Material or article handling – Chamber of a type utilized for a heating function and... – Charging of chamber
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-31
2001-05-15
Bratlie, Steven A. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Chamber of a type utilized for a heating function and...
Charging of chamber
C414S149000, C414S171000, C414S173000, C414S199000, C110S246000, C110S346000, C198S463400, C198S487100, C198S531000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231288
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to devices conveying worn tires for disposal or storage, and more particularly to a conveyor head feed apparatus for conveying, elevating and orienting whole tires for injection into a rotating kiln.
2. Description of the Background Art
Disposal of worn automobile tires has become a significant problem for many community landfills with limited available space. Tire shredding and chipping devices were developed, in part, to reduce the volume of material presented to landfills for disposal. However, tire shredding and chipping devices are costly to install and maintain, thus significantly raising the cost of disposal of each tire. Tires are also combustible and pose a threat of fire in landfills as well as transfer and storage facilities.
One alternative to shredding or landfill disposal is to incinerate the tires or burn the tires as a source of supplemental fuel in rotary kilns. Rubber tires burn extremely hot, and thus make a very good source of supplemental fuel for a rotary kiln.
Rotating kilns are frequently used in the production of cement. Because such kilns operate at extremely high temperatures, it is possible to burn various forms of liquid and solid combustible waste materials as a source of supplemental fuel. At the high temperatures found in such kilns, which are on the order of 3400 degrees Fahrenheit and above, the waste materials tend to combust fairly completely while producing little or no undesirable gaseous or solid emissions. Therefore, these waste materials can serve as a form a supplemental fuel, thereby reducing the demand for and cost of the primary fuel to fire the kiln.
In addition, the extremely high temperatures within a cement kiln will cause the rubber tires to burn without any significant liquid, solid or gaseous waste byproducts which might otherwise be detrimental to the environment. Burning worn out tires as secondary fuel in rotary cement kilns helps alleviate the growing problem of tire disposal without appreciably impairing the environment.
Many conventional feed systems used for injecting tires into a cement kiln require that the tires be cut and processed into “fuel packages” having relatively specific outer dimensions. Predictably, such preparation of used tires increases the overall cost of operating the kiln, and normally requires the use of special equipment and additional manpower to cut the tires and package the resulting pieces into suitably sized packages. Therefore, it is more efficient to inject whole tires into the kiln.
Whether shredded, incinerated or used as secondary fuel in a cement kiln, the tires need to be efficiently presented to the various devices for processing. A considerable amount of manual handling of the tires is required to properly present the tire to the entrance of the kiln or shredder. This handling normally includes changes in elevation from the tire storage or transfer point to the mouth of the kiln.
Accordingly, a need exists for an efficient automated apparatus that can change the elevation of a stream of tires and present the tires for injection into the kiln or shredding device at the proper orientation. The present invention satisfies that need, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in existing equipment.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an apparatus for changing the elevation of a stream of used tires and sequentially orienting the tires for feeding into a rotating cement kiln, shredding device, incinerator or storage area. One drawback to prior conveyor mechanisms is that a considerable amount of manipulation of the tires is required to present the tire to the mouth of the kiln from the tire source including changes in elevation and positioning at an appropriate angle. The apparatus of the present invention eliminates manual handling of the tires from tire transfer point to the mouth of the kiln or other processing device.
By way of example, and not of limitation, the invention includes a pair of wheels or sprockets supported by a housing. The first or base sprocket is positioned at ground level, and the second sprocket is positioned at a selected elevation above the base sprocket in the same plane. The second sprocket freely rotates about a central axis. The first sprocket is a drive sprocket attached to a motor or other means of rotation. An endless drive chain or drive belt connects the two wheels or sprockets. Forced rotation of the base drive sprocket produces rotation of the second sprocket and directional movement of the chain. It will be apparent that the drive motor can attached to the top sprocket rather than the base sprocket as an alternative.
A number of arms project laterally from the chain or belt and are securely fixed to the chain or belt. Arcuate hooks or knobs are present on the distal ends of the arms. The arms travel with the chain around the drive and top wheels or sprockets.
The outer housing of the conveyor head around the top sprocket includes a set of curved panels and a set of rollers. The panels have a curvature at one end which parallels the circumference of the top sprocket. The arc of the curved panel about the top sprocket is continued with a section in a line of rollers. Preferably the central axis point of each roller is approximately six degrees from the adjoining roller along the arc. This arc is continued until the roller line is at the proper angle that will provide the necessary alignment with the feed chute or mouth of the kiln.
In use, a stream of tires from a tire source moves along a conventional horizontal conveyor. An intake roller platform sequentially receives individual tires from the horizontal conveyor, preferably through a control gate. The platform may also be angled downwardly to utilize the forces of gravity to move the tire along the rollers. The platform has a notch that will allow the horizontal arm to pass through the center of the platform interdigitally as the chain and arm move vertically upward. Once through the notch in the platform, the arm engages the tire from below and the hook or knob is positioned at the center hole of the tire. As the tire is drawn upward, it pivots and aligns vertically on the arm.
The tires are in a vertical orientation when moved upwardly by the lift conveyor. As the tire approaches the top of the apparatus, it engages the outer surface of the curved housing panels with the arm passing between the panels. The tire is brought along the housing panels over the top to the rollers. The line of top rollers is notched and the arm passes between the two releasing the tire to the rollers in the process. A feed chute, conveyor or staging area is at the end of the line of rollers.
To ensure that tires and other materials will be gravity fed into the feed chute for the kiln, the rollers and chute apparatus are oriented on the support frame such that the plane of the feed rollers connected to the feed chute has an angle of inclination between approximately thirty-three degrees and approximately sixty degrees, and preferably forty-seven degrees.
An object of the invention is to efficiently convey whole tires for injection into the interior area of a rotating kiln.
Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor mechanism that can efficiently change the elevation of a stream of waste tires without requiring manual positioning,
Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor feed system that is automatically controlled to deliver and orient tires for injection into a rotary kiln or storage area.
Another object of the invention is to provide a stream of tires for injection into a rotating kiln without creating a bottleneck.
Another object of the invention is to provide a feed conveyor apparatus for a rotating kiln that feeds tires into the kiln at a desired rate.
Another object of the inve
Bratlie Steven A.
O'Banion John P.
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