US1319996A - Stocking-bridge - Google Patents

Description

P. J. FICKJNGER. srocma amuse. APPUCATION HLED JUNE II. I918.

Patented Oct. 28,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l- Patented Oct. 28,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

&

A TTOEWEY MQOOQOMZ Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEEI' 3 IIIVENTOR Eiflflfl/Ylfi y ATTORNEY P. J. FICKINGER.

STOCKING BRIDGE. APPLICATION FILED was n. ma.

P. J. HCKINGER.

sto'cmus BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE H. I918.

Patented 0613. 28, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- A TTORNEY PBESLY J FICKINGER, OF CONNEAUT', OHIO.

STOCKING-BRIDGE.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

Application filed June 11, 1918. Serial No. 239,470.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PnnsLY J. Ficnmonn, a citizen of the United States, a resident of comment, county of Ashtabula, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stocking-Bridges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to stocking cranes for handling bulk material, the chief features of novelty residing in the means for driving the crane along its tramway and means for holdin the crane against the movement along t e tramway.

Herctofore considerable difficulty has been experienced in effectively holding stocking cranes from bein' blown along their tramways by high winds. At night and other times when these cranes are unattended, windstorms have often blown them along the tramway and have at times caused them to travel to the'end of the tramway and topple over and cause considerable damage. Various means have been tried to securely hold these stocking cranesin place, one of which was to rovide brakes on the axles of the track w eels but in practice it was found that even though the wheels were locked if a high wind came 11 i it simply skidded the whole structure a ong the tramway. These cranes are of gigantlc sizes, the one illustrated having a bri ge of over five hundred and fifty feet in length and reaching a height of one hundred and eight feet from the track rails to the to of the upperchord of the bridge. It wil therefore, be appreciated that the structural framing of the bridge presents an appreciable area for wind pressure to act upon.

The objects and advantages of the invention will be clear from the foilowing description and the accompanying drawings in which,- v

Figure 1 is a conventional side elevation of a stocking crane looking along the tramy;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic pian of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the hue -3 of Fig. 1 showing one of the supporting legs for the brid of the crane;

Fig. 4 is a sectmn on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the other supporting leg for the; bridge of the crane;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of the driving mechanism for the crane being a view substantially on line 55 of Fig. 1;

on the staggered of Fig. 5.

In the drawings the bridge 1 of the crane supports the usual traveler or crane trolley 2 from which the clam shell bucket 3 or other loading device is operable. The bridge is supported at one end by a pair of legs 4 and at the other end b a tower 5 consisting of suite-bl braced egs 6 and 7. The driving and he din mechanism for the crane is secured to tie box girders 8-88 forming the lower supports for the legs 4 and the tower 5, and is conveniently arranged in multiple as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, there being two driving units A and B for the leg 4 as shown in Fig. 3 and also two driving units C and D for each of the legs 6 and 7 of the tower 5 as shown in Fig. 4. As these units are all practically identical in construction it is deemed suliicient herein to only describe one in detail.

The several box girders 8 which support the legs-l and the tower 5, are provided with suitable trucks 9 having track wheels 10 for movably supporting the crane on the track rails 11 of the crane runway which are suitably secured to longitudinally extending footings 12 of the runway. Firmly secured to each of the footings 12 is a rack 14 which is adapted to coiiperate with the drivin mechanism carried by the crane. This raci is preferably, although not necessarily, constructed of a pair of longitudinally extending parallel bars 15 and 16 (Figs. 5 and 6) having transverse rods 17 passing therethrou h and secured as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. T llS construction is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and yet can readily be made very strong to withstand the hard usage to which such a rack is subjected. The

cross rods 17 are of rolled stock and present a. smooth working face to the teeth of the coii rating gear of the driving mechanism an in this respect are more satisfactory The driving units which cooperate with the rack above describwl each include a bull pinion 18 which is carried by a shaft 19 supported in suitable bearings 2t -2O carried by brackets '2l-2l which are secured to plates of the box girder The hull pinion 18 is driven by a shrouded gear 22 integrally formed with a ear 23 both being carried by the shaft ll which is journaled in suitable bearings 2525 supported in the upper part of the bracket 21. A shaft 26 also journaled in suitable bearings carried by the bracket 21 has secured thereto a driving gear 27 which meshes with the gear 23. A worm wheel 28 also secured to the shaft 26 is driven by a worm 29 carried by a shaft 30 journaled in suitable bearings within the worm housing 31. A brake drum 32 is secure-d to the shaft 30 and associated therewith is a. band brake comprising a strap 33 having one and secured to a fixed pin 34 and its opposite end to a pin 35 of a. brake lever 36. The brake lever is pivoted at 37 to a supporting bracket 38 which is secured to the underside of the box girder 8. The lever 36 has an extended arm 39 adapted to support the adjustable weight 40. A solenoid 41 is secured in any suitable manner to the box girder 8 and the 'core thereof is connected by a link 42 with the arm 39 of the brake lover. The solenoid 41 of each unit is energized at all times that the driving motors for the crane are running and therefore its core is attracted upwardly and acts to hold the brake lever and band in such position that the brake drum 32 can freely rotate. If for any 're'ason the circuit of the motors I is broken the solenoid core of each unit will be deencrgizcd and the counterweight 40 will automatically drop and thereby exert a braking pressure on'thc drum 32 which will act to prevent any movement of the gearing above described and therefore hold the entire crane in a. fixed osition due to the engagement of the tcct of the gear 18 with the rods 17 of the rack.

The displacement ratio between the worm 29 and the gear 18 is so -enormous that it will readily be seen that a comparatively small amount of pressure on the brake drum is required to overcome the tendency of the crane to more along the runway.

The shaft 30 is connected by means of any approved form of self alining coupling 43 with the shaft 1'4 of the driving motor 45, which is carried by a suitable sub-frame 46 secured to the' box girder 8.

In operation. when it is desired to move the crane along the runway suitable switches are manipulated to supply current to the several motors 45 carried by the box girders 8 which support the bridge of the crane. As the solenoids 4-1 are connected in circuit with the motors they are thus energized and release the brakes 32. The motors operating through the train of gearing above described cause the bull pinion 18 to traverse the rack 14 and thereby propel the crane along the runway.

All of the motors 45 of the separate driving units are interconnected electrically but any one of them is capable of delivering enough power to drive the crane. It is advantageous to have the driving mechanism arranged in separate units so that if any breakage occurs or any of the parts fail to operate properly the remaining units will be in reserve to not either as a propelling or a holding means.

When the motors are shut oil it will read ily be seen the solenoids of all the ditlercm driving units will be (la-Energized as above described and the counterweights l0 w ll ex ert a braking action on the drums 3'3, the

ressure acting through the reduction gearmg described efi'ectively and positiwly locking the crane against movement along the runway.

Instead of using an automatically operating brake I may use a simple hand brake with suitable locking devices to hold it in different operative positions. I

By the utilization of the driving mechanism herein disclosed, I am able to efiectivel lock the crane against the highest win pressure developed in this locality, and am also able to drive the crane against a head wind. As ordinarily constructed the weight of the crane, enormous as it is in a structure of this size, is not sufiicient to provide adequate traction between the track wheels to move the cranoagainst a strong head wind, nor to prevent it from skidding along th tramway before a high wind even through the Wheels be locked.

Although I have described with great particularity certain structural details of the embodiment of the invention herein shown, it'is not to be construed that I am limited to such a construction, as various changes may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims.

1. A stocking crane comprising an overhead bridgc having a trolley movably mounted thereon, legs for supporting said bridge ad jaccnt to the ends thereof, wheeled trucks on the lower ends of said legs, track rails forming a runway for said trucks, racks alongside said track rails, driving means on the said stocking crane oooperatwith the driving mechanism when the driving mechanism is not operating to actuate the era-us.

2. A stocking crane comprising an overhead bridge having a. s trolley movaibiy mounted thereon, legs for supporting said bridge adjacent to the ends thereaf, wheeled trucks UL .iie lower ends of said legs, track miis forming a runway for said trucks, in fixed rack secured to the runway, a plurality (if separaits driving units carried by said Crane and arranged to ooact with said rack to pnsitively propel the crane along the runway against the Wind pressure on said bridgr, and a, brake awoci-ated with said driving units arranged to prevent mnvcnmnt 0f the driving units when tiie driving mm tors of said units are stopped.

23. A stocking crane wmp'rising in 15shezul bridge having a troiiey innvnbiy mounted thereon, legs for snpportin said brid e adjacent to the ends thereof, w ism-led firns s on the lower ends of said iegs, track mils forming a runway fer said trunks, up ernting means for propiiing said crane. along said runway, said IlfiBRllSiliCiiHiillg: racks 'i'm'n'iing iixud n'mmbers 0n the runwsv whereby said. bridge is positively actuated in traversing the runwi and is held uinst skidding on the runway, anri. driving lllLiLIh npei-Mivr-iy connected to the. wheels of sari? trucks and arranged to engage with Filiii racks to pnsitiveiy propel a. bridge along the runway, said FRESLY J. FICKIXGER.

riving means inciuding a worm and having braking means enacting

Images