US1220311A - Track-sander. - Google Patents

Description

JOSIAH D. BENNER, 0F DAYTON, OHIO.

r TRACKSANDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

Application filed July 3, 1916. Serial No. 107,459.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JosrAH D. BENNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Sanders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to dispensing appa-- ratus for granular materials and more particularly to agitating means and to means for controlling the discharge thereof. While the apparatus is particularly designed for use as a sand distributer for railway cars or other vehicles, it is not limited to such use but may be applied to storage bins for dispensing other commodities such as sugar, salt, cereals and other like products.

The object of the invention is to simplify the structure as well as the means and mode of operation of such devices whereby they will not only be cheapened in construction, but will be more efficient in use, positive in operation, easily operated, and unlikely to get out of repair.

A further object of the invention is to pro- Vvide an improved form of closure which may be easily opened without necessarily lifting any great portion of the contents of the bin or container whereby the effort required. to open said closure will be equalized regardless of the quantity of product within' the container or bin.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved form of agitator and means for operating same whereby the contents of the container adjacent to the discharge orifice will'be thoroughly loosened preparatory to its discharge simultaneously with the opening of the orifice.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved form of operating means for the closure and agitator.

Vith the above primary and other inci# dental objects in View, as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of the fea-tures of construction, the

parts and combinations thereof, and the' mode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

Referring t0 the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the assembled apparat-us; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on line o o of Fig. 1. v y

Like parts are indicated by similar char- 'actersof reference throughout the several views.

. In constructing the apparatus there is elnployed a hopper or bin separated by a trans-V ent instance is the floor of the car or vehicle upon the upper side of `which the main compartment 2 is mounted while the discharge or auxiliary compartment 3 is sus# pended from the under side thereof. Inv the event the device is located above the floor line a diaphragm other than the floor will be employed. Leadingr from the auxiliary or discharge compartment 3 is a discharge conduit el while located in the diaphragm 1 (in the present instance the Hoor of the car) Vis an intercommunicating orifice 5 between the compartments 2 and 3 of less capacity than the discharge conduit 4.

Located within the main compartment or bin. 2 is a support 6, in the present instance arch shaped but which may bea cross tree secured to the sides of the bin, from which is suspended a housing or sleeve 7 preferably, though not necessarily, provided with one or more internal spiral ribs 8. Mounted to telescope within-the housing or sleeve -7 is a. tubular closure cap 9 preferably, though not necessarily, closed at its upper end. At its lower end the closure cap 9 is adapted to rest upon an annular bearing plate l0 which forms a reinforcement or collar about theorilice 5 in the diaphragm l leading fromA the compartment 2 to the auxiliary compartment 3. As indicated in Fig. 1, the closure cap 9 is of greater diameter than the orifice 5 whereby the cap will seat itself upon the fiat upper face of the bearing plate 10, which bearing plate will extend within the inner periphery of the closure cap 9 as indicated at 1l, Fig.k2. y

Extending in substantially'radial direction about the closure cap 9 and either secured thereto or formed integral therewith are a plurality of agitator arms 12. These agitator arms may be formed straight but are preferably curved or serpentine whereby they will cover av greater area.

Longitudinally disposed within the slee-ve 7 and the closure cap 9 is a reciprocatoryshaft .18to which the closure cap is rigidly secured by'. means of the locking nut 14:.

v This reciprocatory shaft 13 slides in a suitable bearing in the upper end of the `sleeve 7 and preferably, though not necessarily, 1n the arch 6. To enable the shaft 13 to more easily penetrate the contents of the container 2 when reciprocated upward, the upper end of the shaft may be tapered or pointed as at 15. To reciprocate the shaft 13 and the closure cap 9 secured thereto there is provided a bell crank 1G pivoted at 17 within the auxiliary compartment 3. This bell crank 16 engages a loose collar 18 on the shaft 13 which collar in turn engages a. fixed collar or stop 19 secured thereto. The opposite arm of the bell crank 16 is connected b v a pitman or link 2() with the rock arm 21 of a double foot lever pivoted at 23 to a suitable bracket 2st mounted upon the ioor of the car or vehicle. The operator may, by treading upon one side of the foot lever 22 oscill ate the bell crank 16 to elevate the shaft 13 andthe closure cap 9 carried thereby.

The commodities mentioned such as sand, sugar, salt, etc. are quite susceptible to atmospheric conditions and when moist possess a tendency to compact or harden whereby they will not readily flow through the outlet 5. Furthermore, in the case of sand, when carried upon a railway or other vehicle, the constant jar of the vehicle tends to condense or pack the material in the container or hopper to such extent as to interfere with the free flow of the material. Upon the upward movement of the shaft and closure cap the agitator arms 12 carried thereby are forced upward through the contents of the compartment 2 and thereby loosen same whereby they will readily flow through the orice 5 into the auxiliary compartment 3 and then through the outlet conduit 4. The orifice 5 being of slightly less capacity than the outlet conduit l prevents the accumulation of the discharged material in the compartment 3 from which it may escape through the conduit 1 more rapidly than it enters through the orifice 5.

To insure thorough agitation of the container contents to loosen and render the contents free flowing the agitator arms 12 are preferably given a rotary movement throughout a partial rotation during their vertical movement, thereby causing said arms to travel in substantially a spiral path. To effect this spiral movement or rotation of the agitator arms 12 there is provided upon the shaft 13 within the sleeve or housing 7 a collar 25 from which project studs or rollers 26 adapted to engage the spiral ribs or guides 8 during the reciprocatory movement of the shaft thereby causing the shaft with the closure cap and agitator arms to rotate throughout a partial revolution. inasmuch as eight radially disposed agitator arms are shown in the drawing, a movement of one eighth of a revolution will be sufficient to cause the agitator arms to cover the full circle of operation.

The operation of the closure cap and agitator arms is positive in both directions, z'. c., when the operator steps upon one side of the foot lever 22 he positively actuates the shaft 13 to open the closure cap and simultaneously elevates and rotates the agitator arms. By stepping on the opposite side of the foot lever 22 he positively operates the 'parts in the reverse direction to close the closure cap and return the agitator arms to normal position.

In the case of a railway car or vehicle the constant jar incident to the travel of the car or vehicle may cause the closure cap to chatter or jar open, thereby permitting the cscape of small quantities of sand or other material. To prevent this a helical spring 27 is located within the sleeve or housing 7 about the shaft 13 and normally tends to force said shaft downward and close the orifice 5. This spring tends to automatically close the outlet 5 when the operator-s foot has been removed from the foot lever 22. However, the tension of the spring is as light as practical in order that the operator mav meet with as littleV resistance as possible in opening the closure cap 9.

It is obvious that the spiral ribs or guides 8 may be omitted from the housing 7 in which case the closure and agitator arms will move upward in straight or perpendicular paths and it is equally obvious that the agitator arms may be formed straight instead of curved or serpentine.

When the construction is employed for dispensing other material than sand or is employed in other positions than upon the floor of a railway car or vehicle, for instance when employed for dispensing salt, sugar or similar material, the apparatus will be placed in an elevated position and the foot lever 22 may be placed upon the floor beneath the apparatus instead of at one side thereof as shown in Fig. 1. In lieu of a foot lever for Voperating the device a push and pull handle such as is indicated by dotted lines at 28 may be connected to the pitman or link 20 to be operated manually in lieu of the foot operated device.

From they above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features or advantages before enumerated as desirable but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportion, detail construction, or arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to certain structural features, it is to be understood that the means and construction herein described comprise but one mode of putting the invention into eect and the invention is therefore claimed broadly in any of its possible forms or modiications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1

l. In a dispensing' device for granular material, a hopper having a discharge oritice, a fixed sleeve terminating above the discharge orifice and alined therewith, a reciprocatory closure for said orifice telescoping within the sleeve, and means for reciprocating the closure to open an unobstructed passage from all sides to the discharge oriiice.

2. In a dispensing device for granular material, a hopper having a discharge oriice located in a plain flat bearing surface, a reciprocatory closure member of greater diameter than the discharge orifice adapted to be seated upon the plain Hat bearing surface surrounding the discharge opening, aV

fixed sleeve suspended above the discharge opening into which the closure member telescopes, and means to reciprocate the closure cap.

3. In a dispensing device for granular material, a hopper having a discharge orilice, a fixed sleeve suspended above the discharg'e orice and alined therewith, a reciprocatory closure member telescoping within said suspended sleeve, a plurality of substantially radially disposed agitator arms movable in unison with the closure member' and means to reciprocate the closure member and. agitator arms.

4f. In a dispensing 'device for granular material, a hopper having a discharge orice, a sleeve suspended above the discharge orifice and in alinement therewith, a reciprocatory closure member telescoping with the sleeve, a plurality of substantially radially disposed agitator arms carried bly the closure member, means for reciprocating the closure member, and means for rotating Vthe closure member simultaneously with its reciprocatory movement.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of June, A. D. 1916.

JOSIAH D. BENNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner` of Patents- Washington, D. C.

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