Anti-polluting waste collector for a burn table

{
  "publication_number": "US3743260A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Anti-polluting waste collector for a burn table",
  "abstract": "An anti-polluting waste collector for a burn table, adapted for supporting a workpiece beneath a flame cutting machine, includes an open tank containing a liquid maintained at a predetermined level therein and a grating disposed across the tank opening. An air chamber is selectively pressurized to provide a pressure head for normally maintaining the predetermined liquid level above the grating and to lower such level below the grating for convenient removal of waste material trapped thereon.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A waste collector adapted for supporting a workpiece beneath a flame cutting machine and to receive waste material therefrom comprising; a tank having an open top and containing a liquid normally maintained at a predetermined upper level; liquid level control means connected to said tank for normally maintaining said liquid at said upper level and for selectively lowering and maintaining the liquid level at a predetermined lower level disposed vertically below said upper level; and a horizontally disposed grating means attached to said tank to extend across the open top thereof and disposed vertically below said upper level and vertically above said lower level.",
    "2. The invention of claim 1 further comprising support means mounted vertically above and closely adjacent to said grating means for supporting a workpiece thereon and a flame cutting machine mounted vertically above said support means.",
    "3. The waste collector of claim 1 wherein said liquid level control means includes means forming at least one expansible chamber normally containing a pressurized gas therein, said chamber communicating with said tank to normally provide a pressure head sufficient to support and maintain said liquid at said predetermined upper level until the gas pressure in said chamber is reduced to permit a portion of the liquid to drain from the tank and into the chamber to lower the liquid to said lower level.",
    "4. The waste collector of claim 3 wherein said liquid level control means further comprises a source of gas under pressure and control valve means for selectively communicating said gas to said chamber.",
    "5. The waste collector of claim 3 wherein said chamber is integrally formed within said tank.",
    "6. The waste collector of claim 1 wherein said grating means comprises a grate having a plurality of openings formed therethrough, said openings being sized to allow the passage of fine waste material therethrough while retaining larger salvageable material thereon.",
    "7. A waste collector for use with a flame cutting machine to receive and retain waste material therefrom comprising, a tank having an open top portion and a lower portion containing a substantially constant volume of liquid, means forming a burn table across said top of the tank for supporting a workpiece beneath the flame cutting machine, grating means in predetermined spaced relation below the burn table for collecting and retaining a portion of such waste material thereon, a downwardly directed baffle plate disposed within said tank forming an air-liquid chamber having a bottom opening into the tank, and means to selectively provide a pressure head within the chamber sufficient to elevate and support said liquid within the tank at a predetermined upper level until the pressure in the chamber is reduced to enable a portion of said constant volume of liquid to drain from the tank into the chamber in order to lower the liquid level in the tank from said upper level to a predetermined lower level below the grating.",
    "8. The waste collector of claim 7 wherein said tank includes downwardly sloping sidewalls converging toward said lower portion of the tank, and a pair of said baffles individually disposed in spaced and substantially parallel relation to said sidewalls to form a pair of said chambers within the tank with said baffles terminating in lower ends spaced from said lower portion of the tank to permit tHe transfer of said liquid between the chambers and the tank.",
    "9. The waste collector of claim 8 wherein said tank includes a pair of end walls and an opening at said lower portion thereof, a trough adjacent to one end wall forming a settling pit below said opening, a conveyor disposed in said trough and extending below said opening, and the end wall opposite to said one end wall having an extension extending below the opening to afford a waste material guide means to direct the waste material gravitating through said opening onto the conveyor to elevate the waste material from said settling pit.",
    "10. A waste collector adapted for supporting a workpiece beneath a flame cutting machine and to receive waste material therefrom comprising: a tank having an open top and containing a liquid normally maintained at a predetermined upper level; and liquid level control means connected to said tank for normally maintaining said liquid at said upper level and for selectively lowering and maintaining the liquid level at a predetermined lower level disposed vertically below said upper level, said liquid level control means including means forming at least one expansible chamber normally containing a pressurized gas therein, said chamber communicating with said tank to normally provide a pressure head sufficient to support and maintain said liquid at said predetermined upper level until the gas pressure in said chamber is reduced to permit a portion of the liquid to drain from the tank and into the chamber to lower the liquid to said lower level.",
    "11. The waste collector of claim 10 wherein said liquid level control means further comprises a source of gas under pressure and control valve means for selectively communicating said gas to said chamber.",
    "12. The waste collector of claim 10 wherein said chamber is integrally formed within said tank."
  ],
  "cpc": [
    "B23K 7/10"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "CATERPILLAR TRACTOR CO"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1971-11-22",
  "publication_date": "1973-07-03",
  "grant_date": "1973-07-03",
  "priority_date": "1971-11-22",
  "application_number": "US-3743260D-A",
  "family_id": "22744427",
  "citations": [
    "US3330547A",
    "US3486744A",
    "US3526395A"
  ]
}