the side plates of a vibrating frame to form 
therewith a vibrating screen with screen cloth decks supported in a rigid 
and substantially horiztonal disposition. 
It is understood that although I have shown the preferred form of my 
invention that various modifications may be made in the details thereof 
without departing from the spirit as comprehended by the following claims: