AU606466B2

AU606466B2 - Method and apparatus for producing a bead of material

Info

Publication number: AU606466B2
Application number: AU23692/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: David J. Chapman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-10-12
Filing date: 1988-10-12
Publication date: 1991-02-07
Anticipated expiration: 2008-10-12
Also published as: AU2369288A

Description

MC035 15 12/ 10/80 i

AUSTRALIA

Form Form PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: amendmenrs made under Section 49 and is correct for printing.

o *,r 0 00 09 00 o 0 .3 4 00c 00 o 00 0000 o o 0000 000 00.

O 0 Priority: Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: DAVID J. CHAPMAN 11 Mayston Street East Hawthorn, Victoria 3123 Australia David J. CHAPMAN GRIFFITH HACK CO., 601 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A BEAD OF MATERIAL The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:- See reverse side of this form for guidance in completing this part 7

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DECLARED at rl L~ I; I c i u~ii~ 2 o 0 0 0 oo o a 0o o 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 o 0e 0 00 00 0 00 0 0 000 0 0 o a 000000 0 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A BEAD OF MATERIAL 5 This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing a bead of material. Beads of material are used in many environments. For example the beads may be intended for use as a base material for use in preparing samples for use in mining industries, ceramics and brick production industries and the like or the beads could have a completely different use such as for reflectors on highways.

In the above industries, it is often necessary to produce samples for analysis or for other purposes.

Samples are conventionally prepared by mixing the material to be analysed with a base material such as j i 3 lithium metaborate or lithium tetraborate or other silica materials. Samples for analysis are conventionally formed by heating a material in a container and pouring the r material from the container and grinding the material. This method of forming a base material suffers from many drawbacks. The main drawbacks are that the mate:xial can become contaminated during the grinding process and the ground particles have a significant size variation. Thus, o0.o the particles may include fines and larger particles which makes the material difficult to handle. One method of 00 0 preparing beads for use as reflectors on highways is to heat .0 the material in an oven which has holes in its walls and 00 00 o then rotating the oven so that material is flung out of the 08 0 0 0o: holes in the form of beads. This method suffers from heat problems in particular heating of the spindle and motor used to rotate the oven.

The object of this invention mis to provide an 0000 0 apparatus which overcomes these drawbacks.

.0 The invention provides an apparatus for producing .o beads of material comprising: a furnace having a vessel therein for receiving material from which the beads are to be formed and for i maintaining the material in a heated condition; a a mixing container arranged outside of said furnace for receiving the material and for supplying the material to said vessel in said furnace; a mixer mechanism for moving said mixing container to mix said material in said mixing container; heating means for heating said mixing container to heat said material; a nozzle coupled to said vessel for spraying the Smaterial in said vessel in the form of discrete drops out of said furnace; and cooling means for cooling the discrete drops so that they form beads of the material.

Since the invention sprays the material through a nozzle and cools the material to form the beads, the beads X I ,will not be contaminated in a grinding step and 1 4 also no motor or the like is required to spin an oven to form the beads. Furthermore, since the beads are sprayed from a nozzle, all of the beads are of the same size and no fines are included. Since the beads are all of the same size they tend not to coagulate into lumps and are therefore much easier to handle. Furthermore, since the material has not been ground the beads tend to be less hydroscopic than the material in the ground form.

Furthermore, the spraying of the beads produces beads not only of the same size but also of the same weight and therefore a certain weight of material can be provided by simply providing a certain number of beads of material.

Preferably the p.rtu: inacp s vael i which rzzaiv- thz haad material and vfiich zzmmurnaaatea 15 'i-t d said vessel -Fan inlet for enabling a fluid to enter the vessel so that upon the introduction of fluid into said vessel, said material is 00 0 a forced out of the vessel and through the nozzle to form oo 0 the beads of material.

Preferably the cooling means comprises means o 00 for forming a curtain of nitrogen gas through which the S. sprayed beads of material pass to cool and harden the beads of material. Preferably the material comprises a 0ooo. silica substance and preferably the silica substance i 25 comprises a mixture of two or more substances such as S lithium tetraborate and lithium metaborate.

0 Preferably the two or more substances are mixed S" in a -F-fi--t c-ri- and heated and then poured through a funnel into a second crucible and from the second crucible into said vessel.

Preferably said second crucible and said vessel are contained within a furnace and said inlet to the vessel is coupled to a pipe which has a substantial length within said furnace so that the gas entering said vessel is heated in said pipe in said furnace.

ij I i A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

With reference to the drawing, an apparatus for preparing a base material comprises a furnace 10 which is heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 1200 0 C. A crucible 12 is supported above the housing and is adapted to be about a pair of horizontal axes 14 and 16 which are arranged at right angles to one another in order to mix material contained within the crucible 12. A pair of extendible and retractable rams 18 (only one of which is shown) are coupled to the crucible 12 for moving the crucible so that it can swing about both axes 14 and 16 to mix the contents of the oe: 15 crucible. A plurality of burners 20 are arranged beneath o_ the crucible 12 for heating the contents of the crucible.

oo rA predetermined amount of material such as lithium 0 0 tetraborate and lithium metaborate is located in the o; crucible 12 and is thoroughly mixed by movement of the crucible 12 about the axes 14 and 16 and is heated by the 0: burners ZO.

P me When the base material has been thoroughly Smixed and heated the ram arm 18 is fully retracted to cause the crucible 12 to pivot about the axes 16 to pour 25 the contents of the crucible 12 into a funnel 22. The funnel 22 is provided with a lid 24 which is opened by a ram 26 by retracting the ram 26 so that the lid 24 slides to the left in the figure. This enables the contents of a C the crucible to be poured into the funnel. The funnel is arranged in the roof of the housing 10 so that the contents of the crucible 12 can pass through the funnel into a second crucible 30. The second crucible 30 is 1 supported about an axis 32 and has a ram arm 34 which can be retracted or extended to locate the crucible 30 in an upright position or to tip the crucible 30 so that the contents can be emptied from the crucible 30. The base AA, L1.

0k t I 0 -6material in the crucible 30 is maintained in the heated condition by the furnace 10 and upon tilting of the crucible 30 is poured into a vessel 40 through a funnel 42. The funnel 42 has a closure plate 44 which merely pivots into an open position when the material contacts the closure plate. The vessel 40 has an air inlet 46 which is coupled to a pipe 48 which includes a helically wound portion 50 to provide a substantial length of the pipe within the heated housing 10. The pipe extends through a wall of the housing and to a source of medical quality air. The vessel 40 has a nozzle 52 coupled thereto by a pipe 54 which passes through a wall of the housing. A nitrogen air blower 56 is arranged adjacent Sof the outlet of the nozzle 52 for providing a curtain of 0 oa° 15 nitrogen gas. A baffle plate 60 is arranged on the 00 00 opposite side of the curtain of nitrogen gas to the 0000 00. nozzle 52. Storage of the material in crucible S ensures that it is maintained at the desired temperature o00 before being passed to the nozzle 52 or is reheated to that temperature if it cools before entering the furnace o0o00 Soo When a desired amount of the heated base 0 °material has been received in the vessel 40, the medical 00a00 quality air is forced under pressure through the pipe 48 0000 25 into the vessel 40. The increase in pressure causes the closure plate 44 to seal tightly against the bottom of 0 the funnel 42 and forces material through the pipe 54 and 0 out of the nozzle 52. The pressure inside of the vessel °0010 40 causes the base material to be sprayed out of nozzle 52 in the form of discrete beads which are cooled as they pass through the nitrogen curtain provided by the blower 56. The beads cool in the nitrogen curtain and are deflected into a funnel 70 for collection. If any beads pass through the curtain they contact a baffle plate whereupon they fall downwardly and are collected.

Yi ~i -i I-- 7 The nozzle 52 is preferably adjustable to atomize the material to a predetermined size to, in turn, provide beads of that size. Preferably the beads are circular and of 50 microns diameter. However beads of a different size and shape could be produced if desired.

The beads of material are easy to handle and provide a supply of material containing a prescribed amount of constituents such as lithium tetraborate or lithium metaborate or other materials such as silica, sodium carbonate or sodium borate. Thus, by providing beads of the material problems associated with the handling of the lithium tetraborate or lithium metaborate which tend to harden or coagulate into lumps if left free standing, are overcome. The beads of material can be 15 fused with a particular material, such as iron or cement, to provide a sample for analysis and for providing a precise number of beads for mixing a sample having the desired amount of lithium tetraborate or lithium metaborate can be provided.

20 Since modification within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described by way of example hereinabove.

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Claims

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vessel has a fluid inlet for enabling a fluid to enter the vessel so that Supon the introduction of fluid into said vessel the material Sis forced out of the vessel and through the nozzle to form %oot the beads of material. i 0" 3. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the cooling means comprises means for forming a curtain of nitrogen gas through which the sprayed beads of material pass to cool and harden the beads of material.
4. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims wherein a crucible is pivotally mounted in said furnace, said furnace having a material inlet so that heated and mixed material can be poured from the mixing container through the inlet and into the crucible, said crucible having tilting means for tilting the crucible to pour the material in the crucible into said vessel. J -9- The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the material inlet comprises a funnel having a lid which is selectively opened and closed to allow the heated and mixed material to be poured into said crucible.
6. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims wherein said nozzle is arranged outside said furnace and is coupled to said vessel by a pipe.
7. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the fluid "o inlet is coupled to a conduit for supplying the fluid under pressure, said conduit having a substantial length within Q 0 o the said furnace for heating the fluid before the fluid 0. .J enters the vessel. a 0 0 8. An apparatus for forming beads of material a 00 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing. DATED THIS 5TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1990 0 0 DAVID J. CHAPMAN o" By Its Patent Attorneys: Fellows Institute of Patent 0 0 SAttorneys of Australia 0 0 e 0 0 0 0 G T& f i a o 2 a o o