Abstract
The flow behavior of particles was studied with particular attention to the effect of the inclination of a storage vessel and/or the turn table of a table feeder. Two types of storage vessel, rectangular and cylindrical were used. The vessels have no hopper part (no contraction), and the scraper of the feeder is not utilized.
It was found that the particle-flow was intensely distorted when the lower level of the vessel was not parallel to the table surface. The slight inclination (as small as two degrees) between the vessel and the table causes this intense distortion of particle-flow. The distortion becomes more intense as the inclination increases, and the powder flow rate from the feeder increases exponentially with the angle of inclination.
It was also found that a new theoretical equation for the cylindrical vessel was successfully adapted for the estimation of the effect of the skirt-clearance on the powder flow rate. The upper and lower limits of the skirt-clearance were also discussed.
