METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ABRASIVE PEELING

Abstract: An abrasive peeling apparatus comprising a cylindrical drum (11) having a removable abrasive lining formed of removable plates (39). The product is fed through an inlet (12) and transported through the rotating drum by an intermittently turning auger (29) to be expelled through an exit (14). The peel material passes around the plates to the annular passage (13) between the plates and the drum and is caused to migrate in the opposite direction from the product to be expelled through a second exit (56).

Description: " Title: Method Of And Apparatus For Abrasive Peeling Field of the Invention This invention relates to an abrasive peeler in which the product is placed in a rotating cylinder and tumbled - to bring it into contact with an abrasive inner surface of the cylinder for peeling the outer layer from the product. Background of the Invention In abrasive peelers, the product is usually placed in the interior of a rotating cylindrical drum and tumbled to bring all sides in contact with the drum interior surfaces. The drum interior surface is coated with an abrasive mater¬ ial of some type to contact and peel the product. Such a peeler is shown in U.S. patent 3,757,677 issued on Sept. 11 1973 and entitled Method of and Apparatus for Abrasive Peel ing. One problem that exists in present peelers is in separ¬ ating the peel material from the peeled product. In peeler utilizing a cylinder formed with rotating rollers around the periphery, such as that shown in U.S. patent 3,134,413 issued on May 26, 1964 and entitled Apparatus for Peeling Fruits or Vegetables, the peel material is thrown outward by the rollers and thereby separated from the product. How¬ ever, in machines in which continuous abrasive surfaces are used, there is no way to expel the peel radially outward or otherwise separate it from the product. The apparatus utilizing the rollers is more complicated and expensive, but has been thought necessary to effectively separate the peel material and product. Also the abrasive surfaces contacting the product become worn after usage to the extent that they need to be replaced If rollers were utilized these must be removed, either for resurfacing or replacement with new rollers. The removal of the rollers is a time consuming task. It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a sol- id drum peeler which effectively removes the peel from the product and separates the peel from the peeled product. Additionally, the peeler can be effectively maintained by removal and easy replacement of the abrasive members. Summary of the Invention An abrasive peeling apparatus generally comprising a cylindrical drum having an inwardly facing lining coated with abrasive material- The product is fed through an inlet at one end, transported through the rotating drum in a tumb¬ ling action and subsequently passed through an outlet. Be¬ cause of the tilting of the drum, the peel material that is removed flows in the direction opposite that of the product and passes from the drum through a separate exi ' t. Mainten¬ ance of the peeler is accomplished by removal and replace¬ ment of abrasive lining plates that form the drum interior wall. Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a side view of a peeler embodying the subject invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of a peeler in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view showing the peeling chamber and the auger for moving the product; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the exit end of the drum Figs. 5 and 6 are cross sectional views of the augers along the lines 5-5 and 6—6 of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the abrasive plates; Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of the plate along line 8-8 in Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is a second embodiment of the abrasive plate shown in Fig. 7. Description of the Invention In Fig. 1 is shown a peeler embodying the present inven¬ tion and generally comprising a drum 11 connecting with an inlet 12 through which product cand be passed to be peeled. After peeling, the product is exited through the product outlet 14. The drum is mounted for rotation on rollers 15 /^u EΛ OMPI supported in pairs on a shaft 16 positioned one to each side of the drum. The shafts are supported by a frame 17 comprising upright members 18 and cross bracing 19. Four wheeled trucks 20 support the frame, with each including wheels 21 allowing for mobility of the peeler. For rotating the drum, a motor 22 is fixed to the frame and drives a sprocket 24 around which extends a drive belt 25. This drive belt passes around a belt guide 26 fixed to the drum such that with energization of the motor, the drum is turned on the rollers 15. An additional sprock¬ et 27 is also driven by the motor for powering a chain 28 which provides power to the auger 29 (Fig. 3) . In the embodiment shown, the auger is driven intermit¬ tently while the drum is rotated continuously. The motor 22 drives the chain 28 that powers an intermittent drive mechanism 23 which acts through the shaft 30 and the sproc¬ ket 31 to drive the drive chain 34. The drive chain 34 powers the auger through the sprocket 32 connected to the gearbox 33. The auger is rotated intermittently, with each rotation being 360 degrees, so as to move the product through the drum from the inlet to the outlet in an inter¬ rupted motion. This action allows for a controlled tumbling of the product for a predetermined time duration, with the duration depending upon the product being peeled. The auger 29 serves as a means for moving the product through the rotating drum and comprises a hollow shaft 36 supported at the ends by bearings 37 and 38 respectively. At space intervals there are fixed to the shaft 36 generally circular plates 39 having outer peripherys positioned close- ly adjacent the interior surface of the drum. Thus in effect there are formed three separate chambers or compart¬ ments within the drum through which the product is passed in flowing from inlet to outlet. Each of the circular plates 39 constitutes a circular segment extending approximately 270 degrees around the shaft UBSTITUTE SHEET - 4 - and forming in the other ninety degrees a circular seg- mental opening 40 providing an access between compartments through which the product can move (Fig. 3 and 6) . A helical plate 41, (Fig. 3 and 5) having a pitch equal to the 5 length of each compartment extends through each compartment from one edge of the associated aligned opening to the re¬ mote edge of the opening at the opposite end of that com¬ partment. Thus when the shaft 36 is rotated, this helical plate tends to sweep the product from that compartment and 10 through the segmental opening into the next compartment during a single revolution. A wall member 33 (Fig. 3 and 4) extends axially from the plates 39 to the adjacent plate 41 to cause the product to be moved from compartment to com¬ partment more effectively when the auger is rotated. Addi- 15 tionally, there is supplied through a supply tube 42, water to the interior of the shaft 36, which water subsequently is sprayed out through openings 44 into the compartments for washing the product and carrying the peel material away. The overall control of the peeler is regulated by an elec-. 20 trical control box 45 supported on the frame., In accordance with one feature of the invention, the inner surface of the drum 11 is formed of plates formed in arcuate segments extending around the drum interior, which plates can be removed for resurfacing or replacement. As 25.- shown in Figs. 7 and 8, each plate 46 comprises a solid mem¬ ber 47 generally rectangular in configuration and formed in an arcuate shape so as to conform with a segment of the in¬ ner surface of the drum 11. The inner surface 48 of each plate is coated with an abrasive material generally compris- 30 ing grit matter mixed with a suitable adhesive. Thus as the abrasive material contacts the product, the peel or outer layer thereof is wiped from the product body. Such action eventually wears down the abrasive surface requiring replace¬ ment thereof. 35 The plates 46 have attached to the side opposite the SUBSTITUTE SHEET OMPI abrasive surface six screws 49 which are threaded and extend through openings in the drum 11 (see Fig. 3) . Thus the plates are positioned circumferentially around the in¬ ner surface of the drum to form a second substantially continuous inner surface of an abrasive material. Longi¬ tudinally extending spaces 53 are formed between these plates, which spaces are large enough to allow passage of peel material, but not the product. For removal of the plates, the auger is turned such that the opening 40 in the end plate 39A forming the exit of the drum preferably is in the bottom or 6 o'clock quad¬ rant. The drum is then turned until the plate to be rem¬ oved aligns therewith and the screws 49 in the bosses 50 are removed and the plate lifted and moved lengthwise of the drum out through the opening 40. In accordance with another feature of the invention, provision is made for separation of the peeled product and the peel material such that each exits the drum separately thereby doing away with any need for a subsequent separa- tion process. In the past, most solid drum peelers have removed the material and expelled the peel and peel material together. In those machines in which the drum is formed with a periphery of rollers which rotate independently from the drum, the peel material is slung radially out- ward and can be removed separately from the product more easily. The present invention utilizes a substantially solid drum with stationary abrasive surfaces forming the periphery thereof and thereby renders the benefits of simplicity in that design yet offers the additional adyant- age of separation of the product and peel material. The spaces 53 between the plates allow peel material to sepa¬ rate from the product and pass into the annular 13 passage between the plates 46 and the solid drum 11. The present invention expels the peel material from the drum at a point near the entry for the product. SUBSTITUTE SHEET 22 - 6 - To accomplish this., the drum apparatus is supported on ' legs 51 and 52 (Fig. 1) which extend down to the trucks 20. The leg 51 in this instance is longer than the leg 52 so that the drum actually tilts along the longitudinal axis with the entrance end thereof being lower than the exit end for the product. The tilting can be effected in other ways just as well and causes the peeled material, which generally gravitates to the bottom of the drum, to migrate from right to left as the drum shown in figures 1 and 3, rotates. The housing 54, forming the entry and extending axially from the drum, receives the product and the auger rotates to advance the product from left to right into the drum. The product is introduced through an opening 55 in the top of the housing 54. The auger also serves to "wipe" the peel material across the spaces 53 between the plates to aid the flow of the material from the interior into the annular space 13. Thus the peel material will flow along the bottom of the drum 11 as the drum rolls between the outer edges 39A of the partitions 39 and the drum inner surface. In this instance, the drum inner surface is formed by the abrasive surface of the plates 46. The product is advanced from left to right in the drawings by the rotating auger and ther peel material moves from right to left through the annular space 13, because of the tilt of the drum, to exit through the opening 56 between the drum and the entry housing 54. A manifold 57 extends around the outer portion of the drum and is stationarily fixed to the support struc¬ ture. The manifold overlaps the adjacent end of the drum and the entry housing and serves to catch the peel material as it is thrown outward by centrifugal force and expelled from the drum. • The manifold includes a sloping bottom sur¬ face 58 (Fig. 2) leading to an opening 59 positioned to one side of the drum and from which the peel material exits the apparatus. The water injected through the openings 44 SUBSTITUTE SHEET O PI into the drum also flows with and serves to lubricate the peel material so that it will migrate lengthwise along the drum and out the opening 56. In accordance with another feature of the invention, 5 the plates are modified in the manner shown in fig. 9. As shown, the plate 46A comprises a solid member 47A in the same manner as previously described however, in this instance the plate includes a plurality of openings 60 extending therethrough. These openings serve a dual pur- 10 pose of forming edges 61 which contact the product as the drum is rotated to effect a peeling or cutting action and remove the peel therefrom. Additionally, an abrasive mat¬ erial can be fixed to the inner surface 48A of the plate if desired. This abrasive surface cooperates with the op- 15 enings to remove the peel from the product. The openings 60 serve a second purpose of allowing the peel material to pass through the plate and into the space 62 between the plate and the drum outer wall. In so doing, the peel mig¬ rates easily from right to left in the drum and into the 20 manifold 57 to be expelled from the apparatus. Yet another embodiment of the present invention not shown in the drawings is to place the plates 46 in abutting relationship with the drum 11 interior surface. By spacing the plates 39 and 41 slightly from the plate 46 a distance '25 sufficient to allow passage of peel material but not pro- fuct, the peel material and product can be cause to sep¬ arate and flow different directions. The Invention Claimed 1. An abrasive peeling apparatus for peeling product 30 and comprising: a generally cylindrical drum having an axis of ro¬ tation; abrasive means lining the interior surface of said drum for removing peel material from product contacting said 35 surface; . UBSTITUTE SHEET

Claims: a product inlet through which product to be peeled can be introduced into said drum; a product outlet spaced along the drum from said inlet for allowing peeled product to be expelled from the drum; means for moving the product through the interior of said drum from.the product inlet to the product outlet; characterized by means supporting said drum for ro¬ tation about said axis of rotation and with the inlet end of the drum being positioned slightly lower than the outlet end to allow the peel material removed from the product to move in the direction from the product outlet toward the product inlet as the product is moved from the product inlet to the product outlet; means to rotate said drum; and a peel material outlet positioned at the end of the drum adjacent the product inlet to allow peel material to exit the drum. 2. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 1 including means to inject water into the interior of said drum to wash the product and assist in moving the peel mat¬ erial out the peel material outlet. 3. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 1 wherein said means for moving the product through said drum is an auger positioned within said drum and means to rotate said auger about an axis of rotation to move the product. 4. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 1 wherein said abrasive means lining the drum interior in¬ cludes a plurality of rectangular plates and means for at- taching said plates to said drum interior surface. 5. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 1 wherein said product inlet comprises an inlet housing posi¬ tioned near one end of said drum, said housing having an opening therein through which product can be introduced to the drum interior. SUBSTITUTE SHEET 6. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 5 wherein said inlet housing is stationarily supported. 7. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 5 wherein said inlet housing is spaced from said drum one end to form a gap therewith and said peel material outlet comprises said gap between the drum and said inlet housin 8. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim : 3 wherein said auger includes at least one disk member fixed thereto and extending substantially normal to the auger axis of rotation to a position adjacent said drum interior surface to prevent said product from migrating in a direction towards said product inlet. 9. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 8 wherein said means to rotate said auger functions inter- mittently to allow said product to dwell at pre-selected positions within said drum with no forward movement in a direction towards said product outlet for predetermined periods. 10. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 3 including wall members fixed to said auger and extending generally in the direction of the axis of rotation of said auger but spaced radially outward therefrom to sweep said product at least partially around the interior of said drum as the auger is rotated. 11. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 4 wherein- said means for attaching said plates holds said plates in spaced relationship to said drum to form an annular space therebetween. 12. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 11 wherein said plates are spaced apart a distance to al¬ low peel material to pass therebetween. 13. An abrasive peeling apparatus for peeling product and comprising: a generally cylindrical drum having an interior surface and an axis of rotation; SUBSTITUTE SHEET means supporting said drum for rotation about said axis of rotation; a product inlet for introducing product into the interior of said drum; a product outlet for allowing product to exit the dru j means to rotate said drum; means to move the product from the product inlet to the product outlet through the interior of said drum; abrasive means lining the interior surface of said drum for contacting the product as it moves from the pro¬ duct inlet to the product outlet for removing the peel ma¬ terial therefrom; characterized by said abrasive means comprising a plurality of abrasive coated plates and means fixing the plates to the drum interior to form an inward facing abra¬ sive surface which contacts the product being moved through the- drum ' and removes the peel material therefrom. 14. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 13 wherein said means fixing the plates to the drum is re- leasable to allow removal of said plates. 15. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 13 wherein said plates includes a plurality of openings therethrough to assist in peeling the product. 16. An abrasive peeling apparatus for peeling product and comprising: a generally hollow cylindrical drum having inter¬ ior facing walls and an axis of rotation; a product inlet and product outlet spaced apart along said drum for allowing product to pass through said drum; means lining said interior walls of said drum for contacting and removing peel material from the product; means for rotating said drum to cause the product to contact the interior wall lining means for removal of SUBSTITUTE SHEET -^tJRE OMPI peel material from the., product; means causing said product to move through said drum from said product inlet to said product outlet; characterized by means causing said peel material removed from said product to move in the direction from said product outlet to said product inlet; and a peel material outlet spaced along said drum fro said product outlet to allow the product and peel materia to exit the drum separately. 17. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim 16 wherein said means lining said interior walls of said drum comprises at least one plate releasably fixed to the said drum interior wall and forming an interior wall that is abrasive to the product and removes the peel material therefrom. 18. An abrasive peeling apparatus as defined in Claim. 16 including means to introduce water into said drum int¬ erior to wash the product and carry out the peel material. s -ΠTUTE SHEET ^O REX^*- OMPΓ

Inventors: SKRUCH JOHN J, SKRUCH, JOHN, J.
Applicants: MAGNUSON ENG INC, MAGNUSON ENGINEERS, INC.
Application year: 1982
Main classification: A23N7
IPC codes: A23N7