Frame for bag-type filters

Claim 1

In the combination of a filter cloth shaped as a bag and a filter frame positioned within the bag so as to keep the sides of the cloth bag from contacting each other, the improvement consisting of a flexible filter frame having a thickness that can be temporarily compressed during the filtration operation, said flexible filter frame comprising: (a) a first corrugated plate having ridges and valleys, (b) a second corrugated plate having ridges and valleys, (c) said first and second corrugated plates being composed of a network of expanded metal, being free of sharp ridges and valley folds, being secured to each other in such a manner that the ridges of one plate are in linear contact with the valleys of the other plate so as to thereby form a plurality of parallel channels for the filtrate between adjacent linear contact lines, (d) an outlet passageway for filtrate in the form of a discharge tough, said discharge trough connecting the ends of said channels for receiving filtrate flow from said channels, said discharge trough extending along the edges of the plates transversely to the longitudinal axes of said channels, said discharge trough being made of the same expanded metal as said corrugated plates, and (e) a pipe for connecting the end of said discharge trough to a collection means for said filtrate.