Process and apparatus for determining the distribution of grain size in powders

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE DISTRIBUTION OF GRAIN SIZE IN POWDERS BY COMPARISON OF CHANGES IN CONCENTRATION AS A FUNCTION OF TIME OF PARTICLES DISPERSED IN TWO SEPARATE LIGUID COLUMNS OF UNEQUAL HEIGHT IN TERMS OF WEIGHT DIFFERENCES IN SOLIDS SEDIMENTED FROM SUCH TWO COLUMNS, WHICH COMPRISES SEPARATE LIQUID COLUMN CONTAINER MEANS FOR CONTAINING TWO SEPARATE SEDIMENTATION LIQUID COLUMNS OF UNEQUAL HEIGHT, A BALANCE MEANS IN CLUDING A BALANCE BEAM PIVOTABLE ABOUT A PIVOT POINT AND HAVING A PAIR OF SEPARATE WEIGHTING PANS, ONE OF SAID PANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID BEAM ON ONE SIDE OF SAID PIVOT POINT AND SITUATED FOR DISPLACEMENT OF SAID ONE PAN IN ONE OF SAID COLUMN CONTAINER MEANS AND IN TURN PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID BEAM, ON THE OTHER OF SAID PANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID BEAM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID PIVOT POINT AND SITUATED FOR CORRESPONDING DISPLACEMENT IN THE OTHE OF SAID COLUMN CONTAINER MENS AND IN TURN CORRESPONDING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID BEAM, THE HEIGHT OF THE LIQUID ABOVE, SAID ONE PAN IN SAID ONE LIQUID COLUMN BEING DIFFERENT FROM THE HEIGHT OF THE LIQUID ABOVE SAID OTHER PAN IN SAID OTHER LIQUID COLUMN, MEANS DEFINING A BAFFLE SURFACE ON SAID BEAM IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY RADIAL TO SAID PIVOT POINT, MEANS DEFINING A COMPRESSED AIR SUPPLY NOZZLE MOUNTED DIRECTLY BEFORE SAID BAFFLE SURFACE IN FACING RALATION THERETO AND FIXED FROM PIVOTAL MOVEMENT WITH SAID BEAM TO PROVIDE AN AIR CUSHION GAP BETWEEN SAID SURFACE AND NOZZLE SUCH THA T THE NORMAL PREDETERMINED DISTANCE APART OF SAID SURFACE AND NOZZLE AT SAID GAP IS LESS THAN ONE-FOURTH OF THE FLOW DIAMETER OF SAID NOZZLE, AND PRESSUR CHANGE SENSING AND RECORDING MEANS OPERATIVELY COUPLED WITH SAID NOZZLE TO SENSE AND RECORD AS A FUNCTION OF TIME CHANGES IN PRESSURE AT SAID AIR CUSHION GAP AS SAID BEAM PIVOTS AND IN TURN SAID SURFACE IS DISPLACED WITH RESPECT TO SAID NOZZLE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF COMPARATIVE CHANGES IN THE WEIGHT OF SAID PANS CAUSED BY THE WEIGHT DIFFERENCE OF THE MASSES OF PARTICLES SEDIMENTING UPON THE SEPARATE WEIGHTING PANS AS A FUNCTION OF TIME.