GB1569751A - Materials handling apparatus more particularly for the offloading of ships - Google Patents

Description

(54) A MATERIALS HANDLING APPARATUS, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR THE OFFLOADING OF SHIPS (71) We, FIVES-CAIL BABCOCK, a French Body Corporate of 7, Rue Montalivet, 75583 Paris Cedex 08, France, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a materials handling apparatus more particularly to such an apparatus for the offloading of a ship transporting bulk materials.

An apparatus of this type is usually constituted by an elevator, for example a bucket elevator, suspended on the end of an arm or jib which is connected pivotably to a gantry mounted on rails so as to be able to move along the quay where a ship which is being unloaded is berthed. The elevator is introduced inside the hold of the ship, from which it takes out the material contained in the hold. At the top end of the elevator, this material is discharged onto a conveyor, for example a conveyor belt, carried by the jib.

In order to carry out the offloading of material from the hold correctly, it is necessary for the elevator to be displaceable in longitudinal, vertical and transverse directions relatively to the said hold. The displacement of the gantry on its rails effects the longitudinal displacement of the elevator. The vertical displacement of the said elevator is effected by the pivotable movement of the jib actuated by lifting means.

Hitherto the control of the transverse displacement of the elevator has been the subject of various solutions.

A first known solution consists in mounting the jib on the gantry by means of a carriage which can be displaced transversely relatively to the said gantry. The jib is then pivotably mounted on an upright of the carriage. This solution results in a complicated structure which is not very economical and is also very bulky.

Another known solution consists in mounting the elevator on a carriage acting as a trolley capable of moving along the jib. This kind of arrangement results in having a considerable mass in an overhung situation relatively to the gantry.

It has also been proposed to bring about the transverse displacement of the elevator by a driving means for the jib integral with the lifting means of the said jib. It then becomes impossible to bring about the vertical displacement and transverse displacement of the elevator apparatus independently.

The invention has as its object more especially to obviate the disadvantages of these known arrangements.

According to the present invention there is provided a materials handling apparatus, comprising a gantry capable of displacement in a first direction, a jib inclined relative to the gantry, an elevator apparatus suspended from the free end of the jib and mounted to be pivotable about the said jib, a balancer with counterweight for balancing the jib and on which balancer the said jib is suspended, and a swingable arm to which the jib is pivotably connected, the balancer and the swingable arm being each pivotably mounted on a common pivot carried by the gantry, in such a manner that the said balancer and the said arm can move pivotably independently of one another in a vertical plane perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the gantry, pivoting movement of the arm causing transverse translational displacement of the jib and of the elevator apparatus suspended from the said jib.

Very preferably, pivoting movement of the jib relative to the gantry causes vertical translational displacement of the elevator apparatus suspended from the said jib.

The balance means very preferably comprises two opposite limbs, one of which carries the counterweight and the other of which is connected to the jib by a tie, the swingable arm and the said tie forming two opposite sides of a parallelogram linkage.

The movement of the swingable arm is preferably controlled by jacks integral with the gantry.

The movements of the jib is preferably controlled by lifting means integral with the gantry, the said means actuating the limb of the balancer which carries the counterweight.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the lifting means of the jib are constituted by two independent winches, two cables, balanced in tension by a compensator, being each wound on the two winches by their respective ends, the said cables cooperating with pulleys mounted on the limb of the balancer which carries the counterweight.

An embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention will now be described by way of non-limitative example only, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a general view of an embodiment of materials handling apparatus according to the present invention and Figure 2 is a detail view illustrating the lifting means of the jibs shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 1 there may be seen a gantry 1 mounted on rails such as 2 in such a manner as to be capable of being displaced along a quay 3 at which a ship 4 to be offloaded is berthed. A swingable arm 5 is suspended at an upper portion of the gantry 1 from a pivot 6 integral with the gantry 1. A jib 7 is pivotably connected at its end 8 to a lower end of the arm 5.

The free end of the jib 7 opposite from its end 8 carries an elevator apparatus 9, of the bucket elevator type for example, adapted to penetrate into the hold of the ship 4. The elevator 9 is mounted to be pivotable on the jib 7 and its pivotal movement is controlled by a jack 10.

A balancer 11 is mounted to be pivotable about the pivot 6 of the arm 5, the said arm 5 and the said balancer 11 being independent of one another. The balancer 11 has three limbs, 1 la, 1 lib and 1 lc respectively. The limb 1 la situated at the side of the apparatus opposite from the jib 7, carries a counterweight 12 for balancing the weight of the said jib 7. The limb 1 lib situated at the same side of the apparatus as the jib 7 and substantially opposite the limb 1 la is connected to the said jib 7 by means of a tie 13 whose lower end is attached to two suspension cables 14 and 15 secured to the jib 7. The tie 13 forms with the arm 5 two opposite sides of a parallelogram linkage 1 lb, 13, 14, 15.The limb 11c of the balancer 11 is an intermediate limb whose free end is connected by ties, 16 and 17 respectively, to the corresponding ends of the limbs 1 la and 1 lb.

The pivotal movement of the arm 5 is controlled by jacks 18 mounted upon the gantry 1. The pivotal movement of the jib 7 is controlled by lifting means which are given the general reference numeral 19 and which will be described hereinafter. It will be noted for the time being that these means are carried by the gantry 1 and act by means of cables on the limb 1 la of the balancer which is provided for this purpose with pulleys 20.

When the apparatus is in service, the elevator 9 is introduced into the hold of the ship 4 from which it takes out the bulk material which the said hold contains. At the upper portion of the elevator 9, this material is discharged onto a conveyor 21, in this case a conveyor belt, which is carried by the jib 7. The conveyor 21 discharges the material into a hopper 22 which discharges it onto a second conveyor. A third conveyor 24 discharges the material to reception apparatus provided on the quay.

To discharge the hold of the ship 4 completely, the lower end of the elevator 9 engaging the material contained in the hold must describe a volume corresponding to a parallelepiped having as its sides the width, the length and the height of the hold.

The arrangements which have just been described make it possible to displace the elevator in the three directions, independently.

Firstly, the translational movement of the gantry 1 on its rails 2 brings about the longitudinal displacement of the apparatus as a whole, i.e. into and out of the plane of the paper in Figure 1.

Secondly, the pivoting movement of the jib 7 about its pivot 8 under the action of the lifting means 19 through the agency of the balancer 11 controls a mainly vertical displacement of the elevator 9. The elevator 9 being mounted on the free end of the jib 7 retains a vertical position during the pivoting movement of the said jib 7. The chain dotted lines in Figure 1 illustrate the range of positions of the jib 7 and elevator 9 which may be achieved.

If, during the pivoting movement of the jib 7, the arm 5 remains immobile, then the jib 7 and the balancer 11 then turn through the same angle. Whatever the angular position of the jib 7, the balancer 11 and its counterweight 12 balance the jib 7 and its elevator 9 perfectly, the lifting means 19 being loaded only by material situated on the elevator 9 and on the conveyor 21, and by an additional safety weight quantity calculated so that wind will not relax the cables of the lifting means 19 when the jib 7 and the balancer 11 are completely raised.

Thirdly, the swinging of the arm 5 about its pivot 6 controlled by the jacks 18 brings about a mainly transverse displacement of the elevator 9 in the direction of the width of the hold of the ship 4.

During the swinging of the arm 5 the balancer 11 may remain immobile so that the jib 7 is displaced parallel to itself, causing the deformation of the parallelogram linkage.

It can be seen that the two pivoting movements described hereinbefore can be controlled separately by independent control means. In each case, the parallelogram linkage defined hereinbefore becomes deformed, one of its sides remaining immobile.

The jack 10 makes it possible to effect the pivoting movement of the elevator 9 relatively to the jib 7, so that the material at the side of the hold can be offloaded.

In Figure 2 there have been shown the lifting means 19 of the jib 7 which are essentially constituted by two winches 1 9a and 1 9b which are coaxial and are independent of one another.

The respective ends of two cables 25 and 26 are wound on each winch 19 at their ends. These cables effect the lifting of the jib 7, exerting a tractive force on the coaxially arranged pulleys 20 of the balancer 11. Guide pulleys 27 integral with the gantry 1 are also arranged coaxially.

In travelling between two assemblies associated respectively with winches 19a and 1 9b, and each formed of pulleys 20 and pulleys 27, the cable 25 passes over two guide pulleys 28 and 29 integral with the balancer 11 and having axes perpendicular to those of the pulleys 20.

In the same way, the cable 26, in travelling between the two assemblies, passes over two guide pulleys 30 and 31 integral with the balancer 11 and having axes perpendicular to those of the pulleys 20.

Cables 25 and 26 are balanced in tension by a compensator 32 connected pivotably to the shafts of two of the pulleys 27 cooperating with the said cables, the said compensator being fixedly connected to the gantry 1.

The arrangement illustrated in Figure 2 allows the use of winches 19a and 1 9b driven by squirrel-cage motors without any particular precautions regarding synchronisation thereof, the differences in length of cable unwound from the two winches being compensated by a transfer of cable length at the two sides of the centre points of the respective said cables.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment it will be apparent that it is no way limited thereto, and that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

For example the bucket elevator illustrated may be replaced by an elevator of the same type but with its plane perpendicular to the plane of the parallelogram linkage instead of being parallel to this plane, or identical with this plane. The bucket elevator could be replaced by an elevator of any other type. More generally, any one of the means described could be replaced by a technically equivalent means.

In addition to the example illustrated, therefore, the invention covers various constructional modifications thereof as defined by the appendant claims.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A materials handling apparatus, comprising a gantry capable of displacement in a first direction, a jib inclined relative to the gantry, an elevator apparatus suspended from the free end of the jib and mounted to be pivotable about the said jib, a balancer with a counterweight for balancing the jib and on which balancer the said jib is suspended, and a swingable arm to which the jib is pivotably connected, the balancer and the swingable arm being each pivotably mounted on a common pivot carried by the gantry, in such a manner that the said balancer and the said arm can move pivotably independently of one another in a vertical plane perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the gantry, pivoting movement of the arm causing transverse translational displacement of the jib and of the elevator apparatus suspended from the said jib.

2. A materials handling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement is such that a pivoting movement of the jib relative to the gantry causes vertical translational displacement of the elevator apparatus suspended from the said jib.

3. A materials handling apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the balancer comprises two opposite limbs one of which carries the counterweight and the other of which is connected to the jib by a tie, the swingable arm and the said tie forming two opposite sides of a parallelogram linkage.

4. A materials handling apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movement of the swingable arm is arranged to be controlled by jacks carried upon the gantry.

5. A materials handling apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein pivoting movement of the jib is controlled by lifting means carried by the gantry, the said means being arranged to act on the limb of the balancer which carries the counte-weight.

6. A materials handling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lifting means are constituted by two independent winches, two cables, balanced in tension by a compensator, being each wound on the two winches by their respective ends, the said cables cooperating with pulleys mounted on the limb of the balancer which carries the counterweight.

7. A materials handling apparatus according to any preceding claim and particularly adapted for the offloading of bulk materials from within a ship.

8. A materials handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described.

9. A materials handling apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (1)

1. **WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

   9 in the direction of the width of the hold of the ship 4.

   During the swinging of the arm 5 the balancer 11 may remain immobile so that the jib 7 is displaced parallel to itself, causing the deformation of the parallelogram linkage.

   It can be seen that the two pivoting movements described hereinbefore can be controlled separately by independent control means. In each case, the parallelogram linkage defined hereinbefore becomes deformed, one of its sides remaining immobile.

   The jack 10 makes it possible to effect the pivoting movement of the elevator 9 relatively to the jib 7, so that the material at the side of the hold can be offloaded.

   In Figure 2 there have been shown the lifting means 19 of the jib 7 which are essentially constituted by two winches 1 9a and 1 9b which are coaxial and are independent of one another.

   The respective ends of two cables 25 and 26 are wound on each winch 19 at their ends. These cables effect the lifting of the jib 7, exerting a tractive force on the coaxially arranged pulleys 20 of the balancer 11. Guide pulleys 27 integral with the gantry 1 are also arranged coaxially.

   In travelling between two assemblies associated respectively with winches 19a and 1 9b, and each formed of pulleys 20 and pulleys 27, the cable 25 passes over two guide pulleys 28 and 29 integral with the balancer 11 and having axes perpendicular to those of the pulleys 20.

   In the same way, the cable 26, in travelling between the two assemblies, passes over two guide pulleys 30 and 31 integral with the balancer 11 and having axes perpendicular to those of the pulleys 20.

   Cables 25 and 26 are balanced in tension by a compensator 32 connected pivotably to the shafts of two of the pulleys 27 cooperating with the said cables, the said compensator being fixedly connected to the gantry 1.

   The arrangement illustrated in Figure 2 allows the use of winches 19a and 1 9b driven by squirrel-cage motors without any particular precautions regarding synchronisation thereof, the differences in length of cable unwound from the two winches being compensated by a transfer of cable length at the two sides of the centre points of the respective said cables.

   Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment it will be apparent that it is no way limited thereto, and that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

   For example the bucket elevator illustrated may be replaced by an elevator of the same type but with its plane perpendicular to the plane of the parallelogram linkage instead of being parallel to this plane, or identical with this plane. The bucket elevator could be replaced by an elevator of any other type. More generally, any one of the means described could be replaced by a technically equivalent means.

   In addition to the example illustrated, therefore, the invention covers various constructional modifications thereof as defined by the appendant claims.

   WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A materials handling apparatus, comprising a gantry capable of displacement in a first direction, a jib inclined relative to the gantry, an elevator apparatus suspended from the free end of the jib and mounted to be pivotable about the said jib, a balancer with a counterweight for balancing the jib and on which balancer the said jib is suspended, and a swingable arm to which the jib is pivotably connected, the balancer and the swingable arm being each pivotably mounted on a common pivot carried by the gantry, in such a manner that the said balancer and the said arm can move pivotably independently of one another in a vertical plane perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the gantry, pivoting movement of the arm causing transverse translational displacement of the jib and of the elevator apparatus suspended from the said jib.

   2. A materials handling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement is such that a pivoting movement of the jib relative to the gantry causes vertical translational displacement of the elevator apparatus suspended from the said jib.

   3. A materials handling apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the balancer comprises two opposite limbs one of which carries the counterweight and the other of which is connected to the jib by a tie, the swingable arm and the said tie forming two opposite sides of a parallelogram linkage.

   4. A materials handling apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movement of the swingable arm is arranged to be controlled by jacks carried upon the gantry.

   5. A materials handling apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein pivoting movement of the jib is controlled by lifting means carried by the gantry, the said means being arranged to act on the limb of the balancer which carries the counte-weight.

   6. A materials handling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lifting means are constituted by two independent winches, two cables, balanced in tension by a compensator, being each wound on the two winches by their respective ends, the said cables cooperating with pulleys mounted on the limb of the balancer which carries the counterweight.

   7. A materials handling apparatus according to any preceding claim and particularly adapted for the offloading of bulk materials from within a ship.

   8. A materials handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described.

   9. A materials handling apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.