CA1067418A - Plastic vacuum suction funnel - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A vacuum suction funnel of synthetic plastic material is provided. The funnel includes a vertical tube having a bottom inclined slightly with respect to the horizontal. A thrust ring is attached to an inner wall of the tube and combines with a support resting on said bottom to carry a sieve plate. A vacuum connection piece is attached to the tube and positioned adjacent to and below the sieve plate, and an outlet piece is attached to the tube adjacent a portion of the bottom which is lowermost with respect to the tube.

Description

i~7~L8 This invention relates to a vacuum suction funnel of synthetic plastic material for use in separ~ting solids from suspensions, Suction funnels are inaispensable labora-S tory devices which have normally been mad~ ~rom earthen-waxel ~lay or porcelain. Although such suction funnels are useful both as laborato~y and as industrial-scale equipment, there are limits in their use due to the mater-ial used to make them.
A special disadvantage in known funnels is that they have insufficient impact strength and shock resistance resulting in a very short life. Repair of damaged or broken suction funnels is not always possible.
Furthermore, it is also disadvantageous that the known sucti,on funnels are relatively heavy and cannot be handled easily beyond certain sizes. For this reason alone, suction funnels having diameters of more than 80 cm have not made their way into regular industYial use.
It has now been found that improved vacuum suction funnels can be provlded using selected synthetic thermoplastic materials. Especially suitable thermoplastics for this appiication are low pressure polyethylene, poly-propylene, copolymers of ethylene and/or propylene with other olefins.

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Because o their high impact strength and shock resistance, such vacuum funnels are subskantially inert to mechanical strain, and if they should be damage~, they may be repaired in simple manner by welding or bonding. Further-more, the low weight oE plas-tic vacuum suction funnels allows the manuEacture o~ such funnels in hitherto unknown sizes.
Because of the stability of the plastics used, the walls o~
such funnels may be substantially thinner than those of the funnels known heretofore, which results in a further saving of weight, so that even very large plastic suction funnels having diameters of more than l m can be easily han~led. ~t should also be mentioned that the suction ~unnels of the invention are not liable to burst even in the case where very hot products are suction-filtered and that they are extraordin-arily resistant to nearly all chemicals.
Accordingly, a suction funnel is provided of synthetic plastic material, the funnel comprising: a tube disposed about a vertical axis and having a bottom which is inclined slightly with respect to the horizontal; a thrust ring in close contact with an inner wall of the tube and spaced vertically above the bottom; a support resting on the bottom;
a sieve plate resting on the support and the thrust ring; a vacuum connection piece attached to the tube and positioned adjacent to and below the sieve plate; and an outlet piece attached to the tube adjacent a portion of the bottom which is lowermost with respect -to the tube.

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The invention will be better understood with ,reference to the drawings and the ~ollowing disclosure in which:
Fig. 1 is a sectional side view'o~ a preferred embodiment of a vacuum suction funnel according to the inven-tion; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment.
As seen in the drawings, a plastic tube 1 having a diameter of 1600 mm and a wall thickness oE 40 mm has a thrust ring 2 welded in its interior, A slightly inclined funnel bottom 3 is attached to the bottom of the tube to aid discharge through a discharge piece 4. A vacuum connection piece 5 is also attached to tube 1 and a support 6 having openings 6a is supported on the bottom 3. The latter support 6 is preferably ~ in the form of a tube and the openings 6a allow the filtrate to leave the funnel. A sieve plate 7 is laid on the thrust ring 2 and support 6 and sealed by means of a cord 8 made preferably from asbestos, or alternatively, from a sealing mass.
Funnels according to the invention may be manu-~20 factured without previous preparation of molds and requireonly easily available semi-finished articles such as tubes and plates which can be assembled by means of simple tools to form the suction funnels of the invention.

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The size of the sucti.on :Eunnels obtainable according to the present invention allows for the .Eirst -time to use suction funnels not only in the laboratory, but also in large-scale industrial processes.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A vacuum suction funnel of synthetic plastic material, the funnel comprising: a tube disposed about a vertical axis and having a bottom which is inclined slightly with respect to the horizontal; a thrust ring in close con-tact with an inner wall of the tube and spaced vertically above the bottom; a support resting on the bottom; a sieve plate resting on the support and the thrust ring; a vacuum connection piece attached to the tube and positioned adjacent to and below the sieve plate; and an outlet piece attached to the tube adjacent a portion of the bottom which is lower-most with respect to the tube.