Solvent-free, self-cleaning mixing head nozzles for reactive polymer mixes

Claim 1

IN A MIXER APPARATUS FOR HOMOGENEOUSLY COMBINING A PLURALITY OF REACTIVE FLUID COMPONENTS TO PRODUCE A RAPIDLY POLYMERIZABLE VISCOUS MIX, AND INCLUDING A MIXING HEAD HAVING AN END FACE, A DRIVE SHAFT PROJECTING THEREFROM AND COMPONENT DELIVERING PORTS OPENING ONTO SAID FACE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT SAID DRIVE SHAFT, THE IMPROVEMENT IN NOZZLE MEANS FOR SAID MIXING HEAD WHICH IS CONTINUOUSLY SELF-CLEANING WITHOUT RELIANCE ON SOLVENT FLUSHING, SAID IMPROVED NOZZLE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A FRUSTOCONICAL INNER WALL EXTENDING FROM A COMPONENT-RECEIVING END TO A MIX-DELIVERY END, WITH THE LARGER BASE OF THE FRUSTUM LOCATED AT THE COMPONENT-RECEIVING END, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID NOZZLE HOUSING WITH ITS COMPONENT-RECEIVING END AGAINST THE FACE OF THE MIXING HEAD AND IN ENCLOSING RELATION TO THE DRIVE SHAFT AND FLUID COMPONENT PORTS THEREAT, WHEREBY TO FORM A CLOSURE FOR THE COMPONENT-RECEIVING END OF SAID NOZZLE, CLOSURE MEANS REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO THE MIX-DELIVERY END OF SAID NOZZLE AND HAVING PROVISION THEREIN TO ALLOW EMISSION OF HOMOGENIZED POLYMER MIX, A HOMOGENIZING ROTOR DISPOSED COAXIALLY WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL CONFIGURATION COMPLEMENTARY TO THE INNER WALL THEREOF, MEANS INCLUDING THE DRIVE SHAFT IN THE MIXING HEAD FOR SUPPORTING SAID ROTOR COAXIALLY OF SAID NOZZLE HOUSING FOR ROTATION THEREIN WHEREBY THE PERIPHERAL SURFACES OF SAID ROTOR EFFECTIVELY WIPE THE RESPECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY SURFACES OF SAID HOUSING, SAID ROTOR HAVING A. AN END FACE AT ITS COMPONENT-RECEIVING END WHICH IS COMPLEMENTARY TO THE FACE OF THE MIXING HEAD AGAINST WHICH SAID HOUSING IS MOUNTED, SAID ROTOR END-FACE BEING FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED RECESSES TO PROVIDE DISTRIBUTOR VANES AT ITS PERIPHERY, SAID VANES RADIALLY INTERSECTING THE LOCATIONS OF AND EFFECTIVELY WIPING THE COMPONENT FEED PORTS IN THE FACE OF THE MIXING HEAD ENCLOSED BY THE NOZZLE HOUSING, B. FIN MEANS FORMING A SPIRO-HELIX ALONG THE FRUSTOCONICAL SURFACE OF SAID ROTOR, WITH THE OUTER EXTREMITIES OF SAID FIN MEANS EFFECTIVELY WIPING THE COMPLEMENTARY HOUSING SURFACE, C. GROOVE MEANS EXTENDING IN SPIRO-HELICAL MANNER ALONG SAID ROTOR SURFACE AND INTERSECTING SAID FIN AND FORM INTERRUPTED FIN SEGMENTS, WHEREIN SAID FIN AND GROOVE HELIX PITCH ANGLES ARE IN THE SAME RELATIVE DIRECTION BUT SAID GROOVE MEANS HAS A HIGHER HELICAL PITCH ANGLE THAN THE PITCH ANGLE OF SAID FINS, AND AXIALLY ORIENTED SOCKET MEANS OPENING ONTO THE COMPONENTRECEIVING END OF SAID ROTOR, SAID SOCKET MEANS INCLUDING PROVISION FOR MAKING CONNECTION TO THE DRIVE SHAFT OF THE MIXER HEAD.