Methods for mixing finely-divided materials

Claim 1

A METHOD OF INTIMATELY MIXING THE COMPONENTS OF A GLASS BATCH, WHICH COMPONENTS ARE IN A DRY PARTICULATE FORM, THE MIXING BEING PERFORMED IN A CONFINED SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SPACE, WHICH IS DISPOSED WITH THE AXIS OF THE CYLINDER DEFINING SAID CONFINED SPACE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL, BY CAUSING ALL THE PARTICLES WHICH ARE TO BE MIXED TO CIRCULATE WITHIN THE CONFINED SPACE IN A FLOW IN WHICH THOSE PARTICLES OF THE BATCH WHICH ARE AT ANY TIME IN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL REGION OF THE CONFINED SPACE MOVE UPWARDLY THEREIN AND THOSE PARTICLES OF THE BATCH WHICH ARE AT ANY TIME IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF THE CONFINED SPACE MOVE DOWNWARDLY THEREIN, THE MOVEMENT IN THE SAID FLOW TOGETHER WITH A GENERAL ROTATION OF ALL PARTICLES IN THE SAID CONFINED SPACE BEING CAUSED BY ROTATION OF A PLURALITY OF SIMILAR BLADES MOUNTED ON A COMMON SHAFT HAVING ITS AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE SAID CYLINDER DEFINING THE CONFINED SPACE, THE SAID PLURALITY OF SIMILAR BLADES BEING IN SPACED RELATION IN THE DIRECTION OF THE AXIS OF THE COMMON SHAFT, WHEREBY THE BLADES SHEAR THROUGH THE PARTICLES COMPRISING THE BATCH AT A PLURALITY OF LEVELS AND ACT OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE WHOLE HEIGHT OF THE CONFINED SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SPACE TO THRUST IN ONE DIRECTION OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE WHOLE HEIGHT OF THE CONFINED SPACE IN A REGION SELECTED FROM THE SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL REGION AND THE SAID CENTRAL REGION OF THE CONFINED SPACE, SO THAT RAPID MOVEMENT IN BOTH SAID UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY MOVING STREAMS TAKES PLACE AND SHEAR FORCES EXIST AT THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN SAID CENTRAL AND CIRCUMFERENTIAL REGIONS AND A RAPID BLENDING OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE BATCH IS EFFECTED BY THE EXCHANGE AND THE SHEARING ACTION BETWEEN THE MOVING STREAMS IN THE SAID FLOW PATTERN, WHILE TURBULENCE WITHIN THE MOVING STREAMS BREAKS DOWN AGGLOMERATES OF PARTICLES OF INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF INTIMATELY MIXING THE COMPONENTS OF A GLASS BATCH, WHICH COMPONENTS ARE IN A DRY PARTICULATE FORM, THE MIXING BEING PERFORMED IN A CONFINED SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SPACE, WHICH IS DISPOSED WITH THE AXIS OF THE CYLINDER DEFINING SAID CONFINED SPACE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL, BY CAUSING ALL THE PARTICLES WHICH ARE TO BE MIXED TO CIRCULATE WITHIN THE CONFINED SPACE IN A FLOW IN WHICH THOSE PARTICLES OF THE BATCH WHICH ARE AT ANY TIME IN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL REGION OF THE CONFINED SPACE MOVE UPWARDLY THEREIN AND THOSE PARTICLES OF THE BATCH WHICH ARE AT ANY TIME IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF THE CONFINED SPACE MOVE DOWNWARDLY THEREIN, THE MOVEMENT IN THE SAID FLOW TOGETHER WITH A GENERAL ROTATION OF ALL PARTICLES IN THE SAID CONFINED SPACE BEING CAUSED BY ROTATION OF A PLURALITY OF SIMILAR BLADES MOUNTED ON A COMMON SHAFT HAVING ITS AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE SAID CYLINDER DEFINING THE CONFINED SPACE, THE SAID PLURALITY OF SIMILAR BLADES BEING IN SPACED RELATION IN THE DIRECTION OF THE AXIS OF THE COMMON SHAFT, WHEREBY THE BLADES SHEAR THROUGH THE PARTICLES COMPRISING THE BATCH AT A PLURALITY OF LEVELS AND ACT OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE WHOLE HEIGHT OF THE CONFINED SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SPACE TO THRUST IN ONE DIRECTION OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE WHOLE HEIGHT OF THE CONFINED SPACE IN A REGION SELECTED FROM THE SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL REGION AND THE SAID CENTRAL REGION OF THE CONFINED SPACE, SO THAT RAPID MOVEMENT IN BOTH SAID UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY MOVING STREAMS TAKES PLACE AND SHEAR FORCES EXIST AT THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN SAID CENTRAL AND CIRCUMFERENTIAL REGIONS AND A RAPID BLENDING OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE BATCH IS EFFECTED BY THE EXCHANGE AND THE SHEARING ACTION BETWEEN THE MOVING STREAMS IN THE SAID FLOW PATTERN, WHILE TURBULENCE WITHIN THE MOVING STREAMS BREAKS DOWN AGGLOMERATES OF PARTICLES OF INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS.