Methods and apparatus for preparing sugarcane stalks for subsequent processing

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR PREPARING A MASS OF RANDOMLY ORIENTED TRASH-CONTAINING SUGARCANE STALKS FOR SUBSQUENT PROCESSING AND WHICH APPRATUS INCLUDES: CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CONVEYING THE RANDOMLY ORIENTED TRASHCONTAINING MASS OF SUGARCANE STALKS, THE CONVEYOR MEANS INCLUDING ALIGNING MEANS FOR GENERALLY ALIGNING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE STALKS IN THE MASS LONGITUDINALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF THEIR CONVEYED TRAVEL, CHOPPING MEANS DISPOSED DOWNSTEAM OF THE ALIGNING MEANS AND ADJACENT TO THE CONVEYOR MEANS, FOR RECEIVING AND CHOPPING THE ALIGNED STALKS TRANSVERSELY THEREOF INTO RELATIVELY SHORTER COPPED LENGTHS, AND DETRASHING MEANS DISPOSED UPSTREAM OF THE CHOPPING MEANS FOR TREATING THE MASS OF STALKS SURING TRAVEL THEREOF TO REMOVE TRASH, THE IMPROVEMENT 3HEREIN SAID DETRASHING MEANS INCLUDES: A DETRASHING STATION INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE INITIAL, COATING PAIR OF ROLLER ARRANGED TO ROTATE IN A FIRST DIRECTION OF STALK TRAVEL, THE INITIAL ROLLER PAIR COMPRISING AN UPPER ROLLER SUPERPOSED VERTICALLY ABOVE A LOWER ROLLER, SAID INITIAL ROLLER PAIR BEING ARRANGED TO POSITIVELY ENGAGE AND CONVEY THE MASS OF CANE STALKS THEREBETWEEN IN A FIRST DIRECTION OF TRAVEL TO A JUNCTION OF AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL PAIR OF VERTICALLY SUPERPOSED ROLLERS ARRANGED TO ROTATE IN A SECOND DIRECTION OF STALK TRAVE, SAID ADDITIONAL ROLLER PAIR DISPOED ADJACENT SAID INITIAL ROLLER PAIR AND DISPOSED TO POSITIVELY ENGAGE AND CONVEY THE MASS OF CANE STALKS THEREBETWEEN FROM SAID JUNCTION IN A SECOND DIRECTION INCLINED UPWARDLY FROM SAID FIRST DIRECTION, AND THE LOWER ROLLER OF SAID ADDITIONAL ROLLER PAIR BEING POSITIONED TO DEFLECT DOWNWARDLY NONFLEXIBLE TRASH MATERIAL SUCH AS ROCKS.

Claim 16

An apparatus for preparing a mass of randomly oriented trash-containing sugarcane stalks for subsequent processing comprising: a first series of conveyors arranged to feed the stalk material from a dumping station to a right angle junction and including a first conveyor belt; a metering comb disposed above said first conveyor belt intermediate its ends; said metering comb including a plurality of tines projecting outwardly from a central hub; means for rotating said metering comb such that said tines engage the stalk material opposite the direction oF stalk travel to level said stalk material and provide a generally uniform bed of stalk material for transport to the discharge end of said first conveyor belt; said first series of conveyors including a second conveyor belt having a receiving end disposed below the discharge end of said first conveyor belt to define a vertical discontinuity in said first series of conveyors; a transfer drum, disposed adjacent the discharge end of said first conveyor belt and arranged to rotate in the direction of conveyed stalk travel, for receiving and conveying the stalks of cane over the drum and into the vertical discontinuity; said drum having an axis of rotation transverse to said stalk travel direction and having a plurality of arms rigidly thereto and positioned to engage the mass of stalks during conveyed motion thereof to assist in conveying the mass of stalks over said drum and into the discontinuity; air directing means for directing air downwardly and laterally through the stalks as they drop through the vertically extending discontinuity to disengage trash from the mass of stalks and convey the trash out of the discontinuity; a series of vertically hanging, free-swinging rod members disposed within the air stream for receiving and screening trash from the air stream, with the trash downwardly out of the air stream; recycle conveying means positioned for receiving and conveying stalk material falling between said transfer drum and said first conveyor belt and for depositing the fallen stalk material onto the first conveyor belt upstream of said transfer drum; said recycle conveying means including a right angle junction for untangling, spreading-out and aligning cane stalks in said mass, and a gap for causing trash material to fall from among the stalks being re-conveyed; a second series of conveyors including a third conveyor belt disposed below and at a right angle relative to a terminal conveyor of said first series to define the right angle junction; said third conveyor and said terminal conveyor being cooperably arranged to impose forces on said mass of stalk material tending to untangle, spread-out, and align the stalks on said third conveyor belt; magnetic flux producing means disposed adjacent the second series of conveyors for magnetically attracting trash from the mass of stalks; a detrashing station disposed downstream of said right angle junction and including at least one initial, coacting pair of rollers arranged to rotate in a first direction of stalk travel; the initial roller pair comprising an upper roller superposed vertically above a lower roller; said initial roller pair being arranged to positively engage and convey the mass of cane stalks therebetween in a first direction of travel to a junction of at least one additional pair of vertically superposed rollers arranged to rotate in a second direction of stalk travel; said additional roller disposed adjacent said initial roller pair and disposed to positively engage and convey the mass of cane stalks therebetween from said junction in a second direction inclined upwardly from said first direction; and the lower roller of said additional roller pair being positioned to deflect downwardly nonflexible trash material such as rocks; and chopping means, disposed downstream of the detrashing station adjacent to the second conveyor series, for receiving and chopping the aligned stalks transversely thereof into relatively shorter chopped lengths.

Claim 17

An apparatus for preparing a mass of randomly oriented trash-containing sugarcane stalks for subsequent processing comprising: a first series of conveyors arranged to feed the stalk material from a dumping station to a right angle junction and including a first conveyor belt; a metering comb disposed above said first conveyor belt intermediate its ends; said metering comb including a plurality of tines projecting outwardly from a central hub; means for rotating said metering comb such that said tines engage the stalk material opposite the direction oF stalk travel to level said stalk material and provide a generally uniform bed of stalk material for transport to the discharge end of said first conveyor belt; said first series of conveyors including a second conveyor belt having a receiving end disposed below the discharge end of said first conveyor belt to define a vertical discontinuity in said first series of conveyors; a transfer drum, disposed adjacent the discharge end of said first conveyor belt and arranged to rotate in the direction of conveyed stalk travel, for receiving and conveying the stalks of cane over the drum and into the vertical discontinuity; said drum having an axis of rotation transverse to said stalk travel direction and having a plurality of arms rigidly thereto and positioned to engage the mass of stalks during conveyed motion thereof to assist in conveying the mass of stalks over said drum and into the discontinuity; air directing means for directing air downwardly and laterally through the stalks as they drop through the vertically extending discontinuity to disengage trash from the mass of stalks and convey the trash out of the discontinuity; a series of vertically hanging, free-swinging rod members disposed within the air stream for receiving and screening trash from the air stream, with the trash downwardly out of the air stream; recycle conveying means positioned for receiving and conveying stalk material falling between said transfer drum and said first conveyor belt and for depositing the fallen stalk material onto the first conveyor belt upstream of said transfer drum; said recycle conveying means including a right angle junction for untangling, spreading-out and aligning cane stalks in said mass, and a gap for causing trash material to fall from among the stalks being re-conveyed; a second series of conveyors including a third conveyor belt disposed below and at a right angle relative to a terminal conveyor of said first series to define the right angle junction; said third conveyor and said terminal conveyor being cooperably arranged to impose forces on said mass of stalk material tending to untangle, spread-out, and align the stalks on said third conveyor belt; magnetic flux producing means disposed adjacent the second series of conveyors for magnetically attracting trash from the mass of stalks; a detrashing station disposed downstream of said right angle junction and including at least one initial, coacting pair of rollers arranged to rotate in a first direction of stalk travel; the initial roller pair comprising an upper roller superposed vertically above a lower roller; said initial roller pair being arranged to positively engage and convey the mass of cane stalks therebetween in a first direction of travel to a junction of at least one additional pair of vertically superposed rollers arranged to rotate in a second direction of stalk travel; said additional roller disposed adjacent said initial roller pair and disposed to positively engage and convey the mass of cane stalks therebetween from said junction in a second direction inclined upwardly from said first direction; and the lower roller of said additional roller pair being positioned to deflect downwardly nonflexible trash material such as rocks; and chopping means, disposed downstream of the detrashing station adjacent to the second conveyor series, for receiving and chopping the aligned stalks transversely thereof into relatively shorter chopped lengths.