GB2227727A

GB2227727A - Discharging container by tipping

Info

Publication number: GB2227727A
Application number: GB8920753A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Walter Jenkins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-01-26
Filing date: 1989-09-13
Publication date: 1990-08-08
Also published as: GB8901682D0; GB8920753D0

Abstract

A method for the discharge of the contents of a bulk container comprising manoeuvering a bulk container using a lifting harness to a discharge point and lowering the container until it is at rest at said discharge point. In relaxation of the load on the lifting harness a gravity releasable part of the harness disengages a pair of gravity releasable attachment means (18) located on either side of the end of the container. The container is then raised by a manually releasable part of said harness attached by manually releasable attachment means (22) at the opposing end of the container such that the container tilts discharging its contents at the discharge point. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE DISCHARGE OF THE CONTENTS OF BULK CONTAINERS This invention relates to the discharge of the contents of bulk containers and in particular to a method of loading a bulk carrier ship by the use of bulk containers such as skips.

Skips are well known containers for transporting bulk materials and are provided with attachment means on both sides adjacent the front-end and rear-end thereof to allow for the attachment of a lifting harness thereto to enable the skip to be moved from one transport means to another.

In the loading of a bulk carrier ship the skip containing bulk material is lowered into the ship's hold.

The lifting harness is manually removed from both sides adjacent one end of the skip such that as the skip is raised out from the ship's hold the contents of the skip spill into the hold.

This method of loading a bulk carrier ship requires manual workers to be present in the hold during loading which is labour intensive and presents a danger to the manual workers therewithin.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for the discharge of the contents of a bulk container comprising manoeuvering the bulk container by a lifting harness to a discharge point, lowering the container until it is at rest at the discharge point and the load on the lifting harness is relaxed such that a gravity releasable part of the lifting harness disengages at each side of one end of the container, but a manually releasable part of the lifting harness remains attached at each side of an opposing end of the container and, raising the container clear of the discharge point suspended solely by the manually releasable part of the lifting harness whereby the container is tilted and the contents of the container are discharged as the container is lifted clear.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of loading a bulk carrier comprising discharging the contents of a plurality of bulk containers thereinto, whereby each bulk container is discharged according to the method of the next preceding paragraph.

The bulk carrier may be a sea-going vessel and the bulk container may be a skip.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising a bulk container having a first pair of gravity releasable attachment means located on each side adjacent a first end of the container and adapted to cooperate with a gravity releasable part of a lifting harness and a second pair of manually releasable attachment means located on each side adjacent a second end of the container and cooperable with a manually releasable part of the lifting harness.

The gravity releasable part of the lifting harness may simply comprise hoops suspended from steel ropes, the steel ropes spaced apart by a horizontally orientated beam member and hoops cooperahle with the first pair of attachment means.

The first pair of attachment means may each comprise a downwardly directed hook affixed by an upper end thereof to each side of the bulk container adjacent the first end thereof.

The downwardly directed hook may be additionally secured to each side of the bulk container by a strengthening member.

The strengthening member may simply comprise a bar secured by an upper end thereof to a side of the bulk container at a position above the location of the downwardly directed hook and secured to said hook by a lower end thereof.

The manually releasable part of the lifting harness may be comprised of lockable collars suspended from steel ropes, the steel ropes spaced apart by a horizontally orientated beam member and the lockable collars cooperable with the second pair of attachment means.

The second pair of attachment means may each comprise an outwardly projecting bar capped by a flange, and a retaining bar.

The manually releasable and gravity releasable parts of the lifting harness may be mutually secured together about a lifting point.

The foregoing and further features of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bulk container suspended from a lifting harness; Figure 2a is a portion A of figure 1 on enlarged scale showing one of the first pair of gravity releasable attachment means cooperable with a gravity releasable part of the lifting harness; Figure 2b is a view of the attachment means of figure 2a showing an additional strengthening member; Figure 3 is a portion B of figure 1 on enlarged scale showing one of the second pair of manually releasable attachment means cooperable with a manually releasable part of the lifting harness; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a bulk carrier at rest with the lifting harness load relaxed; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a bulk carrier during discharge of its contents.

Referring to the drawings a bulk container 10 for transporting bulk materials such as sand, stone, etc is shown. The container 10 is comprised of a substantially quadrangular bucket having an open top and a front-end 12 thereof which slopes outwardly. On both sides 14, 16 and adjacent the front-end 12 of the container 10 are located a first pair of gravity releasable attachment means 18 cooperable with a gravity releasable part of a lifting harness 20. Similarly, a second pair of manually releasable attachment means 22 are located on both sides 14, 16 of the container 10 adjacent a second end 24 thereof.

The gravity releasable part of the lifting harness 20 comprises a pair of hoops 26 suspended by steel ropes 28, the steel ropes 28 being spaced apart by a horizontally orientated spreader bar 30.

The first pair of attachment means 18 are each comprised of a downwardly directed hook 32 and a strengthening member comprised of an elongate flat bar 34.

The hook 32 is affixed by an upper end thereof to a side 14, 16 of the container 10 adjacent the first end 12 thereof.

The bar 34 is secured to the side 14, 16 of the container 10 by its upper end at a position above the location of the hook and also secured to a top side of the hook at its lower end. The flat bar 34 strengthens the hook 32 for lifting but also prevents the hoop 26 from resting on top of the hook 32 when the lifting harness 20 load is relaxed.

The manually releasable part of the lifting harness 20 is comprised of lockable collars 36 suspended from steel ropes 38, the steel ropes 38 being spaced apart by a spreader bar 40.

The second pair of attachment means 22 are located on either side 14, 16 of the container 10 adjacent the second end 24 thereof and are each comprised of an outwardly projecting bar (not shown) capped by a flange 42, and a retaining bar 44. The lockable collars 36 are manually secured around the projecting bars and are prevented from randomly disengaging said second pair of attachment means 22 by the flanges 42 and retaining bars 44.

The two parts (26, 28, 30), (36, 38, 40) of the lifting harness 20 are secured together about a lifting point 46 which is connected to a crane or like lifting apparatus.

The bulk container 10 can be transported aboard lorries, trains or similar transport means. However, to allow discharge of the contents 48 of container 10, in the loading of a bulk carrier ship for example, the lifting harness 20 must be manually attached to the attachment means 18, 22 of the container 10 and the container 10 then lifted clear of said transport means (figure 1).

The container 10 is then lowered into the ship's hold until it comes to rest at a required discharge point and the load on the steel ropes 28,38 of the lifting harness 20 is relaxed. The hoops 26 of the lifting harness 20 fall away from the first pair of gravity releasable attachment means 18 (figure 4), but the lockable collars 36 of the lifting harness 20 remain attached to the second pair of manually releasable attachment means 22 such that as the container 10 is raised upwards from the discharge point (figure 5) its contents 48 spill out at said discharge point as required.

By repeating this process with each loaded bulk container 10 a bulk carrier ship, for example, can be more quickly and safely loaded without an operator being present in-the hold.

The spreader bars 30, 40 space apart the steel ropes 28, 38 of the two parts of the lifting harness 20 such that they prevent the steel ropes 28, 38 from exerting sidewards pressure on the sides 14, 16 of the container 10 during lifting.

Claims

1. A method for the discharge of the contents of a bulk container comprising manoeuvering a bulk container by a lifting harness to a discharge point, lowering the container until it is at rest at the discharge point and the load on the lifting harness is relaxed such that a gravity releasable part of the lifting harness disengages at each side of one end of the container, but a manually releasable part of the lifting harness remains attached at each side of an opposing end of the container and raising the container clear of the discharge point suspended solely by the manually releasable part of the lifting harness, whereby the container is tilted and the contents thereof are discharged.

2. A method of loading a bulk carrier comprising discharging the contents of a plurality of bulk containers thereinto, wherein each bulk container is discharged by a method as claimed in claim 1.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the bulk carrier is a sea-going vessel and the bulk container is a skip.

4. Apparatus for carrying out the method of claims 1 or 2 comprising a bulk container having a first pair of gravity releasable attachment means located on each side adjacent a first end of the container and cooperable with a gravity releasable part of the lifting harness and a second pair of manually releasable attachment means located on each side adjacent a second end of the container and cooperable with a manually releasable part of the lifting harness.

5. A bulk container as claimed in claim 4 wherein the first pair of gravity releasable attachment means are each comprised of a downwardly directed hook affixed by an upper end thereof to each side of the bulk container adjacent the first end thereof.

6. A bulk container as claimed in claim 5 wherein the downwardly directed hook is additionally secured to each side of the bulk container by a support member.

7. A bulk container as claimed in claim 6 wherein the support member is an elongate bar.

8. A bulk container as claimed in claims 6 or 7 wherein the support member is secured by an upper end to a side of the bulk container at a location above the downwardly directed hook and secured to the hook by a lower end thereof.

9. A bulk container as claimed in claim 4 wherein the second pair of manually releasable attachment means are each comprised of an outwardly projecting bar capped by a flange, and a retaining bar.

10. A lifting harness for carrying out the method of claims 1 or 2 wherein the gravity releasable part of the lifting harness is comprised of hoops suspended from steel ropes, the steel ropes spaced apart by a horizontally orientated beam member.

11. A method for the discharge of contents of a bulk container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

12. Apparatus for carrying out the method of discharging the contents of a bulk container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the-drawings.