This invention relates to an apparatus for the transportation of a particle material. Different more or less powdery materials, which are often stored in silos, are primarily concerned. For example, when the material is discharged from a silo, it is often necessary to transport it also horizontally, to the back of a lorry etc. So far conveying screws have been mainly used for such transportation of a material. The dis¬ advantages of conveying screws are the difficulty of cleaning in changing the material to be transported and their stiffness as well as the liability to wear and the frequent need of maintenance due to the wear. The object of the invention is to provide a new and better apparatus for transporting a mass-like particle material.

The apparatus according to the invention is mainly characterized in that it comprises a flexible hose, on the inside of which members have been arranged for fluidizing the material to be transport¬ ed, and that said members have been formed along the hose as elements functioning independently of one another.

The flexible hose is preferably made of rubber, plastic or a corresponding material, in which case the hose can be supplied as a bulk article, i.e. a so-called metre article, and the user can cut there- from a length needed in a particular case.

By virtue of the flexible hose and the fluid- ization members arranged therein, the material can be transported in a controlled manner along a curvy line even in narrow passages irrespective of the prevail- ing conditions and without dust formation or loss of

material. On account of the flexibility of the hose, the solution is economical when process changes occur because changes in the transportation routes of the material and the passing, or circling, of other devices can be easily effected as the hose does not need any solid foundations or the like. The hose functions also well no matter wnat position the cross-section is turned to. If the hose is even slightly descending in the transportation direction, the force of gravity is sufficient to transport the fluidized material. Several hoses can well be arranged in succession, whereby the apparatus can be used to transport the material even long distances.

Owing to the fact that the fluidization members are formed as elements functioning independently of one another in the longitudinal direction of the hose, the transportation of the material along the hose can take place without interruption even if tem¬ porary interruptions should take place in the. supply of the material.

The members for fluidizing the material to be transported comprise preferably a gas-permeable lining at least partly covering the inner surface of the hose, whereby the spaces between the hose and lining are formed into separate sections in the lon¬ gitudinal direction of the hose, and throttled feed of gas is arranged for each section, whereby longit¬ udinal channels or tubes which open into said separate sections through throttle apertures are formed in the wall or on the surface of the hose for feeding gas to the separate sections.

Suitable dimensioning of the throttle apertures between the longitudinal channels in the wall of the hose and the sections within the hose helps to achieve the fact that the compressed air in the

channel cannot escape from the side of the hose which is not covered with the material to be transported.

Alternatively, the members for fluidizing the material to be transported can preferably comprise a gas feeding tube disposed on the bottom of the hose and provided with throttle apertures, said tube being surrounded by a gas-permeable cloth or the like attached at least substantially tightly to the tube at regular intervals. In the following, the invention will be de¬ scribed by means of the embodiments disclosed in the attached drawings.

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the inven¬ tion seen substantially from the side. Figures 2 and 3 show a cross-section and a lon¬ gitudinal section respectively of the hose according to Figure 1.

Figures 4 and 5 show a longitudinal section and a cross-section respectively of the hose according to a second embodiment.

Figure 6 shows an enlargement of the part A in Figure 5.

In Figures 1 to 3 the reference numeral 1 denotes a hose for conveying a material, which hose is preferably made of rubber, plastic or a cor¬ responding material. The inner surface of the hose 1 is covered with a gas-permeable lining 2 in such a manner, for example, that three longitudinal fluid¬ ization channels 3 are formed between the inner sur- face of the hose 1 and the lining 2 at regular inter¬ vals round the circuit of the hose. Each channel 3 is divided in different sections in the longitudinal direction by means of transverse walls 6 in Figure 3. A longitudinal gas feeding channel 4, which opens into each separate section of the fluidization

channel 3 through a throttle aperture 5, is formed in the wall of the hose at each channel 3. Since all the different sections of the fluidization channels 3 have their own throttled feed of gas, gas cannot "escape" even if there should not be any material to be transported immediately within some section of the lining 2.

The reference numeral 11 denotes a connection e.g. to the discharge opening of a silo, 12 denotes a connecting stub to be pushed into the hose 1, and 13 denotes a stop valve. The fluidization gas is fed from a pipe 16 through a ring channel 15 to nozzles 14, which can be pushed into wall channels 4 of the hose 1. In the second embodiment of the invention according to Figures 4 to 6, a tube 22 for feeding the fluidization gas, which tube is surrounded by a gas-permeable cloth 24 or the like, is disposed on the bottom of the conveying hose 21. The cloth 24 is tightly attached to the gas feeding tube 22 at regular intervals e.g. by means of clamps 26, whereby separate sections 23 are formed between the feeding tube 22 and the cloth 24, said sections being in con¬ nection with the feeding tube 22 through apertures 25 formed in the wall of said tube. The reference numeral 27 denotes a connecting stub, and 28 denotes a pipe for feeding the fluidization gas.

The invention is not restricted merely to the examples disclosed in the drawings but it can vary in its details within the scope of the following claims. Thus, the lining 2 does not have to be uniform in accordance with Figures 1 to 3, and the channels 3 can be partly embedded in the wall of the hose 1. Instead of wall channels 4, channels or tubes attached to the outer or inner surface of the hose 1

can be used. The number of the wall channels 4 can be other than three.