Abstract: A machine for processing solid and viscous plastic materials includes a screw element having a shearing flight and a scraping flight. Upon rotation of the screw, the shearing flight shears the plastic material and the scraping flight guides the material to the shearing flight. Preferably, the screw includes a plurality of threads which extend from one end of the screw to the other, and which include a plurality of shearing and scraping flights.

Abstract: A rotary processor for high-shear processing of plastic or polymeric materials comprises a rotor having end discs and at least one mixing disc therebetween, the rotor closely surrounded by a housing to defined annular processing chambers flanking each mixing disc, with a high-shear-mixing transfer gap defined between the mixing disc and the housing. Channel blocks are deployed at circumferentially spaced apart positions in adjacent chambers to cause transfer of material through the transfer gaps, with dispersive mixing occurring in the transfer gaps. Some embodiments have plural channel blocks in the chambers, evenly spaced apart. The channel blocks extend generally into and to the bottom of a chamber, and have two working surfaces divergent from a central region of the chamber and convergent toward the disc walls defining the chamber. The working surfaces and disc walls defined two high-shear-mixing recycle gaps through which a portion of the material passes and is mixed.

Abstract: Novel rotary processors and devolatilizing methods which provide extremely efficient devolatilization of materials, including viscous and visco-elastic materials and which involve a devolatilizing stage including a rotatable element carrying a plurality of annular channels and a stationary element providing a coaxial closure surface operationally arranged with the channels to provide enclosed processing passages. Each passage of the devolatilizing stage includes inlet means, outlet means and a channel blocking member all associated with the stationary element and arranged and adapted so that material fed to the inlet can be carried forward by the rotatable channel walls to the blocking member for discharge from the passage. The passages are interconnected by material to transfer grooves formed in the closure surface and operationally communicate with a vacuum source to provide a highly efficient devolatilizing stage.

Abstract: Novel rotary processors and devolatilizing methods which provide extremely efficient devolatilization of materials, including viscous and visco-elastic materials and which involve a devolatilizing stage including a rotatable element carrying a plurality of annular channels and a stationary element providing a coaxial closure surface operationally arranged with the channels to provide enclosed processing passages. Each passage of the devolatilizing stage includes inlet means, outlet means and a channel blocking member all associated with the stationary element and arranged and adapted so that material fed to the inlet can be carried forward by the rotatable channel walls to the blocking member for discharge from the passage. The passages are interconnected by material to transfer grooves formed in the closure surface and operationally communicate with a vacuum source to provide a highly efficient devolatilizing stage.

Abstract: Novel rotary processors and methods which provide extremely efficient devolatilization of particulate materials which contain substantial amounts of volatiles and in which the boiling point of the volatiles presents separation problems. The processors and methods involve a rotatable element carrying a plurality of annular channels and a stationary element providing a coaxial closure surface operationally arranged with the channels to provide enclosed processing passages. Each passage includes inlet means, outlet means and a channel blocking member all associated with the stationary element and arranged and adapted so that material fed to the inlet can be carried forward by the rotatable channel walls to the blocking member for discharge from the passage. The passages are interconnected by material transfer grooves formed in the closure surface and are arranged to provide at least a melting stage and a devolatilizing stage which operationally communicates with a vacuum source.

Abstract: Novel and improved processes and apparatus for processing particulate materials which can be converted to the liquid state. Essentially, the process and apparatus involve feeding a particulate material to an annular processing passage for melting and controlled processing. The annular processing passage is provided by a rotatable element carrying at least one processing channel, and a stationary element which provides a complementary, coaxial surface arranged with the channel to provide the enclosed processing passage. Also associated with the stationary element are an inlet for feeding material to the passage, an outlet for discharging material, a material collecting end wall surface for the passage and a member or members extending into the processing channel providing a material restraining surface between the inlet and outlet and occupying a predetermined portion of the melt pool space between the end wall and the restraining surface.

Abstract: Novel and improved methods and apparatus for processing liquid or viscous materials. Essentially, the methods and apparatus involve feeding liquid materials to an annular processing passage for controlled processing. The annular processing passage is provided by two elements. One is a rotatable element carrying at least one processing channel. The other element is stationary and provides a complementary coaxial surface arranged with the channel to provide the enclosed processing passage. Also associated with the stationary element are an inlet for feeding material to the passage, an outlet for discharging material from the passage, an element near the outlet providing a material collecting end wall surface and an element positioned between the inlet and outlet providing a liquid material spreading surface.

Abstract: Novel, improved rotary processors which include a rotatable element carrying a plurality of annular channels and a stationary element providing a coaxial, closure surface operationally arranged with the channels to provide enclosed processing passages. The so-formed plurality of processing passages provide a highly efficient processing stage particularly for melting polymer material. Each processing passage of the processing stage includes inlet means, outlet means and a channel member associated with the stationary element and arranged and adapted so that material fed to the inlet can be carried forward by the rotatable channel walls to the blocking member for discharge from the passage.In rotary processors of this invention the clearance between the rotary surface carrying the channels and the stationary coaxial closure surface is relatively wide and permits substantial amounts of material to be interchanged between passages of the processing stage.

Abstract: Novel and improved methods and apparatus for processing liquid or viscous materials. Essentially, the methods and apparatus involve feeding liquid materials to an annular processing passage for controlled processing. The annular processing passage is provided by two elements. One is a rotatable element carrying at least one processing channel. The other element is stationary and provides a complementary coaxial surface arranged with the channel to provide the enclosed processing passage. Also associated with the stationary element are an inlet for feeding material to the passage, an outlet for discharging material from the passage, an element near the outlet providing a material collecting end wall surface and an element positioned between the inlet and outlet providing a liquid material spreading surface.

Abstract: Sealing means for controlling leakage of material between closely spaced apart, relatively moving coaxial annular surfaces. Essentially, leakage is controlled by providing a plurality of helical sealing channels on one of the relatively moving surfaces to resist flow of leakage liquid between the surfaces. The sealing means are particularly adaptable for controlling leakage from processing passages of rotary processing apparatus.

Abstract: A seal construction and rotary processor including the seal construction in which the seal includes nested truncated conical members of thin stiffly-resilient material interposed between relatively rotatable coaxial surfaces with inner edge portions of the members adjacent and in flow resistant relation to one, and outer edge portions adjacent and in flow resistant relation to the other of the surfaces, marginal portions at either the inner or the outer edge portions of the loops being held to enable pressure against the loops to force the outer or inner edges respectively into improved sealing relation to the surface to which they are adjacent.

Abstract: Improved means for aligning processing members at various positions in processing passages of rotary processors. Essentially, the alignment means (or alignment elements) comprise a non-rotatable member positioned in the processing passage and shaped to at least partially interfere with flow of material in the passage. The shaped member is designed to perform certain processing functions on material in the passage such as blocking, collecting, mixing, spreading, restraining etc. The member is positioned so as to be non-rotative with the passage but is flexibly supported so as to "float" axially in the passage and is self-centering in the passage by hydrodynamic action.

Abstract: A multi-stage rotary processor for plastic and polymeric materials which are, or become in the course of processing, viscous liquids, including an annular housing, a rotor coaxial with and rotatable with respect to the housing and having a cylindrical surface in slidable sealing relation with the interior of the housing, a plurality of annular channels formed in the cylindrical surface and cooperating with the housing to form annular processing passages, transfer passages, which are preferably channels in the surface of the housing for cooperation with the cylindrical portions of the rotor, to provide passage for transfer of material between processing passages and blocking members extending into the channels to hold material in the processing passages for relative movement with respect to the channel walls for processing.

Abstract: An extruder machine for processing thermoplastic materials such as low density polyethylene, the extruder incorporating a body having a bore therethrough with a rotor or screw journalled therein. The rotor has several successive mixing and pumping sections. The mixing sections on the rotor are multiple flighted defining primary and secondary channels having their discharge and entrances respectively blocked or restricted by annular dam arrangements. The rotor includes a plurality of adjustable dams, arranged across the channels, permitting a variation in the degree of homogenization which may be performed upon the extrudite. The dams may be radially displaceable to vary the distance between the radially outer surface of the dam and the surface of the bore.

Abstract: Sealing means for controlling leakage of material between closely spaced apart, relatively moving coaxial annular surfaces. Essentially, leakage is controlled by providing a pumping channel on one of the surfaces and a leakage liquid retaining channel on the other surface. The pumping and leakage liquid retaining channels are cooperatively arranged to resist flow of leakage liquid between the surfaces. The sealing means are particularly adaptable for controlling leakage from processing passages of rotary processing apparatus.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for processing solid and viscous plastic material or polymeric material and the like in which plastic or polymeric material is fed through an inlet into an enclosed passage of which opposed side walls are moving simultaneously toward an outlet and the material is processed and dragged forward by the moving side wall against a channel block and with progressive build up of pressure along said passage for discharging the processed material through the outlet from the enclosed passage. Rotary apparatus for practicing the method includes one or more annular channels having opposed side walls and carried by a drive rotor member for movement relative to a housing of which an annular surface coaxial with the rotor cooperates with the walls of the channel or channels to form an enclosed annular passage or enclosed annular passages.

Abstract: An extruder machine for processing thermoplastic materials such as low density polyethylene, the extruder incorporating a body having a bore therethrough with a rotor journalled therein and having several mixing and cooling sections set thereon in succession. The mixing sections on the rotor are multiple flighted defining primary and secondary channels having their discharge and entrances respectively blocked or restricted by annular dam arrangements. The bore includes a plurality of annular grooves of symmetrical or non-symmetrical cross-sectional configurations along the axis of the bore which grooves are slightly displaced in the bore with respect to the annular restrictions disposed on the rotor. The rotor, however, is axially displaceable to permit variations in the mixing intensity upon the extrudite being worked, by allowing the annular restrictions on the rotor to be controllably juxtaposed with the annular grooves in the bore of the extruder machine.

Abstract: Method for processing solid and viscous plastic material or polymeric material and the like in which plastic or polymeric material is fed through an inlet into an enclosed passage of which opposed side walls are moving simultaneously toward an outlet and the material is processed and dragged forward by the moving side walls against a channel block and with progressive build up of pressure along said passage for discharging the processed material through the outlet from the enclosed passage. Rotary apparatus for practicing the method includes one or more annular channels having opposed side walls and carried by a driven rotor member for movement relative to a housing of which an annular surface coaxial with the rotor cooperates with the walls of the channel or channels to form an enclosed annular passage or enclosed annular passages.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for preparing a plasticated material from solids introduced into the apparatus, the apparatus including a barrel having a screw conveyor defining a channel for conveying the material in a downstream direction as the material is melted, the channel including a solids conveying zone and a melting zone downstream from the solids conveying zone, the apparatus and the method including, respectively, means and the step of providing an abrupt change in the volume of the channel at a specified location between the solids conveying zone and the melting zone for inducing the formation of a melt pool in the channel at that location.