US1085716A - Tamping apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

G. S. WERT. TAMPING APPARATUSI APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOI-IRAPH cm, WASHINGTON, D- o.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

0. S. WERT. TAMPING APPARATUS.- APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 23, 1912.

Patented Feb.3, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. S. WERT. TAMPING APPARATUS. APIfLIGATION FILED NOV. 23,1912.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914 3 SHBBTSSHEBT 3.

C .5. WERT.

cowmm rumour" co., WASHINGTON. n. c.

CYRUS S. WERT, OF KENDALLVILLE, INDIANA.

TAT/[PING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Feb. 3,1914.

Application filed November 23, 1912. Serial No. 733,168.

To aZZ "whom it may concern Be it known that I, CYRUS S. VVERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kendallville, in the county of Noble and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tamping Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in brick or block machines of the multiple mold type designed particularly for use in the manufacture of concrete bricks, although equally applicable for use with other plastic compositions, and relates especially to power tamping mechanism.

The invention has for its primary object to provide a simple, durable and eflicient construction of tamping apparatus, the parts of which are so constructed and arranged that they may be cheaply manufactured and readily assembled and not liable to get out of order, and which will prove very effective in operation and increase the capacity and output of the brick or block machine with which it is associated, enabling the work to be very quickly performed and wit-h a minimum of power and labor.

The invention has for a further object to provide an improved tamping mechanism which is applicable for use with any conventional brick or block machine embodying a plurality of molding sections or compartments, although the tamping mechanism embodying the improvements of this invention is designed particularly for use in connection with my improved brick machine which forms the subject matter of a co-pending application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed on or about the 26th day of October, 1912, Serial No. 727 ,992.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which will be practically noiseless in operation and which may be easily controlled to operate at the required time, and which may be easily held in an inoperative or raised position, while the mold is being emptied. And the invention also aims to generally improve devices of this class so as to render them more efficient and commercially desirable.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form or embodiment of my improved tamping mechanism, the same being shown in connection with a brick machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, a part of the supporting frame-work for the tampers being broken away. Fig. 3 is a perspective view in the nature of a diagram illustrating the series of cranks and their relative positions in connection with the arms for elevating the tamper-carrying plungers. Fig. i is a fragmentary perspective view in the nature of a diagram illustrating a modification of the arm-actuating mechanism hereinafter specifically referred to. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 5-5, of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail section illustrating a portion of the parts shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the latches or dogs that are designed to hold the tamper-carrying plunger rods in their upper positions, and, Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 are detail transverse sectional views illustrating the different movements of the parts hereinafter more specifically referred to.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and designated in the accompanying drawings by like reference characters.

In the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated in a conventional manner, the brick machine forming the subject matter of the co-pending application hereinbefore mentioned, the same embodying a mold box 1 supported upon a frame-work 2 in juxtaposition to an inclined feed trough 3 which, in the present embodiment of the invention, is carried by the tamper-supporting framework 4.

5 designates the tampers or tamping feet. In the present instance, these are shown in the form of castings, each casting embodying two feet that are designed to move downwardly int-o the respective compartments of the multiple mold box 1 so as to tamp the concrete or other plastic substance in the latter. The tampers 5 are secured to the lower ends of vertically disposed plunger rods 6 which are guided for a vertical movement in the transverse bars of the frame-work 4, as clearly illustrated in the drawings, said plunger rods extending above the frame-work and being provided at their upper ends with coiled springs 7 designed to absorb the shock of the plunger rods in the downward movement of the latter, should the operating mechanism be accidentally tripped to permit the plungers to move downwardly by gravity with the mold box emptied. In this event, as is evident, the springs 7 will absorb the shock and prevent the tampers 5 from crashing into and through the mold box.

Each of the plunger rods 6 is formed on its rear side, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, with a keeper in the form of a notch, designated 8, said keepers being designed for engagement by dogs or latches 9 that are held in one position under tension by springs 10 that are coiled around a transversely extending rod 11 which is carried by a transversely extending plate 12. The plate 12 is provided at its ends with trunnions 13 that are mounted in bearing blocks 14 bolted or otherwise secured to the framework, as best illustrated in Fig. 5. The rod 11 is extended at one end, as indicated at 15, and this extended end is pivotally connected to the rearwardly projecting arm 16 of a hand lever 17, said lever being fulcrumed intermediate of its ends, as indicated at 18, on the front of the frame-work, as clearly illustrated in the drawings.

In that embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a crank shaft 19 is journaled in the framework 4, said crank shaft being provided with five cranks, one for each of the plunger rods 6, said cranks for the purposes of description, being designated A, B, C, D and E, respectively. There are five gyrating trip arms 20, one for each of the plunger rods 6, each of said arms being pivotally suspended at its rear end from a swinging hanger 21, and each arm being pivotally connected intermediate of its ends to one of the cranks just mentioned. It will thus be understood that as the shaft 19 is rotated, the arms 20 will have a gyratory movement imparted to them. These arms extend front and rear,

- as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 and are provided at their forward free ends with shoes 22 that are designed for engagement with rollers 23 that are carried by the respective plunger rods 6 and that project laterally therefrom, (as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1.)

It will be understood that any suitable mechanism may be provided for rotating the shaft 19. In the present instance, I have shown as one convenient means for that purpose, an electric motor 24 mounted upon the frame-work 4 and operatively connected by a belt 25 to a pulley 26 on one end of a transversely extending shaft 27. This shaft 27 also carries a pulley 28, around which a band or belt 29 passes, said band also passing around a pulley 30 on one end of the crank shaft 19. These different pulleys may be graded in any desired manner, whereb the relatively high speed of the shaft of the motor 24 may be reduced, as it is trans mitted to the crank shaft 19, whereby the latter may be turned at the required number of revolutions per minute.

Having now described the details of construction and relative arrangement of the parts of this embodiment of my invention, I shall now describe the operation of the mechanism. In the first place, let it be as sumed that the tamping mechanism has operated and that it is desired to raise all of the tampers to their elevated inoperative position and to hold them in that position while the mold is being emptied. To do this, the operator will grasp the handle end of the lever 17 which will, in the operation of the tamping mechanism, be projecting outwardly or forwardly in a substantially horizontal position from the frame-work and will press the handle end of the lever downwardly. As the rearwardly projecting arm 16 of the said lever is connected to the extended end 15 of the rod 11, it will be seen that the plate 12 will be rocked upon its trunnions 18 as an axis and the dogs or latches 9 will be moved forwardly and thus engage with the keeper notches 8 of the plunger rods 6. A further downward movement of the handle end of the lever 17 will, manifestly, through the connection of the pivoted latches 9 with the plunger rods 6, raise the plunger rods until the handle end of the lever 17 is projecting straight downward, at which time, the plunger rods 6 will be raised to such a height that their rollers 23 will be out of the path of movement of the shoes 22 of the gyratory tripping arms 20. Thus, the shaft 19 will be permitted to run idle and all of the tampers will be held in an elevated position so as to permit the mold box 1 to be emptied. After the mold box has again been filled and it is desired to tamp the contents thereof, it is only necessary for the operator to swing the handle end of the lever 17 toward him and upward, which will permit the plate 12 to be lowered to its substantially horizontal position, but will not by that movement, release the dogs or latches 9 from the keeper notches 8 of the plunger rods, although the springs 10 are exerting a tension on the latches in a direction to free them from the notches, owing to the fact that the notches are so formed as to prevent the'disengagement of the latches until the plunger rods shall have been moved upward; but as this movement of the plate 12 lowers the plunger rods to a degree sufficient to bring their rollers 23 into the path of movement of the shoes 22 of the arms 20, it will at once be apparent that in the continuous rotation of the crank shafts 19, the shoes 22 will in proper sequence engage the rollers 23 and thereby move the plunger rods upward, this movement of the plunger rods disengaging the notches 8 fro-m the upper ends of the latches or dogs 9, whereupon the springs 10 will snap the latches rearward, and accordingly, as the shoes 22 pass upwardly and rearwardly out of engagement with the rollers 23, the plunger rods will be permitted to move downwardly by gravity in their proper order and thus tamp the material in the mold box 1. The tamping operation may be permitted to repeat any desired number of times, although I have found that three movements of each tamper is sufiicient in nearly every instance.

In further explanation of the operation, reference is to be particularly had to Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11. In the first of these views, the handle end of the lever 17 has been pressed downwardly and rearwardly far enough to tilt the plate 12 sufficiently to effect the engagement of the dogs or latches 9 with the keepers 8 of the plunger rods 6. In Fig. 9, is illustrated the position of parts where the handle end of the lever has been pressed still farther downward, so as to raise the plunger rods 6 to a position where their rollers 23 will be out of the path of movement of the shoes 22 of the gyratory trip arms 20. In Fig. 10, the handle end of the, lever has been pulled forward and upward again so as to lower the plunger rods to an extent suflicient to permit their rollers 23 to be subsequently engaged by the shoes 22, but the springs 10 are not permitted to act to free the latches or dogs 9 from the keepers 8, owing to the firm engagement of the keepers with the upper relatively free ends of the latches. In Fig. 11, is illustrated the next automatic operation which follows immediately, owing to the engagement of the rollers 23 by the shoes 22 of the gyratory arms and shows that the springs 10 have been permitted to act to free the latches 9 from the keepers 8, whereupon as soon as the arms move upwardly and rearwardly to entirely clear the rollers, the plungers 6 will be permitted to drop in their proper order.

To properly balance the machine, I prefer to have the cranks, which are set at fifths, so disposed in relation to each other that they will operate in the following order, namely, A, C, E, B, I), although it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this regard and that various other changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. For example, While Iprefer to use the crank shaft 19 having its cranks directly connected to the gyratory trip arms 20, as such arrangement of parts renders the mechanism practically noiseless, yet as an alternative of this arrangement, I may use a set of gear wheels, one of which is designated 81 in Fig. f, said gear wheels having eccentric connections 32 to the gyratory arms 20 and being driven by spur pinions 33 on a drive shaft 34: journaled in the frame-work,

\Vhat I claim is 1. A tamping mechanism, including a support, a plunger rod movable vertically in said support, a tamper carried by said rod, a power-operated g'yratory atrm engageable with the rod to raise the same, the rod being formed with a keeper, a springheld latch engageable with said keeper, a tilting plate mounted on the support and carrying the latch, and. manually operable means for tilting the plate in a direction to effect the engagement of the latch with the keeper and the subsequent raising of the rod by means of the latch.

2. A tamping mechanism including a. support, a plurality of vertically movable plunger rods carried thereby, a plurality of gyratory arms operatively mounted there on adapted to engage said rods to raise them, tampers secured to the lower ends of said rods, the rods being formed with keepers, spring-held latches engageable with said keepers, a rod on which said latches are mounted, a tilting plate mounted on the support and carrying said rod and latches and springs in such relation that the springs act on the latches for disengaging them from the keepers when the arms raise the rods, and means for tilting said plate.

3. A tamping mechanism, including a support, a plurality of vertically movable plunger rods carried thereby, tampers secured to the lower ends of said rods, the rods being formed with keepers, a tilting plate mounted on the support, latches pivotally mounted on the tilting plate and engageable with said keepers, springs connected to said latches and adapted to disengage them from the keepers, and manually operable means for tilting said plate in a direction to engage the latches with the keepers and raise the plunger rods.

4:. A tamping mechanism, including a support, vertically movable plunger rods mounted therein, tampers secured to the lower ends of said rods, the rods being formed with keepers, a tilting plate mounted on the support, a pivot rod carried by said plate, latches pivotally mounted on said pivot rod and engageable with the keepers of the plunger rods, springs connected to said latches and tending to move them in a direction to disengage them from said keepers, the plunger rods being provided with laterally projecting rollers, gyratory arms engageable with said rollers, means for suspending said arms at their rear ends, a crank shaft provided with a plurality of cranks connected to the arms to gyrate the same, and manually operable means for tilting the plate, whereby to engage the latches with the keepers and to subsequently raise the plunger rods by means of the latches to a position where their rollers will be out of the path of movement of said arms.

5. A tamping mechanism including a support, a plunger rod movable in said support, a tamper carried by said rod, a gymtory arm engageable with the rod to raise the same, means for imparting movement to the gyratory arm, the rod being formed with a keeper, a latch engageable With said keeper, a tilting plate mounted on the support and carrying the latch, and means for tilting the plate in a direction to effect the engagement of the latch with the keeper and the subsequent raising of the rod by means of the latch.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

J. AUSTIN J ONES, JNo. O. HARRIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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