US1428609A - Tramper - Google Patents

Description

J. M. PEERSON.

TRAMPER.

APPLICATION men MAR. I, 1919.

Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

(3140a 14 box Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

stares rarsnr entice.

TRAMPER.

Application filed March 1, 1919. Serial No. 280,188.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMnsM. PEERSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Florence, in the county of Lauderdale and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trampers, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to improvements 1n cotton trampers, and has for its principal object to design a continually driven power mechanism capable of acting through toggle mechanism to intermittently raise and lower the platen or press head so as to compress the cotton into the baling box as it is fed to the tramper by any suitable mechanism, the feeding taking place when the platen is raised out of the press box, in which position the toggle arms have their smallest angular divergence.

My object in utilizing the toggle mechanism as a motion transmission means be tween the continuously driving power means and the platen, is that it is peculiarly suited to the ends of the tramper inthat its power is increased gradually and in proportion as the load. comes on it and its movement is accelerated as it is lifted from the press box and slowed up as it reaches the point of maximum compression. A further object is to so dispose the toggles as to obtain the maximum stroke of the platen for a given length of stroke of the toggle operating crank arms, and to this end the platen engaging ends of thetoggles are oifset so that they diverge towards each end of the platen, thereby spacing their platenengaging ends materially farther from the press center than their other ends. The extent to which the point of connection of the toggles to the platen is offset determines the increase of stroke obtained.

A further object is to so connect the toggles to their operating parts as to cause the toggles to break across the center of the press, thereby making possible an extremely deep stroke into the press box without danger of striking its walls.

The advantage of having a continuous drive is that the entire power mechanism 7 is simplified and reduced in cost and it further enables me to dispense with fluid pressure (air, steam or hydraulic) cylindersand thus any possibility of wetting the cottonv during the trampingmechanism is eliminated. The continuously driven tramper also requires much less power for operation than the intermittently operated trampers and requires no tramper operator.

My invention also comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this speci-1 showing the preferredmanner of connecting the lower toggle lmks thereto.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

As illustrated, 1 and 2 represent the haling boxes of a revolving press of any standard construction having overhead timbers I 3 which are spaced by and made fast between the central collars 4 on the vertical shaft5 about which the double press box turns. Above the press box and parallel with the timbers 8 is provided an overhead horizontal timber 6 which at its right hand end is made fast between spaced vertical timbers 7 secured at theirlower ends to the timbers 3. At its left hand the timber 6 is supported by a rod or column 8 between collars 9 thereon, the rod 8. being made fast to the flooring or foundation for the press. Between the uprights 7 I mount a driven sprocket or equivalent press transmitting wheel or pulley 10 which iskeyed'on a shaft 11 which turns in bearings 12 mounted on the uprights 7 The main transmission gear 10 is driven by a pinion 12fast on a power shaft 13 driven from any suitable source of power and mounted at its outboard end in bearings (not shown) which are sufficiently loose to permit the gear carrying end of the shaft to move with the bearing 14 which is" free to have alimited swing towards and from the gear wheel 10 b reason of its sus ension on' a han er bar 14* which is pivotally supported by an over} head transverse bolt 14 inserted horizon,

tally through the overhead timber 6. A

I. p Fig. 8 IS an end elevation of the platen handle 1d pivoted on the timber 3 and provided with any suitable latching'means will serve to throw the pinion 12 into or out of mesh with the gear wheel 10. a

The'ends of theshaft 11 project beyond the uprights 7 and at the opposite ends of the shaft are keyed the crank arms 15 and 16 disposed in opposite directions, i. e., 180 apart. The crank arm 15 is connected by a link 17 with the lower end of a toggle arm 18, which in turn is connected by a link 19 to the platen 20 at or near the center of one end thereof. The other crank arm 16 is connected by a link 21 to the lower end of the toggle arm 22 which in turn is connected by a link 23 to the other end of the platen. The toggle arms 18 and 22 are mounted to turn on the overhung ends of a shaft 24 rigidly mounted in common bearing 25 on the timber 6. The shaft 2% is in a transverse center plane through the press box while the lower ends of the toggles are materially offset relatively to said plane.

The lower ends of the arms 18 and 22 are preferably provided with yokes 26 spaced enough to clear each other as the arms pass in the opening and closing movements of the toggles. The upper ends of the lower toggle arms 19 and 23 are received in and pivotally connected to these yokcs. In order to better distribute the thrust from the slightly offset toggles to the platen so as to avoid any tend ency to cook the latter, '1 preferably attach to the longitudinal top timbers of the platen 27 upstanding bearing brackets 28. The brackets 28 of each pair disposed at each end of the platen are spaced to correspond withthe spacing of the top toggle arms 18 and 22 and in each pair of brackets I rigidly mount a shaft 29. The lower toggle arms 19 and 23 are pivotally connected to their re spective shafts 29 but being spaced, more closely than the upper toggle arms, will angage these shafts not far from and on opposite sides of their centers and the thrust transmitted through the shafts will be substantially evenly distributed crosswise of the platen. Should it be deemed necessary to guide the platen in its travel above the press box any suitable type of guide may be em ployed, that shown being guide rods 30 mounted on the platen in position to clear the toggle arms and adapted to work through guide bearings 31 in the overhead timber 6.

In operation, when cotton is ready to be fed from the condenser to the press box below the platen by any suitable feed mechanism (not shown) the gear 12 is moved into mesh with the gear 10 and the tramper starts. As the wheel 10 turns the cranks l5 and 16 produce a reverse travel of the links 17 and 21 and these being connected at the knuckle of the toggles formed by the members 18, 19 and 22, 23, serve to produce a gradual and simultaneous opening and closing of the two toggles with a resultant raising and lowering of the platen. The tramper is continuously driven until the bale is com )leted it bein noted that the to les are l. 7 b Db adapted to assume a position of maximum power transmission efficiency as the platen reaches the bottom of its travel.

To get the maximum travel for the platen without interference with the frame or boxes I arrange the toggles with their lower ends spaced farther apart than their upper ends and so connect them to the crank wheel that their knuckle joints move past the transverse central vertical plane through the platen as they lift the latter to its highest or full open position. This permits the toggle joints to break and their elements assume sharp relative angularity without engagement with the box walls or frame. Moreover the lower toggle ends being offset from the platen center relatively to their upper ends, they will lift the platen higher fora given length of stroke of their operation.

This invention is adapted without departure from the essential principles of its construction to be adapted to compress various classes of material other than cotton, and it may be variously modified within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tramper mechanism, the combination with a baling box and a platen movable thereinto, of mechanism for reciprocating the platen comprising reversely moving toggles, and a common continuously driven power element for operating the toggles, the toggles being so attached to the platen as to divergetowards the platen when the links of each toggle are in alignment.

2. In a tramper mechanism, the combination with a baling box and a platen movable thereinto, of mechanism for reciprocating the platen comprising reversely moving toggles, a common continuously driven power element for operating the toggles, means to interrupt the driving of said power means, the toggle at one end. being connected to the platen near its ends, and overhead bearings for the other end of the toggles which bring said latter ends materially closer than their platen ends.

3. In a tramper, the combination with a baling box and a platen movable thereinto to compress the material under treatment, of mechanism for operating the platen comprising an overhead bearing disposed substantially over the center of the platen, toggle arms swung therefrom, links connecting the toggle arms with the platen near its ends, a power drive-n shaft having oppositely disposed cranks thereon, and links connecting said cranks to the knuckle joints of the toggles for opening and closingthe latter to reciprocate the platen.-

4. In a tramper, the combination with a baling press and a platen movable thereinto, of a link pivotally connected near each end of the platen, an overhead shaft disposed transversely above the center of the press box, a pair of toggle arms pivotally mounted on said shaft and each connected to one of said links, a double crank shaft having the crank elements thereof spaced 180, and arms connecting each crank to the knuckle joint of its respective toggle, said parts being arranged to cause the toggle joints in breaking to move across the transverse center of the platen.

5. In a tramper mechanism, a press box, a platen movable thereinto, a shaft parallel with the transverse center of the platen, two

pairs of toggle links hung from said shaft and connected to opposite ends of the platen, and power driven crank mechanism connected to the toggles at their knuckle joints and adapted to move the latter in opposite directions to break the joints across a transverse vertical central plane through the press box, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

JAMES M. PEERSON.

Witness Norma WELSH.

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