Patent Publication Number: US-2023134537-A1

Title: Material processing system and method

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/272,724 filed Oct. 28, 2021. The entire disclosure contents of these applications are herewith incorporated by reference into the present application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     A. Field 
     This disclosure relates generally to material processing systems and methods, and more particularly to a system having a barrel line and a barrel assembly. 
     B. Description of Related Art 
     In some material processing operations, a processing fluid chemically reacts with the material to chemically alter the material. For example, corroded parts may be inserted into a cleaning fluid to remove corrosion from the parts. In some cases, the material to be processed is inserted into a chamber and the chamber is lowered into the processing fluid. The chamber walls are perforated in such a way as to allow processing fluid to reach the material without allowing any egress of the material through the chamber walls. The chamber may be rotated to agitate the material to thereby encourage uniform processing of the material. 
     The chamber may be configured to accommodate processing materials of varying weights. For example, a chamber formed from a polymer material may have a wall thickness of one or more inches to accommodate processing of materials weighing in the hundreds of pounds. In these cases, the perforations formed in the walls are more aptly considered as channels that extend through the chamber walls. These channels can, however, tend to clog when the particles of the material are small (e.g., in the sub-millimeter range). This problem is exacerbated with heavier materials that exert increased forces on the particles of material, further urging the particles into the channels. 
     Various examples of material processing systems and methods that ameliorate these and other issues are described herein. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. 
     In one aspect, a material processing system is disclosed. The material processing system includes a barrel line comprising one or more processing stations, wherein each processing station comprises a reservoir configured to hold a processing fluid, and a barrel assembly arranged within a first station of the barrel line, wherein the barrel assembly comprises a cylinder configured to receive material to be processed. The cylinder includes a first end surface, a second end surface, and a sidewall that extends therebetween, wherein the sidewall defines an opening therein configured to receive the material, and wherein at least one of the first end surface and the second end surface is perforated, and an inner wall configured to maintain the material within the cylinder when the cylinder rotates along a central axis in a first direction and to allow the material to exit the opening when the cylinder rotates along the central axis in an opposite direction. 
     In another aspect, a cylinder that facilitates processing a material is disclosed. The cylinder includes a first end surface, a second end surface, and a sidewall that extends therebetween, wherein the sidewall defines an opening therein configured to receive the material and wherein at least one of the first end surface and the second end surface is perforated, and an inner wall configured to maintain the material within the cylinder when the cylinder rotates along a central axis in a first direction and to allow the material to exit the opening when the cylinder rotates along the central axis in an opposite direction. 
     In yet another aspect, a method for processing material is disclosed. The method includes inserting a material into an opening in a sidewall of a cylinder of a barrel assembly. The cylinder includes a first end surface and a second end surface at respective ends of the sidewall, wherein at least one of the first end surface and the second end surface is perforated, and an inner wall configured to maintain the material within the cylinder when the cylinder rotates along a central axis in a first direction, and to allow the material to exit the opening when the cylinder rotates along the central axis in an opposite direction. The method also includes lowering the barrel assembly into a reservoir of a station of a barrel line, wherein the reservoir comprises a processing fluid, and rotating the cylinder in the first direction to process the material, wherein during rotation, processing fluid enters the opening in the sidewall and exits the at least one of the first end surface and the second end surface that is perforated. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawings and the drawings in the Appendix submitted herewith are included to provide a further understanding of the claims, are incorporated in, and constitute a part of this specification. The detailed description and illustrated examples described serve to explain the principles defined by the claims. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a side view of a material processing system, in accordance with example embodiments. 
         FIG.  2 A  illustrates a front view of a barrel assembly, in accordance with example embodiments. 
         FIG.  2 B  illustrates a side view of the barrel assembly of  FIG.  2 A , in accordance with example embodiments. 
         FIG.  3 A  illustrates a perspective of a cylinder, in accordance with example embodiments. 
         FIG.  3 B  illustrates a cross-section of a side view of the cylinder of  FIG.  3 A , in accordance with example embodiments. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates material processing operations performed by a material processing system, in accordance with example embodiments. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a rotational state diagram associated with states through which the cylinder transitions, in accordance with example embodiments. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates material processing operations performed by a material processing system, in accordance with example embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various examples of systems, devices, and/or methods are described herein. Words such as “example” and “exemplary” that may be used herein are understood to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment, implementation, and/or feature described herein as being an “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over any other embodiment, implementation, and/or feature unless stated as such. Thus, other embodiments, implementations, and/or features may be utilized, and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the subject matter presented herein. 
     Accordingly, the examples described herein are not meant to be limiting. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. 
     Further, unless the context suggests otherwise, the features illustrated in each of the figures may be used in combination with one another. Thus, the figures should be generally viewed as component aspects of one or more overall embodiments, with the understanding that not all illustrated features are necessary for each embodiment. 
     Additionally, any enumeration of elements, blocks, or steps in this specification or the claims is for purposes of clarity. Thus, such enumeration should not be interpreted to require or imply that these elements, blocks, or steps adhere to a particular arrangement or are carried out in a particular order. 
     Moreover, terms such as “substantially,” or “about” that may be used herein, are meant that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including, for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide. 
     An example of a material processing system comprises a barrel line and a barrel assembly. Some examples of the barrel line comprise one or more processing stations. Each processing station comprises a reservoir for holding a processing fluid. The barrel assembly is configured to be arranged within a first station of the barrel line. Some examples of the barrel assembly comprise a cylinder for receiving material to be processed. The cylinder comprises a first end surface, a second end surface, and a sidewall that extends therebetween. The sidewall defines an opening therein for receiving the material. At least one of the first end surface and the second end surface is perforated. The cylinder further comprises an inner wall configured to maintain the material within the cylinder when the cylinder rotates along a central axis in a first direction and to allow the material to exit the opening when the cylinder rotates along the central axis in the opposite direction. 
     During rotation of the material within the cylinder, the weight of the material is against the sidewall and the inner wall rather than the perforated end surfaces. This, in turn, keeps the perforations particle free. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a side view of an example of a material processing system  100 . The material processing system  100  includes a barrel line  105  and a barrel assembly  115 . 
     Some examples of the barrel line  105  include one or more processing stations  110 . For example, the illustrated example includes four processing stations ( 110 A-D). Each processing station  110  includes a reservoir configured to hold a processing fluid  130 . Some examples of the reservoir define a square or rectangular volume (e.g., have four vertical sidewalls and a bottom/horizontal sidewall). Some examples of the reservoir define a cylindrical volume. In some examples of the reservoir, channels or slots are defined in a pair of opposing sidewalls or opposing sidewall regions. As described further below, the channels are configured to receive a shaft of the barrel assembly  115 . Some examples of the reservoir do not include channels. In some of these examples, the shaft of the barrel assembly  115  is supported above or by a top edge of the reservoir. In other examples, the shaft is suspended within the reservoir (e.g., below the top edge of the reservoir). 
       FIGS.  2 A and  2 B  illustrate front and side views, respectively, of an example barrel assembly  115 . The barrel assembly  115  includes a cylinder  205  configured to receive material to be processed. Some examples of the cylinder  205  are coupled to a shaft  225  that facilitates rotation of the cylinder  205  within the barrel assembly  115 . In some examples, when the barrel assembly  115  is inserted into a station  110  of the barrel line  105 , the shaft  225  fits within the channel  120  referred to above. 
     Some examples of the barrel assembly  115  include a handle  215  configured to facilitate lifting the barrel assembly  115  out of a first station  110 A and lowering the barrel assembly  115  into a second station  110 B Other examples of the barrel assembly  115  include hoist lift brackets that facilitate lifting the barrel assembly  115  via an automatic hoist. 
     Some examples of the barrel assembly  115  include a motor  210  configured to rotate the cylinder  205 . Some examples of the barrel assembly  115  include a gear assembly  220  that rotationally couples a shaft of the motor  210  to the shaft  225  of the cylinder  205 . For instance, in an example, a gear on a shaft of the motor  210  meshes either directly or via one or more intermediary gears with a gear on the shaft  225  of the cylinder  205 . In some examples, the motor  210  drives the shaft  225  or the cylinder  205  via, for example, a belt, a chain, etc. 
     In some examples, the motor is part of the barrel line  105  rather than the barrel assembly  115 . In some of these examples, the barrel assembly  115  comprises a gear assembly  220  configured to mesh with a corresponding gear of the motor. In some examples, the drive portion, e.g., one or more of the motor, gears, belt, etc., are on the inside of the barrel line  105  (e.g., within one or more of the reservoirs). In other examples, the drive portion, or a portion thereof, is on the outside of the barrel line  105 . 
       FIG.  3 A  illustrates a perspective of an example of a cylinder  205 .  FIG.  3 B  illustrates a cross-section of a side view of the cylinder  205 . Some examples of the cylinder  205  include a first end surface  305 A, a second end surface  305 B, and a sidewall  310  that extends therebetween. Some examples of the sidewall  310  define an opening  315  therein for receiving material to be processed. 
     In some examples, at least one of the end surfaces  305  is perforated. For instance, in an example, the end surfaces  305  are solid structures having openings (e.g., perforations) formed therein. In another example, one or both end surfaces  305  define an opening  320  and screen  325  is arranged over the opening. 
     Some examples of the openings in the screen are sized to be a margin smaller than the size of the material to be processed to prevent the material from passing through the screen during processing operations. For instance, an example of the material to be processed has a particle size of about 1 mm and the openings in the screen have a diameter of about 0.9 mm. Other dimensions are contemplated. An example of the screen  325  is removably coupled to the end surface  305  to facilitate replacing the screen  325  with a screen having perforations of a different size. 
     Referring to  FIG.  3 B , some examples of the cylinder  205  include an inner wall  330  configured to maintain the material within the cylinder  205  when the cylinder  205  rotates along a central axis in a first direction and to allow the material to exit the opening  315  when the cylinder  205  rotates along the central axis in the opposite direction. This aspect is described in further detail below. 
     In some examples, the sidewall  310  of the cylinder  205  is a first radial distance R 1  from the central axis of the cylinder  205 . In some examples, the inner wall  330  of the cylinder  205  defines a curved end region  335  that is a second radial distance R 2  from the central axis of the cylinder  205 . An example of the curved end region  335  is configured so that the distance of the curved end region  335  to the sidewall  310  is relatively constant along the length of the curved end region  335 . In some examples, the perforations in the end surface  305  are centrally arranged on the end surface  305  within a region defined by the second radial distance R 2 . As described further below, when examples of these cylinders  205  are inserted in a station  110 , the processing fluid  130  within the station  110  is set to a level that is between the first radial distance R 1  and the second radial distance R 2 . 
       FIG.  4    illustrates examples of material processing operations  400  performed by the material processing system  100 . In some examples, these operations are performed automatically (e.g., under computer control). The operations are best understood with reference to the rotational state diagram  500  of  FIG.  5   , which shows the cylinder  205  of the barrel assembly  115  in different rotational states. The operations at block  405  involve rotating the cylinder  205  of the barrel assembly  115  into a position that facilitates insertion of material  505  to be processed and inserting the material  505 . An example of this state corresponds to the first rotational state ( 1 ) in the rotational state diagram  500 . In some examples, the barrel assembly  115  is inserted into a first processing station  110 A when rotated. In an example, the barrel assembly  115  is in communication with a controller that controls the cylinder  205  of the barrel assembly  115  to rotate to the appropriate position. In this regard, some examples of the barrel assembly  115  are configured to facilitate determining the particular orientation of the cylinder  205 . For instance, some examples of the cylinder  205  include features (e.g., notches, magnets, etc.) that facilitate sensing by an appropriate sensor of the barrel assembly  115  the position and direction of rotation of the cylinder  205 . 
     The operations at block  410  involve inserting the barrel assembly  115  (if not already inserted) into a reservoir of a station  110  of the barrel line  105  and rotating the cylinder  205  in a material processing direction. In some examples, the processing fluid  130  within the reservoir of the station  110  is set to a level  125  that is between the first radial distance R 1  associated with the sidewall  310  of the cylinder  205  and the second radial distance R 2  associated with the curved end region  335  of the inner wall  330  of the cylinder  205 . This aspect is illustrated in the second rotational state in the rotational state diagram  500 . 
     The material processing direction in this example is clockwise. As the cylinder  205  rotates, the material  505  follows the sidewall of the cylinder  205  and eventually hits the inner wall  330  when the cylinder  205  is in the fifth rotational state. Continued rotation causes the material  505  to pile against the curved section of the inner wall  330  (states seven and eight). Further rotation causes the material  505  to spill over the curved end region  335  of the inner wall  330  and onto the sidewall  310  of the cylinder  205 . However, the opening  315  in the cylinder  205  at this stage of rotation is above the region where the material falls, and, therefore, the material is maintained within cylinder  205 . 
     Rotation through states five through nine causes processing fluid  130  to be captured within the opening  315  of the cylinder  205 . Continued rotation causes the processing fluid  130  to mix with the material  505  to thereby process the material  505  with the processing fluid  130 . As the cylinder  205  continues to rotate, the processing fluid  130  within the mixture eventually drains/spills through perforations centrally arranged on the end surface  305  of the cylinder  205  and falls into the reservoir of the station  110 . 
     If at block  415 , further processing of the material  505  is required (e.g., processing by a different liquid), then at block  420 , the barrel assembly  115  is lifted from the station  110  and moved to a different station  110 . The operations at block  410  are then performed. In some examples, the lifting and the lowering of the barrel assembly  115  from one station  110  to the next station  110  is performed automatically. For instance, a computer system determines that processing of the material  505  is complete (e.g., the cylinder  205  has been rotated for a pre-determined amount of time) and then controls a hoist to lift/lower the barrel assembly  115  from one station  110  to the other station  110 . In some examples, one or more of these aspects is performed manually. 
     If at block  415 , processing of the material  505  is complete, then at block  425 , the barrel assembly  115  is removed from the station  110 , and the cylinder  205  is rotated in a direction that causes the material  505  to fall out of the opening  315  of the cylinder  205 . Continuing with the example above, rotating the cylinder  205  in the counterclockwise direction causes the material  505  to fall out of the opening  315  of the cylinder  205 . 
       FIG.  6    illustrates examples of material processing operations  600  performed by a material processing system. The operations at block  605  involve inserting a material  505  into an opening  315  in a sidewall  310  of a cylinder  205  of a barrel assembly  115 . Some examples of the cylinder  205  comprise a first end surface  305 A and a second end surface  305 B at respective ends of the sidewall  310 . At least one of the first end surface  305 A and the second end surface  305 B is perforated. Some examples of the cylinder  205  further comprise an inner wall  330  configured to maintain the material  505  within the cylinder  205  when the cylinder  205  rotates along a central axis in a first direction and to allow the material  505  to exit the opening  315  when the cylinder  205  rotates along the central axis in the opposite direction. 
     The operations at block  610  involve lowering the barrel assembly  115  into a reservoir of a station  110  of a barrel line  105 . The reservoir comprises a processing fluid  130 . 
     The operations at block  615  involve rotating the cylinder  205  in the first direction to process the material  505 . During rotation, processing fluid  130  enters the opening  315  in the sidewall  310  of the cylinder  205  and exits the at least one of the first end surface  305 A and the second end surface  305 B that is perforated. 
     In some examples, the sidewall  310  of the cylinder  205  is a first radial distance from the central axis of the cylinder  205 , and the inner wall  330  of the cylinder  205  defines a curved end region  335  that is a second radial distance from the central axis of the cylinder  205 . In these examples, the operations further involve filling the processing fluid  130  to a level that is between the first radial distance and the second radial distance from the central axis of the cylinder  205 . 
     In some examples, each reservoir comprises a pair of opposing sidewalls having formed therein a channel  120  configured to receive a shaft  225  of the barrel assembly  115  about which the cylinder  205  rotates. In these examples, lowering the barrel assembly  115  into the reservoir of the station  110  of the barrel line  105  further involves lowering the shaft  225  into the channel. 
     Some examples of the operations further involve, after rotating the cylinder  205  in the first direction to process the material  505 , inserting the barrel assembly  115  into a reservoir of a second station  110 B of the barrel assembly  115  that comprises a second processing fluid  130 , and rotating the cylinder  205  in the first direction in the reservoir of the second station  110 B to perform a second processing operation on the material  505 . 
     In some examples, the at least one of the first end surface  305 A and the second end surface  305 B that is perforated comprises a removable screen  325 . In these examples, the openings in the screen  325  are a margin smaller than the material  505  to prevent the material  505  from passing through the screen  325 . 
     In some examples, the particle size of the material  505  is about 1 mm. 
     In some examples, the barrel assembly  115  comprises a motor  210  configured to rotate the cylinder  205 . In these examples, rotating the cylinder  205  in the first direction to process the material  205  involves actuating the motor  210 . 
     In some examples, the barrel line  105  comprises a motor and the barrel assembly  115  comprises a gear assembly  220  configured to mesh with the motor. In these examples, rotating the cylinder  205  in the first direction to process the material  505  involves actuating the motor. 
     While the systems and methods of operation have been described with reference to certain examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes can be made and equivalents can be substituted without departing from the scope of the claims. Therefore, it is intended that the present methods and systems not be limited to the particular examples disclosed, but that the disclosed methods and systems include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.