CN113165819B

CN113165819B - Handling device for cargo container and method for transferring bulk material

Info

Publication number: CN113165819B
Application number: CN201980077838.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 默里·罗伯特·布莱德尔
Original assignee: Container Rotation Systems Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Container Rotation Systems Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2018-10-10
Filing date: 2019-09-16
Publication date: 2023-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-16
Also published as: AU2019356794A1; WO2020073076A1; CN113165819A

Abstract

A cargo container handling device for handling covered cargo containers is described, the device comprising: a main body; container engagement means for engaging a cargo container, the container engagement means being pivotally attached to the body; the body is attachable to the lifting apparatus so that the combination of handling device and container can be lifted off the ground and moved to different positions in the area; the body of the device is adapted to rotate relative to the container when the container is placed on a surface, thereby providing access to load material into the container.

Description

Handling device for cargo container and method for transferring bulk material

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cargo container handling device and a method of transferring bulk material. The invention finds particular, but not limited, application in unloading bulk material from a ship.

Background

Various types of bulk materials, such as ore, coal, grain, wood chips, sand, crushed stone, etc., are transported to various places by sea using a ship called a bulk carrier or a ship. Bulk material is loaded into one or more cargo holds on the ship through one or more hatches, which are typically covered by a movable hatch cover during transport. For unloading ships, quay cranes may be used to lower buckets or the like through hatches into the cargo holds to scoop up the bulk material. The bucket is then lifted from the cargo hold and suspended above the location where the bulk material is dumped from the bucket. It has been found that these types of operations result in loss of bulk material that escapes from the bucket during unloading. This effect is particularly pronounced when the unloading operation is carried out in windy conditions and may lead to a large amount of suspended particles or dust, which is undesirable.

There remains a need for improved means for unloading bulk materials.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a cargo container handling device for handling covered cargo containers, comprising: a main body; container engagement means for engaging a cargo container, the container engagement means being pivotally attached to the body; the body is attachable to the lifting apparatus so that the combination of handling device and container can be lifted from the ground and moved to different positions in an area; the body of the device is adapted to rotate relative to the container when the container is placed on a surface, thereby providing access to the load of material into the container.

The apparatus may further comprise a container lid lifting mechanism associated with the body for engaging the lid of the container and arranged to move the lid of the container between the closed and open positions.

The device may further comprise an engine powering operation of the device, and wherein the engine is pivotally mounted relative to the body and arranged to rotate in a direction opposite to the body of the device when the body rotates relative to the container.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of transferring bulk material from one location to another, the method comprising the steps of: providing a cargo container handling device according to the first aspect of the invention; engaging a container handling apparatus with a cargo container; moving the combination of the container handling apparatus and the cargo container to a position proximate to the bulk material and lowering the container for placement on a surface; rotating the body relative to the container, thereby providing access to load material into the container; loading a quantity of bulk material into a container; rotating the body back to its original orientation; and lifting the combination of the container handling device and the cargo container and then moving it to another location.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cargo handling device shown with a cargo container;

FIG. 2 shows the cargo handling device of FIG. 1 engaged with a container;

fig. 3 shows the cargo handling device of fig. 1 having lifted the lid of the container 100;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cargo handling device performing a tilt maneuver to provide access to load material into a container;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the device in the position shown in FIG. 4;

fig. 7 and 8 show views similar to fig. 5 and 6 of an alternative embodiment of the cargo handling device; and

fig. 9 shows the apparatus and container of fig. 4 in association with an excavator loading material into the container.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, a cargo container handling device 10 for handling a cargo container 100 having a cover 102 is shown. The apparatus 10 is sold under the trademark Container rotation solutions Co., ltd (Container Rotation Solutions Pty Ltd) (www.containerrotationsystems.com)

An improved form of container-type bulk handling device for sale. The apparatus 10 comprises a body 20 and container engagement means in the form of two arms 22 for engagement with a cargo container, each arm being pivotally mounted to the body 20 and each arm being fitted with a pair of twist locks for engagement with a pair of twist locks provided at the top corners of the container 100The twist lock bag (twist lock pocket) is engaged in a known manner. The arm 22 is associated with a hydraulic actuator (not visible) operable to rotate the arm relative to the body 20.

The apparatus 10 further includes a container lid lifting mechanism in the form of a lid lifting assembly 24 associated with the body for engagement with the lid 102 of the container 100 and also associated with a hydraulic actuator arranged to move the lid lifting assembly 24 between a raised position and a lowered position to move the lid of the container between a closed condition and an open condition, as will be described later.

The body 10 may be attached to lifting equipment in the form of a quay crane by attaching chains to the lifting eyes 30 so that the combination of the container 100 and the cover 102 of the handling device 10 may be lifted off the ground and moved to different positions in the area.

So far, called

Has been used for loading operations. In these operations, the cargo handling device is suspended from the quay crane and controlled by a control system operated by the quay crane operator. The device is brought close to the loaded container and attached thereto by operating a twist lock provided on the arm 22. The combination of the device and the container is then lifted by means of a crane and moved to a position where the container is suspended above the loading aperture of the hold. Then, the crane operator starts to perform a series of operations: 1) Lifting the cover of the container; and 2) rotating the container by rotating the arm 22 to flip the container so that the material in the container falls from the opened container into the cargo hold. The container is then returned to its upright position, capped, and the empty container placed on the terminal for later reuse.

The apparatus 10 differs from existing cargo handling apparatus in that the apparatus 10 has been modified for unloading operations as well as loading operations. In particular, the hydraulic actuator that controls the rotation of the arm 22 is configured in a closed hydraulic circuit that operates the actuator in both directions. This allows the rotational position of the arm to be hydraulically locked in any desired angular orientation. In this way, when the container is on the ground (see fig. 4), the body of the device can be controlled to rotate relative to the container, thereby providing access to load material into the container, as will be described below.

Operation example

With reference to fig. 1-4, a series of operations utilizing the apparatus 10 to unload bulk granular material, such as wheat grain, from a hold will be described. The ship carries wheat grain to the destination port. The port is equipped with a cargo handling device according to fig. 1, and many containers 100 are equipped with covers 102. The port is also equipped with an excavator equipped with a wide and low impact track.

1) The hatch of the ship covering the hold containing the grain is opened and the excavator is lowered into the hold by the quay crane so that it is located on top of the grain in the hold.

2) The cargo handling device 10 is then coupled to the quay crane via the lifting ring 30. And then brought into the vicinity of the container 100 as shown in fig. 1.

3) Referring to fig. 2, the quay crane lowering apparatus 10 is shown with twist locks provided on the arms 22 engaging twist lock pockets located at the upper corners of the container 100. The capped container 100 is now engaged to the apparatus 10.

4) The combination of the apparatus 10 and the container 100 is then lifted and lowered by the quay crane into the cargo hold of the ship to rest on top of the grain in the cargo hold. The crane operator continues to lower the crane hook so that some slack occurs in the chain connected to the lifting eye 30.

5) The crane operator then initiates a program to open the container for loading. First, the lid lift assembly 24 is moved to its lowered position and engaged with the lid 102. The lid lifting assembly 24 is then returned to its raised position, thereby lifting the lid 102 from the container 100, as shown in fig. 3.

6) The device 10 is then moved, thereby actuating the hydraulic actuators associated with the arms 22 of the device, and as a result, the body 20 rotates relative to the container 100 (see fig. 4). The body is rotated approximately 60 degrees away from the vertical. The interior of the container 100 is now accessed to load grain by the excavator (as shown in fig. 9).

7) The excavator continues to fill the container until capacity is reached. Then, the reverse order of operations is performed. The device 210 is rotated back to the upright position shown in fig. 3 and then the lid is reinstalled as shown in fig. 2. The combination of the device and the filled container is then lifted from the hold by the quay crane and stopped at a position on the quay for later transport.

8) The quay crane operator then picks up another empty container and repeats the above process until there is no grain in the hold.

Referring to fig. 5, the hydraulic system in the cargo-handling device 10 is powered by a diesel internal combustion engine 50. The engine 50 is mounted inside the main body 20 on a pivot mount 62. Exhaust gases from the engine are directed to the atmosphere by flexible tube 52. During rotation of the body 20 of the cargo handling device 10, the direction of the engine 50 is controlled by operation of a hydraulic ram (hydraulic ram) 60.

In fig. 5, the main body is in a normal upright orientation. Referring now to fig. 6, the body 20 has been rotated to the orientation shown in fig. 4. During tilting operations, hydraulic ram 60 is extended to maintain engine 50 in an upright or nearly upright orientation to maintain the engine within its designated operating parameters.

Referring to fig. 7 and 8, an alternative embodiment of an engine mount is shown. In this version, the engine 50 is mounted to the bracket 64 at a pivot point 66. Referring now to fig. 8, as the body 20 of the cargo handling device rotates, the engine 50 is free to rotate under the influence of gravity to maintain the engine 50 in an upright orientation.

In the above embodiment, the grain is unloaded from the cargo hold using an excavator equipped with a bucket. In other embodiments, other machines may be used in the cargo hold to load containers, such as front end loaders. The loading machine may be equipped with a bucket or grapple. Screw conveyors and conveyor belts may also be used in the hold of a ship to load containers.

The container handling arrangement has been described above in relation to unloading bulk material from the hold of a ship. Embodiments of the invention also have application in tunnel, mining and construction operations. The container may be loaded into the ground and then lifted to the ground for unloading.

The above embodiments utilize a diesel generator as a power source. Other embodiments may use other power sources, such as an electric motor.

Any reference to prior art contained herein should not be taken as an admission that the information is common general knowledge, unless otherwise indicated.

Finally, it is to be understood that various alterations or additions may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.

Claims

1. A cargo container handling device for handling covered cargo containers, comprising:

a main body;

container engagement means for engaging a cargo container, the container engagement means being pivotally attached to the body;

the body is attachable to the lifting apparatus so that the combination of handling device and container can be lifted off the ground and moved to different positions in the area;

when the container is placed on a surface, the body of the device is adapted to rotate relative to the container, thereby providing access to the load of material into the container,

wherein the cargo container handling device further comprises an engine powering operation of the device, and wherein the engine is pivotally mounted relative to the body and arranged to rotate in a direction opposite to the body of the device when the body is rotated relative to the container, and the engine is held in an upright or nearly upright orientation.

2. The cargo container handling device of claim 1 further comprising a container lid lifting mechanism associated with the body to engage the container lid and arranged to move the container lid between the closed and open positions.

3. A method of transferring bulk material from one location to another, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a cargo container handling device according to any of claims 1 to 2;

engaging a container handling apparatus with a cargo container;

moving the combination of the container handling apparatus and the cargo container to a position proximate to the bulk material and lowering the container for placement on a surface;

rotating the body relative to the container, thereby providing access to load material into the container;

loading a quantity of bulk material into a container;

rotating the body back to its original orientation; and

the combination of the container handling device and the cargo container is lifted and then moved to another location.