5.2.1 Hoppers for pouring dry sand

Hoppers for pouring dry sand can be categorized into three types: spot, line and plane pouring type.

 

Spot pouring hopper

(b)

 

(c)

Utsunomiya University, Japan

 

These figures show a spot pouring hopper used at Utsunomiya University. The hopper consists of a bucket and a nozzle connected to a horse at both ends. The bucket contains the sand used and the sand is pluviated through 64 pouring holes drilled at the bottom of the nozzle.

 

Pouring Toyoura sand into a container by using a spot pouring hopper, Chuo University, Japan

 

Line pouring hoppers

Following figures show hoppers of line pouring type, in which sand grains are pluviated through a slit at the bottom of the hopper. The slit has a length to cover the whole breadth of the model container, and the hopper is repeatedly moved along a guideline perpendicular to the slit over the container length. Density of the model ground could be controlled by changing the slit openness and the pouring height.

 

Small slidable hopper with a multiple sieves stack, National Institute of Industrial Safety, Japan

 

Slidable hoppers without sieves, LCPC, France

 

Plane pouring type hoppers

 

A hopper with a multiple sieve stack, Port and Harbour Research Institute, Japan

 

This figure shows the hopper used at Port and Harbor Research Institute, Japan. The hopper of line pouring type is put above a stack of nine sieves that spreads sand over a soil container. The density of sand is controlled by changing the slit openness at the bottom of the hopper and the height of pouring.

 

(a) Hopper and container

 

(b) Expanded detail of the hopper.

Plane pouring hopper, City University, UK.