Slurry mixer discharge gate adapter with transitioning cross-sectional geometry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694332-B2
Application number	US-201514736510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A discharge gate for a gypsum slurry mixer is provided, and includes a gate adapter having an inlet opening configured for receiving the slurry, and an outlet opening configured for delivering the slurry to a dispensing device. The gate adapter has two different transitioning cross-sectional geometries at opposite ends. Specifically, the gate adapter includes an inlet section having a quadrilateral inlet opening; an outlet section having a substantially circular outlet opening; and a transition section sandwiched between the inlet and outlet sections.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A discharge gate for a gypsum slurry mixer, comprising:
a gate adapter having an inlet opening configured for receiving the slurry from the mixer, and an outlet opening configured for delivering the slurry to a dispensing device, the gate adapter having two different transitioning cross-sectional geometries at opposite ends;
the gate adapter including:
an inlet section having a quadrilateral inlet opening;
an outlet section having a substantially circular outlet opening; and
a transition section sandwiched between the inlet and outlet sections, wherein the transition section includes a transition chamber at least partially defined by top, bottom, and side walls extending from the inlet section near a first conjoining border of the inlet and transition sections and wherein the transition chamber is at least partially further defined by a surrounding circular interior wall extending from the outlet section near a second conjoining border of the outlet and transition section.

2. The discharge gate of claim 1 , wherein a quadrilateral cross-sectional geometry of the inlet opening transitions to a circular cross-sectional geometry of the outlet opening along a longitudinal axis of the gate adapter.

3. The discharge gate of claim 1 , wherein the inlet section includes an inlet chamber defined by, at least partially, a top wall, a bottom wall, and two opposite side walls of the inlet section.

4. The discharge gate of claim 3 , wherein a first inner distance near an outer edge of the inlet section between interior surfaces of the top and bottom walls of the inlet chamber is less than a second opposite inner distance near a first conjoining border of the inlet and transition sections between the interior surfaces of the top and bottom walls.

5. The discharge gate of claim 3 , wherein a third inner distance near an outer edge of the inlet section between the interior surfaces of the opposite side walls is greater than a fourth inner distance near a first conjoining border of the inlet and transition sections between the interior surfaces of the side walls.

6. The discharge gate of claim 3 , wherein the inlet chamber has a generally quadrilateral cross-sectional geometry, and at least one of the top, bottom, and side walls has an inclined interior surface between an outer edge of the inlet section and a first conjoining border of the inlet and transition sections.

7. The discharge gate of claim 1 , wherein the outlet section includes an outlet chamber defined by a surrounding circular interior wall having a predetermined inner diameter along a longitudinal axis of the outlet section.

8. The discharge gate of claim 7 , wherein a first inner diameter near an outer edge of the outlet section and a second inner diameter near a second conjoining border of the outlet and transition sections have substantially the same length.

9. The discharge gate of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the inlet, outlet, and transition sections has at least one injection port positioned near a center of a slurry passageway defined by inner surfaces of at least one of the inlet, outlet, and transition sections.

10. A gate adapter for delivering a mixed slurry from a gypsum slurry mixer, comprising:
an inlet section having a quadrilateral inlet opening configured for receiving the slurry from the mixer;
an outlet section having a substantially circular outlet opening configured for delivering the slurry to a dispensing device; and
a transition section sandwiched between the inlet and outlet sections,
wherein a quadrilateral cross-sectional geometry of said inlet opening transitions to a circular cross-section geometry of said outlet opening along a longitudinal axis of the gate adapter so that said inlet opening and said outlet opening are aligned along, and share said longitudinal axis.

11. A gate adapter for delivering a mixed slurry from a gypsum slurry mixer, comprising:
an inlet section having a quadrilateral inlet opening configured for receiving the slurry from the mixer;
an outlet section having a substantially circular outlet opening configured for delivering the slurry to a dispensing device; and
a transition section sandwiched between the inlet and outlet sections, wherein the transition section includes a transition chamber at least partially defined by top, bottom, and side walls extending from the inlet section near a first conjoining border of the inlet and transition sections and wherein the transition chamber is at least partially further defined by a surrounding circular interior wall extending from the outlet section near a second conjoining border of the outlet and transition section, and
wherein a quadrilateral cross-sectional geometry of the inlet opening transitions to a circular cross-section geometry of the outlet opening along a longitudinal axis of the gate adapter.

Assignees

• United States Gypsum Co

Inventors

• Brown Stanley C
• Johnson Steven
• Shumway Christopher
• Parker Phillip
• Wittbold James R

Classifications

• F16L25/14

  Joints for pipes of different diameters or cross-section · CPC title

• B28C5/0881 Primary

  having a stator-rotor system with intermeshing teeth or cages · CPC title

• B28C7/16 Primary

  Discharge means {, e.g. with intermediate storage of fresh concrete} · CPC title

• B01F15/0266

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F2215/0078

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic