Peening apparatus and method

Claim 1

WORK TREATMENT APPARATUS, COMPRISING A PERFORATE ROTARY SHELL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE WORK PIECES FOR ELEVATION AND DROPPAGE THEREIN IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION THEREOF, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL ROTARY ROLLERS WHICH ARE INCLINED FROM HORIZONTAL, ROTARY FLANGE MEANS PERIPHERALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID ROLLERS TO BE ROTATED BY AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLERS, SAID FLANGE MEANS TRANSMITTING A PORTION OF SHELL IMPOSED LOADING SO AS TO FREELY SUPPORT SAID SHELL FOR ROTATION IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID ROLLERS, MEANS FOR ROTATING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLERS, SAID SHELL HAVING AN ENTRANCE AWAY FROM WHICH SAID WORK PIECES TEND TO DROP, CONDUIT MEANS FOR DIRECTING A STREAM OF PARTICLES THROUGH SAID ENTRANCE TO IMPINGE AGAINST THE WORK PIECES DROPPING IN SAID SHELL, AN OUTER CHAMBER WITHIN WHICH SAID SHELL IS REMOVABLY RECEIVED IN OPENLY SPACED RELATION TO THE CHAMBER WALLS AND FOR CONFINING PARTICLES ESCAPING OUTWARDLY THROUGH THE PERFORATE SHELL TO GRAVITATE OUTSIDE SAID SHELL BUT WITHIN THE OUTER CHAMBER, AND A PROJECTION EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SHELL AND A LOWER PORTION OF THE CHAMBER FOR TRANSMITTING THE REMAINDER OF SHELL IMPOSED LOADING