Centrifuge having perforate frusto-conical basket

Claim 1

IN A CENTRIFUGE COMPRISING A FRUSTO-CONICAL PERFORATE BASKET AND A FRUSTO-CONICAL CONVEYOR HAVING AT LEAST ONE FLIGHT THEREON AND DISPOSED WITHIN THE BASKET, MEANS FOR DRIVING THE BASKET AND THE CONVEYOR AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS TO EFFECT A SCROLLING OF MATERIAL TOWARD THE LARGER END OF THE BASKET, THE CONVEYOR HAVING AT ITS SMALLER END A CENTRAL OPENING DEFINED IN PART BY A LOWER WALL IN THE SMALLER END OF THE CONVEYOR AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A FEED MIXTURE, THE OPENING COMMUNICATING TO THE OUTER FACE OF THE CONVEYOR, THE IMPROVEMENT OF A NORMALLY FLAT RESILIENT CIRCULAR FLAP DISPOSED AXIALLY OF THE CONVEYOR IN THE OPENING AND SUPPORTED AT ITS CENTER ON THE CONVEYOR, THE PERIPHERY OF THE FLAP BEING SPACED ABOVE THE LOWER WALL OF THE OPENING AND EXTENDING OUTWARD TO ADJACENT THE FLIGHT, THE FLAP ADJACENT TO URGE FEED MIXTURE OUTWARD TOWARD THE SMALLER RADIAL PORTION OF THE PERFORATE BASKET AND TO YIELD AND FLEX DOWNWARDLY A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE AT ITS PERIPHERY DURING OCCASIONAL SURGES OF FEED TO AVOID FEED BLOCKAGE AND AFTER SUCH SURGES RETURN TO ITS NORMAL POSTURE.