Apparatus for drying elastomeric materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY DEWATERING RUBBER MATERIAL, COMPRISING WALL MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED CYLINDRIVAL EXPRESSION CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET AT ONE END AND AN OUTLET AT THE OTHER END THEREOF AND A PLURALITY OF DRAINAGE OPENINGS THROUGH THE WALLS THEREOF DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE CHAMBER FOR SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDING THE RUBBER MATERIAL WITH DRAINAGE OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH FLUIDS REMOVED FROM THE RUBBER MATERIAL ARE IMMEDIATELY CONDUCTED AWAY FROM SUCH MATERIAL, A SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CHAMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF WORKING AND CONVEYING WORMS MOUNTED AT SPACED LOCATIONS THEREALONG, BEARINGS SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT TO EXTEND CONCENTRICALLY THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, SAID WORMS INCLUDING A WORM BODY HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE INTERIOR OF SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING WORM FLIGHTS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID WORM BODIES, COLLAR MEMBERS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT BETWEEN SAID WORM MEMBERS, AT LEAST SOME OF SAID COLLAR MEMBERS TAPERING OUTWARDLY FROM THE PRECEDING WORM BODY TO A GREATER DIAMETER THAN SAID PRECEDING WORM BODY, BREAKER LUGS EXTENDING FROM SAID WALL MEANS TOWARD SAID COLLAR MEMBERS, DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO ROTATE SAID SHAFT FOR CONVEYING RUBBER MATERIAL THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, SAID WORMS, AND SAID COLLAR MEMBERS AND SAID LUGS COOPERATING TO WORK THE RUBBER MATERIAL FOR RUPTURING POCKETS THEREIN TO RELEASE FLUIDS ENCAPSULATED IN SUCH POCKETS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY EXERTING MACHANICAL PRESSURE ON THE MATERIAL, AT LEAST ONE BUSHING MOUNTED IN SAID CHAMBER SURROUNDING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID WORM BODIES AND PRESENTING AN ANNULAR SURFACE NORMALLY IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATION TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE ADJACENT WORM FLIGHT TO PROVIDE A SURFACE AGAINST WHICH SUCH FLIGHT CAN BER IN THE EVENT OF DEFLECTION OF SAID SHAFT DUE TO LOAD CONDITIONS IMPOSED ON THE SHAFT TENDING TO MOVE IT OUT OF CONCENTRIC POSITION.