Particle separator

Claim 1

A particle separator for separating and removing foreign particles from an airstream supplied to an engine air intake passage, said particle separator comprising: an independent housing mounted adjacent said engine air intake passage, said housing being in communication with said engine air intake passage; a plurality of channel assemblies mounted in parallel side-by-side relationship within said housing, adjacent assemblies defining separate tortuous passageways, each of said tortuous passageways including two turns each of less than 90°, each of said passageways being defined by said adjacent assemblies and having an air inlet and an air outlet, said air outlet being parallel to and displaced transversely from said air inlet, each of said channel assemblies comprising a curved forward wall portion at said air inlet and a reversely curved rear wall portion at said air outlet, one end of said curved forward wall portion and one end of said curved rear wall portion being joined by a generally planar intermediate wall portion positioned in substantially parallel arrangement with the inlet portion of said tortuous passageway, the other end of said curved forward wall portion extending toward the interior of said separator and defining in combination with the intermediate wall portion of an adjacent assembly the side walls of an air inlet passageway, said other end of the curved forward wall portion further extending with a bend of less than 90° as a transverse wall section which continues to and effectively joins said one end of said reversely curved rear wall portion making thereby a closed interior cavity, the other end of said reversely curved rear wall portion extending toward the interior of said separator and terminating with an inward directed structural bend, the location of said wall terminating bend being such as to form in combination with the transverse wall section of the next adjacent assembly an open slot through which air flows from said air inlet passageway to said air outlet; a plurality of particle collection chambers generally aligned with said air inlet passageway, each of said chambers being comprised of the curved interior side of each of said reversely curved rear wall portion, and being defined by two sidewalls and a top wall, the first of said sidewalls being that portion of the intermediate wall immediately adjacent said reversely curved rear wall, the second of said sidewalls being the interior side of the other end of said curved rear wall portion, and the top of said chamber comprising a slanting wall portion forming a juncture along one end with the second of said sidewalls, the other end of said slanting wall portion terminating in a lip, the space between said lip and said first sidewall of said chamber forming a restrictive entrance throat therebetween, whereby particle laden air enters said particle collection chamber under generally turbulent conditions; a plurality of apertures in one wall of said housing, said apertures having a shape complementary to the contour of said collection chambers, each of said apertures communicating with a collection chamber to provide particle passageways through said wall; and a scavenge manifold in communication with all of said particle collection chambers.