Abstract: Air intake for trash removal apparatus of a cane harvester. The air intake forms the lower portion of the housing of the trash removal apparatus and also serves to guide cane billets into the hopper of a pivotally-mounted billet discharge conveyor. The air intake is formed as a deflectible air permeable curtain of perforated rubber sheeting which avoids both damage to the air intake and jamming of the conveyor during use.

Abstract: A cooled horizontal-axle grinder for the predispersion of solids in liquids, of the type which incorporates a grinding chamber with a double wall for cooling, in which chamber are presented grinding bodies such as balls generally introduced by the treated product intake port and extracted by an outlet in the lower part of the chamber. The grinder is equipped with a circulating pump for the product to be treated, which product circulates in a continuous manner through the grinding chamber. The grinder axle carries interchangeable discs or agitator elements interspersed with spacers. The grinding chamber incorporates a slot or static sieve which retains the grinding bodies in the chamber while permitting passage only of the product.

Abstract: An apparatus for driving a nail into a relatively inaccessible surface. The nail driver includes an elongated cylindrical housing having a bore extending between its front and rear ends, the rear end covered by an end cap. A rigid rod of lesser diameter than the bore of the housing is slidably received in the bore, with the rear end of the rod projecting rearwardly through the end cap when the front end of the rod is adjacent the front end of the housing. The rear end of the rod carries a weighted handle. The front end of the rod includes a magnetized end portion of about the same diameter as the bore of the housing. A first compression spring extends between the end cap and the weighted handle to absorb the momentum of the weighted handle at the forward end of a stroke, and a second compression spring surrounds the rod within the housing and extends between the end cap and the end portion of the rod for resiliently biasing the rod in a forward direction.

Abstract: A device for pulverizing waste food and other similar materials employing a pivotally mounted hammer on a horizontally rotating plate which operates in relation to a fixed cylindrical surface of variable height lands and grooves, and thereafter, the food is passed between horizontally arranged and relatively rotating sets of lands and grooves.

Abstract: A power actuated tool comprising an expansion chamber for the combustion gases of a piece of ammunition placed in a combustion chamber.In the tool at least one substantially radial through hole is provided in the wall of the expansion chamber or of the combustion chamber and a bush which moves relative to the chamber is provided so as to be able to more or less completely expose the hole.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for cutting scrap tires is disclosed wherein compressed scrap tires are cut. A scrap tire is compressed, then fed into a plurality of rotary disc cutters axially spaced along a shaft and rotated against a stationary anvil. In the preferred embodiment, cutting tools are vertically mounted on the rotary disc cutters, whose outer circumference is recessed in a concave arc starting at the top of the cutting tool and ending at that portion of the cutting tool closest to the center. The cutting tools are off-set along successive rotary disc cutters rather than placed in a line parallel to the shaft. Anvil tools having at least one cutting edge are mounted on the stationary anvil for ease in maintaining cutting edges opposite the rotating cutting tools. Cleaner bars facilitate the removal of cut scrap tires from the rotary disc cutters and their subsequent collection.

Abstract: The following specification describes a cable terminal assembly incorporating a conductive metal plate secured to a variable size multi strand cable by casting or molding a mass of conductive casting material around the plate and cable to form a mechanical junction as well as an electrical connection therebetween. The plate and conductive casting material are covered by an insulating jacket. Aligned passages are provided in the jacket above and below the plate in alignment with an aperture in the plate to permit the plate to be electrically secured to battery terminals employing studs for fastening. The passage in the insulating jacket above the plate is defined by a ring having an outer diameter sized for nesting within the jacket passage below the plate of a second cable terminal assembly, so that two or more cable terminal assemblies may be stacked on a single battery terminal stud at a desired angular orientation.

Abstract: A stirring mill for fine grinding and/or dispersal of flowable grinding stock in whose grinding container a mixing shaft provided with mixing members is rotatably drivably mounted. The grinding container is provided with a grinding-stock inlet and a ground-stock outlet. A separating device is provided in the vicinity of the ground stock outlet, the separating device being formed by annular disks mounted concentrically on a shaft. The disks are rotatable relative to one another and define radial spaces between one another. Between each two axially nondisplaceable annular disks, an axially freely movable annular disk is located. The sum of the widths of the two spaces delimited by an axially movable annular disk is smaller than the diameter of the smallest unit of grinding medium.

Abstract: Material conditioning apparatus particularly suited for disjoining compacted asbestos comprising a closed system in which material on a loading platform is manually fed into a delivery chute, directed by the chute to an agitating zone, and released upon adequate agitation through an outlet. Escape of airborne particulate matter from the system is avoided by delivery of material in a path generally tangential to an area of retreating blade movement, and control of air pressure and flow by means of an air inlet vent in the delivery chute.

Abstract: A granulator is disclosed which has a housing with an entrance, an outlet and a granulation zone therewithin. A screen divides the granulation zone into inlet and outlet regions, a beater assembly passing repeatedly through the inlet region to force material within the inlet region through the screen and into the outlet region. A deflector applies low impact horizontal forces to the material to produce a desired distribution of the material at the outlet.A slidable screen connection can be provided to allow sliding removal of the screen without disassembly of the housing.

Abstract: Freshly mined phosphate rock is subjected to screen classification in at least two stages. Only coarse grained phosphate rock with a grain size over 2 mm from the last screen classification step is fed to a plain-roller grinding mill. The rollers of the grinding mill run at different peripheral speeds, so that the grains are ground by radial and tangential forces. This produces a fine grained phosphate rock whose natural moisture content is advantageous when further processed to phosphoric acid by means of sulphuric acid.

Abstract: A homogenizing mechanism for a manure slurry in combination with a supply container and blades adapted to penetrate about fifteen centimeters under the soil surface for injecting manure into the soil by an injection pipe carried by the blade. The mechanism is disposed between container and the injection outlet so that the injected slurry must pass therethrough. An air displacement pump selectively places the container under pressure (up to about one atmosphere) or vacuum for moving the slurry out of or into the container, respectively. The homogenizing mechanism has a substantially cylindrical casing with an inlet from the container on one end and an outlet leading to the injector at the other end. The inlet may be a conduit or an open end of a casing mounted in part within the container.

Abstract: A multi-purpose stapler is provided comprising a stapling means, a staple removing means and a hole punching means with shiftable actuator mounted on a common base. An actuator is provided which is movable between first and second positions. In the first position of the actuator, downward movement of a press handle of the stapler is limited so that stapling cannot occur but punching and staple removing can occur. In the second position of the actuator stapling can occur. The actuator functions to depress a punch rod when in its first position.

Abstract: An improved granulator is disclosed having housing defining a granulation zone. A screen is attached to the housing within this zone and a contactor device moves repeatedly toward the screen to force material through the screen. A retractor device moves the screen and contactor apart when a predetermined force is reached therebetween. A shear pin sprocket drive connection can be employed to inactivate the contactor when a predetermined force is applied thereto.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispersing solid particles in a liquid vehicle utilizing a combination spring check valve and dump valve disposed in the base of the mixing vessel of the apparatus, the check valve being disposed in the inlet to the mixing vessel to open in response to the feed pressure of the material being fed through the valve into the mixing vessel, the valve further including means for opening same to allow drainage therethrough of liquid material in the vessel.

Abstract: A tool for driving nails into hard surfaces wherein the driving power is provided by cartridges of explosive powder. The cartridges are contained in strips with a single strip containing a multiple of cartridges, in the order of ten. The improvement comprises the mechanism for feeding the strip of cartridges in increments automatically through the tool and for retaining the tool piston in its ready to be fired position. The feeding of the cartridges is accomplished by a camming finger connected to the barrel of the tool which progressively engages successive following lugs on the strip to move successive cartridges of the strip into place within the firing chamber as the tool is repeatedly engaged and disengaged with a work surface. A ring having a double loop configuration frictionally grips the piston to resist accidental displacement.

Abstract: A drying-grinding apparatus including two types of grinding means, one being arranged to produce a relatively coarse ground product, and the other being arranged to produce a relatively finely ground product. A drying gas is introduced into each of the grinding means, and a common conduit delivers the ground products from both of the two grinding means into a sifting means. The sifting means discharges relatively coarse particles into a metering means which receives the output from the sifting means and separates the same into two fractions one of which is returned to the coarse grinding means, and the other of which goes to the fine grinding means.

Abstract: This invention relates to a device for shaving ice for use in the confections industry. The device comprises a series of components in concentric vertical alignment, at the top of which is an insulated hopper for charging the operating mechanism with a supply of chunks or pieces of ice in regular or random form or configuration, a revolving mechanism for shaving the ice and expelling the snow-like particles of ice through a chute, and a motor to cause the aforementioned mechanism to revolve. The parts of the revolving mechanism are removable through the hopper for cleaning without the use of tools. The actuator for the switching device for operating the motor is also removable without tools for cleaning and servicing. This improved device for shaving ice features a variation in textures of ice particles, a novel agitator to improve ice contact with shaving blades, total sanitary design, and improved disassembly construction.

Abstract: A system for treating rubber tires which reduces the tires to a particulate agglomeration wherein cord and rubber matter therein can be separated. A further treating of those rubber particles reduces them to screen size. The system requires the steps of: (a) initially debeading the tire; (b) cutting the tire into chunks; (c) regulating the quantity of chunks as they pass through the system; (d) grinding the tire in a high intensity mixer; (e) passing the grind to a hammer mill to loosen the rubber and the cord from one another; (f) separating the rubber particles out in a separator, and (g) then grinding the rubber particles to a size of about 30 to 100 mesh as a final product. Oversized pieces of rubber discharged from the separator near the end of the system would be returned to the high intensity mixer.

Abstract: This application discloses a method of wet grinding crude phosphate rock containing clay minerals and the like impurities. The procedures of the invention produce a rock slurry of enhanced fluidity and a desired degree of economy; and the principles of the invention may be applied to rock slurries after size-reduction. The method of the invention contemplates introducing coarsely sized, crude phosphate rock with component clay minerals or the like into a grinding mill together with a suitable quantity of water and with an amount of a calcium-free alkaline amendment or additive material which is adequate to establish and maintain a pH of at least about 8.5 in the mixture.