Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – With soil removing – coating – lubricating – sterilizing and/or... – Drip collection
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-02
2004-03-23
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
With soil removing, coating, lubricating, sterilizing and/or...
Drip collection
C141S091000, C141S098000, C141S286000, C405S119000, C210S154000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06708737
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns coolant collection flumes, typically comprised of below grade trenches or above grade troughs, which extend beneath large installations of machining equipment to collect coolant draining down from the part and tools. Machining chips in the coolant are likewise collected. The coolant and machining chips flow down the flume and are collected for separation of the chips and filtration of the coolant, which filtered coolant is then recirculated to the machining stations.
In order to carry the chips along with the flow of coolant down the flume, certain minimum flow velocities must be maintained in the flume, which varies depending on the size and type of chips.
The coolant flow has often been designed to be gravity induced by downwardly sloping the flume, the velocity determined by the relative inclination of the flume bottom.
Such flumes were traditionally provided by below grade sloping bottom trenches which ran beneath the machine bases. Below grade gravity flow systems are much less costly than systems involving sump pumps and above grade piping systems. There are disadvantages to below grade trenches, such as their cost to construct due to the need for excavating below floor level, the difficulties encountered in making plant layout changes, and in detecting leaks through the trench liner which leaks may create environmental problems.
Above grade gravity flow troughs have thus been developed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,735 by the present inventor.
Large machine tools such as transfer lines extend for considerable distances, and the available vertical space beneath the machines for the trough is quite limited since the machines are preferably not elevated above the floor so high as to require personnel to climb above floor level, which limited trough height in turn restricts the degree of slope of the trough which can be accommodated.
In order to maintain an adequate flow velocity in relatively shallowly sloped troughs, flush nozzles are arranged in the trough, directing flushing jets of clean coolant down the trough, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,735.
In this arrangement, coolant drainage is collected from each machining area at various points along the length of the trough, such that increasing volumes of coolant is flowing down the length of the machine.
This increasing flow volume can create a pressure head impeding flow upstream, slowing flow velocities in the trough to the point that chips may begin to accumulate, further restricting flow to possibly create a blockage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,812 describes a trough system involving a main trough and tributary troughs intersecting the main trough. An increased cross sectional area at each intersection is created by a stepped bottom and sidewall.
This arrangement consumes the limited available vertical space by the presence of the stepped bottom and is not suited to low overhead clearance installations, but rather to situations where no severe limitations of the vertical clearance are present.
Flush nozzles are sometimes installed in steps formed in the trough bottom for this purpose, but these steps also use up the available vertical space without efficiently accelerating the flow of coolant.
Another consideration in using flush nozzles is the desirability of efficient use of the flushing jets. The flow from the nozzles is most efficient at transferring energy into the flow stream when covered with liquid coolant and when the jets are aligned with the direction of flow. Since the depth of flow in conventional flumes often varies along its length, the flush nozzles furthest upstream may not be covered as the trough is typically sized to accommodate the maximum flow occurring downstream, and this may result in a too shallow depth in the upstream sections to cover the flush nozzles.
The stepped bottom also tends to create eddies where chips may begin to collect.
Another approach has been to provide a drag conveyor in the trough or trench to move the chips, but its presence substantially impedes liquid flow, necessitating pumps to get sufficient liquid transfer out of the flume, increasing the cost of the system.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a low profile velocity trough configuration for collection and transfer of machining coolant which is particularly suited to situations where very limited vertical space is available for providing a trough slope to gravity induce an adequate coolant flow velocity.
It is a further object to provide such a trough which provides advantageous mounting locations for flush nozzles obtaining efficient use of such flush nozzles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above recited objects and others which will be understood upon a reading of the following specification and claims are achieved by a trough having a continuously sloping bottom which is smooth and uninterrupted to maximize the gravity induced velocity of coolant flowing thereon, but which has sidewalls which are stepped out to wider spacings at points along the length of the trough to create increasing cross sectional areas at downstream locations to increase the flow capacity thereof generally in correspondence to the increased volume of drainage coolant collected. This configuration maintains the flow depth and avoids any pressure head downstream created by in flows downstream which would raise the flow level and impede flow upstream.
Furthermore, adequate depth is maintained in upstream sections to insure good coverage of flush nozzles installed at the stepped portions of the trough sidewalls
Also, lateral sidewall segments forming the steps in the sidewalls are advantageous locations for locating the flush nozzles aligned with the direction of coolant flows. Steps in the bottom of the trough for this purpose which would use up limited available vertical space are thus not required.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5662812 (1997-09-01), McEwen
patent: 6017446 (2000-01-01), Harms et al.
Benefiel John R.
DeVore Peter
Mancene Gene
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