US1500783A - Crane mechanism - Google Patents

Description

C. A. WEBER CRANE MECHANISM July 8 1924.-

Filed Oct. 15, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IVV/LV TI U9. 'CHAS AVWESER C. A. WEBER CRANE MECHANISM BY RM $9.. m m m ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CHAS. AM EBE Filed Oct. 15 i920 Patented July 8,

UNITED STA-IVES PATENT, OFFICE.

CHARLES A. WEBER, OF IJORAIN, OHIO. ASSIGNOR TO THE THEW SHOVEL COMPANY, OF LORAIN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CRANE MECHANISM.

Application filed October 15, 1920. Serial No. 417,093.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. \VEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lorain, county of Lorain, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crane Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

My invention relates to crane mechanisms and has a more particular use in connection with underground mining power shovels, although it is not limited to such use, being capable of use in connection with crane mechanisms of different types. It has been found that power mining shovels may be used to advantage in underground mining operations involving considerable output and affording suificient working clearances. In coal, zinc, iron and salt mines, as well as in lime stone and tunneling operations of various kinds such shovels have proven to be i economical factors. However, the working clearances which the underground mine passages afford the power shovel as it is moved from point to point is a limiting factor. It has been found necessary to make 39 such mechanisms so that they can be dismantled for passage through entrances of very small dimensions, and this is also required where. it is necessary for the shovel to turn corners in going from one passage to a passage at an angle thereto.

The present invention is an improvement upon the presentday type of shovels, whereby much'of this dismantling, which involves a considerable amount of labor and consumes 40 considerable time, may be avoided.

Shovels of the type to which my invention relates employ booms whereby the shovel dipper may be raised or lowered by means of' a chain, or cable, and it is a distinctadvantage, when the shovel isin operation, to be able to elevate the end of the boom to a maximum height, since the, working range is thereby extended.

I accomplish the desirable result of being able to use a boom structure of minimum height, and provide on the end of this boom a boom extension member mounted in a novel way on the end of the boom, whereby it may be set to provide different degrees of elevation for the sheave over which the shovel hoist chain is carried, or which may be lowered when the crane is traveling. through the underground passages whose ceiling walls are low.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide such an adjustable boom exten sion as may be cheaply constructed, readily placed on existing types of booms, which may be easily and simply adjusted to give any desired elevation, and when thus adjusted, will retain such adjustment, even though the shovel dipper be carrying very heavy loads.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will be better understood by referring to the drawing accompanying this specification, in which 1 Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of my invention in side elevation;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a portion of the'mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1, and in which portion the improvements of my invention are illustmted Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the boom showing the mechanism connected thereto, which comprises a portion of the improvements constituting my invention;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line A-A in Fig. 1 showing the adjustable mounting for the extension member; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line B-B in Fig. 1 showing the adjustable mounting for the extension member.

Referring to the drawing, in the figures of which. like -p'arts have like reference characters, at P I show a platform upon which is mounted a cab C, the said platform being rotatably mounted on a main frame MF, which carries a circular track CT and upon which track rollers R are adapted to run, and which rollers carry the said platform. Upon the said platform and inside of the cab is mounted the power mechanism for rotating the platform for operating the shovel hoist mechanism for causing the vehicle to travel on the caterpillar track CT and for moving the dipper D on the dipper arm DA, which is supported on a trolley shoe TS, as may be desired. This power mechanism is not illustrated in detail, being merely indicated, as this does not form any part of my present invention.

At B is shown the boom secured at a point BP to the platform P, and which boom in the illustrated position of the platform exits movement by a power-driven sprocket SP, the said chain being directed in its; path by sheaves IS. A hoist chain HC is also arranged to lift the dipper D in an upward,

forward direction, rotating the dipper on the dipper arm DA. which is secured by a dipper arm clamp DAG to a pivot pm TP in the trolley shoe. This hoist chain HG 1s adapted to be wound on a drum HOD, which is rotated by power means located within the cab C, the unwinding of the chain being accomplished in any desired way, as by the weight of the dipper, whenever the drum is released from its set position wh.ere in the dipper is left. I

The sheave BES, over which the chain passes on the end of the boom, is mounted on a boom extension member BEF. This extension member is illustrated in plan v ew in Fig. 2 and is one of a pair of members on either side of the boom as shown inFig. 8. It will be understood that both sides of the boom are alike, there being a pair of chainsHC and a pair of sheaves BES, each of the chains being attached to a side of the shovel dipper.

' The member BEF is in the nature of a fork, the sheave BES being disposed be tween the prongs P and P of the fork be ingmounted on a pin EP. The member BEF is pivoted upon a pin Fl about which it may rotate to elevate the sheave BES to any desired degree, within limits, this being accomplished by inserting a rod BR into openings R0 in the other end of the fork to form a handle, whereby con siderable leverage may be had by the operator to change the adjustment ofthe extension member BEF.

When the sheave BES is elevated to a desired degree, which can be most easily accomplished when the dipper D is lying directly on the ground or floor of the passage, this, adjustment may be maintained by means ofa pin PA passing through coop crating apertures of the fork at PO and the parallel .arcuate ribs RE, which form sectors of concentric circles, and through which sectors a number of apertures may be provided to enable the boom extension mem ber BEF to have a plurality of operative positions. I

Thus the operator may so adjust the fork BEF so that the end thereof containing the sheave, over which the hoist chain passes, may. be elevated considerably above the'level of'the end of the boom B, whenever it is desirable to do this, as for in'- stance, when earth, rocks or ore is being lifted from the floor of a passage being pin at the usual worked and loaded into cars, whereby the material may be conveyed away; thus when itis' desired to movethe shovel to a differentpassage of the mine or tunnel system, the dipper will be lowered until it rests upon the ground, the chain HG will be left slack so'rthat the weight of the dip- ,pcr no longer bears upon the fork member BEF, and the fork member being only balanced as to theweight of its two arms extending on the other side of the pin FP, the operator may then easily withdraw the pin PA, and by means of handle ER inserted intothe openings RD, move the fork to a different operative position, whereby theend of the fork will be lowered and it thus can be set asabove in the lowered position, and the shovel moved under its own power or otherwise. The lowered fork provides more clearance between the end of the boom and the other passages than would otherwise" be the case were the boom made longer and. extended higher to pro' vide for the necessary working elevations.

It has been found very expensive to have to dismantle mechanism of this kind in order to provide for a been proposed and used but if they do not lack in strength, they "must be made much heavier andmorc alsofthat the other alternative, that of widening or otherwise enlarging the pasor, under-ground tunnels, is a very expensiveproposition also, and I find that by means of my invention very much of the above expense canbeeliminated. v

T am enabled alsoby the placing of the bail pin .BP at a point relatively near the dipper door DB rather than by placing this position which I have indicated at Y, or relatively near thereto, to lift the bucket to a greaterelevation than would otherwise be possible, this being accom lished by the placing of the sheaves BES independent, with an open space between them, and therefore enabling me by moving thetrolley TS forward of a posi tion indicated in the drawing, to shove the dipper "or. bucket forward whereby when the chain HC is caused to lift the bucket to its upper limit, the bucket will be projected substantially in the same horizontal sheave as BES. Thus in an extreme case, I may even elevate the bucket to a position where the teeth DT being upper-most, the point onthe bucket where the pin BP is located, may be elevatedsubstantially to a height equalto' the sheave BES.

Thus a further; improved result is secured by the arrangement of placed as herein 'illust-rated,and this result is'capable of attainment whether or not the rocking elementsBEF' are fixed or rotatable upon their supporting pin; that is, the rock-' few feet of additional clearance; telescoping booms having expensively. It is obvious a pair of sheaves ing elements made fixed to the boom instead of being movable relative to the said boom.

I accomplish the reduction of the motion of the chain HG of the crane mechanism of my invention by making the hoist chain drums of a plurality of parts, the hoist chain drums HOD being drums of relatively small diameter as compared with the intermediate drum ID, to which the power of the hoisting motor is applied by means of a hoist cable CI-I which passes over the drum ID and a power-driven drum PD.

In this way I am enabled to reduce the motion of the hoist chain I-IC so that for a given motion of the hoist cable CH, a considerable less movement of the hoist chain will ensue, this being essentially the same result as would be secured by means of the pad lock mechanism previously mentioned, but without the consequent disadvantage attending the use of the pad lock consisting in the loss of lifting space, equivalent to the space occupied by the pad lock mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made from the specific embodiment herein set forth, but without departing from the spirit of my invention, also in claiming the various elements of my improved mechanism, I desire also to claim the recognized equivalents of such elements, as for instance, where the chain is claimed, this term is to be taken as covering also a rope, a cable or the like.

I claim:

1. In a mobile crane mechanism, in combination with a boom, a hoist chain, a bucket member, said hoist chain being attached to the said bucket member to lift the same, an extension member for said boom, a pivot on the end of the said boom, said extension member being adapted to rock on the said pivot, a sheave on the outer end of the extension member, the other inner end of the extension member being adapted to be adjustably secured to the said boom.

2. In a removable crane, the combination of a boom, a dipper, a hoist chain, a boom extension rotatably secured to and adjacent the outer end of said boom, said dipper being adapted to be lifted by'the said chain, a sheave carried by said extension, said chain passing over said sheave, and means for securing said rotatable extension in a plurality of positions relative to said boom, said sheave being maintained in a plane above said boom when said extension is secured in one of its adjusted positions.

' 3. In a mobile crane mechanism, in combination'with a boom, a hoist chain, a bucket member, said hoist chain being attached to the said bucket member to lift the same, an extension member for said boom, a pivot on the end of the said boom, said extension member being adapted to rock on the said pivot, a sheave on the outer end of the extension member, a sector element along which the inner end of the extension member is adapted to be moved when the said member is rocked, and means to secure the said inner end to the said sector at any desired one of a plurality'of points thereon.

' 4. In a removable crane, the combination with a boom, a bucket, a pair of hoist chains, each of said chains being secured to the said bucket on each side thereof, and at a point relatively close to the door of the bucket, said bucket being adapted to be lifted up by the said chains, a pair of sheaves carried by and mounted to rotate in a plurality of positions relative to said boom, said chains passing over the said sheaves.

5. In a mobile crane, the combination with a boom, a bucket, a pair of hoist chains, each of the said chains being secured to the said bucket on either side thereof, and at a point relatively close to the door of the bucket, said bucket being adapted to be lifted by the said chains, a pair of extensions for the said fboom located on either side thereof, sheaves carried by the said extensions, there being a relatively open space between the said extensions, said chains passing over the said sheaves.

6. In a crane mechanism, in combination with a boom, a dipper, a boom extension, a sheave carried by said extension, at hoist chain extending over said sheave and attached to said dipper, said dipper being.

adapted to be raised and lowered by said chain, and means for securing said boom extension to said boom in a plurality of positions in one of which positions said sheave will extend in a plane above said boom.

7. In a crane mechanism, in combination with a boom, a dipper, a boom extension pivoted to and extending beyond the end of said boom, a sheave carried by said boom extension substantially at the projecting end thereof, a hoist chain extending over said sheave and attached to said dipper, said dip per being adapted to be raised and lowered by said chain, and means for securing said boom extension. in a plurality of positions relative to said boom whereby said sheave can be positioned in a plurality of positions relative to and beyond the end of said boom.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 22 day of Sept, 1920.

CHARLES A. WEBER.

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