Sizing table employing variable pitch augur

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG.
2, a sizing table 10 includes a frame 12 which supports a plurality of spindles 11.
Three of the spindles support tapered conical rollers 14a, 14b and 14c.
The other three spindles 11 support variable pitch augurs 16a, 16b and 16c.
The spindles 11 are driven by a motor 18 having an output shaft 20 which is geared to a drive belt 22.
Located underneath the sizing table 10 may be either conveyor belts for carrying properly sized product or bins (not shown), depending on the desires of the user.
Each of the conical rollers 14a, 14b and 14c may be comprised of a plurality of frusto-conical segments such as segments 24a, 24b and 24c which are three segments that together comprise roller 14a.
Rollers 14b and 14c are constructed in identical fashion.
The variable pitch augurs 16a, 16b and 16c are also constructed in segments as shown in FIG.
2.
In FIG.
3, a hexagonal shaft 26 which is identical to one of the spindle shafts 11 engages segments 28a, 28b and 28c.
Each of the segments 28a, 28b, 28c includes a mounting aperture 30a, 30b and 30c which is a ring having a bore in a hexagonal shape to receive the shaft 26.
The other portion of each of the augur segments 28a, 28b and 28c is a blade portion 32a, 32b, 32c which is a partial helix having a radial arc of approximately 120 degrees.
Thus, three such segments when combined produce a complete turn of 360 degrees.
In practice, however, the augur segments could be of any radial arc desired.
Manufacturing considerations will largely dictate the size of the radial arc for each of the segments, but in general radial arcs between 90 degrees and 180 degrees work best.
In practice, the segments 28a, 28b, 28c may be of different pitch but still fit together to form a continuous helical spiral shape.
In this way, the pitch may be changed from one portion of an augur to another in order to process different sizes of product on different portions of the table.
Also, with different sized pitch segments, an augur may be constructed so that its pitch and variation of pitch are customized to the size distribution of the product being processed