Abstract: An improvement to a hopper to promote the flow of solid particulate material includes mounting one or more walls of the hopper for limited oscillatory motion in a direction parallel to the wall and perpendicular to the desired flow direction, and then providing an actuator connected to the remainder of the hopper to impart such motion to the wall. The relative motion between the moving wall and the particulate material effectively rotates the friction force to the direction of relative motion, leaving the friction in the desired flow direction approaching zero. As a result, downward flow can occur on walls that are only shallowly inclined. The improvement is applicable to hopper-like structures in railroad cars and ships, where it facilitates discharge onto moving conveyors.

Abstract: The interface is an apparatus that is attached to the outlet of a hopper to assist and control the discharge of particulate material onto the loading surface of a feeder, such as a moving belt. The interface results in a saving of 50 to 75 percent in the power required to drive the feeder. Three structural innovations contribute to this saving in power. First, a plate that extends vertically and in the direction of movement of the feeder is introduced into the stream of material within the interface to reduce downward pressure on the loading surface of the feeder. Second, the lower edge of the strike-off plate is arched upwardly, which reduces the power required for maintaining the shearing action. Third, the interface is provided with vertical skirts that prevent lateral spreading of the material so that a narrower feeder can be used.

Abstract: A versatile one-dimensional hopper is described as well as structures that result when the one-dimensional hopper is integrated with a conical bin and when the one-dimensional hopper is integrated with a V-blender. In combining the one-dimensional hopper with other structures, the diameter of the outlet is first specified, and then the slopes of the load-bearing surfaces are chosen to achieve specified flow characteristics. The load-bearing surfaces are then extended obliquely upward until, at some height their maximum dimension measured horizontally equals a value determined by the structure to which the one-dimensional hopper is to be attached. Where the surface of the bin or other structure is higher than this height, vertical surfaces that extend upwardly from the periphery of the one-dimensional hopper are provided for the purpose of connecting the one-dimensional hopper to the structure above it.

Abstract: A series of hollow cylinders are mounted inside the cylindrical portion of a solids blender to propagate the velocity profile from the bottom to the top of the cylinder and thus to extend the blending capacity of the bin to its entire length and volume. The invention can be used with funnel flow hoppers, mass flow hopper, and cone-in-cone mass flow hoppers. Ranges of the design parameters are described.