Abstract: A stacking assembly is operative to protect stacked mailpieces from damage due to abrasion. The stacking assembly includes a support blade moveably mounted to a bin for accepting a stack of mailpieces and an ingestion assembly including a Leading Edge (LE) urge roller and Trailing Edge (TE) alignment device. The LE urge roller is operative to accept mailpieces from a supply of mailpieces, and urge a leading edge portion thereof toward a sidewall of the stacking bin. The TE alignment device includes a first cam driven about an axis of rotation by a digital rotary positioning device which cam defines a surface operative to urge the trailing edge portion of each mailpiece into parallel alignment with the support blade. The stacking assembly also includes an anti-abrasion linkage responsive to rotation of the digital rotary positioning device to forcibly displace a surface of the stacked mailpieces away from a moving surface of the ingestion assembly.

Abstract: A centrifugal sieve and method utilizes centrifugal force in rapidly-rotated cylindrical or conical screens as the primary body force contributing to size segregation. Within the centrifugal acceleration field, vibration and/or shearing flows are induced to facilitate size segregation and eventual separation of the fines from the coarse material. Inside a rotating cylindrical or conical screen, a separately-rotated screw auger blade can be used to transport material along the rotating cylinder or conical wall and to induce shearing in the material.

Abstract: A rotary particle separator for separating small particles from large particles is provided and includes an inclined rotary shaft having a first end and a second end. A particle bend is coupled to the elevated first end of the shaft. The particle bend has a bottom surface with a hole therethrough for gravity feed of material including the large particles and small particles from the bend along the shaft towards the second end. Annulae are spaced along the shaft with each of the annulae having a central aperture bounded by a ring that terminates in an annulae outer diameter. At least one paddle is interspersed between two adjacent annulae with at least one paddle positioned to rotate around the shaft. A screen mesh having a mesh size surrounds the annulae with a mesh size such that the small particles within the material are able to pass through the mesh and thereby leave larger particles preferentially segregated within the volume defined by the annulae spaced along the shaft.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating synthetic materials having different characteristics includes a rotating drum having a cylindrical shape with a tapered end and an opposite flat bottom wall; a device configured to introduce a mixture of at least two synthetic materials in particle form and a liquid having an intermediate specific weight relative to specific weights of the two products into the drum; a radial discharge opening in the tapered end of the drum; an axial slithering discharge opening located in the bottom surface of the drum, at a distance from the drum axis, a rotor located inside the drum having a first external helical blade with the same external shape as the drum, a device configured to set the rotor in rotation relative to the drum. The blade is located at a distance from the rotor axis greater than the distance between the drum axis and the axial discharge opening.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for separating solids from a solids laden drilling mud (14), the method comprising the steps of introducing solids laden drilling mud to a first side of a screen (13), the drilling mud passing through the screen (13) and screened drilling mud located the other side of the screen (13) characterized in that an oscillating tray (18) is located in the drilling mud and spaced from the screen, the oscillating tray imparting motion to the drilling mud to facilitate screening of said solids laden drilling mud in the screen (13).

Abstract: A grain conveying apparatus and system for conveying and separating elements of a grain mixture of a first minimum size, such as cob pieces, and a second maximum size smaller than the first minimum size, such as grain or corn, including an upper passage having at least one aperture generally smaller than the cob pieces and larger than the grain or corn. As the grain mixture is conveyed through the upper passage, the cob pieces will pass across the apertures, and the grain or corn will pass through the apertures to the lower passage thereby separating the elements of the grain mixture as it is conveyed from a source bin to separate receiving bins.

Abstract: The purpose of the invention is to prevent accumulation of particulates on the outside of a net body of a particulate sifter having a cylindrical net body and to extend the lifetime of the net body. To achieve the purpose, in a particulate sifter which is provided with a sieve 21 having a cylindrical net body 26 extending in a horizontal direction and a booster having rotating blades which rotate along the inner surface of the net body 26 and which separates particulates that pass through the net body 26 from particulates and/or foreign substances that do not pass through the net body 26 while agitating the particulates that have flowed inside the sieve 21 with the booster, the sieve 21 is located rotatably around the central axis of the cylindrical net body 26. The sieve 21 may be rotated forcibly by an electric motor as a driving source or may be rotated by kinetic energy of particulate-air mixture agitated by rotating blades without a driving source.

Abstract: The purpose of the invention is to prevent accumulation of particulates on the outside of a net body of a particulate sifter having a cylindrical net body and to extend the lifetime of the net body. To achieve the purpose, in a particulate sifter which is provided with a sieve 21 having a cylindrical net body 26 extending in a horizontal direction and a booster having rotating blades which rotate along the inner surface of the net body 26 and which separates particulates that pass through the net body 26 from particulates and/or foreign substances that do not pass through the net body 26 while agitating the particulates that have flowed inside the sieve 21 with the booster, the sieve 21 is located rotatably around the central axis of the cylindrical net body 26. The sieve 21 may be rotated forcibly by an electric motor as a driving source or may be rotated by kinetic energy of particulate-air mixture agitated by rotating blades without a driving source.

Abstract: A multifunctional apparatus for use in agricultural applications includes a stationary section including a primary chassis having a plurality of leg members attached thereto. The stationary section further includes a reservoir connected to the chassis and supported above a ground surface and a power-operable air compressor secured to the reservoir. The apparatus further includes a movable section including a secondary chassis and a cage attached thereto. The secondary chassis includes a hinge and a bracket secured thereto. The cage includes a lid member removably attachable thereto and an access door pivotally connected thereto. The apparatus further includes a power mechanism for rotating the movable section and a mechanism for mixing the products disposed within the movable section. The mixing and power mechanisms are independently rotatable during operating conditions.

Abstract: A mobile gravel sorter, which is arranged to move in a direction of travel along a road, comprising a gathering unit which is arranged to gather up granular material from a roadway as the gravel sorter moves in the direction of travel, a sorting unit (30) for sorting and supplying to the roadway the amount of the material that is smaller than a given grain size, and a collecting unit for collecting material exceeding said given grain size.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating tobacco stem particles from a mixture containing such particles and tobacco stalk particles obtained in a threshing and separating process employed in a tobacco stemmery includes a hollow drum having a longitudinal axis, the hollow drum being mounted for rotational movement about its axis and the axis being disposed at a slight angle with respect to the horizontal so as to establish a higher inlet end and a lower outlet end of the hollow drum. A mixture handling structure is constructed and arranged with respect to the inlet end of the hollow drum to feed a supply of a mixture containing tobacco stem particles and tobacco stalk particles obtained in the threshing and separating process into the inlet end of the hollow drum.

Abstract: In order to recover the various components of multiple layer materials, a method uses a refiner or disperser including mutually opposing rotating discs having material engaging surfaces or elements such as teeth. The method includes: adjusting a gap between the discs so that a material is subjected to a shear force that mutually separates its material layers in the form of pieces or fragments in the absence of any substantial disintegration of the layers; pumping the separated pieces of the various layers together with a supplied suspension liquid to a separator; and, separating readily pulped or slushed pieces of the material suspended in the suspension liquid from pieces of the suspended material that are not readily pulped or slushed. The pumping of the separated pieces and suspension liquid to the separator can be via a collection vessel.

Abstract: A counterflow aggregate recovery apparatus for separating and retrieving material. The recovery apparatus includes a rotatable drum in which a cylindrical screen is suspended. The material to be processed is introduced into the cylindrical screen. The screen permits the passage of material smaller than the openings defined by the screen. The material which passes through the cylindrical screen is received within an annular volume defined between the cylindrical screen and the drum wall. A first material conveyor moves the material received within the annular volume such that the material is discharged from the second end of the drum. A second material conveyor moves the material retained by the cylindrical screen to the first end of the drum and discharges the material from the first end.

Abstract: In apparatus for removing water and impurity components from sand, there are provided a rotary member having an opening at one end for charging and discharging sand and a filter for passing water. The rotary member is supported by a support and driven by a variable speed motor. Piston-cylinders or the like are provided for tilting the support. In a modified embodiment, two of the rotary bodies are juxtaposed with their openings faced each other. A peripheral wall of the rotary member is provided with a member of perforations for discharging water separated from sand.

Abstract: A rocker barrel usable in conjunction with a blast stream of abrasives for the cleaning of work pieces. The rocker barrel is of the shallow depth bed type and is mounted for oscillation. The rocker barrel is provided internally with rocker members which will engage both smaller work pieces, such as engine heads, and larger work pieces, such as engine blocks, to effect the tumbling of such work pieces as the rocker barrel oscillates and at the same time maintaining work pieces within the rocker barrel always within the blast stream so as to prevent the blast stream from being directed against the rocker barrel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a screening machine with a screening drum which rotates about its axis and has a screen made of elastic material. The characterizing feature of the invention is that the screening drum has at least one screening zone which has the shape of a cylinder or truncated cone and the length of which, in order to alternately stretch and relax the screen lining, can be changed in a vibrating manner in the axial or conveying direction.

Abstract: Apparatus for use with extremely low-grade aggregate ore, for deriving a concentrate comprised of metal-bearing ore particles having densities within a predetermined range. The apparatus is in the form of a mobile, self-sustained system including a vehicle trailer for horizontal transport and elevated operational support, plus an integral power system capable of supplying the total energy requirements of the apparatus. Two types of particle size separation are applied, followed by compaction and particle density separation. Two density separation areas are provided to effect both coarse and fine gravitational shaving actions, and dual adjustment controls are also provided to vary the shaving force intensity to derive the concentrate independently of changes in the particular characteristics of the aggregate being processed. The apparatus includes outer and inner cylindrical chambers concentrically mounted on the trailer so as to be tiltable and rotatable.

Abstract: A powder dispensing device having a powder storage bin with a powder discharge area, a perforated drum rotatably mounted within the bin adjacent to the powder discharge area and a wiper blade mounted within the drum and engaging the interior surface of the drum near the powder discharge area.

Abstract: A frusto-conical screen separator having its longitudinal axis inclined from the horizontal so that its undersurface lies in an essentially horizontal plane, the separator being divided internally into three zones, the first zone comprising a dewatering zone at its largest diameter end, the second zone comprising a washing zone, and the third zone comprising a final dewatering zone at its smallest diameter end, the separator having external shower means overlying the first and second zones, breaker bars in the first zone, internal baffle means in the second zone, and guide bars in the third zone, the materials to be separated passing through the separator from its larger to its smaller end, a recovery tank underlying the separator for recovering separated materials passing through the screen, the unscreened residual materials being discharged at the smaller end of the separator.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to apparatus for cleaning natural fibers of their contaminants by passing the same through a pair of rotary drum sieves each having a porous peripheral surface subject to a vacuum whereby natural fibers adhere to the porous peripheral surfaces and contaminants are drawn therethrough, the drum sieves being disposed with portions of their peripheral surfaces defining a throat through which the fibers pass, and means contiguous the throat for cutting off the vacuum effect of the first drum sieve whereby the fibers are transferred from the first drum peripheral surface to that of the second drum.