Polishing, Separating, and other Purposes.
Year: 1886

page_text: Polishing, Separating, and other Purposes.
I JOHN HENDERSON junior, of Waterbury County of New Haven and State of
Connecticut United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in tumbling barrels of the class which
employ an air-blast for removing the dust or debris; and the objects of my improve-
ment are to reduce the volume of air passing through the barrel, whereby I increase
its velocity and efficiency, to avoid packing the staves of the barrel for making it
air tight, and to otherwise improve the construction so as to reduce the cost of
production and to improve the efficiency of the barrel.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a central vertical section, partly in elevation of my tumbling barrels.
Figure 2 is an end view of said barrel without the shaft on which it revolves.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the perforated plate on the end of said shaft, and of
the suction pipe, said parts being detached from the barrel head.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of said shaft on line
suction pipe partly in elevation.
of fig. 5, together with the
Figure 5 is a side elevation of said shaft and suction pipe.
Figure 6 is an end view of the inner end of said shaft detached from all other parts.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of the inner side of one head, of a modified construction.
Figure 8 is a section of the same on line y-y of fig. 7 showing also the shaft.,
which is integral with the head.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of another form of suction pipe and its head, and-
Figure 10 is a sectional view of another form of exhaust head for my barrel.
The general features of the barrel may be of any ordinary construction. I construct
it without any perforations in either head and fit the staves together as tightly as is
practicable without packing the joints. I have found by trial and experiment that
such a construction of the barrel A will admit into it all the air that is necessary,
when the apparatus is constructed in accordance with my invention. The object of
this construction is to cause the air to pass radially into the barrel and through the
contents thereof. To this end minute passages may be made through the staves, as
at g fig. 1, in addition to the spaces between them, or as a substitute for said spaces,
the periphery of the barrel being made solid with the exception of said minute spaces.
T

page_text: The spaces or perforations must not be too large or too numerous. The combined
area of all the radial inlets must be made less than the area of the discharge pipe.
Ordinarily the inlet area should be about one-thirtieth the area of the discharge pipe.
Too much inlet area will cause the air to pass through the barrel too slowly to produce
the best effect. In order to illustrate the spaces between the staves at all, it became
necessary to show them in fig. 2 proportionally too large.
The bead B is of ordinary construction, and is provided with a central hub a having
a round axial opening as shown in fig. 2. This opening is preferably countersunk
upon the inner side, for the purpose hereinafter described.
C designates the shaft or journal for the head B, the outer end of which shaft has
its bearing in the frame D, as shown at the right hand end of fig. 1. The inner end
of this shaft has peripheral grooves b, preferably three in number, which grooves
extend from the inner end of the shaft outward for about half of its length, or other
convenient distance, where they are made to terminate at the periphery, as shown in
fig. 1. At the extreme inner end the mouths of the grooves are beveled off or
enlarged, so as to make them come nearly or quite together as shown in figs. 5 and 6.
A central hole is made in the end of this shaft, which hole is threaded for the
reception of the screw d or other suitable fastening, whereby the perforated plate or
strainer e is secured thereon. This plate I prefer to make with a beveled edge, so
that it may be adapted in shape to the countersunk portion of the axial opening
through the head B, into which the shaft or bearing is fitted. The suction pipe E is
provided with a circular head, having a hole through it which will receive the
shaft C. An annular space (see figs. 1, 4 and 8) encircles this hole and communicates
with the central hole in the suction pipe E. The grooved end of the shaft C is snugly
fitted to the hub a of the head B in the position shown in fig. 1, said parts preferably
being secured together by shrinking the hub on the shaft. The perforated plate or
strainer is then fastened directly upon the inner end of the shaft, as shown in figs. 1, 3
and 4. The suction pipe is placed upon the shaft between the end of the hub a and
the bearings D of the frame, as shown in fig. 1. In this position the head of the
suction pipe covers the ends of the grooves, and the annular space within said head
communicates with the grooves, so that when a suitable suction device is properly
connected with the suction pipe E and operated to exhaust the air therefrom the air
will enter the barrel A through the minute spaces at the joints, pass through the
perforated plate or strainer e upon the end of the shaft C, then through the peripheral
grooves in the shaft, and then pass radially from the shaft into the annular space in
the head, and out through the suction pipe E to any suitable discharge, thereby
effectually removing all dust, sand, or other fine debris from the barrel in a very
efficient manner.
By enlarging the mouths of the grooves at the inner end of the shaft C the several
grooves are made to communicate with the perforations in the plate e; but this
enlargement of the grooves, while a preferable construction, may be dispensed with.
Some of the advantages of my invention are as follows; I save the expense of
packing the joints to make them air tight, as has heretofore been supposed to be
necessary in barrels of this class when the periphery of the barrel is composed of
staves. I make no special perforations for the purpose of admitting air to the barrel.
I cause the entering air to pass radially through the contents of the barrel, and
thereby more effectually separate and carry off the intermixed dust and debris.
I construct the head B of the ordinary form, with a simple axial hole to receive the
shaft or journal. The passages leading from the strainer for the exit of the air are
all formed in the solid shaft or journal, of ordinary size, and entirely independent of
and separate from the head. Only a small space is made leading to the suction pipe,
whereby I am enabled to increase the velocity of the air, and thereby more efficiently
remove the dust and debris from the barrel.
I do not wish to confine myself to the exact construction shown and described, the
main feature of my invention consisting of admitting the air-current radially between
or through the staves and discharging it radially from the shaft into the annular
space at the end of the pipe which leads to the suction device, and it is obvious that

page_text: many modifications in construction are permissible without departing from the scope
of my invention.
If preferred, the shaft and the surrounding head may be cast in one piece of metal,
the portion corresponding with the shaft, as described herein, being cored for forming
the air passages. Such a modification is illustrated in figs. 7 and 8.
One of the best ways known to me for making the exhaust head B and its shaft is
illustrated in fig. 10. The shaft C is secured within the hub a by shrinkage. Three
or other desired number of holes are then drilled, extending from the periphery of the
hub to the end of the shaft within the barrel as shown at fig. 10. A collar n is
secured on the end of the hub to hold the head of the suction pipe E in place. This
head is made of wood in two parts for convenience of putting in place and is
secured together by clamp bolts & s. It covers the peripheral openings b and connects
them with the suction pipe E as in the construction first described.
I am aware that a prior United States patent for a feather renovator shows a barrel
having a hollow shaft with radial openings communicating with a chamber inside of
the barrel at one end, and then with longitudinal chambers at the periphery of the
barrel, the double walls of which chambers were provided with a series of openings
and valves, the same being used by closing the valves in the outer wall of the
longitudinal chambers, while those in the inner wall were open, then admitting steam
for a time through the hollow shaft and chambers radially into the barrel, then opening
the valves in the outer walls of the chambers and closing those in the inner walls to
let the steam pass out at the periphery and through the chambers to dry the contents
of the barrel. Such a barrel is hereby disclaimed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
1. A tumbling barrel having in its periphery air passages that admit the air radially
into the barrel, and exit passages leading from one end of the barrel, that discharge
radially from the shaft at a point outside of the barrel into a space communicating
with a suction pipe, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
2. In a tumbling barrel, the head B and shaft C, the latter provided with peripheral
air passages b, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
3. In a tumbling barrel, the head B, the shaft C, having peripheral air passages b,
and suction pipe E, communicating with the outlets of said peripheral air passages,
substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
4. In a tumbling barrel, the head B, shaft C, having peripheral air passages b, and
the perforated plate e, secured to the end of said shaft, substantially as described and
for the purpose specified.
5. In a tumbling barrel, the head B, shaft C, having peripheral air passages b,
having enlarged mouths at the place of junction with the perforated plate, substantially
as described and for the purpose specified.
.6. In a tumbling barrel, the head B having the shaft C secured therein, said shaft
having the ordinary solid journal bearing at its outer end, while the part inclosed
within the hub of the head is provided with air passages terminating at the periphery
of the shaft at a point outside of said hub, substantially as described and for the
purpose specified.
7. The combination of the head B, having the hub a, with the axial hole therein,
the shaft C, having its grooved end secured within the hub of said head, the perforated
plate at the inner end of said shaft, and the suction pipe E having the head sur-
rounding said shaft, and having also the annular space within said head communicating
with the grooves in the shaft, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.