1. An aggregate material separating device, comprising:
a) a frame;
b) a trough, disposed on the frame and sized and shaped to move a slurry of aggregate material from an upstream end to a downstream end of the trough;
b) a shaker mechanism coupled to the frame to vibrate the frame and trough;
c) a loading hopper, disposed at the upstream end of the trough, and sized and shaped to receive a load of aggregate material and direct the aggregate material into the trough;
d) a hopper wash line, disposed adjacent the loading hopper, to supply a substantially continuous flow of water into the hopper to create the slurry from the aggregate material in the hopper;
e) at least one screen, disposed substantially between the trough and the loading hopper, and sized and shaped to receive slurry from the loading hopper and separate particles of a predetermined size from the slurry while allowing the remaining slurry to pass through the screen;
f) a plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles rising from a bottom of the trough below the separating screens to an elevated position at the downstream end of the trough, and each riffle sized, shaped and oriented to capture minerals of a predetermined specific gravity from the slurry;
g) a brush, disposed in the trough above the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles, and sized and shaped to slow slurry movement from the upstream end of the trough to the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles to provide additional settling time for the slurry; and
h) a backwash spigot, disposed adjacent a downstream side of the brush, and having a nozzle positioned to spray a continuous flow of water toward the brush to create a standing wave and drive relatively lighter material of the slurry upstream from the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles and allow relatively heavier material of the slurry to pass to the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles.
2. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of riffles form a mineral separation bed extending longitudinally along the bottom and up a side of the trough and each of the plurality of riffles has a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the mineral separation bed and is configured to retain a material having an associated specific gravity.
3. The device in accordance with claim 2, wherein the shaker mechanism shakes the aggregate material device at a frequency that moves the slurry through the at least one separating screen, into the trough, past the brush, and along the mineral separation bed, such that materials in the slurry with a higher specific gravity are moved further up the elevated side of the mineral separation bed to a riffle that is relatively higher in elevation than material with a lower specific gravity.
4. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one separating screen further comprises:
a plurality of successive screens disposed below the hopper and successively downstream from on another, each screen having openings sized and shaped to separate relatively smaller aggregate particles from the slurry with respect to an adjacent upstream screen while allowing the remaining slurry to pass through to the next adjacent downstream screen; and
a plurality of curved ejection tubes, each associated with the one of the plurality of successive screens, and each tube sized and shaped to receive the separated particles from the associated screen and eject the separated particles from the aggregate material separating device.
5. A method for separating various constituents of an aggregate material comprising the steps of:
a) placing a load of aggregate material in a hopper of an aggregate separation device;
b) irrigating the aggregate material in the hopper to form a slurry;
c) shaking the separation device to cause smaller particles of the slurry to pass from the hopper, through at least one separator screen below the hopper, and into an upstream end of a trough disposed below the at least one separator screen;
d) restricting the flow of the slurry from the upstream end toward a downstream end of the trough with a brush and a continuous flow of water forming a standing wave adjacent the brush in order to provide time for heavier aggregate constituents to settle in the slurry;
e) shaking the trough to move the slurry into a plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles extending from an upstream bottom of the trough to an elevated position along a side of the downstream end of the trough, each riffle being sized, shaped and oriented to separate minerals from the slurry by specific weight; and
f) removing the separated minerals collected in the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles from the aggregate material separation.
6. The method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising ejecting larger particles from an upper end of the at least one separator screen in an ejection tube associated with the at least one separator screen.
7. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein removing the separated minerals further includes collecting the separated minerals in a plurality of collection receptacles with each receptacle being positioned to collect separated minerals from an associated riffle.
8. An aggregate material separating device, comprising:
a) a frame;
b) a trough, disposed on the frame and sized and shaped to move a slurry of aggregate material from an upstream end to a downstream end of the trough;
b) a shaker mechanism coupled to the frame to vibrate the frame and trough;
c) a loading hopper, disposed at the upstream end of the trough, and sized and shaped to receive a load of aggregate material and direct the aggregate material into the trough;
d) a hopper wash line, disposed adjacent the loading hopper, to supply a substantially continuous flow of water into the hopper to create the slurry from the aggregate material in the hopper;
e) at least one screen, disposed substantially between the trough and the loading hopper, and sized and shaped to receive slurry from the loading hopper and separate particles of a predetermined size from the slurry while allowing the remaining slurry to pass through the screen;
f) a plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles rising from a bottom of the trough below the separating screens to an elevated position at the downstream end of the trough, and each riffle sized, shaped and oriented to capture minerals of a predetermined specific gravity from the slurry;
g) a plurality of successive screens disposed below the hopper and successively downstream from on another, each screen having openings sized and shaped to separate relatively smaller aggregate particles from the slurry with respect to an adjacent upstream screen while allowing the remaining slurry to pass through to the next adjacent downstream screen; and
h) a plurality of curved ejection tubes, each associated with the one of the plurality of successive screens, and each tube sized and shaped to receive the separated particles from the associated screen and eject the separated particles from the aggregate material separating device.
9. The device in accordance with claim 8, further comprising:
a) a brush, disposed in the trough above the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles, and sized and shaped to slow slurry movement from the upstream end of the trough to the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles to provide additional settling time for the slurry; and
b) a backwash spigot, disposed adjacent a downstream side of the brush, and having a nozzle positioned to spray a continuous flow of water toward the brush to create a standing wave and drive relatively lighter material of the slurry upstream from the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles and allow relatively heavier material of the slurry to pass to the plurality of substantially longitudinal riffles.
10. The device in accordance with claim 8, wherein the plurality of riffles form a mineral separation bed extending longitudinally along the bottom and up a side of the trough and each of the plurality of riffles has a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the mineral separation bed and is configured to retain a material having an associated specific gravity.
11. The device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the shaker mechanism shakes the aggregate material device at a frequency that moves the slurry through the at least one separating screen, into the trough, past a brush, and along the mineral separation bed, such that materials in the slurry with a higher specific gravity are moved further up the elevated side of the mineral separation bed to a riffle that is relatively higher in elevation than material with a lower specific gravity.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A radiation furnace assembly for use in heating parts, said assembly comprising;
a muffle having a top side, a bottom side, a first side wall and a second side wall defining a chamber having a main heating portion and a first side heating portion for receiving the part to be heated,
a casing substantially surrounding said muffle,
a top heating element connected to said casing and disposed adjacent said top side of said muffle for heating said main heating portion of said chamber and a bottom heating element connected to said casing and disposed adjacent said bottom side of the muffle for heating said main heating portion of said chamber,
a first side heating element connected to said casing and disposed adjacent said first side wall for heating said first side heating portion of said chamber,
a first control device connected to at least one of said top and bottom heating elements for adjusting the temperature of at least one of said top and bottom heating elements to control the temperature within said main heating portion of said chamber,
a second control device connected to said first side heating element for adjusting the temperature of said first side heating element independently of said top and bottom heating elements and for increasing the temperature within said first side heating portion of said chamber adjacent said first side wall to reduce temperature differentials within the part during the heating process.
2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first side heating element further includes an adjustment device engaging said first side heating element for adjusting the position of said first side heating element relative to said muffle such that said first side heating element can be raised or lowered within said casing or moved toward or away from said first side wall.
3. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including a ceramic block disposed between said first side heating element and said casing to reflect heat generated by said first side heating element towards said muffle.
4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3 further including a thermocouple disposed adjacent said first side heating element for measuring the temperature in the vicinity of said thermocouple.
5. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including a second side heating element connected to said casing and disposed adjacent said second side wall, said chamber further includes a second side heating portion wherein said second side heating element heats said second side heating portion of said chamber.
6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 further including a third control device connected to said second side heating element for adjusting the temperature of said second side heating element independently of said side heating element and said top and bottom heating elements.
7. An assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said second side heating element further includes a second adjustment device engaging said second side heating element for adjusting the position of said second side heating element relative to said muffle such that said second side heating element can be raised or lowered within said casing or moved toward or away from said second side wall.
8. An assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including a second ceramic block disposed between said second side heating element and said casing to reflect heat generated by said second side heating element towards said muffle.
9. An assembly as set forth in claim 8 further including a second thermocouple disposed adjacent said second side heating element for measuring the temperature in the vicinity of said second thermocouple.
10. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including a nitrogen insertion port connected to said muffle for dispensing nitrogen into said muffle.
11. An assembly as set forth in claim 10 further including a thermocouple insertion port connected to said muffle.
12. An assembly as set forth in claim 11 further including a conveyor belt for moving the part, said muffle further includes a first open end and a second open end wherein said conveyor belt moves through said first open end and said second open end of said muffle.
13. An assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said casing further includes a shell substantially surrounding said casing.
14. An assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said shell is formed from mild steel.
15. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein said casing further includes an insulation layer attached to said shell.
16. An assembly as set forth in claim 15 wherein said top side of said muffle is arcuate in shape.
17. An assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said muffle is formed from stainless steel.