AU2007314128B2

AU2007314128B2 - Conveyor skirt hanger

Info

Publication number: AU2007314128B2
Application number: AU2007314128A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jeffrey Bruce Cage; Darrin John Neville; Mark Edward Thomas
Original assignee: Trelleborg Engineered Systems Australia Pty Ltd; Trelleborg Engineered Products Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Trelleborg Engineered Systems Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-11-01
Filing date: 2007-10-10
Publication date: 2012-03-01
Anticipated expiration: 2027-10-10
Also published as: NZ576788A; WO2008052244A1; ZA200903244B; CN101547850A; AU2007314128A1; CN101547850B; CA2697251A1

Abstract

A skirt hanger (10, 110) for a skirt (30, 130, 230) for a conveyor belt (50) has a pair of opposed jaws (20, 120), at regular spacings, to engage the bosses (34, 134, 135, 234) on the skirts (30, 130, 230). Teeth (23, 24) on the opposed jaws (20, 120) limit the skirts (30, 130, 230) to being moved downwardly towards the conveyor belt (50).

Description

WO 2008/052244 PCT/AU2007/001530 1 TITLE: CONVEYOR SKIRT HANGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention THIS INVENTION relates to a conveyor skirt hanger. 5 The invention is particularly suitable for, but not limited to, a skirt hanger for elastomeric-material skirts provided along conveyor belts. 2. Prior Art The use of skirts along conveyor belts, to limit the egress of the material being conveyed on the conveyor belt to the atmosphere is well 10 known; and the skirts are used in compliance with ever-increasing environmental regulations. The skirts may be hingedly mounted on the hangers; or the skirts may be formed of flexible material such as elastomers (eg., fibre reinforced rubber or plastics material); and be adjustably mounted in the 15 hangers to compensate for the wearing of the skirts by the passage of the conveyor belts. Examples of the prior art conveyor belt skirting arrangements are disclosed in AU-2000-71628 B2 (769416) and AU 2003262226 Al (both in the name of Nelson Williams Linings, Inc.; Arthur C. Ostman). 20 SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a conveyor skirt hanger which can be relatively simply and inexpensively manufactured. It is a preferred object to provide such a hanger which enables easy installation/adjustment/removal of the skirts.

WO 2008/052244 PCT/AU2007/001530 2 It is a further preferred object of the present invention to provide a sealing strip on the hanger which engages the skirt to prevent the egress of material between the hanger and the skirt. Other preferred objects will become apparent from the following 5 description. In a broad aspect, the present invention resides in a conveyor skirt hanger, mountable above the conveyor, having a front wall and at least a top wall, wherein: at regular spacings along the front wall, pairs of opposed jaws 10 are directed forwardly out of the front wall, each of the jaws being terminated by a plurality of teeth, and each pair of opposed jaws being operable to adjustably engage an elongate boss or protrusion on an adjacent face of a conveyor skirt to be supported by the hanger. Preferably, a sealing strip is provided along (preferably 15 adjacent) the bottom of the front wall and extends forwardly therefrom to engage the adjacent face of the conveyor skirt. The skirt hanger may be formed from sheet metal (eg., steel or aluminium), eg., by roll-forming or press-brake techniques; and may be of substantially Z-shape (where the sealing strip is formed integrally with the 20 front wall); or of substantially C-shape (where the sealing strip is attached to the front wall or to a bottom wall; or where the sealing strip is formed by a substantially U-shaped portion interconnecting the front wall and the bottom wall and inclined at an angle thereto). Alternatively, the hanger may be formed, eg., by moulding, from suitable plastics material (which may be fibre- WO 2008/052244 PCT/AU2007/001530 3 reinforced). Preferably, for a hanger formed from sheet metal, each jaw is formed by punching or pressing the material forwardly out of the plane of the front wall; and preferably, the teeth are downwardly-directed so that the 5 respective bosses or protrusions on the skirts are inserted into the hanger in a downward direction. Preferably, adjacent bosses or protrusions on the skirt are provided at the same centre distance as between adjacent pairs of opposed jaws on the skirt hanger; and, preferably, the bosses or protrusions are of 10 substantially T-shape (or have a web interconnecting the body of a skirt to an enlarged head). Preferably, the spacing between the teeth of each pair of opposed jaws is less than the thickness of the legs of the T-shaped bosses or protrusions, or of the shanks of the alternative bosses or protrusions. 15 In an alternative version of the skirts, one set of bosses or protrusions is provided on one face of the skirt adjacent the top edge of the skirt, and a second set of bosses or protrusions is provided on the opposite face of the skirt spaced downwardly from the top edge of the skirt (but preferably overlapping the one set of protrusions in height). 20 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To enable the invention to be fully understood, preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a first embodiment of the skirt WO 2008/052244 PCT/AU2007/001530 4 hanger showing a section of skirt mounted thereon; FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the skirt hanger; FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the skirt hanger (with the skirt shown in dashed lines); 5 FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one pair of the opposed jaws; FIG. 5 is a sectional top plan view, taken on line A-A on FIG. 1, showing the engagement of the skirt with opposed pairs of the jaws; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the teeth on one of the jaws; FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the 10 installation/adjustment of the skirt on the skirt hanger; FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of the skirt hanger; FIG. 9 is an end elevational view of the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a sectional end view of a second embodiment of the 15 skirt; and FIG. 11 is a sectional top plan view of a third embodiment of the skirt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 20 Referring to the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 7, the skirt hanger 10 is roll-formed from a length of, eg., stainless steel or aluminium strip into a substantially C-shape with a front wall 11 interconnecting parallel top and bottom walls 12, 13. The top and bottom walls 12, 13 enable the skirt hanger 10 to be mounted on a suitable support structure spaced above, WO 2008/052244 PCT/AU2007/001530 5 and extending parallel to, one side edge of a conveyor belt (not shown). At regular spacings along the front wall, pairs of opposed jaws 20 are directed forwardly out of the front walls, where each jaw 21, 22 is formed by, e.g., a rotating punch-and-die assembly, which deforms the jaws 5 21, 22 out of the plane of the front wall 20. Each jaw 21, 22 is terminated by downwardly-directed teeth 23, 24, as illustrated on an enlarged scale in FIG. 6. NB: It will be noted that the teeth 23, 24 are downwardly directed so that the skirt (to be hereinafter described) is mounted on the skirt 10 hanger 10 by relative downward movement of the bosses on the skirt to the opposed pairs of teeth 20. A sealing lip 14 extends downwardly and forwardly from the junction of the front wall 11 and the bottom wall 13 to engage the adjacent face of the skirt in the manner to be hereinafter described. 15 As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the skirt 30 is preferably formed of elastomeric material, e.g., fibre-reinforced rubber, with a body portion 31 having opposed faces 32, 33. Substantially T-shaped protrusions 34 are provided on the face 33 of the skirt body 31 at centre spacings equal to the centre spacings 20 between adjacent opposed pairs of jaws 20 on the skirt hanger 10. Each boss 34 is located above, and aligned with, an adjacent opposed pair of jaws 20 and the skirt 30 is then pushed downwardly, relative to the hanger 10, to cause each opposed pairs of jaws 20 to engage a respective T-shaped boss 34.

WO 2008/052244 PCT/AU2007/001530 6 As shown more clearly in FIG. 5, each jaw 21, 22 engages an opposite side of a respective T-shaped boss 34, where the teeth 23, 24 engage opposite sides of the "leg" 36 connecting the T-shaped boss 34 to the skirt body 31. (The spacing between opposed teeth 23, 24 is preferably 5 just less, eg., 90-95% of the thickness of the "leg" 36 so that the teeth 23, 24 will "dig into" the T-shaped boss 34.) As hereinbefore described, the teeth 23, 24 are downwardly directed so that the skirt 30 can be moved downwardly, relative to the skirt hanger 10, to compensate for any wear in the skirt body 31 due to the movement of the conveyor belt 50 beneath the 10 skirt 30; while preventing the skirt 30 moving upwardly relative to the skirt hanger 10 due to the presence of any material on the conveyor belt. The engagement of the sealing strip 14 on the skirt hanger 10 with the adjacent face 33 of the skirt 30 prevents any material on the conveyor belt 50 escaping through the gap between the skirt body 31 and 15 the front wall 11 of the skirt hanger 10. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the bosses 34 on the skirt 30 are aligned with respective pairs of jaws 20 and can be "tapped" downwardly with a hammer 70 (or similar tool). As the body 31 of the skirt 30 wears, the operator can use the 20 hammer 70 to move the skirt 30 downwardly relative to the skirt hanger 10, the engagement of the opposed teeth 23, 25 with the T-shaped boss 34 preventing relative upward movement of the skirt 30. In the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the substantially C-shaped skirt hanger 10 is substituted by a substantially Z- WO 2008/052244 PCT/AU2007/001530 7 shaped skirt hanger 110, where the sealing strip 114 is formed integrally with the front wall 111 and the top wall 112. The opposed pairs of jaws 120 have their jaws 121, 122, configured as for the jaws 21, 22 of the C-shaped skirt hanger 10. 5 FIG. 10 illustrates a second embodiment of the profile for the skirt, where the skirt 130 has a very deep skirt body 131. In some installations, supporting the skirt 130 from the hangers 10, 110 by the bosses 134 at the top of the body 130 may result in the skirt body 131 being deflected out of contact with the conveyor belt. In this embodiment, a 10 second set of T-shaped bosses 135 are provided on face 132, ie., on the opposite side of the skirt body 131. The second bosses 135 are of the same T-shape as for bosses 134 and are provided at the same centre spacings. However, the second bosses 135 are spaced a distance below the top edge 137 of the skirt body 131 (but preferably overlap the bosses 134 in height). 15 In use, the skirt 130 is initially installed on the hangers 10, 110 with the opposed pairs of teeth 20, 120 engaged with the second bosses 135. The skirt 130 is moved down until the full height of the second bosses 135 has been used; the skirt 130 is pulled downwardly to be released from the hangers 10, 110; is then reversed, ie., to bring face 133 adjacent the 20 hangers 10, 110; and the bosses 134 are engaged with the opposed pairs of jaws 20, 120 in hangers 10, 110, and adjusted for further use on the skirt 130. (In use, some or all of the second bosses 135 may be worn away when the skirt 130 is mounted in the hangers 10, 110 by the bosses 134.) When a skirt 30, 130 is due for renewal, it can be removed by WO 2008/052244 PCT/AU2007/001530 8 pushing the bosses 34, 134, 135 downwardly to release them from the opposed jaws 20, 120 of the hangers 10, 110. However, it is more usual to cut the "legs" 36, 136 of the first few bosses 34, 134, 135 adjacent one end of the skirt 30, 130; and then pulling the end of the skirt 30, 130 outwardly 5 relative to the hangers 10, 110, thereby tearing the "legs" 36, 136 of the bosses 34, 134 to release the skirt body 31, 131 from the hangers 10, 110. In the embodiments illustrated, the skirts 30,130 have bosses 34, 134, 135 of substantially T-shape, ie., with a "leg" 36, 136 and "transverse head". It will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee that the 10 bosses 34, 134, 135 may be substituted by protrusions 234 each having a shank 236 interconnecting an enlarged, eg., square or round head 238, to the adjacent skirt body 231, as illustrated in FIG. 11, showing a third embodiment of the skirt 230. The embodiments described provide a simple, efficient skirting 15 system for conveyor belts, where the hangers 10, 110 can be easily manufactured and installed; and the skirts 30, 130 can easily be mounted on, or be removed from, the hangers 10, 110. Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described and illustrated without departing from the present 20 invention.

Claims

1. A conveyor skirt hanger, mountable above the conveyor, having a front wall and at least a top wall, wherein: at regular spacings along the front wall, pairs of opposed jaws 5 being operable to adjustably engage an elongate boss or protrusion on an adjacent face of a conveyor skirt to be supported by the hanger.

2. A hanger as claimed in Claim 1, wherein: a sealing strip is provided adjacent the bottom of the front wall and extends forwardly therefrom to engage the adjacent face of the conveyor 10 skirt.

3. A hanger as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the hanger is formed from sheet metal, such as steel or aluminium, by roll-forming or press-brake techniques.

4. The hanger as claimed in Claim 2, wherein: 15 the hanger is of substantially Z-shape, where the sealing strip is formed integrally with the front wall, or is of substantially C-shape, where the sealing strip is attached to the front wall or to a bottom wall.

5. A hanger as claimed in Claim 2, wherein: the sealing strip is formed by a substantially U-shaped portion 20 interconnecting the front wall and the bottom wall and inclined at an angle thereto.

6. A hanger as claimed in Claim 2, wherein: the hanger is formed, by moulding, from plastics material, which are optionally fibre-reinforced. 10

7. A hanger as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 5, wherein: each jaw is formed by punching or pressing the material forwardly out of the pane of the front wall.

8. A hanger as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein: 5 teeth on each pair of opposed jaws are downwardly-directed so that the respective bosses or protrusions on the skirts are inserted into the hanger in a downward fashion.

9. A skirt hanger and skirt assembly including a skirt hanger as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8; and a skirt wherein: 10 adjacent bosses or protrusions on the skirt are provided at the same centre distance as between adjacent pairs of opposed jaws on the skirt hanger; and the bosses or protrusions are of substantially T-shape, or have a web or leg interconnecting the body of a skirt to an enlarged head. 15

10. An assembly as claimed in Claim 8, wherein: the spacing between the teeth of each pair of opposed jaws is less than the thickness of the web or legs of the T-shaped bosses or protrusions, or of the shanks of the bosses or protrusions.

11. An assembly as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein: 20 one set of bosses or protrusions is provided on one face of the skirt adjacent the top edge of the skirt, and a second set of bosses or protrusions is provided on the opposite face of the skirt spaced downwardly from the top edge of the skirt, but preferably overlapping the one set of protrusions in height.