Self-cleaning jet tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494365-B2
Application number	US-201514875551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2015
Priority date	Oct 9, 2014
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments of a self-cleaning jet tube may include an elongate hollow body that is generally rectangular in cross-section and tapered from an open first end to a second end generally opposite the first end. The elongate hollow body may have an upper wall, a lower wall, side walls, a plurality of apertures arranged along the upper wall, an end plate coupled with the walls at the second end, and at least one through-slot. A through-slot may be disposed through the end plate or a wall, between the end plate and a wall, or between two walls. The jet tube may be configured for use with the through-slot(s) open and unblocked, thereby allowing debris to be expelled from the jet tube during operation of the jet veneer dryer. Corresponding systems and method are also provided herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A jet tube for use in a veneer dryer, the jet tube comprising:
an elongate hollow body that is tapered from an open first end to a generally opposite second end, the elongate hollow body having an upper wall with a plurality of apertures, a lower wall, side walls, a longitudinal center axis, and an end plate at the second end, wherein the end plate is disposed generally between the walls and oriented transverse to the longitudinal center axis and the walls; and
a first through-slot disposed at the second end, wherein a first portion of the first through-slots is defined by the end plate, and a second portion of the first through-slot is defined by one of the walls, such that the first through-slot extends through the end plate or through said one of the walls.

2. The jet tube of claim 1 , wherein the first through-slot is generally oblong in shape.

3. The jet tube of claim 1 , wherein the first through-slot has a length and a width, and the length is at least twice the width.

4. The jet tube of claim 1 , wherein the end plate has an outer edge portion that defines a recess, and the first portion of the first through-slot is formed by said outer edge portion, such that the first through-slot extends through the end plate.

5. The jet tube of claim 1 , wherein the first through-slot is 1/16″ to 5/16″ in width and ⅜″ to ⅞″ in length.

6. The jet tube of claim 1 , wherein said one of the walls has an outer edge portion that defines a recess, and the second portion of the first through-slot is formed by said outer edge portion, such that the first through-slot extends through said one of the walls.

7. The jet tube of claim 5 , wherein the first through-slot is ⅛″ to ¼″ in width and ½″ to ¾″ in length.

8. The jet tube of claim 1 , wherein said one of the walls is the upper wall or the lower wall.

9. The jet tube of claim 1 , further including a second through-slot, wherein one of said through-slots is disposed between the end plate and the upper wall, and the other of said through-slots is disposed between the end plate and the lower wall.

10. The jet tube of claim 9 , wherein the apertures are arranged longitudinally along the upper wall in one or more rows, and at least one of the through-slots is positioned in alignment with a first one of the one or more rows.

11. The jet tube of claim 1 , further including a second through-slot, wherein at least one of the through-slots is disposed between the end plate and one of the side walls.

12. The jet tube of claim 1 , further including additional through-slots, wherein the first through-slot and one or more of the additional through-slots are disposed between the end plate and the upper wall and another one or more of the additional through-slots are disposed between the end plate and the lower wall.

13. A jet tube for use in a veneer dryer, the jet tube comprising:
an elongate hollow body that is tapered from an open first end to a generally opposite second end, the elongate hollow body having an upper wall with a plurality of apertures, a lower wall, generally opposite side walls, a longitudinal center axis, and an end plate disposed at the second end, wherein the end plate is positioned generally between the walls and oriented transverse to the longitudinal center axis and the walls; and
a first through-slot disposed through the end plate or at least one of the walls, wherein the jet tube is configured to maintain a veneer drying air pressure at the apertures with the first through-slot unblocked to thereby evacuate debris through the first through-slot while directing air against a sheet of veneer.

14. The jet tube of claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the first through-slot is disposed through the upper wall or the lower wall of the elongate hollow body at or near the second end.

15. The jet tube of claim 13 , wherein the length of the opening defined by the first through-slot is at least twice the width of the opening.

16. The jet tube of claim 13 , wherein the first through-slot is ⅛″ to ¼″ in width and ½″ to ¾″ in length.

17. The jet tube of claim 13 , wherein a first portion of the first through-slot is defined by one or more of the walls and a second portion of the first through-slot is defined by the end plate.

18. The jet tube of claim 17 , wherein the end plate or at least one of the walls has an outer edge that defines a recess, and the first through-slot is at least partially defined by the recess.

19. The jet tube of claim 18 , wherein the recess is ⅛″ to ¼″ in width and ½″ to ¾″ in length.

20. The jet tube of claim 13 , further including one or more additional through-slots, wherein at least some of the apertures are arranged longitudinally in a row along the upper wall and the first through-slot is substantially aligned with the row.

21. The jet tube of claim 20 , wherein the first through-slot is disposed proximal to an intersection of the end plate and the upper wall, and at least one of the additional through-slots is disposed proximal to an intersection of the end plate and the lower wall.

22. A method of forming a self-cleaning jet tube for use in a jet veneer dryer, the method comprising:
providing an elongate hollow body that is tapered from an open first end to a generally opposite second end, wherein the elongate hollow body has a plurality of longitudinal walls, a plurality of apertures along one of the longitudinal walls, and an end wall disposed at the second end, wherein the end wall is transverse to the longitudinal walls; and
forming a first through-slot through at least one of the walls of the elongate hollow body,
wherein the first through-slots defines an opening at or near the second end, and the opening is 1/16″ to 5/16″ wide and ⅜″ to ⅞″ long.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the elongate hollow body is an existing jet tube, and forming the first through-slot includes removing a portion of material from the elongate hollow body.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein forming the first through-slot includes forming a recess in a plate member, and providing the elongate hollow body includes coupling the plate member to the longitudinal walls at the second end to form the end wall, such that the first through-slot is at least partially defined by the recess.

25. The method of claim 22 , wherein the elongate hollow body has a plurality of apertures arranged along a first one of the longitudinal walls, and the first through-slot is disposed along or proximal to the first one of the longitudinal walls.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein providing the elongate hollow body includes forming the longitudinal walls from one or more pieces of metal, forming an end plate, and coupling the end plate to one or more of the longitudinal walls to form the end wall.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein forming the first through-slot includes forming a recess in an edge of the end plate before coupling the end plate to the one or more of the longitudinal walls, such that the first through-slot is at least partially defined by the recess.

28. The method of claim 26 , wherein forming the first through-slot includes forming a recess in an edge of the one or more pieces of metal before coupling the end plate to the one or more of the longitudinal walls, such that the first through-slot is at least partially defined by the recess.

29. The method of claim 26 ,

Assignees

• Usnr Llc

Inventors

• Mcmahon Irven J
• Spangler Clinton

Classifications

• B23P15/00

  Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass · CPC title

• F26B2210/14

  Veneer, i.e. wood in thin sheets · CPC title

• F26B13/008

  Controlling the moisture profile across the width of the material · CPC title

• B05B1/205

  characterised by the longitudinal shape of the elongated body · CPC title

• B05B15/52

  for removal of clogging particles · CPC title