CA1258651A - Apparatus for trimming and emptying bulk material - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for trimming and emptying bulk material in a cargo room (2) comprises two rake means (18, 19) which at one end are connected to the lower end of a lifting means in the form of a vertical conveyor (16). The lifting means is suspended in a housing (9) which is movable transversely of the longi-tudinal direction of the ship on a chassis (8), which in turn is drivable on rails (4) along the top of the hatch coamings (22) of the ship. The lifting means feeds a transverse conveyor (12) on the chassis (8), which conveyor in turn feeds a conveyor (5) running in the longitudinal direction of the ship. The rakes (18, 19) are pivotable in the vertical plane and may be pivoted about a vertical axis, perferably together with the lifting means (16). When moving the apparatus from one cargo room to another or to parking position, the lifting means and the rakes are raised up into a tele-scoping extension (14) of the housing (9).

(Fig. 6)

Description

~ e ~resent invelltion relates to an apparatus for trimming arld emptying bulk material -Erom a s-torage room or holcl, comprising at least one rake means whlch is movable vertically and transversely of the direction of mo-tion of the bulk material, and which is arranged to move a bulk material towards a lifting means.
Such an apparatus is known i.a. from US-PS 4 170 433.
Here, each hold has a fixed vertical transporter or lifting means which is fed with bulk material by two orthogonally arranged rake means. Since each holcl must have fixed eqUipmellt, this system entails large expenditures for ships having a plurality of holds.
~rom US-PS 4 350 467 a system of a somewhat different character is known. Elere, one has a lifting means arranged in the forward part of a ship. This lifting means is fed by a bel-t conveyor which extends cen-trally near the bottom of all the holds. In order to move -tha-t part of the bulk material which will not slide by itself down -towards the belt conveyor, one uses -two rake means which may be raised and lowered in the ho]d and, fur-thermore, are pivo-table about one end. These rakes may be moved from one hold -to another by means of a carriage which can be driven in the longitudinal direction of -the ship on the -top side of the holds. In this case the rakes mus-t be sufficien-tly long to reach the sides of the hold in order to completely empty the hold. For the same reason the hatchways of the holds must extend almost -the en-tire leng-th of the holds in order not to leave material by the transverse bulkheads separating the holds. Ilowever, the longitudinal ccnveyor at -the bottom of the shiE~ necessitates an open connection be-tween all holds. This entails that such a system may not be used for oceangoing vessels, because for such vessels it is required that -the holds be separated by means of watertight bulkheads The purpose of the presen-t invention is to provide a trimming and emptying apparatus for bulk material in a hold or storaCJe chamber which does not suffer from the above drawbacks and deficiencies. This is obtained according to the invention by means of a trirnrning and emp-tying apparatus ~2~i~1B5~l Ot the t~` Tllellt-iOIled :ill t:he first paragraph, the apparatus :leinc! c!1arc~ ecl in tl1at the liftlncJ means is suppor-ted in a housillc3 ~orraising clnd lowering, said houslng being arrancJ2c1 on a chassis which is movable on the -top side of .-said room, and in that said at least one rake rneans at one of its ends is pivotably attached near the lower end of -the lifting means.
Thus one obtains an apparatus which may be moved from one room to another, so that in case the ship has several car~lc- rooms, only one apE~aratlls is necessary. Since no part oF the unloading syster-l remail1s permanently in any of the holds, these may be separated by means of watertigh-t bulkheacls so that the ship will fulfill the requirements for oceangoing vessels.
According to an adventageous fea-ture of the invention, the housing is movable on the chassis generally transversely of the direction of mo-tion of the chassis. The lifting means and the rakes are of course also movable together with the housing so that the rakes can be brought into less accessible parts of the holds, i.a. be-tween webs and other reinforce-men-ts. rl'he -transverse movability of the rakes also en-tails that these may be made substantially shorter than half of the width oE the room withou-t sacrificing -the ability of the system to completely empty -the hold.
~5 According -to another adventageous feature of the inven-tion, -the chassis carries a conveyor for transporting bulk material from the lifting mearls to a belt conveyor running along the track of the chassis. Thus, unloading may be performed irrespective of the posistion of -the chassis and the position of -the housing on the chassis.
The housing may adventageously be provided wi-th a vertically telescoping extension wherc?in the lifting means is suspended. 'I'hus, the housing will not ex-tend higher than necessary whetl1er the apparatus is in use or in parked condition. ~In this way it is easier to avoid the housing blocking the view from the bridge and avoid unnecessary stress and strain on the apparatus during transit in rough sea.
Fur-thermore, i-t is expedient -to privide the apparatus :~5~

with two rake means arranged on opposi-te sides oF the llfting means. The reaction forces from the rakes on their support thus will generally cancel each other and thereby minimize the stress and strain on -the lifting means.
According to the invention, it is also suggested that the supporting means for the rakes be made pivotable about a vertical axis, possibly toge-ther with the liFting means.
Thus, the rakes may reach all par-ts oF the cargo room even-though the hatchway of the latter does not extend in its entire leng-th.
The invention also comprises a ship having one or more cargo rooms which in the top is provided with at least one hatchway surrounded by a coaming 9 wherein the ship also comprises a trimming and emptying apparatus according to the invention as previously stated. The coaming may be provided with rails on the outside on which the chassis of -the apparatus may run 9 and the ship may also advantageously be provided with a parking space For the apparatus. This parking space may advantageously comprise a recess into which parts of the apparatus may be lowered when it is not in use. Thereby, the apparatus may be secured more easily when it is not in use, it will be less subjected to inertia forces when the ship moves in heavy sea, and it will be less likely to block -the view from the bridge of the ship.
For the better understanding of the invention, it will be described more closely with reference to the exemplifying embodiment shown in the appended drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a side view, partly in section, of a ship provided with an apparatus according to the invention.
Fig. 2 shows the ship of Fig. 1 in plan view.
Fig. 3 shows a part of Fig. 1 at a larger scale.
Fig. 4 shows a part of Fig. 2 at a larger scale.
Fig. 5 generally shows a section along the line V - V
in Fig. 1 at a larger scale.
Fig. 6 shows a section like Fig. 5, but with an empty cargo room.
Fig. 7 shows a section like Figs. 5 and 6, but with the cargo room full.
Fig. 8 shows a sectional view of an alternate position of the unloading apparatus.
The ship shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which generally is ~2~i~365~
"
le;i;lat(~l t"~ 1, (omprises a plllrality of holds 2. The il~ip i~; ~"o idc~(l wi~ll a lri~ n-ing al~cl cmpty:ing apparatus 3 aCCOl-din(`~ to tllC` invelltic)rl, ~or brevity callecl unloading app-lratlls, whi(il is at work in the aft hold 2 of the ship.
rihe unloadinc3 apparatus is in rig. 1 shown in two alternative positions, one 3 cluring unloading of one of the other holds, ancl the other 3 in parked position close -to the superstructure of the Stlip. It wil-L be understood that -the unloading apparcltus is mova~le along rails 4 extending in the longitudinal clirectioll of tlle ship. ~urthermore, the ship is provicled with a longitudinll hclt conveyor 5 which is fed by the ullloaclin3 apparatus 3, and which in turn feeds a pivotably supported belt conveyor 6 for landing the bulk material 7.
From FicJs. 3 and 4, which are parts of Figs. 1 and 2 at a larger scale, i-t will be evident that the unloading ap~aratus according -to -the invent:ion comprises a chassis 8 whieh is d-rivable on rails 4. On the chassis a housing 9 is arranged which is movable over an opening 10 in the chassis in the transverse d:irection of the ship. From the housing ~ a chute 11 extends to a transverse belt conveyor 12 moun-ted on -~he chassis 8. The transverse belt conveyor feeds the lonqitudinal belt conveyor 5.
Figs. 5 - 7 show further details of -the unloading apparatus according to thc- invention. It will be seen tha-t the housing g is provided with supports 13 for a -telescoping extensiGn li~ of -the housing. This ex-tension 14 is internally provid d with a hoictirlc3 means ]5 for a lifting means for bulk material in thc form o~~ a bucl~et elevator. The housing is of course provld(d ~ith guides (not shown) Eor the lifting means .
~ t the l)ottOIll the li~l:in~ melns 16 is provided with a fork suspension 17 for twc) opposite rake means 18, 19.
Tllese rakes are attache(l to the fork susp^ns iOII by one o:F
their ends so thlt by means of suitable means (not showll) they can be pivoted between a general]y vertical and a generally horizontal position, as suggested iJl F.ig. 6. Ihe rakes work towards each other as shown by the arrows on -their bottom s de, so that the reaction forces exerted on the fork ~2~

S~lSpellsiOIl ~7 cll e larc)ely callcellecl. ~ig. 6 also shows t:he motiorl direction and possibilities for the various components comprisecl in the unloadincJ appara-tus according to the invention. It is also suggested that the lifting means 16 with the rakes 18, :L9 may be pivo-ted about a vertical axis. It is understood tha-t this pivotability, along with the movability oE the housing 9 in the trans-verse direction and the movability of -the chassis 8 in -the longitudinal direction of the ship (transversely of the drawing plane~ m~kc it possible for the rakes -to reach the corners and other less accessible places in order -to comple-tely empty the hold.
Fig. 7 shows the lifting means 16 with the rakes 18, 19 in the upper position. In this condi-tion the apparatus according to the invention may be driven :Erom one hold to another without being hindered by the hatches 20. This condition also forms the s-tarting point for the unloading.
With -the rakes in the upright position these are lowered together wi-th the lifting means 16 down into the bulk material while they are driven in the usual way. The equip-ment is pressed down into the bulk material by means of 1-ts own weight, which, if necessary, may in increased by pro-viding the lif-ting means 16 and/or the rakes 13, 19 with ballast tanks which may be filled with wa-ter. When -the free ends of the rakes clear the bot-tom side of the chassis 8, they may gradually be swung out to their most suitable position. ~t will be understood tha-t -the rakes may be swung independently of each other and -thereby form different angles with the horizontal if this should be expedien-t. When the rakes have reached such a position tha-t -they can work fully, the chassis 8 and -the housing 9 are driven in a pre-programmed pa-tterll, so th~t the material is takell ~Erom both sides while the main movement proceeds in -the longitudinal direction of -the ship. The unloading is adjus-ted to the natural sliding angle of the rnaterial in order -to use the least possible energy.
Fig. 8 shows the unloading apparatus in an alternative posi-tion, the lifting means 16 with the rakes 18, 19 being pivoted 90 for the rakes to work in -the longitudinal ~æ~

cllrectioll of` l~e ship. ~ is worl~incl position may be advallta(]eous when the hatch coaming is relatively small with respect to the surface area of the hold. The pivotability of the rakes ahout a vertical axis is also of importance when they are used to trim the cargo in the hold. For this purpose the rakes are driven in the opposi-te direction so that they push the bulk material away from -the middle of the hold towards its sides.
As shown i a in ~igs. 1 - ~, the ship is provided with a recess 2] belweer- the superstructure and the rear cargo room. This recess is used for parking the unloading apparatus as indicated by 3" in Fig. 1. By lowering the lifting means 16 wi-th the rakes 18, l9 into -the recess, -the housing extension 1~ will come low enough in order not to block the view from -the bridge. Furthermore, in this position the unloading appara-tus will be relatively well protected and may be sufficiently supported.
It will be seen that the rails ~ for the chassis 8 are arranged on -the outside of the hatch coaminqs 22. Thus, the unloadlng apparatus may be driven from parking position to any of the holds wi-thout -the necessity of removing any of the hatches 20 passed on tile way. I-t will also be understood that the ship can be provided wi-th more than one unloading appara-tus according to the inven-tion if this should be expedient for reasons of unloading capacity. Ilowever, it is not necessary to store -the unloading apparatus on board the ship when it is not in use. Instead it can be taken off the ship when unloading is finished for use with other ships.
It will be understood that the invention may be modified and vacied in a number of ways within the scope of the following claims. Thus, -the apparatus may be pro-vided with more than two rakes, i.a. four rakes working in two orthocJonal directions. The lifting means, being a bucket elevaeor in the exàmple shown, may be replaced by any suitable lifting means, i.a. a screw conveyor, a suction device, a bucket wheel or the like, according to the proper-ties oE the material. If the hold is deep or it is desirable -to make the housincl for -the lif-ting means lower, , ~2~;865~

th~ -ti.n~ lC~lnS Ill-ly ~C? ~ ide(1 lnto parts heing vertic.1lly mo\~able with respect to each other, the lower part de1iverincl to the upper. With such a solu-tion one can avoid having to use a telescoping ex-tension of the housing.
The pivotability of the rakes abou-t a ver-tical axis, which in the example shown is per-formed to~ether with the lifting means, may alternatively -take place independen-tly of the pivoting of the 1,ifting means.
r'rom the preceding description i-t will be clear that according to the invention a trimming and emptying apparatus for bulk material has been provided having very high flexibility and a number of advantages. Thus, the apparatus may be ins-talled in a very short time bo-th in new and in existing ships wi-thout substantial modifica-tions. The apparatus will be able to empty the holds almost completely so that use of other tools or machines becomes unnecessary during the final phases of the unloading. The apparatus can therefore work continuously and -thereby save valuable unloading -time. If -the apparatus should be dama~ed when in use, it can be repaired on deck while the unloading may proceed wi-th other means, for instance a grab. Furthermore, the unloading apparatus does not prevent the ship from other cargos than bulk material.

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Claims (3)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. Apparatus for trimming and emptying bulk material to and from substantially the complete volume in a storage room of a ship having length, width and height dimensions, said storage room having a hatch at the top thereof, comprising:
a chassis, means for moving said chassis relative to the length and width dimensions of said storage room, means having upper and lower ends, mounted on said chassis and movable therewith, for lifting the bulk material vertically out of said storage room when emptying said bulk material from said storage room, a pair of elongated rake means mounted at the lower end of said lifing means, each of said rake means comprising a plurality of transverse elongate blades attached to a flexible endless loop member substantially exposed to said bulk material on at least a lower side and length of the rake means, for moving material along the length thereof to said lifting means when emptying said bulk material from said room, or along the length thereof away from said lifting means when trimming said bulk material, means for rotating said pair of rake means relative to said vertical dimensions of said room, and means for pivoting said pair of rake means from a substantially horizontal orientation in a vertical direction, and means for raising and lowering said lifting means and the rake means attached thereto, whereby said pair of rake means has at least five degrees of motion relative to the volume of said storage room to remove substantially the entire contents thereof.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for lifting is suspended by a vertically telescoping extension.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said means for moving said chassis includes rails associated with said storage room along which the chassis can run.