GB2087333A

GB2087333A - Conveyor plough device

Info

Publication number: GB2087333A
Application number: GB8036996A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: PNEULEC Ltd
Current assignee: PNEULEC Ltd
Priority date: 1980-11-18
Filing date: 1980-11-18
Publication date: 1982-05-26

Abstract

A conveyor plough device for diverting material off a trough belt conveyor has a frame (10) carrying a plough (22) pivotable between a raised inoperative position and a lowered operative position. A table (28) is mounted below the upper run of the conveyor belt and is pivotally carried on arms for movement e.g. by piston and cylinder devices between a lowered position in which the upper run of the belt is permitted to adopt a trough shape when the plough (22) is raised, and a raised position in which the upper run of the belt as it passes under the lowered plough (22) is flattened. Thus, the carrying capacity of the belt is not reduced when the plough (22) is in its raised position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Conveyor plough device This invention relates to conveyor plough devices i. e. devices which can be selectively positioned across a belt conveyor to divert material off the conveyor. Such ploughs are used, for example, to prevent material from continuing to be loaded onto a further conveyor which has stopped.

In the case of trough belt conveyors where the belt is permitted to adopt a trough form when carrying material, it has heretofore been the practice to provide a fixed plate under the conveyor belt at the location of the plough.

Such a plate causes the belt to be flattened at this location and so permits the plough (which is a blade having a straight lower edge extending at an angle across the conveyor) to be brought into a position in which it lies in the path of movement of the material on the conveyor and in close proximity to the upper surface of the belt across the whole of the width thereof. Whilst such an arrangement operates satisfactorily, it does have the disadvantage that flattening the belt at the location of the plough permanently reduces the carrying capacity of the belt at such location.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate this disadvantage.

According to the present invention, the conveyor plough device is provided with a belt support or table which is selectively movable between a portion in which it flattens the trough form of the belt for operation of the plough, and a position in which it permits the conveyor belt to adopt a trough form at the location of the plough.

In this way, the carrying capacity of the conveyor at the location of the plough is not reduced during normal operation of the conveyor ie when the plough is not in use.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of conveyor plough device according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a side view of part of the device of Fig. 1, Figure 3 is a cross-section through the device of Fig. 1, and Figure 4 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the conveyor plough device comprises a frame 10 which is provided with location lugs 1 2 to enable it to be mounted in the desired position relative to the frame 1 4 of a belt conveyor having a belt 1 6 whose upper arm is supported by rollers 1 8 permitting it to adopt a trough form when carrying material. The frame 10 may be mobile for positioning at the desired location along the length of the belt conveyor or it may be fixed at a particular location. The frame 10 carries a horizontal shaft 20 disposed above the belt 1 6 and extending perpendicularly across the latter. A plough 22 is carried on support arms 24 mounted on bearings 26 on the shaft 20.

A guide bar 27 is fixed at the downstream end of the plough 22, is disposed to one side of the belt 1 6 and is downwardly inclined away from the belt 1 6. The plough 22 and bar 27 are pivotable about the axis of the shaft 20 by means of one or more hydraulic or pneumatic piston and cylinder devices (not shown) between a lowered position as shown in the drawings and a raised position in which the plough 22 is spaced sufficiently far above the upper arm of the belt 1 6 for it not to impede passage of material along the conveyor.

Disposed between the upper and lower arms of the belt 1 6 and between longitudinally spaced sets of the rollers 1 8 is a belt support or table 28 which is mounted via a pair of pivotal support arms 30 (only one shown) on an inner sub frame 32. The table 28 has a planar upper surface and is provided with idler rollers 34 at upstream and downstream ends thereof. The rollers 34 ensure smooth running of the belt 1 6 over the table 28. A respective hydraulic or pneumatic piston and cylinder device 36 (only one shown) housed in the sub frame 32 is pivotably attached to each support arm 30.The piston and cylinder devices 36 serve to raise and lower the table 28 between an upper position (in which the table 28 engages the underside of the upper run of the belt 1 6 and flattens the belt) and a lower position in which the table is disposed below the rollers 1 8 and thus allows the belt 1 6 to adopt its trough form. The table 28 has a downwardly inclined plate 38 secured to the side edge thereof which is below the downstream end of the plough 22. The angle of inclination of the plate 38 is the same as that of the guide bar 27.

The piston and cylinder devices for operating the plough 22 and the table 28 may be controlled by manually operable valves or may be controlled automatically by a mechanism which serves, for example, the operating condition of a downstream conveyor fed by the belt conveyor fitted with the device. Thus, the piston and cylinder devices may be operated so as to move the plough 22 and its associated guide bar 27 into the aforesaid lowered position and the table 28 and its associated plate 38 unto the aforesaid upper position when the downstream conveyor stops for any reason. The material being transported along the belt 1 6 will then be diverted by the plough 22 sideways off the belt 1 6 over the plate 38 under the guidance of guide bar 27 and onto a further conveyor. When the down stream conveyor restarts, the piston and cylinder devices are operated to move the plough 22 into its raised position and the table 28 into its lower position so that the belt 1 6 is allowed to adopt its trough form and to carry the material again to the downstream conveyor.

in the above description, the term "downstream" is related to the direction of travel of the belt 16.

In place of using piston and cylinder device for raising and lowering the plough, other means may be used, for example, a worm and wheel arrangement, a screw jack or a scissor jack.

Claims

1. A conveyor plough device comprising a plough which can be selectively positioned across a trough conveyor belt to direct material off the conveyor; and a belt support or table which is selectively movable between a position in which it flattens the trough form of the belt for operation of the plough and a position in which is permits the conveyor belt to adopt a trough form at a location of the plough.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plough has a guide secured to a downstream end thereof, the guide being downwardly inclined away from the belt, and the belt support or table has a downwardly inclined plate secured to a side edge thereof which is below the downstream end of the plough.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the belt support or table is provided with rollers at upstream and downstream ends thereof for engagement with the underside of the belt in use.

4. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further including a frame through which the conveyor belt passes in use; support arms pivotally supporting the belt support or table; and means for pivoting the support arms to effect the aforesaid selective movement of the belt support or table.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plough is pivotally mounted on a shaft carried by the frame, and means are provided for effecting selective pivotal movement of the plough between a raised inoperative position and a lowered operative position.

6. A conveyor plough device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A trough conveyor belt system comprising a trough conveyor belt and a conveyor plough device as claimed in any preceding claim mounted so that the plough is disposed above a run of the conveyor belt and the belt support or table is mounted below said run.