GB670656A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for the drying of leather - Google Patents

Abstract

670,656. Rope conveyers. TUSTING, J. C., and OVERSTALL, G. June 21, 1950. [June 24, 1949] No. 16782/49. Class 104 (ii). [Also in Group XIII] In the drying of leather, hides &c. the skins carried on frames 58 are propelled continuously through a drying chamber 10 by a conveyer, and a second conveyer external to the drying chamber but passing transversely through each end of it has controlled intermittent movement, automatic means transferring the loaded frames from the external conveyer to the internal conveyer and, when the skins are dried, back to the external conveyer again. The drying chamber 10 has a pair of track rails 11, one at each side of the chamber and an endless chain 12 supported on sprockets 13 whereby it is driven, runs adjacent each track rail 11 and has horn attachments 14 at regular intervals, jockey wheels 15 and tensioning gear 16 being provided on the return run. An overhead runway 17 runs externally along both sides of the chamber 10, passing through each end of it and suspended from the runway by brackets 18 with runners 19 is an endless chain 20 having jockey wheels 21, driving sprockets 23 and tensioning gear. The internal conveyer chain 12 is driven continuously by a motor through shafts 28, 30, gears 31, 32, 33 and shaft 37 which drives the sprockets 13 through gears 39, 40, 39a, 40a. The external conveyer is driven from the other end of shaft 30 through a magnetic clutch 41 via sprockets 43, 44 and chain 45 driving a vertical shaft 48 which carries the sprockets 23 of the chain 20. Constantly driven stub shafts 49, 49a extending into chamber 10 carry transfer arms 52 each having pivotally secured thereto a cup-like member 52a connected by a rod 53 to an arm 54 pivoted at 54a and having a counterbalance 55 (Fig. 5). Some of the brackets 18 have carrier hooks 56 to receive bars 57 carrying the panels 58, each bar having runners 62 which travel on the tracks 11 when the frames are propelled through the chamber by the horns 14 of the chain 12. Each panel arrives in turn at the unloading end and the runners 62 move down ramped portions 11a and rest against stops 11b where they are picked up by transfer arms 52 which make one revolution in the time taken for the next panel to move into position and the panel is lifted so that bar 57 engages with a pair of hooks 56 of runway 17. The chain 20 is kept stationary during this operation through clutches 41 operated by cam-operated switches. As each frame is unloaded another frame is loaded on to the track rails by arms 52 operating in unison with those unloading. To prevent uncontrolled gravitational movement of a panel when its runners reach the ramps 11a each track has an arm 64 pivoted at 64a and supported near its free end by the plunger 65a of a dash-pot 65, so that the runners rest gently on the horns 14 in front as the plunger descends and are retarded so as to come to rest without shock against the runners of the preceding panel.