Method and apparatus for plasticizing and mixing materials under high pressure

Claim 2

Method of conveying positively, uniformly and free of pulsations, pulverulent or granular thermoplastic or thermosetting material while simultaneously plasticizing, mixing and homogenizing the material, which comprises initially feeding the material to a rotary device, and simultaneously subjecting the material to alternating horizontal and vertical compressions of the material by conveying the material through a selectively coolable and heatable tube having at least one passageway therein of alternately narrow and wide sections to effect plasticizing, mixing and homogenizing the material.

Claim 3

Apparatus for conveying positively, uniformly and free of pulsations pulverulent or granular thermoplastic or thermosetting material while simultaneously plasticizing, mixing and homogenizing the material comprising a material inlet end and outlet end, at least two rotor members located adjacent one another at said inlet end, said rotor members having material conveyor elements said material conveyor elements of said rotors being offset one to another for conveying the material continuously free of pulsation, an extrusion channel at said outlet end, means for varying the temperature of mixed material forced through said channel by the conveyor elements of said rotor members, said channel having a plurality of alternately narrower and wider sections to subject the material to alternating horizintal and vertical compressions to effect plasticizing, mixing and homogenizing the material, all of the parts of said channel being stationary.

Claim 4

Apparatus for conveying positively, uniformly and free of pulsations pulverulent or granular thermoplastic or thermosetting material while simultaneously plasticizing, mixing and homogenizing the material comprising a material inlet end and outlet end, at least two rotor members located adjacent one another at said inlet end, said rotor members having material conveyor elements said material conveyor elements of said rotors being offset one to another for conveying the material continuously free of pulsation, an extrusion channel at said outlet end, means for varying the temperature of mixed material forced through said channel by the conveyor elements of said rotor members, said channel having a plurality of alternately narrower and wider sections to subject the material to alternating horizintal and vertical compressions to effect plasticizing, mixing and homogenizing the material, all of the parts of said channel being stationary.

Claim 5

Apparatus for conveying positively, uniformly and free of pulsations pulverulent or granular thermoplastic or thermosetting material while simultaneously plasticizing, mixing and homogenizing the material according to claim 2 wherein there is a compression channel for said rotor members, and a conveyor channel located at said outlet end and connected to said compression channel, said conveyor channel having means for throttling the flow of the material therethrough.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said throttling means comprises at least one section of reduced diameter in said conveyor channel, the inner diameter of said reduced section being substantially 30 to 50 percent of the original section of said conveyor channel.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said conveyor channel comprises a rigid tube having, at spaced intervals along the length thereof, alternate constricted and widened sections, and including means for varying the temperature of said rigid tube.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said tube is rigid, and said alternately wider and narrower cross sections of said passageway being formed by respective widened and constricted sections of said tube located at spaced intervals along the length of the tube.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said channel has a flat tube and has a multiplicity or passageways of alternately wider and narrower cross section, said passageways being defined by a multiplicity of obstructions of substantially triangular configuration arranged in said tube in rows offset relative to and behind one another in such a way that the material flowing through said tube is separated at a leading acute angle of each of said substantially triangular members, so that part of the material flows along a long side of the respective triangles that is disposed in direction of flow of the material, another part of the material flowing along two shorter sides of the triangle and around an obtuse angle included by said two shorter sides, the material thereby being subjected to a shearing action.