Earth and sand conveyor system

Claim 1

In an earth and sand conveyor system including a hopper adapted to receive dumped earth and sand, trough means connected to said hopper, a tapered pipe connected to said trough means, screw conveyor means rotatably mounted within said hopper and said trough means, and drive means for rotating said screw conveyor means, the improvement comprising: consolidating pipe means for consolidating the earth and sand supplied from said tapered pipe, said consolidating pipe means having an inner diameter d 3 and being connected to said tapered pipe; molding pipe means for molding the earth and sand supplied from said consolidating pipe means into a predetermined shape while passing therethrough, said molding pipe means having a molding pipe section with an inner diameter d 1 and a lubricating pipe section with an inner diameter d 2 and being connected to said consolidating pipe means; conveyor pipe means connected to said molding pipe means and adapted for conveying the earth and said therethrough, said conveyor pipe means having the inner diameter d 2 wherein the d 1 , d 2 , and d 3 are set by a formula d 1 <d 2 ≦d 3 ; a plurality of first nozzle means for injecting a lubricant to lubricate the molded earth and sand formed circumferrentially in the wall of the lubricating pipe section immediately adjacent to the molding pipe section; pump means for supplying a lubricant to said first nozzle means; second nozzle means formed in the wall of the lubricating pipe section of said molding pipe means for injecting compressed fluid into said molding pipe means to cut the molded earth and sand and form a molded earth and sand plug therefrom, said second nozzle means being downstream of said plurality of said first nozzle means; third nozzle means formed in the wall of said conveyor pipe means and spaced from said second nozzle means for injecting a compressed fluid into said conveyor pipe means to push the molded earth and sand on the cut surface thereof, thereby moving said molded earth and sand plug through said conveyor pipe means; compressor means connected to said second and third nozzle means for supplying the compressed fluid thereto; and directional control valve means disposed between said compressor means and said second and third nozzle means for alternately supplying the compressed fluid to said second and third nozzle means.