NZ195077A - Conveyor for granular material:tubular plastics body supports conveyor belt in troughlike configuration - Google Patents

Description

1 95077 U Priority Datefs):- Complete Specification Filed: CHass: &)?.!.<& Publication Date: ... 51. JJUL1984.

'ID. Journal, Wo: . J?-/3.0.

NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No.: Date: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "CONVEYOR FOR GRANULAR MATERIAL" XI We, CONSOLIDATED FERTILIZERS LTD, a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Queensland, of Gibson Island, Heramant, Queensland 4174, Australia, hereby declare the invention for which it / we pray that a patent may be granted to one/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- 1 95 0 7 7 THIS INVENTION relates to a conveyor for granular material, which may also be used for powders and liquids.

Tubular conveyors, having a continuous belt passing through a tube have been available for many years. However, 5 they have two major problems, particularly when used to convey fertilizer or chemicals.

Firstly, the steel tube is highly susceptible to rust or corrosion and the tube must be replaced frequently. As the tubes must be fabricated, this is expensive. Secondly, 10 because of the high frictional drag between the belt and the tube, a large amount of power is wasted in simply moving the belt. To try and overcome this problem, the belts are often operated at high speeds but this may not be acceptable for many materials.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tubular conveyor where the tube does not rust or corrode and the friction between the tube and the belt is markedly reduced.

It is a preferred object to provide such a conveyor 20 where the tube can be purchased as an off-the-shelf item.

It is a further preferred object to provide a means to effectively guide the entry of the belt into, and exit of the belt from, the tube.

Other preferred objects will become apparent from the 25 following description. 195077 In the broad aspect the present invention resides in a conveyor for granular materials or the like including: a conveyor chassis, a head roller and a tail roller at respective ends 5 of said chassis; a tubular body of PVC plastics material mounted on said chassis between said rollers; a continuous conveyor belt having a forward run and a return run passing around said rollers, said forward 10 run passing through said tubular body; and means to drive the belt, wherein: the conveyor belt is supported and guided by the lower internal wall of the tubular body, the conveyor belt having a troughed configuration; and 15 a first pair of guide rollers is interposed between either the head roller or the tail roller and the tubular body to deform the portion of the conveyor belt entering the tubular body into the troughed configuration.

Preferably the guide rollers are provided between the tail roller and the tubular body, and between the head roller and the tubular body, to assist both the entry of belt into, and exit of the belt from, the tubular body.

Preferably a hopper is provided with its discharge 19507 ~7 outlet in communication with a tail tube downstream of the tubular body and a discharge chute is provided adjacent the head roller to receive material conveyed over it by the belt. The discharge tube may have its inlet connected to a head tube provided between the tubular body and the head roller.

Preferably the tubular body is releasably secured to UE. PATENT OFFICE U- JAN 1984 T-TiV:iV"r] 195077 the chassis by straps or clamps to enable the tubular body to be easily replaced or be rotated to provide a new supporting and guide surface for the belt. Preferably the return run of the belt is supported by a plurality of idler 5 rollers mounted under the chassis.

Preferably a hydraulic or electric motor is connected to the head-or tail-roller to drive the belt.

Throughout the specification and claims, the term "PVC" includes plastics materials of the type known as 10 polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyvinylalcohol (PVA), "Teflon" (a registered trade mark of Du Pont), polyurethane, polu-styrene and acetylbutadienestyrene (ABS).

To enable the•invention to be fully understood, a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to 15 the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a side view of the conveyor; FIG. 2 is a side view of the tail end of the conveyor, with parts being shown broken away for clarity; FIG. 3 is a sectional end view taken on line III-III 20 on FIG. 2; and FIG. 4 is a side view of the head end of the conveyor with parts being shown broken away for clarity.

The conveyor has a chassis spine 10 of box-section steel. A pair of A-frame support frames 11, 12 are connected to 25 chassis 10 and are pivotally connected at their bases to 195977 axle 13 fitted with ground engaging wheels 14. The head of support frame 11 is pivotally connected to the chassis via a pair of mounting plates 15. A shaft 16 interconnects the side rails of the support frame 12. A pair of spaced 5 flanges (not shown) on the shaft receive the chassis 10 therebetween to guide it as the shaft 16 is moved along the chassis to raise or lower the head end of the conveyor. The raising or lowering of the conveyor is controlled by a winch 17 slung from the chassis having a cable 18 connected to the 10 shaft 16. In the lowered (transport) position, the shaft 16 engages flange 19 on the underside of the chassis.

Tail roller 20 is rotatably mounted on an a*le 21 supported by a pair of sliding blocks 22. The sliding blocks 22 are mounted for sliding movement in slots 23 formed in 15 parallel cheek plates 24 mounted on the forward end of the chassis by a cross beam 25. A transverse beam 26 is welded to the forward end of the cheek plates and is fitted with a handle 27 to enable the conveyor to be moved.

A screw 28 is rotatably mounted on each sliding block 20 22 and extends forwardly through the transverse beam 26 to be screwthreadably engaged in nuts 29 fitted on the beam 26. By rotation of the screws, the tail roller 20 may be moved to set the tension in the conveyor belt to be described.

Head roller 30 is fixedly mounted on a axle (not shown) 25 journalled in bearings (not shown) on a pair of upper cheek -i- 195077 plates 31. A hydraulic motor 32 has its output shaft connected to the axle to operatively drive the head roller. Power for the hydraulic motor is supplied by a hydraulic pump 33 mounted on the axle 13. The hydraulic pump is 5 driven by an electric motor or internal combustion engine 34 and drains hydraulic fluid from a suitable reservoir 35. The hydraulic motor 32 and pump 33 are interconnected by suitable hydraulic hoses 36.

A plurality of idler rollers 37 are rotatably mounted 10 on suitable brackets 38 depending from the chassis 10 to support and guide the return run of the conveyor belt 39.

The conveyor belt 39 is of rubber constructibn reinforced e.g. with woven cord, rayon or steel, as is well-known and is fed over the rollers in a closed loop. , A length of PVC tubing 40 is cut to length and laid along the chassis 10 being releasably secured thereto by suitable straps or clamps 41. The upper end of the tubing 40 is belted with a head tube 42 which forms the inlet for a discharge chute 43 which encloses the head roller 30 and 20 has an outlet 44.

The lower end of the tubing 40 is butted with a tail tube 45 which has its upper portion cut away for approximately one-half of its length. A hopper 46 is mounted over the tail tube with its rearward wall 47 dimensioned to receive the I tube. A pair of angled plates 48 are provided in the discharge outlet 49 of the hopper to direct the material in the hopper to the base of the tube. The lower front wall of the hopper is provided with a rubber flap 50 which is designed to close the lower end of the tail tube 45 when 5 the conveyor is stopped but allow the conveyor belt 39 to enter the tube.

To lead the conveyor belt 39 into thfe tail tube 45, a pair of guide rollers 51 are rotatably mounted substantially vertically on axles 52 mounted on the crossbeam 25. 10 As shown in FIG. 2, the belt leaves the tail roller substantially flat. The guide rollers 51 engage the sides of the belt to urge them upwardly and inwardly to form a trough contoured approximately equal to the internal shape of the tail tube 45.

A similar pair of guide rollers 53 are provided upstream of the head tube 42, the rollers being rotatably mounted on axles 54.

In operation, material is placed in hopper 46 and passes through discharge outlet 49 onto the troughed portion of the 20 conveyor belt 39 in tail tube 45. The material is conveyed up the tubing 40 and head tube 42. As the belt passes over head roller 30, it leaves the belt and is discharged from the outlet 44 of the discharge chute 43 onto a stockpile or into a vehicle body. The return run of the belt is supported 25 by the idler rollers 37 and the belt passes around tail roller : -*50 7 7 to enter tail tube 45 to complete the loop.

By varying the speed of the hydraulic motor 32 by suitable controls (not shown), the discharge rate of the conveyor can be selectively controlled.

Experimentation has shown that the use of PVC tubing results in markedly reduced friction between the belt and the tubing compared with the previous steel tubes used, and so less power is required to drive the belt. In addition, the belt may be operated at lower speeds than were previously possible. By the use of a hydraulic or electric motor to drive the belt, an infinitely variable range of belt speeds is available to the operator.

When the PVC tubing 40 has become worn, the clamps or straps 41 may be released and the tubing 40 rotated to provide a new surface to support the belt 39. When the tubing 40 has become fully worn, it may simply be replaced by a new section cut to the required length from stock tubing. By using the t guide idler rollers 51, 53, the wear at the ends of the head-and tail tubes 42, 45 is markedly reduced.

As the PVC tubing is light, the overall weight of the conveyor is reduced, making the unit easier to move.

Because the PVC tubing does not rust, the problem of corrosion is eliminated. | By selection of suitable belting, the conveyor can be used for a large number of materials e.g. bulk fertilizer, 1 95077 . & S. 9y- sand, coal or liquids. Because the rust problem is eliminated, the conveyor can also be used for conveying foodstuffs.

'Eho present invention enables a manufactui-ei --bo a purchaser with a kit including the head and tail ^s^emblies and the belt, together with plans for the ch&er&is and support frames so that the purchaser can con^trfuct the conveyor purchasing the required length-^tSf PVC tubing from stock.

For a wide range of lej*g£hs of the conveyor, the only changes required are ijvthe corresponding lengths of the chassis, belt and tu^irtg, allowing considerable flexibility in applications -the coRvcyofn As an alternative, the PVC tubing may be fitted internally of a steel tube or the PVC tubing may be substit- t uted by a PVC-lined steel tube. Both alternatives have the advantage that only low frictional drag occurs between the belt and the tube.

"V 195077 A. J. P. & S.

VL'-h -9If ■jM.

WHAT//WE CLAIM IS .

Claims (8)

claim.

1 . A conveyor for granular materials' e-r the lilca including: a conveyor chassis; a head roller and a tail roller at respective ends of said chassis; a tubular body of PVC (as hereinbefore defined) plastics material mounted on said chassisobetween said rollers; a continuous conveyor belt having a forward run and a return run passing around said rollers, said forward run passing through said tubular body; and means to drive the belt; wherein: the conveyor belt is supported and guided by the lower internal wall of the tubular body, the conveyor belt having a troughed configuration; and a first pair of guide rollers is interposed between either the head roller or the tail roller and the tubular body to deform the portion of the conveyor belt entering the tubular body into the troughed configuration. 2. A conveyor as claimed in Claim 1 and further including: a second pair of guide rollers interposed between the other of the head roller or the tail roller and the tubular body to guide the conveyor belt leaving the tubular body in the troughed configuration onto the other roller. -4fT- u

SLZ. PATENT OFF!CE 10 JAN 1984 rsoeivs:) 195077

3. A conveyor as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 and further including: a hopper having a discharge outlet in communication with the tubular body.

4. A conveyor as claimed in Claim 3 and further including: a tail tube interposed between the tail roller and the tubular body, the discharge outlet being in communication with the tail tube.

5. A conveyor as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 and further including: a discharge chute to receive material conveyed over the head roller by the conveyor belt, the discharge chute having a material discharge outlet.

6. A conveyor as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5 wherein: the tubular body is releasably mounted on the chassis for replacement and/or rotation on the chassis to provide a replacement support and guide surface for the conveyor belt.

7. A conveyor as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein: a plurality of idler rollers are mounted under the chassis to support the return run of the belt; and a hydraulic motor is operatively connected to either the head roller or the tail roller to drive the belt. 10 JAN1984 RECEivr- 195077

8. A conveyor for granular material or-.the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to A. J. P. 8c S AAitfmpAnHM'va the acoompanyigcii drawings. i/VrKnav 0OT0THITPARK & SON^ per % agents for the applicants 13 RKCSIVSD