Continuous sphering apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for sphering materials including walls defining a plurality of concentric, telescoped, radially spaced cylinders each having a smooth internal surface, means supporting said cylinders in stationary positions with their axes disposed vertically, a rotatable disk extending across the lowermost ends of said cylinders with the axis of said disk being coincident with the axes of said cylinders and with adjacent, opposing surfaces of said disk and cylinders being spaced from each other only to such extent as to permit unobstructed rotation of said disk, means for rotating said disk about its axis, means for delivering material which is to be sphered into the innermost of said cylinders through the uppermost end thereof, a discharge opening, which is substantially greater in size than the spheres which are to be formed, extending through the wall of each of said cylinders at selected locations above said disk whereby, upon rotation of said disk, material delivered into the innermost of said cylinders is centrifugally propelled along said disk, and in sequence, through all of said cylinders, with the respective discharge openings facilitating the flow of such material successively from the innermost to and through the outermost of said cylinders, the top surface of said disk being roughened at least along an annular area thereof adjacent to the internal surface of said innermost cylinder to cause the material which is delivered thereon to assume a rolling motion as it is centrifugally propelled, and means outwardly of the outermost of said cylinders for collecting the sphered material as it issues from the discharge opening therein.