GB1597737A

GB1597737A - Loading process

Info

Publication number: GB1597737A
Application number: GB5272377A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: KEYSERS F
Current assignee: KEYSERS F
Priority date: 1976-12-28
Filing date: 1977-12-19
Publication date: 1981-09-09
Also published as: DE2757328C2; DE2757328A1; LU78733A1; FR2376050B1; FR2376050A1; BE849940A; NL7714025A

Description

(54) LOADING PROCESS (71) I, FRANS KEYSERS, of Rue des Martyrs, 9, 4162 Hody, Belgium, a Belgian citizen, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me, 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 loading process, particularly for material in piles such as sugar beet and to a loading machine for performing this process.

At present, sugar beet and the like are loaded by pitch forks, front loaders fitted to a tractor or grab cranes. These loading methods have various disadvantages, inter alia that during loading the sugar beet are damaged or crushed which often leads to a significant drop in their sugar content.

In connection with the loader, it is pointed out that it must continually move to and fro in order to load a certain volume of sugar beet and then unload them onto a lorry, so that a relatively long time is required for loading the complete pile and there is an increasing danger of it becoming bogged down on soil which becomes increasingly muddy due to all the comings and goings.

When the sugar beet is loaded by means of grab cranes, they are not moved or agitated and therefore they are placed on the lorry whilst still covered with soil.

To obviate all these disadvantages, the present invention proposes a loading process which makes it possible to continuously load materials without it being necessary for the loading machine to move on the ground and, for example in the case of sugar beet, they are subject to a shaking action to remove the soil but without damaging them in any way.

According to the present invention there is presented a loading process particularly for materials in piles such as sugar beet, the process comprising moving loading containers in an endless trajectory and varying constantly the angular position of the loading containers relative to the trajectory during such movement.

Preferably, the initial angular position of the containers is regulated as a function of the volume of material to be loaded and as a function of whether loading is taking place from a large or small pile.

The invention also provides a rotary loading machine for performing the process of the invention comprising a plurality of substantially V-shaped longitudinal containers arranged on the periphery of a circular support each container opening towards the outside, and the bottom of each container being pivotally mounted on the support, means being provided for pivoting each container individu ally relative to the support.

In order to provide a better understanding of the invention, the latter is described in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the attached diagrammatic drawings, wherein show: Fig. 1 a side view of a rotary machine for loading materials in piles according to the invention.

Fig. 2 the machine of Fig. 1 in a different angular starting position of the containers.

Fig. 3 a side view of a variant of a rotary machine according to the invention.

Fig. 4 a side view of another variant of a rotary loading machine according to the invention.

Fig. 5 a front view of a vehicle equipped with a loading machine according to Fig. 1 in the operation position.

Fig. 6 a profile view of the vehicle of Fig. 5 in the same position.

As can be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the rotary machine is in the form of a relatively long drum, having circular flanges 1, for example three flanges, one of which is at each end and the other in the centre in order to minimise torsion, the flanges being carried by an axial roller 2. Containers 3 extending over the entire length of the drum and equidistant from one another are mounted on the periphery of the flanges. The containers are V-shaped and their walls are formed by teeth 4 which extend towards the outside.

The bottom of the containers, i.e. the base of the V, is pivotally connected at 5 to the periphery of flanges 1, whilst the end of one of the walls and more specifically the front wall in the rotation direction of the drum (arrow X) is articulated in a fixed circular race 6 of the same diameter as the supporting flanges 1, but mounted in an eccentric manner (axis 7) relative to axis 8 of the drum.

When the drum has been rotated by any appropriate known hydraulic or mechanical means, containers 3 move with the drum in accordance with a circular path or trajectory, but due to the fact that one end 9 of the container is fixed to the eccentric race 6, each container will assume continually different angular positions during its trajectory.

It is readily apparent and clearly visible in the drawings that at certain times, the container projects partly into the drum whilst at other times it is completely external thereof.

Loading takes place in the following manner: the rear toothed wall of the container, when the latter is located at the base of the drum in a position where it is in the form of a grab, comes into contacts with the pile and takes up a certain quantity of sugar beet. As it continues its trajectory, the container swings about its pivot 5 until at the apex of its trajectory, it assumes a position which gives it the true configuration of a container. In the continuation of its trajectory, the front toothed wall is inclined downwards and permits the quantity of sugar beet which has been loaded to flow out of the container, for example onto a conveyor belt in the manner to be described hereinafter.

According to the invention, not only does the angular position of the containers vary constantly during the trajectory thereof but also the initial angular position of the containers can be regulated. Thus, whilst the variations of the angular position are given by driving the containers in the fixed eccentric race 6, the latter is mounted in regulatable manner about axis 7 of the drum. Fig. 2 shows a different position of the race giving a different starting position for the containers.

The position of the race in Fig. 1 is intended for the loading of a large pile of sugar beet, whilst a different initial angular position enables it to take up a smaller quantity of sugar beet, whilst in the position of the race in Fig. 2 the container is able to complete the loading of the last sugar beet in the pile due to its angular position.

In order to facilitate loading at the end of the pile, the rotary machine has a grating 11 which swings into place at the desired time and positions itself in front of the containers (Fig. 2) and brings the sugar beet which have fallen from the containers to the base of the machine. Below said grating is provided a drive roller 12 which rotates in the opposite direction to drum 1, 2 and brings the final sugar beet into a restricted space 13 where they are more easily loaded. This roller can also be adjusted to different heights above the ground and can be driven like the drum by any suitable known hydraulic or mechanical means.

During loading on and in the containers, the sugar beet roll on one another without causing any damage and as a result lose a large proportion of the adhering soil which drops through the teeth of the containers.

If the sugar beet are covered with large quantities of soil, it is possible by giving a suitable slope to containers 3 to bring back the sugar beet from space 13 via the rear top of grating 11 where they are taken up by the drive roller 12 and made to perform two or three circuits around the grating, thereby loosing most of the adhering soil due to rubbing against one another, before finally being brought to the top of the drum.

When the rotary machine has been brought to the foot of the pile, it does not have to be moved throughout the loading operation which takes place continuously and without any loss of time.

It is obvious that such a machine working continuously is much more efficient than the presently used machines and as a result it permits much more economic loading.

On being discharged from the upturned container, the sugar beet advantageously drop onto a conveyor belt 10 (Fig. 1) via an inclined plane 14 which may optionally be be provided with teeth which, through meshing with the teeth of the containers, hold back the sugar beet outside the containers permitting the latter to continue their empty path downwards. According to the invention, the conveyor belt which is positioned parallel to the machine and continues up to the discharge point onto lorries comprises a certain number of lengthwise sections, said sections moving at different speeds, thus causing the sugar beet to rub against one another at each change of section, thereby removing most of the soil which still adheres to them and once again without causing any damage. The multiple sections of the belt are preferably assembled in telescopic manner so as to reduce the overall dimensions when not in use.

The variation of the angular positions of the containers can be obtained in various ways. Reference has previously been made to a construction according to the invention having a circular race whose axis is off centre relative to the support of the containers.

Another construction according to the invention comprises bringing about the pivoting of container 3 on its support 1 by the displacement of a piston (Fig. 3). Each container 3 is connected to a piston 15 mounted in pivotal manner on roller 2. The control of piston 15 is programmed so as to obtain a clearly defined variation in the angular positions of the containers.

Fig. 3 shows an inclined plane 14 constituted by a retractile plate under the action of a jack 16 in order to permit the passage of containers 3. Instead of comprising teeth, the walls of the containers can be solid when loading materials other than soil-covered sugar beet.

In a further construction according to the invention, one of the walls 4' of the containers is fixed to its support 1, whilst the other wall 4" is mounted pivotally and assumes various angular positions under the action of a piston 15 (Fig. 4). In this construction, the variation of the angular position consists of a variation of the opening of the container.

The process and loading machine according to the invention have been described with particular application to materials in the form of piles such as sugar beet in a storage area or in swaths, but the process and machine can also be applied to digging earth and in this case the containers are provided with a cutting edge or one of their walls is provided with teeth which serve to dig the soil and the excavated material is poured from the containers onto the conveyor belt.

According to the invention, it is also considered advantageous to associate the loading machine with a vehicle on which are located the regulating and control members, as well as the driving means for the machine elements and on which are mounted in overhung manner both the drum and the belt in such a way that they can be raised by per se known means (Figs. 5 and 6). As this vehicle has to travel over fields and often muddy ground, it is provided with caterpillars (Trade Mark) 17 but, as it is of considerable width in view of the great length of the drum, it also has wheel axles 18 positioned parallel to the caterpillars 17, whilst the latter can be displaced upwards in order to place the wheels on the ground and permit the vehicle to travel on a road.

A rotary loading machine as shown dia grammatically in the drawings has been des cribed hereinbefore but it is obvious that without passing beyond the scope of the in vention various purely constructional modi fications can be made thereto.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A loading process, particularly for materials in piles such as sugar beet, the process comprising moving loading containers in an endless trajectory and varying constantly the angular position of the loading containers relative to the trajectory during such movement.

2. A loading process according to claim 1 wherein the initial angular position of the containers may be varied as a function of the volume of materials to be loaded and as a function of whether loading takes place from a large or a very small pile.

3. A rotary loading machine for a process as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 comprising a plurality of substantially V-shaped longi tudinal containers arranged on the periphery of a circular support, each container opening towards the outside, and the bottom of each container being pivotally mounted on the support, means being provided for pivoting each container individually relative to the support.

4. A loading machine according to claim 3 wherein the means for pivoting the containers include a fixed race mounted eccentrically relative to the support and in which is articulated one end of one of the walls of the containers.

5. A rotary loading machine according to claim 4 wherein the position of the fixed ec centric race is variable relative to the sup port in such a way as to vary the initial angular position of the containers.

6. A loading machine according to claim 3 wherein the means for pivoting the containers are constituted by pistons articulated on the central axis of the support, one piston being articulated in each case to one container.

7. A loading machine according to claim 6 wherein the angular position of the wall of the containers positioned towards the in side of the drum is fixed relative to the support, the piston acting on the other wall.

8. A loading machine according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the control of the pistons is programmed.

9. A rotary loading machine according to any of claims 3 to 8 and including a detach able grating in the form of a circular arc or the like and which is able to form a screen in front of the containers in front of the machine in order to bring to the base of the latter material which has dropped from the containers, an- further including below said grating, a small drive roller which, in use, rotates in opposite direction. to the drum of the containers in order to place the last of the material to be loaded in front of the lower container.

10. A rotary loading machine according to any of claims 3 to 9 wherein the back of the machine is associated with a conveying system constituted by a conveyor with successive belt sections, whereby the belt sections are arranged to move at different speeds, and with a barred floor or an inclined plane which serves to facilitate the discharge of the material onto the conveyor.

11. A rotary loading machine according to any of claims 3 to 10 wherein the machine is associated with a vehicle on which are mounted the control and driving members for the container drum and means for pivoting the containers and the conveyor belt, said members and means being carried in overhanging manner on the vehicle on which they can be raised.

12. A rotary loading machine according to

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

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. of a jack 16 in order to permit the passage of containers 3. Instead of comprising teeth, the walls of the containers can be solid when loading materials other than soil-covered sugar beet. In a further construction according to the invention, one of the walls 4' of the containers is fixed to its support 1, whilst the other wall 4" is mounted pivotally and assumes various angular positions under the action of a piston 15 (Fig. 4). In this construction, the variation of the angular position consists of a variation of the opening of the container. The process and loading machine according to the invention have been described with particular application to materials in the form of piles such as sugar beet in a storage area or in swaths, but the process and machine can also be applied to digging earth and in this case the containers are provided with a cutting edge or one of their walls is provided with teeth which serve to dig the soil and the excavated material is poured from the containers onto the conveyor belt. According to the invention, it is also considered advantageous to associate the loading machine with a vehicle on which are located the regulating and control members, as well as the driving means for the machine elements and on which are mounted in overhung manner both the drum and the belt in such a way that they can be raised by per se known means (Figs. 5 and 6). As this vehicle has to travel over fields and often muddy ground, it is provided with caterpillars (Trade Mark) 17 but, as it is of considerable width in view of the great length of the drum, it also has wheel axles 18 positioned parallel to the caterpillars 17, whilst the latter can be displaced upwards in order to place the wheels on the ground and permit the vehicle to travel on a road. A rotary loading machine as shown dia grammatically in the drawings has been des cribed hereinbefore but it is obvious that without passing beyond the scope of the in vention various purely constructional modi fications can be made thereto. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A loading process, particularly for materials in piles such as sugar beet, the process comprising moving loading containers in an endless trajectory and varying constantly the angular position of the loading containers relative to the trajectory during such movement.

12. A rotary loading machine according to

claim 11 wherein the vehicle is provided with means which allow it to be moved in the direction of its length and in the direction of its width.

13. A rotary loading machine according to claim 11 or claim 12 wherein the vehicle is a caterpillar vehicle which is provided with wheel axles located parallel to the caterpillars, whereby the latter can be displaced upwards in order to permit the vehicle to travel along roads.

14. A process according to claim 1 and substantially as herein described.

15. A process substantially as described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

16. A rotary loading machine according to claim 3 and substantially as herein described.

17. A rotary loading machine substantially as described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.