US3727621A

US3727621A - Rotary washer

Info

Publication number: US3727621A
Application number: US00116978A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Morton
Original assignee: Pacific Scientific Co
Current assignee: Pacific Scientific Co
Priority date: 1971-02-19
Filing date: 1971-02-19
Publication date: 1973-04-17
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-17
Also published as: GB1369133A

Abstract

A rotating washer drum is formed with a spiral conveyor on its inner wall for moving small metal parts through the drum while water is sprayed onto the parts. The dirty water drains from the drum through axially extending slots. Eccentrically weighted rods positioned in the slots are oscillated by gravity as the drum rotates, to thereby prevent the slots from becoming clogged with material cleaned from the parts.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Morton 51 Apr. 17, 1973- ROTARY WASHER 1,294,459 2/1919 Heineke ..15/90 ux 1 2,010,195 8/1935 Meehan..... [75] Inventor. Robert L. Morton, Santa Ana, Calif. 2,536,373 1/1951 Kelly JL 73 Assignee; P ifi S i tifi Company, 3,297,043 1/1967 Adams ..l34/l04 X merce, Calif. Primary Examiner-Robert L. Bleutge [22] Flled: 1971 Attorney-Fow1er, Knobbe & Martens [21] Appl. No.1 116,978

[57] ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl. ..134/104, 15/90 134/65 rotating washer drum is with a Spiral 134/l55 veyor on its inner wall for moving small metal parts 51 1m.c1. ..B08b 3/02, B08b 3/06,B08b'17/0O hmugh the drum while Water is Sprayed [58] Field of Search 134/65 104 132 parts, The dirty water drains from the drum through 4/155 1 1 6 axially extending slots. Eccentrically weighted rods positioned in the slots are oscillated by gravity as the drum rotates, to thereby prevent the slots from [56] References cued becoming clogged with material cleaned from the UNITED STATES PATENTS P 13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1,251,073 12/1917 Maloney ..l34/65X PATENTED APR 1 71973 sum 2 or a Q m mu NVENTOR. E0551? 7 L. M01? TON m &

BY ram [/5 01/0555, M41? TEA/5 A T Tom/5m PATENTEBAPR I 71973 SHEET 3 OF 3 INVENTOR. 19054.5?7' L. MO/FTO/V ROTARY WASHER This invention pertains to industrial washing apparatus designed primarily for washing small manufac tured articles such as screws, bolts, nuts, rivets and the like. The invention more particularly pertains to an improved arrangement for insuring that the washing liquid can drain from the drum containing the articles.

It is often necessary to wash small manufactured metal parts to remove dirt, grease, metal chips, .etc. One type of washer commonly used employs a cylindrical drum for containing the parts, with a spiral conveyor being formed on the inner wall of the drum to move the parts from one end of the drum to the other while cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the parts. Use of the conveyor permits continuous operation, and the progressive movement and tumbling facilitates the cleaning operation. Axially extending lift bars are commonly also included to cause further tumbling action on the part as they move through the drum.

Typically, washer drums of this type are perforated to provide necessary drainage of the dirty cleaning liquid. This function, however, has often been a source of trouble due to clogging of the drain holes. The holes must, of course, be sufficiently small to prevent the parts being washed from falling out of the drum or becoming lodged in the holes. On the other hand, if the holes are made too small, they tend to clog quickly because of the dirt and debris being washed from the parts. When this occurs, it is necessary to interrupt the operation to unclog the drain holes. Hence, it is desirable that a washer be provided which will eliminate this problem. I V

This invention provides an improved drainage arrangement which includes provision for continuous agitation to prevent clogging of the drain holes. The drain holes are made in the form of axially extending slots in the wall of the drum and a rod is positioned in each slot, with the diameter of the rod being slightly smaller than the width of the slot. Or, in otherwords, the spacing between the rod and the slot edges is sufficient to provide the necessary drainage, but smaller than the smallest of the parts to be cleaned in the washer. A weight such as. in theform of a metal plate is eccentrically attached to each rod, the plate extending outwardly from the exterior of the drum. Thus, as the washer is rotted, the plate moves by gravity causing the rod to be continuously oscillated. This continuous movement or agitation tends to prevent the accumulation of dirt and other sediment in the spaces between the slot edges and the rod.

It is often desirable to have lift bars extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical wall of the drum to help in tumbling the parts. These bars can be conveniently installed in the drum in conjunction with the drain slots by simply making the slots larger than necessary and partially filling them with the bars. Suitable notches for receiving the bars are formed in the outer periphery of the spiral conveyor, at the points where the conveyor intersects the slots.

For a further understanding of the invention, refer to .the following detailed description and drawings of a preferred embodiment wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the washer apparatus;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus; FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section of the washer drum illustrating the agitator means for cleaning the drain holes;

FIG. 4 is a further cross-sectional view of the drum on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the drum on line 5--5 of FIG. 3 illustrating a portion of the section of the drum in which no drainage occurs; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the drum on line 6-6 of FIG. 3 illustrating the construction in a section where drainage does occur.

Refer first to FIGS. 1 and 2 for an overall view of the washing apparatus. Since many of the details of the system are not necessary for an understanding of this invention, portions of the apparatus are shown somewhat schematically. The apparatus includes an outer housing 10 defining a cylindrical drum or container 12 for receiving the parts to be washed. The drum 12 is mounted for rotation on a plurality of rollers 14 which are mounted on suitable support structure 16. The drum is rotated by suitable means such as a drive chain 18 cooperating with gear teeth on the drum and a drive motor 20.

Cleaning liquid is stored in a reservoir, generally indicated at 22, and heated by a suitable burner (not shown), the combustion exhaust being shown at 24. The liquid is pumped from the reservoir by a pump 26 driven by a motor 28 through piping 30 extending from the reservoir into the interior of the washer drum 12 through both ends. Referring to FIG. 3, a joint 32 in the piping joins two

ends

30a and 30b of the piping and is closed so that there is no communication at this point between the two ends of the conduit. The left end 30a of the conduit is shown in FIG. 3 as having an elongated slot 34 for spraying a large volume of water into a flood section 12a of the drum. The right conduit 30b is provided with a plurality 'of nozzles 36 for spraying liquid into a center, wash section 12b of the drum 12.

Referring further to FIG. 3, it may be seen that a spiral conveyor 40 is attached to the interior wall of the drum 12 and extends from an inlet end of the drum 42 to an outlet end 44. A frusto-conically shaped inlet member 46 contains the water 66 and feeds the parts to be washed into the conveyor 40. At the downstream end adjacent the outlet 44, the drum 12 is provided with an additional cylindrical section 47 leading to an outwardly flared outlet member 48 through which the clean parts can be removed from the washer.

In fabricating the washer drum 12, a plurality of equally spaced, axially extending drain slots 50, best seen in FIG. 6, are formed in the cylindrical wall of the drum 12 together with inwardly extending rectangular notches 52 formed in the outer periphery of the conveyor 40 at the points where the conveyor intersects the slots 50. A lift bar 56 is positioned in each slot 50 adjacent one edge 51a of the slot. and extends radially inwardly into the notches 52 aligned with the slot adjacent the edges 53, the bars partially filling the slot and the notches. In the unfilledslotor space 50a of each slot 50 is positioned an axially extending rod 58. The diameter of the rod is slightly less than the width of the slot 50a, that is, the space between the lift bar 56 and the other edge 51b of the slot 50, Thus, the rod 58 together with the other edge 51b of each slot 50 and with each lift bar 56, define drain holes or slots 50c and 50d as may be seen in FIG. 6.

To further position the bars 56, there is provided a plurality of bar segments 62 which. are welded or otherwise suitably attached to the bars 56. The segments 62 are located radially inwardly from the rods 58, and the bar segments 62 are axially spaced to be located at the points where the spiral conveyor 40 intersects the slot 50, as seen in FIG. 3. The result of this is that the segments are positioned in the notches 52, filling the remaining space in the notches so that the bars 56 are securely positioned in a circumferential direction.

In the flood section 12a of the cylindrical drum 12, the bar segment 62a extends across three convolutions of the spiral conveyor 40 rather than just through the notches in the conveyor. As a result, the drain holes or slots 50c and 50d are completely blocked in this area as may be seen from FIGS. 3 and 5.

ln the flood section 12a a plurality of axially extending plates 68 are welded to the rods 58, the plates extending radially outwardly from the slots 50 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. These plates 60 serve as eccentrically mounted weights which move by gravity as the drum 12 is rotated. This movement causes oscillation of the rods 58 and produces agitation in the drain holes which serves to loosen and tends to prevent the clogging of the drain holes. 1

The agitator rods 58 as well as the bars 56 and the bar segments 62 are held in the drum slots and notches by a plurality of axially extending channel members 70 which are radially aligned with the slots 50. The members 70, in turn, are attached to axially spaced clamps 72 mounted on the bolts 74 which are secured to and extend radially outwardlyfrom the drum 12. A plurality of spacers 76 are welded to the inner surface of the members 70 and are axially spaced. The spacers 76 engage the outer surface of the drum l2 spacing the channel members 70 from the drum to permit drainage from the drain holes 500 and 50d. Note from FIG. 3 that the channel members 70 extend throughout the effective length of the drain holes 500 and 50d and terminate adjacent the plates 68, where the drain holes are blocked by the segments 62a. The members 70 prevent thin metal parts such as washers from slipping through the slots 50c and 50d and out of the drum. Suitable clamps 78 on the inlet end 42 of the drum support the bars 56 and the rods 58 in that area.

Summarizing the operation of the washer, cleaning liquid pumped through the pipe 300 which extends through the inlet end 42 of the washer drum l2 floods the left end or flood section l2a of the washer 12 as indicated by the level of the water 66. At the same time water is pumped through the pipe 30b and the nozzles 36 in the central wash section 12b of the washer. MOst of this water 80 quickly drains away through the drain holes 500 and 50d. The right-hand section 120 or downstream section of the Washer 12 does not receive any spray liquid but additional drainage occurs in this area.

The parts to be washed, such as machined nuts and bolts, are fed into the frusto-conical inlet member 46 where they are directed into the inlet 42 of the washer 12. The parts are moved and tumbled by the conveyor 40 and lift bars 56 through the washer to the outlet 44 and the outlet member 48. During this operation, the rods 58 are continually oscillated by the movement of the plates 68 caused by gravity as the drum rotates. The plates 68 are shown in the various positions they assume as the drum is rotated. Note that the movement of the plates is limited by the adjacent edges of the slots 50 and the bars 56. This oscillation prevents clogging of the slots by the material washed from the parts by producing a continual agitation or loosening of any collecting sediment.

Another advantage of the arrangement described is that in the event the drainage holes should become clogged in spite of the continual agitation is that the apparatus can be easily cleaned by simply removing the clamps and lifting the bars and the rods out as combined units thus leaving the slots 50 completely exposed for cleaning purposes. In this same manner worn lift bars 56 and agitator rods 58 can be replaced as necessary.

The liquid draining from the drum 12 returns to the reservoir 22 where the solids settle to the bottom and the lighter oily materials float to the top. The intake for the pump 28 is located midway between the top and the bottom of the liquid, where the cleaner liquid should be.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for washing quantities of small parts comprising:

a container for receiving the parts;

means for introducing liquid into the container for cleaning the parts;

means defining a plurality of drain holes in the container to allow the dirty cleaning liquid to drain from the container; and

agitator means other than said liquid movable within said drain holes for preventing the clogging of the holes by material cleaned from the parts. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is a cylindrical drum mounted for rotation, the drain holes are slots which extend parallel to the axis of the container, and the agitator means includes a rod positioned in each slot, the diameter of the rod being less than the width of the slot, and including means for oscillating the rod as the drum is rotated.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the agitator means further includes a weight attached to each rod and extending outside of the drum which causes the rod to be moved by gravity as the drum rotates.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 including a lift bar positioned in each slot and extending radially into the drum, the remaining space in the slot being slightly greater than the diameter of the rod in the slot, axially spaced barsegments attached to the lift bar radially inwardly of the rod to support the rod.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 including means attached to the exterior of the drum for supporting the bars and rods comprising axially extending members aligned with the slots, spacers attached to the members at axially spaced intervals for spacing the members a small distance from the exterior of the drum to permit drainage from the slots, and clamps for attaching the bars to the drum.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is mounted to be cyclically moved during the washing operation and movement of the container causes movement of the agitator means within the drain holes.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the agitator means includes an element positioned in a drain hole with a weight eccentrically attached thereto which causes the element to be oscillated by gravity as the container rotates. A

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is a cylindrical drum mounted for rotation, and including means positioned on the wall of the container for tumbling the parts as the container is rotated 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said tumbling means comprises a series of circumferentially spaced lift bars which extend inwardly from the side wall of the drum.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is a cylindrical drum mounted for rotation with an inlet on one end and an outlet on the other end, and including means for moving the parts from the inlet to the outlet as the drum rotates and the parts are being washed.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the means for moving the parts is a spiral conveyor attached to the inner wall of the drum.

12. In a rotary washer having a cylindrical drum with an inlet near one end and an outlet near the other end, a spiral conveyor attached to the inner side wall of the container for moving small parts through the container from the inlet to the outlet as the container is rotated, a plurality of drain holes formed in the wall of'the con tainer for allowing cleaning liquid applied to the parts to drain from the container, the improvement comprismg:

movable agitator means associated with the drain holes for preventing clogging of the holes with material cleaned from the parts, said drain holes comprising a series of axially extending slots which are spaced circumferentially around the drum, the agitator means includes a series of rods positioned in the slots, the spiral conveyor being formed with notches in its outer periphery aligned with the drain slots; a lift bar positioned in each slot and extending radially into the drum and the notches in the spiral conveyor, the remaining space in the slot being slightly greater than the diameter of the rod in the slot so as to permit drainage; and axially spaced bar segments attached to the lift bar radially inwardly of the rod to support the rod, said rod segments having considerable length around one axial section of the drum, thus completely blocking the drain slots and forming a section within the drum which will contain the cleaning liquid for flooding the parts being washed.

13. The washer of claim 12 wherein the agitator means includes a weight attached to each rod which extends outwardly from the drum exterior, the weights being attached to the rods in the flood section of the drum.

Claims

1. Apparatus for washing quantities of small parts comprising: a container for receiving the parts; means for introducing liquid into the container for cleaning the parts; means defining a plurality of drain holes in the container to allow the dirty cleaning liquid to drain from the container; and agitator means other than said liquid movable within said drain holes for preventing the clogging of the holes by material cleaned from the parts.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is a cylindrical drum mounted for rotation, the drain holes are slots which extend parallel to the axis of the container, and the agitator means includes a rod positioned in each slot, the diameter of the rod being less than the width of the slot, and including means for oscillating the rod as the drum is rotated.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 including a lift bar positioned in each slot and extending radially into the drum, the remaining space in the slot being slightly greater than the diameter of the rod in the slot, axially spaced bar segments attached to the lift bar radially inwardly of the rod to support the rod.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the agitator means includes an element positioned in a drain hole with a weight eccentrically attached thereto which causes the element to be oscillated by gravity as the container rotates.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is a cylindrical drum mounted for rotation, and including means positioned on the wall of the container for tumbling the parts as the container is rotated.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said tumbling means comprises a series of circumferentially spaced lift bars which extend inwardly from the side wall of the drum.

12. In a rotary washer having a cylindrical drum with an inlet near one end and an outlet near the other end, a spiral conveyor attached to the inner side wall of the container for moving small parts through the container from the inlet to the outlet as the container is rotated, a plurality of drain holes formed in the wall of the container for allowing cleaning liquid applied to the parts to drain from the container, the improvement comprising: movable agitator means associated with the drain holes for preventing clogging of the holes with material cleaned from the parts, said drain holes cOmprising a series of axially extending slots which are spaced circumferentially around the drum, the agitator means includes a series of rods positioned in the slots, the spiral conveyor being formed with notches in its outer periphery aligned with the drain slots; a lift bar positioned in each slot and extending radially into the drum and the notches in the spiral conveyor, the remaining space in the slot being slightly greater than the diameter of the rod in the slot so as to permit drainage; and axially spaced bar segments attached to the lift bar radially inwardly of the rod to support the rod, said rod segments having considerable length around one axial section of the drum, thus completely blocking the drain slots and forming a section within the drum which will contain the cleaning liquid for flooding the parts being washed.