LU84029A1 - IMPROVED ARM FOR STORAGE AND / OR RECOVERY DEVICES WITH ENDLESS ARTICULATED CHAINS AND PALLETS - Google Patents

Description

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The present invention relates to an improved arm for storage and / or recovery devices with articulated endless chains and pallets.

Devices of this kind, often called scrapers, are generally used for the storage in heaps of coal, phosphates and the like and / or for the recovery of the materials thus stored.

These devices are made up of a mobile unit designed to move, on rails or tracks, along the storage area. Said crew is provided with a pivoting arm supporting two endless chains, which in turn support pallets normal to the arm, the role of which is to push back the product to be stored or taken back. The description of such a device, mixed in this case, will be found in US Patent No. 4,018,323.

In these known devices, the chains simultaneously fulfill four functions, namely: transmitting the traction necessary to move the pallets in the desired direction; support and maintain pallets normal to the arm, despite the reaction of the product handled; keep the pallets centered relative to the axis of the arm; and finally, support their own weight as well as that of the pallets. The combination of these functions leads to 5- significant constraints (traction and friction) sources of rapid wear and significant energy consumption.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved arm, in which said chains fulfill only the sole traction function.

To this end, an arm according to the invention is characterized in that the axes of articulation of the links of said chains each carry a roller as well as a pallet attachment, these rollers being intended to traverse tracks provided for this purpose on said arm, while raw chacrue Dalette is fed. between its ends, at least one roller parallel to the longitudinal axis of said pallet and intended to engage between two centering guides carried by said arm.

For greater clarity, an exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below, with reference to the appended schematic drawings, in which: FIG. 1 represents a mixed device, that is to say storage and recovery, equipped with an arm according to the invention; Figure 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, according to trace II-II of Figure 1; Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged views of the parts indicated respectively by F3 and F4 in Figure 2; and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view according to arrow F5 in FIG. 2.

The sole purpose of FIG. 1 is to show a type of machine to which the invention is addressed. It is constituted by a mobile assembly 1 mounted on rails arranged along a storage area 2, above which extends the arm 3 articulated at one of its ends on said assembly 1. A conveyor 4 can either bring products to be stored on arm 3, or evacuate the products taken up by it. As said above, more details on the construction and operation of this machine can be found in US Patent No. 4,018,323.

The arm 3 supports two endless chains 5 carrying in turn pallets 6. The assembly being symmetrical with respect to the vertical plane containing the geometric axis of the arm, it suffices to describe one of the chains and the elements associated therewith.

A chain 5 is constituted by links 7 mutually articulated using axes 8. The latter are here longer than usual and their ends are threaded. Pallet fasteners 9 are threaded on each axis 8, outside the chain 5, at the rate of two fasteners per axis.

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Each of these fasteners is constituted by a triangular-looking plate 10 (FIG. 5), the base of which is supported by two adjacent pins 8. One of the sides of this plate K) extends orthogonally to the direction of the geometric axis of the arm and this side is provided with a lip 11 for fixing a pallet.

A roller 12 with sealed bearing is threaded on each axis 8 then safety nuts 13 firmly block fasteners 9 and rollers 12 on their respective axes 8.

The pallets 6 are each constituted by a steel blade 14 with a substantially V-shaped cross section.

The rollers 12 of the upper strand of the chain 5 roll on a flat track 15 provided for this purpose on the arm 3, while those of the lower strand roll in a U-shaped section 16 carried by said arm.

Each pallet 6 carries in its center a roller 17 parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof. The rollers 17 extend between two centering guides 18 and 19 provided on the arm 3.

The assembly thus described therefore makes it possible to use the chain only as a traction element and to apply to it a well-focused stress. The large forces usually brought into the chain by friction are reduced in the ratio of the steel-on-steel friction coefficients to that of the rolling of the ball bearings, that is to say in the ratio of 1 to 10 approximately.

It goes without saying that many modifications can be made to the example described above, without going beyond the ambit of the invention, which extends to any machine equipped with an arm * as described and claimed.

Thus, the use of safety nuts can be replaced by any other system, such as riveting, etc.

In addition, the pallet attachments could constitute chain links, exterior or interior.

Claims (9)

1. Improved arm for storage and / or recovery devices with endless articulated chains and pallets, of the type as defined herein, characterized in that the axes of articulation of the links of said chains each carry at least one roller as well a pallet attachment, these rollers being intended to run on tracks provided for this purpose on said arm, while pallets are provided, between their ends, with at least one roller parallel to the longitudinal axis of said pallet and intended to engage between two centering guides carried by said arm. 2. Improved arm according to claim 1, characterized in that the rollers and pallet attachments are carried by their respective axis outside of said chain. 3. Improved arm according to claim 2, characterized in that each pallet attachment is constituted by a triangular plate whose base is intended to be supported by two adjacent axes of a chain. 4. Improved arm according to claim 3, characterized in that when said plate is mounted on the chain, one of its sides extends orthogonally to the direction of the geometric axis of the arm, the plate being further provided, along said side, a lip intended for fixing a pallet. 5. Improved arm according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that two fasteners are provided for each end of the pallet. 6. Improved arm, characterized in that each pallet is constituted by a steel blade having a cross section substantially in the shape of a V. 7. Improved arm according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the rollers mentioned is of the bearing type ékanch # ". AT / 8. Improved arm for storage and / or recovery devices with articulated endless chains and pallets, substantially as described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 9. Any device or device for storage and / or recovery, equipped with an arm according to one or more of claims 1 to 8. *: Ιλ Ι / ΐι 1 Jr W