US1530337A - Cupola-charging machine - Google Patents

Description

March 17, 1925. 1,530,337

A. A. WICKLAND GUPOLA CHARGING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I WWW A. A. WHCKLAND CUPOLA CHARGING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1922 7 4 tsheet 2 Mazrcfi 1?, i925. 1,539,337

A. A. WICKLAND CUPOLA CHARGING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1922 4 ts heet 5 W/ T/VESS E6 INVENTOE.

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March 17, 1925. 1,530,337

A. A. WICKLAND CUPOLA CHARGING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1922 A Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

'ALGOT'A; WICKLAND, cF-oHIcAediLLINoIsI I GUIOL'A-GHARGING MACHINE-Q l Applicationvfiled March' 20,1922. SeriaLNo. 545,314.

To all whom it some Be'it known that I, ALGOT A. WIoKLANn,

a citizen of-the United States of America,

" residingat Chicago, inthe county of Cool;

and State of Illinois, I have invented certain mg the cars or containers on the floor.

An additional objectofthis invention is new and usefulImprovements in Cupola- Charging Machines, of wh-ich'the following w is a specifications My invention relates to cupola' charging. IO'machmesfOr useing'ray iron foundries.

Thejob ect of myinvention is to'provide "an efficient device for handlinga large "ton nage of already welghed'chargesof iron and coke previously arranged onlthe charging. lfifioor and to provide mechanical means for charging said'mate'rial into the cupola in even layers, in a simple and expeditious r A further object of this invention is" to eliminate, as far as'possible, manual labortrons being omitted for-'clearness;

and-the attendant fatigu'e, .discomfort and exposure of the opera-torsto the'high furnace v temperatures that are incurredwhile charglng by hand;

Another object is to provide a machine which will permit storing the loaded charg- 111g cars on the floor and from whence the materlail may be conveyed to the cupola and charged as required, with a minimum amount of manual labor. The charging m'achines commonly in use are located in a fixed position in front'ofthe cupola'an'dthe operator has no means of controlling or spreading the charges as the material is dumped into the cupola. The result of this method of operation means that'the charge, which consists ofalternate layers of iron and fuel are distributed unevenly, which" is detrimental,

si d- In'the operation of small foundries it is consideredgood practice to deliver-the necessarymaterial to the charging floor before the cupclais started. The material is then weighed up and charged by hand as the meltingprogresses. The materialis trans, ported from the yard bins inhand'trucks or wheelbarrows and'an elevator is used-for calls for a greatdeal of costly hand-labor,

V which my invention will "obviate.

if an efiicient operation of thercupola is de-- With a charging machine, the' charges may I be" Weighed up'in' the yard'i'n suitable char ingcars, thence *conveyedto the charging floors and either left on'the floorforreserve to provide a-machi-ne of the simpledesign and sturdy construction necessary to with-y operators;-

stand hard usage in-thehands ofunskilled Other obj ectsandadvantages of theinventionwill be:appjarent from the following clescription When considered'in connectionwith the: accompanying drawlngs illustrating a preferred embodlment thereof, 1nwhich- Figure-1 is a longitudinal section showing,

the cupola, overhead supporting framing and tilting mechanism, the supports for the circular track, air and electric" connecand a cross section of the cupola. This View also indicates therelativearrangement ofthe charging carswhen placed on the floor for' storage i Figure 6 is .an end elevation of the complete machine with'the'charging carshown' 1 1n positlon.

Figure 7 is an elevation'showi ng the lifting cylinder and cross section ofthe trolley frame, taken on li1rei7 -7, Figure 5;

Figure 8is an" elevation and cross section, taken on line-8 8, Figure 5, showingthe motor, spur gearing. and structural-framing.

Figure 9 is an enlarged longitudinal cross section ofthe platformor cradle. The dash and dottedlines indicate the position of the charging" car. r- Figure 10 is a transver'e' sectionof the platform, taken on li ne;10*10',-' Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a plan viewofa mod fied constructionintendedfor use 'in se'rving on'eor more cu p'olas. v H

In the drawings, wherein-I have illustrated the preferred embodiment "of my invention, 30'indi-catesthe chargingfloor, at

' one end f whichithe eupel's eeais manged;

the opening into the cupola beingslightly above the floor level. Arranged above the floor a suitable distance, is a pair of parallel tracks 11, thesetracks being connected together at their ends, and adapted to have the track wheels 2* ride thereon.

Trolley'members 2 carry the track wheels 2, and the trolley members 2 also carry downwardly and forwardly extending framing 3, which in turn carries the car receiving platform t at its lower end. The lower end of the framing 3 extends in advance of the upper end relative to the charging opening of the cupola, for a purpose to be more clearly hereinafter described. One end of the inclined track 1 is supported by a crosshead 9 which also forms a pivoted thrust bearing for a kingpin 10. A sleeve having an integral plate 11 is supported on I-beams 22 arranged to extend transversely of the track members 1, said I-beams being preferably a part of the steel work of the building itself. The opposite end of the track is supported at an elevation below the pivoted end so as to form an inclined track upon which trolley and framing may be moved. The lower end of the inclined track is supported upon members 12 and track wheels 15. These last mentioned wheels are carried by shafts 14, which in turn are driven by any suitable means, as for instance by beveled gearing operating in conjunction with a shaft 13 connecting the beveled gearing. The shaft 13 may be driven by a spur gear 17 and a pinion 16, directly connected to a source of power, as for instance a motor as shown Fig. 8.

The trolley frame 2 consists of two parallel members having a rigid cross-bracing therebetween to form a rectangular frame, provisions being made for connections with the trolley framing 3. Any suitable means may be provided for resisting the Vertical movement of the trolley wheels, as for instance guides or the like, but these trolley wheels are always free to travel longitudinally of the track members 1.

A compressed air cylinder 8 is rigidly connected. at one end to the trolley. frame and has a piston rod insertable thereinto at the other end, the piston rod being secured or anchored to the crosshead 9. It is obvious that when air is admitted into the cylinder 8 the cylinder and not the piston will be actuated and thereby cause the trolley and framing carried by the cylinder to be moved tog-ether therewith. The members 12 are braced by a yoke 18 extending therebetween and thereabove to clear the cylinder 8 and which serves the purpose of giving lateral stiffness and rigidity to the inclined track members 1.

A circular track 23 is provided and upon which the wheels 15 are movable and carrying the overhead track structure. Any

ways when the car is tilted.

means may be provided for supporting these tracks, as for instance floor columns, or these tracks may be suspended from above. A car-carrying cradle or platform 4 is adapted to be arranged at the lower end of'the framing 3, said platform comprising a floor plate 4 upon which the car 21 is adapted to rest, said floor plate being riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to a pair of parallel side members 4 spa'ced to clear the car (see Figs. 6 and 10). A member 5 isconnected across one end of the plates 49 and closes said end and limits the movement of the car in one direction. Hinged to the portion 5 by means of a pin 5 is a U-shaped member 5, shownmore particularly 1n Figs.

3, 9, and 10. The cross-section of the legs of said U member being preferably angleshaped. The legs of the member 5 extend substantially the full length of the platform, and the free ends-are extended downwardly thereof, as shown in Fig. 9.

Pivotally secured to the free ends of the U member 5, as at (S is a bail 6. A hoist 7 is connected at one end to the movable trolley 2 and is connected at its other end to the bail 6 so that said hoist may be operated to raise the bail and tilt the U-shaped member, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

It is obvious that the flanges and ribs provided on the U-shaped member will engage the car 21 placed on the platform 1- and prevent the same from moving forward or side cars 21 may be constructed in any convenlent shape or size to suit the material to be handled, but four-wheel cars are preferable to those having a lesser number of wheels. The framing members 3 provide a very rigid bracework between the trolley and the platform and are constructed with the necessary clearance so that they will not interfere with the movement of the car, platform, or lifting cylinder.

The operation of the device is as follows: The loaded cars, or containers, are placed 'lhe chai ging on the platform 4:, as shown in fulllines in Fig. 1. An air-controlled valve indicated at 20 is opened to admit air to the cylinder, and

the trolley then moves forward, advancing the platform to the position indicated in dotted lines. Air is then admitted to the lifting cylinder or hoist 7, which will move the lifting bail and the U-shaped tilting frame 5, tilting the car forwardly, as shown in dotted lines, causing the entire contents of the car to drop within the cupola opening.

In order to spread the charges evenly, the

car may be moved to any desired position,

viz itmay be advanced, retarded, or tilted to a greater or less degree at the will of the operator. To further insure an even distribution of the material in charging, the machine may be swung to the positions indicated by the lines C and D Fig. 5, so that the car may be more accurately dumped into the desired position in the cupola. It is'evident. that by this method the charges may be distributed uniformly and evenly over the entire area of the cupola, whichis of utmost importance in obtaining'a uniform mixture der 8 to advance and lift the platform off] the floor sufiiciently to'clear. It may then be moved in a circular path, as shown in Fig. 5. e e

lVhen the air is released the platform returns to the floor, and the car may be taken off and leftv on the floor in readiness for charging. The dot and dash lines shown in Fig. 5 indicate one of the extreme positions of theplatform when used for conveying cars intended to be left in storage;

It is to be noted that when the machine is inv the normal position shown in full lines in the drawingsthe platform 4: is directly in front of the cupola and is firmly resting on and entirely supported by the charging floor 30. It is also to be noted, and is ex tremely important, that the platform is ad vanced toward the cupola opening relative to the overhead trolley structure movable therewith, that is, the platform is'quite a distance nearer the cupola than the trolley. This is in order that the platform and tilting mechanism may enter and operate entirely within the cupola door'or opening, as shown, and without in any wayover-exposing the moving parts of the operating cylinder to the heat of the gases or causing inter. ference of the overhead track or structure with the cupola shell.

.The device shown in Fig. 11 is substantially similar to that previously described except that the trolley is arranged to move along a pair of parallel track members 23, making the device extremelydesirable Where a series of cupolas 29fare arranged in a row, as shown. It is obvious that there will be no pivoting of the trolley about one of the track members 23 as in the previously described modification.

hat I have'inventedand desire to claim asnewis: y v

1'. In a cupola charging machine, an inclinedoverhe'ad track structure,a fixed pivot bearing supporting said track structure at one end, a radial track at the/opposite end of said inclined track structure upon which said inclined track structure is movably -sup-- ported, a trolley frame movably supported by said inclined track structure, a platform rigidly suspended from said trolley frame andmeans on said platform-to receive, hold andv discharge portable containers placed thereon.

2. In a cupola charging machine, an inclined overhead track, 'a trolley frame adapt ed to travel on said track, a platform rigidly suspended from SitlCl track frame, a U- shaped member pivoted to said platform adapted to engage'and discharge portable contalners placed on said platform and power means fortilting said 'U-shaped mem-' ber, substantially as described.

' 3. In a cupola charging machine, an over head bridge structure'having an inclined track thereon, a trolley frame adapted to be movably supported and" guided on said track, a platform rigidly connected to said trolley, said platform having a U-shaped member hinged thereon which is adapted to engage and tilt receptacles to discharge their contents.

4. In a oupolacharging machine comprisfing an overhead structure provlded with an inclined trolley track," a' trolley frame mounted; for movement along saidtrack, a platform rigidly suspended, from 1 said trolley, and means on said platform adapted to engage and discharge portable receptacles placed on said platform.

In a cupola charging machine an overhead bridge structure, an inclined track'supported thereon, atrolley frame movable on said track, a car platform rigidly suspended from said trolley m an advanced posltion thereto. I

6. In a cupola charging machine, an overhead bridge structure, an inclined track supported thereon, a trolley frame movable on said track, power means for moving said trolley frame along said inclined track, and

a car;p1atform rigidly suspended from said trolley frame 1n an advanced forward position.

ALGOT A. WIOKLAND.

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