Screen assemblies for a vibratory separator, the screen assemblies in certain aspects having at least two screening members, the at least two screening members connected by sewing material, and methods for making such screen assemblies.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/236,050 filed Sep. 5, 2002 now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/210,891 filed Jul. 31, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,883 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/037,474 filed Oct. 19, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,985, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/603,531 filed Jun. 27, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,345 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/517,212 filed Mar. 2, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,698 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/454,722 filed on Dec. 4, 1999, now abandoned which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/390,231 filed Sep. 3, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,216; and this application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/707,277 filed Nov. 6, 2000 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,781 B1 on Jun. 24, 2003) which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/183,004 filed Oct. 30, 1998 issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,337 on Feb. 13, 2001--all of which applications and patents are incorporated herein in their entirety for all purposes and with respect to all of which the present invention claims priority under the Patent Laws.
A screen assembly for a vibratory separator includes a composite screen frame that has a rigid support section formed from a polymer material and a cushioned strain relief zone. The strain relief zone is located along the inner periphery of the rigid support section and provides support at the interface between the screen frame and the screen cloth. The strain relief zone may extend along an inner peripheral wall of the rigid support section. The rigid support section may include a flange and the strain relief zone may extend around the rigid support section to encapsulate the flange in addition to providing additional support to the screen cloth. The rigid support section and the strain relief zone may be co-formed in a molding process. Alternatively the rigid support section may be a molded member and the strain relief zone may be an extrusion to be assembled to the rigid support member. The screen cloth is affixed to the peripheral frame. The screen frame may include an internal support frame having a rigid support section defining a plurality of openings, each of which has a strain relief zone around its periphery to provide cushioned support to the screen cloth across the opening.
A self-cleaning screen assembly for a vibratory separator is disclosed. The self-cleaning screen assembly includes a peripheral frame having a top mounting surface to which at least one screen cloth is affixed and a bottom mounting surface to which a flow through support screen is affixed. One or more cleaning elements are freely located between the support screen and the screen cloth. The peripheral frame includes a rigid support section, a cushioned top strain relief zone, and a cushioned bottom strain relief zone. The top strain relief zone, the bottom strain relief zone and the rigid support section may be discrete components wherein the strain relief zones are formed by strain relief pads that are located adjacent to a rigid support member. The top strain relief zone provides cushioned support to the screen cloth around the edge of the screen frame adjacent to the opening. The bottom strain relief zone provides cushioning for the support screen.
A screen apparatus, which in certain aspects is a screen apparatus having a support, screening material on the support, and energizable identification apparatus on (exteriorly, interiorly, and/or within) the support for identifying the screen apparatus; a vibratory separator with such a screen apparatus; and a vibratory separator or shaker with energizable identification apparatus.
