Adjustable nozzle

July 30, 1963

C. H. SCHLECHT ETAL

3,099,291

ADJUSTABLE NOZZLE

Filed March 22, 1961

Sheets-Sheet 1

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C. H. SCHLECHT ETAL

3,099,291

ADJUSTABLE NOZZLE

Sheets-Sheet 2

July 30, 1963

Filed March 22, 1961

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INVENTORS.

CHAFLES H. SCHLECHT _BY FM//C/S W.

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Attorney

3,099,291

Patented July 30, 1963

United States Patent Office

3,099,291 ADJUSTABLE NOZZLE Charles H. Schlecht, Cheltenham, and Francis W. Drobil, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to National Drying Machine g Company

Filed Mar. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 97,635

Claims. (Cl. 138—45)

This invention relates to a machine of the type disclosed in Parkes patent, Re. 24,871, and it relates more particu- 10 larly to the adjustable discharge nozzles forming part of said machine.

One object of the invention is to produce improved means for adjusting said discharge nozzles.

In the machine disclosed in said patent, the discharge 15 nozzles are formed by arranging in a number of generally U-shaped ducts in parallel, spaced relation with the spaces between the juxtaposed sides of adjacent ducts connected to a source of air under pressure, whereby said spaces constitute the discharge nozzle through which the drying 20 air is discharged against the material moving transversely of said ducts and the nozzles formed therebetween. The ducts referred to are arranged with their mouths facing the material and serve as exhaust flues through which the air issuing out of the nozzles can escape to the atmos- 25 phere, in an open system, or could be returned to the low pressure side of the plenum in a closed system.

The edges of the side walls of the nozzle-forming ducts of the machine of the Parkes patent are interconnected by means of turnbuckles which can be manipulated to draw 30 the sides of the duct together, or to push said sides apart, to widen, or to narrow, the corresponding portions of the space, or nozzle, between the sides of adjacent ducts.

The ducts of the present invention can be considered as identical, in structure, and in operation, with those of 35 the Parkes patient and are therefore not shown, nor described in detail. It is enough to point out that the only difference between the present invention and that disclosed in the Parkes patent is in the duct-nozzle adjusting means.

The nozzle-adjusting devices of the Parkes patent are ⁴⁰operative, but experience and investigation have Shown that, because of the width and length of the nozzle one, or both of the marginal portions of the material may dry more quickly, or more slowly, than the center portion thereof, or vice-versa. It is therefore desirable to provide means for increasing, or decreasing, the width of the central or of the end portions of a nozzle independently of the other portions thereof, to increase, or to decrease the flow capacity of the various portions of the nozzle, as may be indicated by the progress of the drying operation.

It is -therefore a further object of the invention to produce improved adjusting means for adjusting the central and end portions of each nozzle independently of each other. Because the nozzle forming ducts may be 10 or 12 feet wide and are closely spaced within the drying chamber, at least the central turnbuckles of the Parkes patent will not be accessible for manipulation without stopping the machine, waiting till the parts cool off and pulling out the ducts. This is not only expensive, but ⁶⁰the interruption of the operation may also cause irreparable damage.

It is therefore a still further object of the invention to produce improved adjusting devices which are operative from either end of each duct for selectively and independ- ⁶⁵ently adjusting various portions of the nozzles.

In addition to variations in the progress of the drying, or curing operation, as between one portion of the material and another, which is compensated for by adjustment ,_θ of various portions of the nozzles, it also happens that the overall operation may progress too quickly, or too slowly, and that decrease, or increase, of the over-all flow capacity of -the nozzle is necessary.

It is therefore a still further object of the invention to produce improved adjusting devices by means of which the nozzle opening may be enlarged, or reduced, over its entire length, without upsetting the previously effected adjustments of various portions of the nozzle, whereby -the flow ratios between various portions of the nozzle are maintained, even though the flow capacity may have been varied.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 -is a plan view of one of the nozzle-forming ducts provided with adjusting devices embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 2—2 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 3—3 on FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing some of the ways in which a number of adjacent nozzles may be adjusted.

As best Shown in FIGS. 1 and -3, each of -the nozzleforming ducts D—1, D—2-, D-3, D—4, etc., includes opposite side walls 10' and 12 which co-act with intermediate wall 14 to form a generally U-shaped enclosure having a mouth 13 which faces -the material 18 to be dried, or otherwise treated. The ends are open for the purpose set forth in the Parkes patent. The ducts may be made of any suitable material and at least the side walls thereof are slightly flexible so that -they may be moved toward, or away from, each other for the purpose hereinafter set forth. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ducts are arranged in spaced, parallel relation, whereby the side wall 12 of -one duct D-l co-aots with side wall 10 of adjacent duct D-2 to define an elongated nozzle N-l which is connected to a source of air, or other fluid, such as the plenum- 16 which corresponds to plenum 10 in the Parkes patent. Obviously, -by drawing walls 10- and 12 of each, or of both, of ducts D-l and D-2 together, or by pushing said walls apart, the width of the corresponding portion of nozzle N-&lt;1 formed between said walls will be decreased or in-creased.

As illustrated, each duct is provided with one adjustment device A near one end thereof, a second device B near the opposite end thereof, and a third adjustment device C near -the center portion of the duct. The spacing and the number of the adjusting devices can be varied at will. Also for the purpose of this disclosure, it is -assumed that the left end plate 20 which corresponds to end plate 28 of the Parkes patent is accessible and that the right end which corresponds to end plate 30 of -the Parkes patent is remote, or inaccessible.

Adjusting devices A, B and C are carried by rod 22 which extends the length of a duct and the left end of which, as viewed in FIG. 4, extends beyond the end of the duct for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

Since the adjusting devices are identical, the parts of adjusting device A are designated -with sub. a of the reference numerals, the parts of adjusting device B are designated with sub. b, and the parts of adjusting device C are designated with sub. c of the same reference numerals, but only one adjusting device, such as device A, will be described in detail.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, adjusting device A includes -a toggle formed of arms 24α and 26α which are pivoted at 28α to side walls 10 and 12 of the duct and are pivoted at 30α -to -a bracket 32α which, when not restrained by nuts 36α and 38α, is freely slidable on rod 22. It is also pointed out that rod 22, when not restrained by nuts 40 and 42, is also movable relative to its duct.

3,099,291

The operation is as follows:

To widen, or to narrow, the left end of a duct, or the left ends of adjacent ducts, correspondingly to adjust the corresponding portion of the nozzle, nuts 36a and 38α are loosened; bracket 32α is moved to the left to collapse 5 toggle arms 24α and 26α to narrow the duct, as shown at the left end of duct D-l, or bracket 32α is moved to the right to expand the toggle arms to widen the duct, as shown at the left end of duct D-2 and nuts 36 and 38 are tightened. To adjust the center portion of a duct, which jq in a long nozzle will be inaccessible, nuts 36c and 38c which are located near the left hand end of the duct, are loosened, the bracket 32c is moved to the left, as shown at the center of duct D-2, or to the right, as shown at the center of ducts D-l and D-3, and nuts 36c and 38c 45 are retightened. To adjust the right end of a duct, nuts 36b and 386 are loosened and bracket 326- is moved, in either direction, relative to rod 22 in the manner set forth in connection with bracket 32α. If the right hand end of the duct, as viewed in the drawings, is inaccessible, nuts 20 36c and 38c 'and nuts 36α and 38α, and nuts 40 and 42 are loosened, rod 22 is moved to the right to expand toggle 306, 30α, as shown at the right ends of ducts D-l and D-2, or the rod is moved to- the left to collapse the toggle, as shown at the right end of duct D-3, and nuts 36α 25 and 38α and nuts 36c and 38c and nuts 40 and 42 are tightened.

If after a given duct, or pair of adjacent ducts, have been adjusted, it is desired to increase, or to decrease, the over-all flow capacity of a nozzle, without disturbing the 30 flow ratios established by the previous adjustments of devices A, B or C of the duct, only nuts 40¹ and 42 are loosened, rod 22 is moved to -the right, or to the left, as may be indicated by the progress of the operation, and nuts 40 and 42 -are retightened. 35

In FIG. 4 some of the adjustments above described are shown. For example, only the left end of duct D-l is narrowed, thus tapering the adjacent portion of nozzle N-l; only the center portion of duct D-2 is narrowed taperedly to widen the center portion of nozzles N-l -and 40 N-2, and only the right end of duct D-3 is narrowed taperedly to widen the right end portions of nozzles N-2 and N-3 and so on. Conversely, the right ends of ducts D-l and D-2 are uniformly widened. Duct D-4 is shown narrowed over its entire length by movement of 45 rod 22 to the left and it will be noted that this over-all adjustment is made without affecting the ratios of the adjustments of the center and end portions of the duct. It will be noted that if the cross-section of the ducts is reduced, the nozzle between -the -side walls of adjacent ducts 50 is widened, and vice versa. It will also be noted that, by this invention, the duct, -along its entire length, or along any desired portion thereof, can be adjusted as long as one of the ends of -the duct is accessible. It will still further be noted that this invention affords easily operable means 55 for effecting a wide range of adjustments to insure perfect treatment of the material 18 -and that the adjustment can be made while the machine is running.