Abstract: A more even distribution of manure during spreading, a more efficient pickup of loose and gummy material, a more efficient pickup of manure in irregular feedlots, and avoidance of spillage of manure during transport are accomplished by employing a method of handling manure from a feedlot including providing a tank with a rear pickup mechanism. The tank and attached rear pickup mechanism rotate fore and aft by means of a pintle attached to a frame. The tank is so placed relative to the pintle that, as the frame is raised relative to the wheels, the tank first tilts backward and then forward, preventing overspills. The tank is partially filled with water and then the tank and pickup mechanism rotate to keep the mechanism in contact with the area to be cleaned. The mechanism then deposits manure from the area in the tank. A pump mixes the manure with the water to form a slurry and discharges the slurry from the tank.

Abstract: A vertical type grain-milling machine has a perforated bran removing cylinder arranged vertically with respect to a machine frame; a main shaft which is rotatably provided within the perforated bran removing cylinder; and a milling roll and a screw roll which are in abutment with each other and which are mounted on the main shaft, the milling roll being associated with a grain discharging section and the screw roll being associated with a grain supplying section. The perforated bran removing cylinder is surrounded by an air in-take frame which has a large number of through-holes for causing in-flowing air to have a downward component of orientation. The discharging of the bran externally of the machine is enhanced and the adherence of bran onto the inner wall of the air in-take frame and the perforated bran removing cylinder is prevented.

Abstract: A distribution head of an impact mill rotates about a vertical axis and throws raw material against a cylindrically-shaped impact body. The latter has a rotational axis, which forms an angle with the vertical axis to equalize the wear over the height of the impact body.

Abstract: An arrangement for discharging hard material from the grinding head of a meat grinder. The hard material is passed through openings formed in the meat grinder orifice plate, and collected in a collection cavity defined by a cup member. A hard material discharge auger is located within the collection cavity, and is rotatable with the feed screw of the grinder. A restricting arrangement is provided for building up back pressure within the collection cavity, which minimizes the amount of usable soft material which passes into the collection cavity. In one form, the discharge auger extends through the collection cavity and into a discharge passage defined by a discharge tube. The auger has an outside diameter only slightly smaller than the diameter of the passage, so that the auger essentially defines a rotating flow path through which the hard material is discharged. In another form, the restricting arrangement includes a tapered passageway and a resilient diaphragm having an aperture therethrough.

Abstract: An apparatus for making a brush broom includes a lever-operated holder for enclosing and precompressing the gathered cut ends of a bunch of branches for a broom. The lever is pressed downwardly against the enclosed branch ends and held by the user until a U-shaped tie wire surrounding the branches and extending upwardly through a slot in the lever arm is twisted around the branches. The broom handle is driven into the center of the bound branch ends to complete the broom.

Abstract: Equipment for deoiling swarf resulting from machining operations including a deoiling centrifuge and an endless conveyor for supplying the swarf to the centrifuge. The conveyor has a support and sliding surface for the swarf with a grating through which the swarf falls for transfer to the deoiling centrifuge but through which foreign bodies are prevented from passing.

Abstract: The method for treating materials in liquids involves passing them with the liquid through a processing gap formed by a flow passage whose walls are closely spaced and move relative to one another transversely to the direction of flow, thereby producing "supra-kolmogoroff" mixing eddies in the gap, and at the same time applying ultrasonic longitudinal pressure oscillations that reverberate between the two closely spaced surfaces into the gap transversely to the direction of flow from transducers mounted on one wall, thereby producing "sub-Kolmogoroff" mixing eddies therein. The method is capable of rapidly producing relatively thick slurries of sub-micrometer particles that otherwise can take several days in conventional high shear mixers and ball or sand mills, or of rapidly dissolving difficultly soluble gases and powders into liquids.

Abstract: A process for reducing the particle size of particulate crystalline energetic material such as HMX or RDX by slurrying the particulate energetic particles in an inert liquid wherein the liquid coats the surfaces of the particles and introducing the slurried energetic particles at a predetermined pressure into a Microfluidizer.RTM. high-pressure grinding chamber wherein high-pressure interparticle collision reduces the mean particle size of the energetic particles, thereby reducing the sensitivity of the energetic material.

Abstract: A fiber fluff generator includes a housing having three substantially cylindrical portions, each of which mounts and contains a rotor having a rotor shaft and a plurality of rotor pins extending radially therefrom. The rotor pins are arranged in rows spaced incrementally along the length of the shaft with gaps therebetween, each row including plural rotor pins arranged in spoke-like fashion. The rotor shafts preferably are mounted parallel to one another and lie in a common vertical plane. The rotor pins on one rotor shaft are axially offset from and overlap with the rotor pins on the adjacent rotor shaft(s) so that the rotor pins collectively are interleaved to provide a cross-combing effect. Stator pins fastened to the housing extend radially inwardly into the gaps between the rows of rotor pins to provide further cross-combing interaction.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing various material to smaller sizes emphasizing large volume with long pieces. The apparatus has a frame case, with an infeed and outfeed, within which at least one rotor with at least one radially tilted forward cutter bar cuts the material against one anvil. A grate is used to size the material to final product dimensions. The frame case is angularly split. Where more than one rotor is used, they are radially offset.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for safe disposal of hypodermic syringes, needles and other small, contaminated instruments such as, for example, scalpel blades, stitch cutters etc. (Commonly referred to as "sharps"). The apparatus firstly comprises a collection container having a primary lid which is movable between an open position and a closed position and is releasable latched in the closed position. The latch mechanism is adapted to be released when the contain is brought into cooperation with a destructor apparatus. The destructor apparats comprised a disposal receptacle adapted to receive the container and unlatch the lid, and a destructor means. adapted to generally comminute the material deposited therein. The destructor apparatus has an inlet and an outlet, a plurality of rotating blades which cooperate with two cutting plates which are arranged to define a flow path for the material between the inlet and the outlet.

Abstract: Apparatus for selecting, mixing and preparing, as required, fresh desserts made up of crushed fruits mixed with a natural cream, provided with a distribution cone having several compartments containing different fruits which pivots about a central body serving as a container for the cream which is ready to be added and mixed with a selected fruit. A compartment within the distribution cone is positionable over a bowl next to a motor, the driven pinion of which engages with a gear of the mixing bowl for the selected fruit, whereby the selected fruit is crushed and then mixed with natural cream by means of a worm gear and the associated blade.

Abstract: A perforated cylindrical receptacle is fitted within the main cylinder of an ordinary sink drain. A conical elevation of the bottom of the receptacle provides at the apex, a bearing point for a propeller, which may spin by the flow of draining fluid to free and fragment debris. By depressing a spring loaded bearing point, the same propeller can be used to manually force the propeller against the floor of the receptacle to crush and grind more resistant material. A plug placed below the receptacle and prop assembly can be raised or lowered by rotation of the assembly. The assembly is removable for cleaning and inspection.

Abstract: Finely divided fibrous cellulose particles having a high viscosity, suspension stability and water-retaining property are produced by suspending cellulose particles in water or an organic liquid, and subjecting the resultant cellulose particle slurry to a wet grinding procedure in a solid medium-agitation type grinder in which the cellulose particles are agitated and ground with solid medium particles, for example, glass beads, to an extent such that the cellulose particles are divided into fine fibrous cellulose particles having a water-retaining power WRP of 150% or more in accordance with an equation (I):WRP(%)=(A-B)/B.times.100 (I)wherein A represents the weight of a sample of the resultant cellulose particle suspension centrifugally hydroextracted at an acceleration of 3,000 G for 15 minutes, and B represents the weight of the sample dried at 105.degree. C. for 5 hours or more.

Abstract: A plurality of recesses, each having a semicircular section, are formed close to each other in the inner surface of a cylindrical housing so that these recesses extend parallel to the axis of the housing. The inner surface of the housing, a portion of a circle which is part of each recess, and the ends of the vanes of a rotor are provided starting from the curvature centers of the semicircular recesses to the axial center of the housing.

Abstract: A cylindrical housing having a lid is releasably mounted relative to the lid, with the housing having its axis in a parallel orientation and the lid having a support plate mounting plural pairs of legs that each are of a breakdown construction and employ anchor plugs at their lowermost distal ends for securing the organization minimizing vibration in use. A hopper directs vegetation into the shredder, wherein a mesh screen arrangement mounted to the lid below the support plate permits ejection of finely shredded particles.

Abstract: An annular passage arrangement for a pulverizer includes vertically extending inner and outer passage walls which define a "boxed" annular passage. The annular passage space has an inlet for receiving flow from an air plenum and an outlet for vertically channeling the flow into a pulverizing zone. The annular passage is divided by vanes having a tapered end at the inlet end of the passage and an outlet end located at the passage outlet. The outlet end of each vane extends at an acute angle to the horizontal and the tapered end of each vane is vertically oriented within the annular passage. This vane orientation reduces pressure drop as the plenum air is fanned up into the pulverizing zone. Flow contouring plates below the passage inlet reduce flow disturbances and create a more uniform flow pattern up and into the passage inlet.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing wood chips for use in the preparation of pulp in a papermaking operation including a conduit for accommodating a flow stream of wood chips, a rotary valve in the conduit, shunt branch conduits with a first shunt leading to a chip dumping bin and a second shunt leading to a chip processing device; dampers in the branches with the damper for the first shunt branch being in normally closed position and a damper in the other shunt branch being in a normally open position; and a metal detection device upstream of the branches operative to move the first damper to open position and the second damper to closed position for a predetermined time and to stop the rotary valve and to reactivate the dampers and rotary valve after a predetermined time.

Abstract: An improved annular passage arrangement for a pulverizer includes vertically extending inner and outer passage walls which define the annular passage divided by vanes extending at an acute angle to the horizontal. The annular passage is divided into a plurality of passage ports and a low pressure drop is experienced as compared to the prior art passage arrangements. The inner and outer passage walls may be connected to each other and rotate together with the vanes and the vanes are advantageously shorter in length then was conventional for further reducing pressure drop.

Abstract: Apparatus for cleaning chicken droppings from one or more mats used as nesting material in chicken nests in a chicken house. The invention includes a housing having a plurality of rollers therein for conveying a mat and pulverizing the chicken droppings adhering thereto. The rollers are paired with each pair including a fluted roller having a plurality of axially extending ridges thereon and a cylindrical roller defining a plurality of radial grooves thereon which cooperate with the ridges to pulverize the chicken droppings. Sprayers are provided to dislodge the pulverized chicken droppings from the mat. A plurality of guide plates are provided to guide the mat through the enclosure and support the mat during spraying.