Sonic pressure wave atomizing apparatus and methods

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ATOMIZING FLUENT MATERIALS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A GAS-OPERATED PRESSURE WAVE GENERATOR INCLUDING A GAS-EXPANDING AND ACCELERATING NOZZLE COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER FORMING A GAS FLOW PASSAGEWAY HAVING AN EXIT OPENING FOR ISSUING A HIGHSPEED GAS STREAM, MEANS IN SAID BODY MEMBER FOR CONSTRICTING SAID GAS FLOW PASSAGEWAY UPSTREAM FROM SAID EXIT OPENING, MEANS IN SAID BODY MEMBER DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID CONSTRICTING MEANS AND ADJACENT SAID EXIT OPENING OF SAID GAS FLOW PASSAGEWAY FOR GIVING SAID PASSAGEWAY A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA INCREASING IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF GAS THROUGH SAID NOZZLE, SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS GIVING SAID PASSAGEWAY THE SHAPE OF A FRUSTRUM OF A CONE, RESONATOR MEANS POSITIONED DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID EXIT OPENING OF SAID NOZZLE AND INTERCEPTING THE HIGH-SPEED GAS STREAM ISSUING FROM SAID EXIT OPENING, AND MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID FLUENT MATERIALS INTO THE GAS FORMING SAID STREAM AND UPSTREAM FROM SAID RESONATOR MEANS, AND SUBJECTING SAID FLUENT MATERIALS TO PRESSURE WAVES DEVELOPED BY SAID GENERATOR AND EFFECTING THE ATOMIZATION OF SAID FLUENT MATERIALS.