Abstract A continuous mixer for intimately mixing, kneading, blending and/or reacting a wide variety of materials, the mixer including a horizontal mixing barrel which in cross section is in the form of intersecting major arcs providing a pair of side-by-side communicating cylindrical chambers with a material inlet adjacent one end and a material outlet at the opposite end. An axially extending shaft is disposed in each chamber having secured thereon a plurality of contiguous progressively offset generally lenticular-shaped interengaging paddles rotating in the same direction forming pockets varying in volume. The construction and arrangement of the paddles are such as to provide a minimal clearance between the rotor crests and their enveloping chamber walls and a clearance of about two to five times such minimal clearance between the crests of a paddle and the flanks of its mating paddle whereby most of the material is extruded from a compression pocket to an expansion pocket through the clearance between crests of a paddle and the flanks of its mating paddle which are moving in mutually opposite directions resulting in high shear with consequent highly efficient mixing.
A continuous mixer comprising a casing in the form of parallel intersecting cylinders; a material inlet at one end of said casing and a material outlet at the opposite end of said casing; a shaft extending axially through each of said cylinders; means for rotating said shafts in the same direction and at the same speed; a plurality of pairs of adjoining radially interengaging paddles mounted on said shafts for rotation therewith, each paddle on one shaft being disposed 90* out of phase with respect to its interengaging paddle on the other of said shafts; said paddles being identical in transverse cross section, having a lenticular configuration with opposed convex flanks joined at the major axis extremities of said paddles by arcuate crests; said convex flanks being formed as circular arcs described from points on the extended minor diameter of each paddle offset from the major axis thereof a distance equal to one-half the major diameter of the paddle less the width of the crest, the major diameter of said paddles being such as to provide a minimal clearance between the crests of said paddles and their respective cylinder walls; and the center distance between said shafts being such as to provide a clearance between the crests of the paddles in one cylinder and the flanks of their interengaging paddles in the other of said cylinders of two to five times the said minimal clearance between the crests of said paddles and their respective cylinder walls.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
246 words
A continuous mixer comprising a casing in the form of parallel intersecting cylinders; a material inlet at one end of said casing and a material outlet at the opposite end of said casing; a shaft extending axially through each of said cylinders; means for rotating said shafts in the same direction and at the same speed; a plurality of pairs of adjoining radially interengaging paddles mounted on said shafts for rotation therewith, each paddle on one shaft being disposed 90* out of phase with respect to its interengaging paddle on the other of said shafts; said paddles being identical in transverse cross section, having a lenticular configuration with opposed convex flanks joined at the major axis extremities of said paddles by arcuate crests; said convex flanks being formed as circular arcs described from points on the extended minor diameter of each paddle offset from the major axis thereof a distance equal to one-half the major diameter of the paddle less the width of the crest, the major diameter of said paddles being such as to provide a minimal clearance between the crests of said paddles and their respective cylinder walls; and the center distance between said shafts being such as to provide a clearance between the crests of the paddles in one cylinder and the flanks of their interengaging paddles in the other of said cylinders of two to five times the said minimal clearance between the crests of said paddles and their respective cylinder walls.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
A continuous mixer in accordance with claim 1 wherein the clearance between the crests of the paddles and their cylinder walls is equal to approximately 1 percent of the major diameter of the paddles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
69 words
A continuous mixer in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least some of said plurality of pairs of adjoining radially interengaging paddles are each formed on a helix and displaced one pair at an angle with respect to an adjoining pair, and wherein each of said helical paddles has a displacement angle less than the angular displacement of one helical paddle with respect to its axially adjacent helical paddle.