A Self Propelled Vehicle for the Collection by Pneumatic Means of Dust or other Light Road Refuse

摘要

17,409. Lister, F. S., and Courteen, H. Aug. 2. Refuse, collecting. - A motor road-scavengering machine agitates the dust on the roadway by means of brushes, and then draws it, by means of hoods and pipes, into a fan chamber, and afterwards delivers it to a storage receptacle fitted with filtering - appliances or passes it through a centrifugal separator before it reaches the storage tank. The area of the hood and pipe connexions leading to the fan inlet are proportioned so as to ensure an even degree of suction at all points. Fig. 1 shows one construction of machine with the suction apparatus fitted between the wheel axles. The brushes K, preferably extending the whole width of the wheel base, are mounted slidably in brackets D carried by the framing, and the dust agitated thereby is drawn through the double hood E, pipe E1, flexible connecting-pipe D, and the pipe C into the fan chamber A, whence it is delivered to the collecting - box F, from which the air escapes through the filter G of coke or other suitable material. The fan is driven, through variablespeed gearing on the shaft B, by the prime-mover M, by any moving part of the vehicle, or by a separate motor. A water spray or jet of steam may be introduced at J to facilitate the separation of the dust from the air. Figs. 3 and 4 show a modified arrangement in which two collectors E depend from the rear of the car and are connected to sleeves S on the larger horizontal conduit R, which has an uptake C leading to the fan chamber. By raising either of the collectors sufficiently, communication with the conduit R can be cut off, thus putting it out of action. The hoods in this case are pivoted at u to enable the brushes to adjust themselves to the road surface ; they may also be connected telescopically with the collector pipe, so that they can be turned through a rightangle when raised. The vehicle may be provided with side collectors for cleaning gullies and the like ; also all the hoods may be provided with dampers or slides for decreasing the opening to increase the draught, or to put any selected hood either out of action or into communication with one of a pair of fans carried by the vehicle. The receptacle for the dust may be tiltable or may be provided with a hinged or sliding door at the bottom or sides to discharge the load.