Abrasive blast cleaning system

Claim 2

An abrasive blast treating system for producing granular material from lumpy material created from a mold used to make castings comprising means for removing a casting from a mold and creating a mixture from the mold including granular material and lumpy material, an abrasive blasting station, conveying means for conveying the lumpy material to said abrasive blasting station, abrasive blast means in said blasting station for directing abrasive particles against the lumpy material to break up the material into granular material, and receiving means for receiving the thus produced granular material.

Claim 3

An abrasive blast treating system for producing granular material from lumpy material created from a mold used to make castings comprising means for removing a casting from a mold and creating a mixture from the mold including granular material and lumpy material, an abrasive blasting station, conveying means for conveying the lumpy material to said abrasive blasting station, abrasive blast means in said blasting station for directing abrasive particles against the lumpy material to break up the material into granular material, and receiving means for receiving the thus produced granular material.

Claim 4

An abrasive blast treating system for producing granular material from lumpy material created from a mold used to make castings comprising means for removing a casting from a mold and creating a mixture from the mold including granular material and lumpy material, an abrasive blasting station, conveying means for conveying the lumpy material to said abrasive blasting station, abrasive blast means in said blasting station for directing abrasive particles against the lumpy material to break up the material into granular material, and receiving means for receiving the thus produced granular material.

Claim 5

A system as set forth in claim 1 including separating means for removing the granular material from said mixture before said blasting station.

Claim 6

A system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said casting removing means includes a blast chamber for receiving the mold and further abrasive blast means for directing abrasive particles against the mold.

Claim 7

A system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said blast chamber has a louvered floor to facilitate the discharge of the mixture therefrom.

Claim 8

A system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said blast chamber has a substantially open floor formed by spaced beams having substantially open areas therebetween.

Claim 9

A system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said conveying means includes an oscillating conveyor disposed under said blast chamber, said separating means including a screen deck on said oscillating conveyor to permit the granular material to fall therethrough, collecting means under said screen deck, and a first separating system communicating with said collecting means.

Claim 10

A system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the mixture includes abrasive particles and rods, said conveying means further including a second oscillating conveyor for receiving the lumpy material and the rods in said mixture which do not pass through said screen deck of the first oscillating conveyor, said second oscillating conveyor passing through said abrasivE blasting station whereby the lumpy material and the rods thereon are subjected to the blast action from said abrasive blast means therein to granulate the lumpy material and to simultaneously clean the rods, said second oscillating conveyor including a screen deck in said blasting station to permit the granulated lumpy material to pass therethrough, second collecting means under said screen deck of said second oscillating conveyor, and a second separation system communicating with said second collecting means.

Claim 11

A system as set forth in claim 7 wherein said first separating system includes means for removing the granular material from the mixture passed therethrough, an impact plate in said abrasive blasting station, and transporting means for feeding the granular material from said first separating system to said blasting station between said impact plate and said abrasive blast means whereby the abrasive particles from said blast means cause at least some of the granular material to strike against said impact plate.

Claim 12

A system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said first separating system includes at least one set of separators comprising a pair of vertically arranged air wash separators, the uppermost of said vertically arranged separators including a spout for discharging a stream of abrasive particles and pea sized lumps of granular material, a pair of crushing rollers between said pair of separators, said spout on said uppermost separator discharging said stream between said rollers whereby the pea size sand may be crushed by said rollers and the resultant mixture of granular material and abrasive particles may be fed to the lowermost of said separators, and means for discharging individual streams of granular material and abrasive particles from said lowermost separator.

Claim 13

A system as set forth in claim 9 including means for transporting at least some of the sand discharged from said lowermost separator to said abrasive blast means in said blasting station.

Claim 14

A system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said second oscillating conveyor has a top surface with a screen deck to permit the fine granular material to pass therethrough, and at least one step on said top surface of said second oscillating conveyor disposed in the path of the abrasive particles projected from said blast means whereby said step acts as a stop for lumps of material which might otherwise have a tendency to be pushed by said abrasive particles back against the direction of flow imparted by said second oscillating conveyor.

Claim 15

A system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said abrasive blast means in said blasting station comprises a centrifugal throwing wheel.

Claim 16

A system as set forth in claim 12 wherein transporting means are disposed between said second separating system and said throwing wheel for feeding abrasive particles from said second separating system to said throwing wheel.

Claim 17

A system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said second separating system includes an air wash separator for separating the materials fed thereto into individual streams of granular material and abrasive particles, and a magnetic drum receiving the stream of granular material for removing any abrasive particles which might be therein.

Claim 18

A system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said removing means comprises a plurality of centrifugal throwing wheels in said blast chamber, means for feeding abrasive particles from said first separating system to said plurality of centrifugal throwing wheels, said first separating system further including a common hopper for receiving the streams of granular material discharged by each separator therein.

Claim 19

A system as set forth in claim 3 including a separating system, means for supplying the finer grained material received from said blast chamber to said separating system, and means for supplying the thus produced granular material received in said receiving means to said same separating system.

Claim 20

A system as set forth in claim 1 including a second blastiNg station having second blast means therein, said receiving means feeding the granular material to said second blasting station for scouring the sand in the fine granular material.

Claim 21

A system as set forth in claim 17 including impact plate means in said second blasting station in the path of flow of the particles projected from said second blast means, and said receiving means feeding the granular material to said second blast means for projection against said impact plate means.

Claim 22

A system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said impact plate means comprises a first plate inclined toward said second blast means and disposed in the path of motion of the particles projected from said second blast means, and a second plate inclined toward and disposed under said first plate to provide a ricochet surface for the projected particles.

Claim 23

A system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said impact plate means includes a plurality of inclined vanes extending toward said second blast means.

Claim 24

A system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said second blast means comprises a plurality of centrifugal wheels vertically arranged atop each other, and feed means between pairs of wheels for feeding the granular material discharged from an upper wheel into its adjacent lower wheel.

Claim 25

A system as set forth in claim 17 including impact plate means in said second blasting station in the path of flow of the particles projected from said second blast means, flow distribution means above said second blast means, and said receiving means feeding the granular material to said flow distribution means for discharging the granular material between said impact plate means and said second blast means.

Claim 26

A system as set forth in claim 22 wherein said second blast means includes a centrifugal throwing wheel capable of projecting particles over a 360* arc, and said flow distribution means being a conically shaped member disposed over and above said throwing wheel.

Claim 27

A system as set forth in claim 22 wherein said second blast means includes a centrifugal throwing wheel capable of projecting a pair of oppositely disposed blast streams, and said flow distribution means being an inverted V-shaped member disposed over and above said throwing wheel.

Claim 28

An abrasive blast treating system for producing granular material from lumpy material, said system comprising an abrasive blasting station, conveying means passing through said abrasive blasting station for carrying lumpy material into said blasting station, abrasive blast means in said blasting station for projecting abrasive particles against the lumpy material to break the material into granular material, said conveying means confining the lumpy material in an area having a predetermined width, said abrasive blast means projecting abrasive particles toward said conveying means over an area which completely covers said predetermined width, and collecting means for receiving the granulated material and abrasive particles from said conveying means, an air wash separator, second conveying means for feeding the granulated material and abrasive particles from said collecting means to said separator, and said separator dividing the granulated material and abrasive particles into individual streams.

Claim 29

An abrasive blast treating system for producing granular material from lumpy material, said system comprising an abrasive blasting station, conveying means passing through said abrasive blasting station for carrying lumpy material into said blasting station, abrasive blast means in said blasting station for projecting abrasive particles against the lumpy material to break the material into granular material, said conveying means confining the lumpy material in an area having a predetermined width, said abrasive blast means projecting abrasive particles toward said conveying means over an area which completely covers said predetermined width, and collecting means for receiving the granulated material and abrasive particles from said conveying means, an air wash separator, second conveying means for feeding the granulated material and abrasive particles from said collecting means to said separator, and said separator dividing the granulated material and abrasive particles into individual streams.

Claim 30

A system as set forth in claim 25 wherein said conveying means is an oscillating conveyor having a screen deck.

Claim 31

A system as set forth in claim 26 wherein said blast means is a centrifugal throwing wheel, and said screen deck having at least one step disposed in the path of abrasive particles projected from said throwing wheel whereby said step acts as a stop to prevent lumpy material from moving against the direction of motion imparted by said oscillating conveyor.

Claim 32

A system as set forth in claim 25 including a second blasting station having second blast means therein, said collecting means feeding the granular material to said second blasting station for scouring the granular material.

Claim 33

A system as set forth in claim 28 including impact plate means in said second blasting station in the path of flow of the particles projected from said second blast means, and said receiving means feeding the granular material to said second blast means for projection against said impact plate means.

Claim 34

A system as set forth in claim 29 wherein said impact plate means comprises a first plate inclined toward said second blast means and disposed in the path of motion of the particles projected from said second blast means, and a second plate inclined toward and disposed under said first plate to provide a ricochet surface for the projected particles.

Claim 35

A system as set forth in claim 29 wherein said impact plate means includes a plurality of inclined vanes extending toward said second blast means.

Claim 36

A system as set forth in claim 29 wherein said second blast means comprises a plurality of centrifugal wheels vertically arranged atop each other, and feed means between pairs of wheels for feeding the granular material discharged from an upper wheel into its adjacent lower wheel.

Claim 37

A system as set forth in claim 28 including impact plate means in said second blasting station in the path of flow of the particles projected from said second blast means, flow distribution means above said second blast means, and said collecting means feeding the granular material to said flow distribution means for discharging the fine granular material between said impact plate means and said second blast means.

Claim 38

A system as set forth in claim 33 wherein said second blast means include a centrifugal throwing wheel capable of projecting particles over a 360* arc, and said flow distribution means being a conically shaped member disposed over and above said throwing wheel.

Claim 39

A system as set forth in claim 33 wherein said second blast means includes a centrifugal throwing wheel capable of projecting a pair of oppositely disposed blast streams, and said flow distribution means being an inverted V-shaped member disposed over and above said throwing wheel.