Electrostatically driven distributor

Claim 2

A rotary spray distributor comprising: a. a sleeve; b. a plurality of stacked rings mounted on said sleeve and enclosing an atomizing chamber; c. discs closing the top and bottom of said chamber; d. a tube extending axially from one of said discs to form an annular passage around said sleeve; e. a material supply pipe extending through said passage into said chamber to supply material thereto for spraying; f. a fixed shaft; g. antifriction bearings mounting said sleeve on said shaft for free rotation; h. a plurality of rearwardly directed horns mounted on said sleeve; i. and means supplying a high voltage electric charge to said horns to drive the rotor by electrostatic repulsion; and j. said last means also supplying said charge to said rings for atomizing the material from said pipe entering said chamber.

Claim 3

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 1, in which: a. said sleeve and shaft are mounted on a pair of bearings; and b. one of said bearings being a magnetic repulsion bearing composed of inner and outer ring magnets having similarly poled peripheral faces spaced to provide a running clearance therebetween.

Claim 4

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 1, in which: a. said sleeve and shaft are mounted on a pair of bearings; b. one of said bearings being a jewel bearing; c. the other of said bearings being a magnetic repulsion bearing composed of inner and outer ring magnets having similarly poled peripheral faces spaced to provide a running clearance therebetween; and d. said peripheral faces being cone shaped and having a taper in a direction to reduce pressure on said jewel bearing.

Claim 5

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 1, in which (a) said shaft and sleeve have a magnetic repulsion bearing comprising inner and outer ring magnets with adjacent faces having the same polarity and inclined to the axis to provide a thrust having an axial component.

Claim 6

A rotary atomizer comprising: a. a fixed shaft; b. a sleeve journaled on said shaft; c. a set of hollow horns having rearwardly disposed tips mounted on said sleeve; d. means feeding material to be atomized to said horns; e. means applying a high potential electric charge to said horns for charging the material discharged from Said tips and for forming an electrostatic discharge from the tips of said horns; and f. said charge being adapted to cause rotation of said horns and sleeve due to the repulsion effect of said discharge and the reaction of the atomized material discharged from said horns.

Claim 7

A rotary atomizer comprising: a. a fixed shaft; b. a sleeve journaled on said shaft; c. a set of hollow horns having rearwardly disposed tips mounted on said sleeve; d. means feeding material to be atomized to said horns; e. means applying a high potential electric charge to said horns for charging the material discharged from Said tips and for forming an electrostatic discharge from the tips of said horns; and f. said charge being adapted to cause rotation of said horns and sleeve due to the repulsion effect of said discharge and the reaction of the atomized material discharged from said horns.

Claim 8

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 5, in which: a. said shaft is formed with an internal passage for said spray material; and b. said shaft and sleeve are formed with registering holes for the supply of said material from said internal passages to said horns.

Claim 9

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 6, in which: a. a high voltage electrical lead is connected to said shaft; and b. said shaft is connected by a contained mercury pool to said sleeve for supplying the charging potential thereto.

Claim 10

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 5, in which (a) said sleeve is mounted on antifriction bearings, one of which is in the form of a pair of concentric magnetic rings having a running clearance and adapted to center said shaft by magnetic repulsion.

Claim 11

A rotary atomizer comprising: a. a fixed shaft having an axial passage therein for spray material; b. a sleeve mounted to rotate on said shaft and having antifriction bearings and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings for the passage of spray material; c. said shaft having corresponding radial openings registering with the openings in said sleeve as the latter rotates; d. a plurality of rearwardly curved hollow horns having bases disposed in registration with the sleeve openings and having tips at their rearward ends; e. said horns having passages for the feeding of said spray material from their base ends to said tips for discharge therefrom as an atomized spray; and f. and means supplying a high potential electric charge to said horns adapted to charge the material discharged from said tips for assisting in the atomization thereof and for producing an electrostatic discharge from said tips suited to cause rotation of said sleeve by the repulsion effect.

Claim 12

A rotary atomizer comprising: a. a fixed shaft having an axial passage therein for spray material; b. a sleeve mounted to rotate on said shaft and having antifriction bearings and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings for the passage of spray material; c. said shaft having corresponding radial openings registering with the openings in said sleeve as the latter rotates; d. a plurality of rearwardly curved hollow horns having bases disposed in registration with the sleeve openings and having tips at their rearward ends; e. said horns having passages for the feeding of said spray material from their base ends to said tips for discharge therefrom as an atomized spray; and f. and means supplying a high potential electric charge to said horns adapted to charge the material discharged from said tips for assisting in the atomization thereof and for producing an electrostatic discharge from said tips suited to cause rotation of said sleeve by the repulsion effect.

Claim 13

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 9, in which (a) said horns lie in a plane normal to the axis of said sleeve.

Claim 14

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 9, in which (a) said horns are disposed at an angle to the plane normal to the axis of said sleeve.

Claim 15

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 9, in which (a) the tips of successive horns are disposed on opposite sides of a plane normal to the axis of said sleeve.

Claim 16

A rotary atomizer comprising: a. a fixed shaft; b. a sleeve mounted for rotation on said shaft and having antifriction bearings at least one of which is in the form of a pair of magnetic rings positioned to hold said sleeve centered by magnetic repulsion, and the other of which is adapted to prevent axial displacement of said sleeve; c. a plurality of curved horns carried by said sleeve and having rearwardly displaced tips; d. said shaft, sleeve and horns being composed of electrically conducting material, a high potential electric lead connected to said shaft, and means interconnecting said shaft and sleeve for thereby applying said high potential to said horns for discharge from the tips thereof; e. said discharge being adapted to cause rotation of said sleeve by its repulsion effect; f. said sleeve and horns comprising a rotor, said rotor having means forming passages along which spray material is fed to said tips as the rotor rotates; and g. material feed means adapted to feed material for spraying to said passages whereby the material receives an electric charge as it is discharged from said tips.

Claim 17

A rotary atomizer comprising: a. a fixed shaft; b. a sleeve mounted for rotation on said shaft and having antifriction bearings at least one of which is in the form of a pair of magnetic rings positioned to hold said sleeve centered by magnetic repulsion, and the other of which is adapted to prevent axial displacement of said sleeve; c. a plurality of curved horns carried by said sleeve and having rearwardly displaced tips; d. said shaft, sleeve and horns being composed of electrically conducting material, a high potential electric lead connected to said shaft, and means interconnecting said shaft and sleeve for thereby applying said high potential to said horns for discharge from the tips thereof; e. said discharge being adapted to cause rotation of said sleeve by its repulsion effect; f. said sleeve and horns comprising a rotor, said rotor having means forming passages along which spray material is fed to said tips as the rotor rotates; and g. material feed means adapted to feed material for spraying to said passages whereby the material receives an electric charge as it is discharged from said tips.

Claim 18

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 13, in which (a) the material supply means includes a fixed duct disposed interiorly of said passages and communicating therewith.

Claim 19

A rotary atomizer as set forth in claim 13, in which (a) sealing means is provided to prevent passage of said spray material to said bearings.

Claim 20

A rotary atomizer comprising: a. a shaft means definitive of a predetermined axis of rotation; b. sleeve means journaled on said shaft means for rotation in a predetermined forward direction; c. a plurality of hornlike rotor means including rearwardly disposed generally sharp tips mounted on said sleeve means; d. means for applying a high potential electric charge to said hornlike rotor means for charging the material discharged from an atomization means and for creating a field of electrostatic discharge adjacent the sharp tips of said hornlike rotor means; e. atomization means adapted to introduce atomized particles into said field; f. means for feeding material to be atomized to said atomization means; and g. said field thereby being adapted to cause rotation of said sleeve through the repulsion effect of said electrostatic discharge and said field being adapted to charge introduced atomized particles.

Claim 21

A rotary atomizer comprising: a. a shaft means definitive of a predetermined axis of rotation; b. sleeve means journaled on said shaft means for rotation in a predetermined forward direction; c. a plurality of hornlike rotor means including rearwardly disposed generally sharp tips mounted on said sleeve means; d. means for applying a high potential electric charge to said hornlike rotor means for charging the material discharged from an atomization means and for creating a field of electrostatic discharge adjacent the sharp tips of said hornlike rotor means; e. atomization means adapted to introduce atomized particles into said field; f. means for feeding material to be atomized to said atomization means; and g. said field thereby being adapted to cause rotation of said sleeve through the repulsion effect of said electrostatic discharge and said field being adapted to charge introduced atomized particles.

Claim 22

The rotary atomizer of claim 16, in which: a. said hornlike rotor means and said atomization means comprise integral elements; and b. said integral elements are hollow.