GB2136779A - Bulk material handling station - Google Patents

Abstract

A station for receiving bulk material conveying lorries such as tipper trucks is arranged so that lorries can drive in and dump their loads. When the lorry drives out, the station 12, 15, 18 is raised and hinged flaps 12 forming a floor of the station open so discharging the material at a regulated rate onto a conveyor 14 disposed between and below the flaps. When the station is emptied of the material, the station can be lowered ready for another lorry. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bulk material handling station The present invention concerns bulk material handling stations.

When material is to be stored in a silo or hopper and is delivered in bulk carriers such as lorries, the lorries are often discharged by means of pneumatic conveyors directly into the hopper or silo but this entails the lorries waiting a considerable time for the discharging to be completed. It has been proposed to discharge the lorries quickly into a temporary holding store from which the material is conveyed into the silo or hopper but this has involved digging a deep hole for the temporary store.

The present invention provides a bulk material handling station in which there are provided wheel ways along which a vehicle can be driven and a conveyor running parallel and between the wheel ways.

The arrangement is thus such that a lorry can run into the station and dump its load rapidly and then the conveyor will remove the dumped load to free the station for a second lorry. If the wheel ways are level with the ground, it is only necessary to excavate sufficiently to install the conveyor. A particularly advantageous feature of the present invention is thaht the wheel ways are hinged to side walls of the station and form guides to feed the material into the conveyor and that the side walls and the hinged wheel ways can be raised so as to incline the wheel ways to discharge the material centrally onto the conveyor.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a cross-section of a schematic station, Figure 2 is a schematic longitudinal section, and Figure 3 illustrates a linkage arrangement used in the station.

The station shown in the drawings is particularly intended for use with silos forwasshed small coal.

A lorry can drive into the station at ground level 11 on wheel ways 12 and dump its load in the station.

Centrally to and parallel to the wheel ways there is a conveyor 14. This can be a belt type conveyor, and can deliver the dumped material to a bucket type conveyortaking the material up into the top of a silo (not shown). If as is intended the lorry backs in and dumps its load behind it, the lorry can immediately drive away and need not be considered further; if it is desired for the lorry to drive forward all the time, it is necessary for the bucket-type conveyor to allow access to the station at both ends.

The station has side walls 15 to which the wheel ways are hinged and these side walls can be raised so as to incline the wheel ways into a V-shape. The side walls and the wheel ways prevent the material spilling over the edges of the conveyor. Depending on the material, it may be desirable to provide seals the hinges. The side walls can be counterbalanced since it will be appreciated that raising the side walls does not substantially lift the material which if it is relatively free-flowing merely flows to the gap between the wheel ways.

The wheel ways in the initial position can adjoin each other or a small gap 16 can be left between them. As the side walls are raised this gap will increase. It is envisaged that the side walls will need to be raised only sufficiently for the material to slide off the wheel ways. It is preferred that the trailing edges of the wheel ways (on the sides of the gap) do not contact the conveyor but are held spaced above the conveyor by a plurality of bars transverse to the conveyor or other spacing means 17. These spacing means are supported by longitudinal floor members 18 running along the sides of the conveyor and spaced apart by the normal track of the lorry so the weight of the lorry is merely transmitted through the wheel ways onto these members.

The side walls should desirably be raised without tilting although they do not necessarily have to be raised in unison. This is most easily achieved by mounting each side wall on a pair of pivotal links 19 arranged in the manner of a parallel motion linkage with a hydraulic ram 20 to cause the motion. The ram can be spring-loaded to counterbalance the weight of the side wall.

1. A bulk material handling station in which there are provided wheel ways along which a vehicle can be driven and a conveyor running parallel and between the wheel ways.

2. A bulk material handling station comprising a pair of side walls and a base in the form of flaps hinged to the side walls, the side walls having associated with them means for raising them so that the flaps are tilted from an initially substantially horizontal position where they substantially abut each other to a progessively more inclined funnellike position with a progressively increasing gap between the flaps, and wherein a continuous conveyor is disposed under the neighbouring edges of the flaps to receive the material passing through the gap, the arrangement being such that the flaps form wheel ways over which a lorry can be driven into the station to dump its load and can then be driven out again leaving its load on the flaps and then the side walls can be raised to progressively open the gap and to discharge the load in a semi-regulated manner onto the conveyor.

3. A station according to claim 2 wherein longitudinal floor members spaced apart by a lorry's track width lie below the flaps when the flaps are in the horizontal position so the weight of the lorry will be taken by the flaps transmitting the weight in pure compression to the floor members.

4. A station according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the neighbouring edges of the flaps rest on bars transverse to the conveyor so the edges as they are parted do not rub over the conveyor.

5. A station according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the raising means is a ram driven parallel motion linkage with the ram counterweighed.

6. A bulk material handling station substantially

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

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Bulk material handling station The present invention concerns bulk material handling stations. When material is to be stored in a silo or hopper and is delivered in bulk carriers such as lorries, the lorries are often discharged by means of pneumatic conveyors directly into the hopper or silo but this entails the lorries waiting a considerable time for the discharging to be completed. It has been proposed to discharge the lorries quickly into a temporary holding store from which the material is conveyed into the silo or hopper but this has involved digging a deep hole for the temporary store. The present invention provides a bulk material handling station in which there are provided wheel ways along which a vehicle can be driven and a conveyor running parallel and between the wheel ways. The arrangement is thus such that a lorry can run into the station and dump its load rapidly and then the conveyor will remove the dumped load to free the station for a second lorry. If the wheel ways are level with the ground, it is only necessary to excavate sufficiently to install the conveyor. A particularly advantageous feature of the present invention is thaht the wheel ways are hinged to side walls of the station and form guides to feed the material into the conveyor and that the side walls and the hinged wheel ways can be raised so as to incline the wheel ways to discharge the material centrally onto the conveyor. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a cross-section of a schematic station, Figure 2 is a schematic longitudinal section, and Figure 3 illustrates a linkage arrangement used in the station. The station shown in the drawings is particularly intended for use with silos forwasshed small coal. A lorry can drive into the station at ground level 11 on wheel ways 12 and dump its load in the station. Centrally to and parallel to the wheel ways there is a conveyor 14. This can be a belt type conveyor, and can deliver the dumped material to a bucket type conveyortaking the material up into the top of a silo (not shown). If as is intended the lorry backs in and dumps its load behind it, the lorry can immediately drive away and need not be considered further; if it is desired for the lorry to drive forward all the time, it is necessary for the bucket-type conveyor to allow access to the station at both ends. The station has side walls 15 to which the wheel ways are hinged and these side walls can be raised so as to incline the wheel ways into a V-shape. The side walls and the wheel ways prevent the material spilling over the edges of the conveyor. Depending on the material, it may be desirable to provide seals the hinges. The side walls can be counterbalanced since it will be appreciated that raising the side walls does not substantially lift the material which if it is relatively free-flowing merely flows to the gap between the wheel ways. The wheel ways in the initial position can adjoin each other or a small gap 16 can be left between them. As the side walls are raised this gap will increase. It is envisaged that the side walls will need to be raised only sufficiently for the material to slide off the wheel ways. It is preferred that the trailing edges of the wheel ways (on the sides of the gap) do not contact the conveyor but are held spaced above the conveyor by a plurality of bars transverse to the conveyor or other spacing means 17. These spacing means are supported by longitudinal floor members 18 running along the sides of the conveyor and spaced apart by the normal track of the lorry so the weight of the lorry is merely transmitted through the wheel ways onto these members. The side walls should desirably be raised without tilting although they do not necessarily have to be raised in unison. This is most easily achieved by mounting each side wall on a pair of pivotal links 19 arranged in the manner of a parallel motion linkage with a hydraulic ram 20 to cause the motion. The ram can be spring-loaded to counterbalance the weight of the side wall. CLAIMS

1. A bulk material handling station in which there are provided wheel ways along which a vehicle can be driven and a conveyor running parallel and between the wheel ways.

2. A bulk material handling station comprising a pair of side walls and a base in the form of flaps hinged to the side walls, the side walls having associated with them means for raising them so that the flaps are tilted from an initially substantially horizontal position where they substantially abut each other to a progessively more inclined funnellike position with a progressively increasing gap between the flaps, and wherein a continuous conveyor is disposed under the neighbouring edges of the flaps to receive the material passing through the gap, the arrangement being such that the flaps form wheel ways over which a lorry can be driven into the station to dump its load and can then be driven out again leaving its load on the flaps and then the side walls can be raised to progressively open the gap and to discharge the load in a semi-regulated manner onto the conveyor.

3. A station according to claim 2 wherein longitudinal floor members spaced apart by a lorry's track width lie below the flaps when the flaps are in the horizontal position so the weight of the lorry will be taken by the flaps transmitting the weight in pure compression to the floor members.

4. A station according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the neighbouring edges of the flaps rest on bars transverse to the conveyor so the edges as they are parted do not rub over the conveyor.

5. A station according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the raising means is a ram driven parallel motion linkage with the ram counterweighed.

6. A bulk material handling station substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.