US1720822A - Coal pocket - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1929.

z. w. CRAINE ET AL 1.720.822

COAL POCKET Filed April 30, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 my 2 Z? 23 ZUR W. CRAINE LEO D. CRMNE ATTORNEYS July 16, 1929. z w, cRAlNE ET AL COAL POCKET Filed April 30, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet haw /z/ lrllllllll faa lull-l- |l t.421225341135, 4 r:1/512153::175; .UV G I II I I'll INVENTORS ZUR W. CRAIN E LEO D. CRAINE ATTORNEYS July 16, 1929. z. w. CRAINE EI'AL 1.720.822

COAL POCKET Filed April :50, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS ZUR W.CRAINE BY LEO 0.0mm:

Patented July 16, 1929.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZUR W. CRAINE AND LEO D. CRAINE, OF NORWICH, NEW YORK.

COAL POCKET.

Application filed April 30, 1927.

This invention relates to handling equipment for frangible material. More particularly the invention has to do with feeding devices adapted to deliver coal to coal pockets of material height without breakage of the coal.

It is the usual practice in retailing of coal to provide a plurality of storage pockets or silos each adapted to contain a different size of coal and to convey the coal of a particular size from the railroad car or other conveyance by which it has been transported from the mine to the topof that pocket designed to contain the particular coal and dump the coal therein, permitting it to fall to the bottom of the pocket or at least to the level of the coal already contained therein. In its fall from the top to the bottom of the pocket which, when the pocket is nearly empty, is a considerable distance, some of the coal is broken into smaller sizes and into dust Which results not only in a Waste of the coal but also in a loss of time and labor in screening the coal upon sale.

It has heretofore been proposed to break the fall of the coal to the pocket by affording a circuitous path for the coal from the conveyor to the level of the coal already in the pocket. It has also been proposed to provide a vertical chute adapted to be full of coal at all times and to deliver coal at the level of the pocket contents when more coal enters the top of the chute.

The present invention has for its object an improvement in the method of delivering the coal from the overhead conveyor to the bottom of a coal pocket or silo to insure the delivery of the coal at the bottom without breakage or pulverization. To this end closures along the length of the vertical chute are successively opened, as the level of the coal in the pocket rises, upon the addition of the coal to the top of the chute which actuates trip mechanism of a novel and improvedcharacter to effect the operation of door raising mechanism.

It is also an object of the invention to provide mechanism for opening the closures successively, which shall be operated in a practical manner either directly from an independent prime mover or indirectly from the prime mover driving the coal conveyor. Accordingly the lowermost of a plurality of sliding doors forming one side of the chute is connected by a cable or the like with a Serial No. 187,751.

Winch adapted to be clutched toand rotated from an independent prime mover or clutched or rotating part of the conveyor mechanism when the level of thecoal in the chute falls below a predetermined point. v

These and other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments thereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of a series of coal pockets or silos and the conveyor mechanism whereby the coal, dumped from a coal car or other conveyance, is raised to the top of the coal pockets.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1, in somewhat diagrammatic form, showing the relation of parts.

Figure 3 is a view in front elevation of one of the coal chutes and the operating mechanism therefor by which the coal is delivered to the bottom of the pocket.

Figure 4 is a view looking from above in Fi ure 3.

igure 5is a transverse vertical sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 55'in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing a modification of the drive or actuating mechanism for the coal delivery devices.

Figure 7 is a view in side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 6.

WVhile the invention is described herein as applied to coal pockets or silos, since that is its most important application, it will be obvious that the invention is not limited to coal but is equally applicable to the delivery offany frangible or frangible material.

Referring to Figure 1, a series of coal pocket or silos of material heightare indicated at 11 raised above the surface of the ground 12 upon pillars 13 to permit the coal wagon or truck to be driven therebeneath to receive coal from a pocket for retail distribution. The coal pockets are conveniently disposed beside a railroad track 15 upon which there is shown a coal car 16 positioned to dump its load of coal into a track hopper 17 delivering the coal to the bottom of a well 18.

From the well 18 the coal isconveyed to thetop of the battery of silos and along the top thereof to the respective coal pockets by any convenient conveyor. In the illustrated embodiment an endless conveyor 19 is illustrated comprising a pair of spaced chains 20, 20 with buckets 22 therebet-ween adapted to pick up the coal in the well 18 and convey it upwardly by an elevating reach to an apron 21 along which it is conveyed in the conveying reach by the buckets 22 to one of the coal pockets. Openings 23 are formed in the bottom of the apron 21 above the respective coal pockets for the passage of the coal thereto which openings are adapted to be closed by doors or closures 24 to permit the coal to'be conveyed thereacross to a succeeding pocket by the horizontal reach of the conveyor. It is customary to enclose the conveyor and upper part of the battery of coal pockets with a housing or roof 26 as a protection for the interior of the pockets from the elements.

So much of the construction described is illustrated as one customarily found in storage pockets of this character and a convenient conveying mechanism or delivery system has also been illustrated and described as one which may be availed of to deliver the coal to an individual pocket. However other forms of coal pockets and other types of conveyors may be availed of also.

It will be apparent that if the coal were permitted to fall freely into the bottom of one of the pockets that a considerable portion thereof would be broken or pulverized thus rendering it unsalable or at least re sulting in a considerable quantity of a smaller size of coal in the pocket than is intended to be stored in that pocket. The present invention seeks the delivery of the coal to the bottom of the pocket or at least to the top of the coal pile already therein in a manner which will not result in breaking up the coal. A substantially vertical chute 28 of any desired cross section, but preferably rectangular as shown in Figures 3 through 5 is provided which extends from the opening 24 downwardly to the bottom of the pocket. One side of the chute is open and is adapted to be closed by a plurality of doors 29 slidable throughout the entire length of the chute in grooves 30 formed in the front edges of the opposed sides and adapted when in their lowered position to overlap and close the front face. The lowermost door 29 is connected to a winch 32 by a cable 33 and upon being raised, when the cable 33 is wound up by the winch 32, is adapted to slide parallel to and adjacent to the succeeding door next above it, to engage the succeeding door to raise that door with it and continue until adjacent the neXt succeeding door thereabove, which is also engaged and raised and, this is continued until all of the doors have been raised successively to the uppermost part of the tracks 30. For this purpose the top stay of the door 20 is provided with lugs 31 which are adapted to engage a stop 34 to prevent the further downward movement of the door and these lugs 31 are engaged by the top of the door 29 to raise the door 29. Similarly, the top of the door 29 engages the lugs on the door 29 to raise it as the doors 29 and 29* are elevated and so on until the top door is reached.

At the side of the chute near the top is a trip mechanism and the chute is adapted to be filled at all times with coal to the level of the trip mechanism. This mechanism comprises a trigger plate or movable wall section 35 carried upon a shaft 36 and adapted to be projected inwardly slightly within the interior of the chute by a coil spring 37 the upper part of the plate 35 being bent outwardly as at 35 to close the top to incoming coal. The shaft 36 carries rigidly therewith an arm 38connected as by a link 39 with one arm 40 of a. bell'crank lever 41 pivoted at 42 upon some convenient support above the chute. The other arm 43 of the bell crankjs adapted to actuate a cone clutch element 44 keyed on and reciprocable along a drive shaft 47 rotated say by the prime mover 4S and carrying loosely thereon the winch 32 about which the cable 33 is wound.

The operation of the delivery device is as follows: The chute 28 is first filled with coal to the top with the front face of the chute closed by the doors 29, 29, 29 etc., throughout their entire length, the cable 33 being unwound from the winch 32. As the level of the coal rises in the chute, the trigger plate 35 is pressed outwardly against the action of the spring 37 to cause the rotation of the shaft 36 and with it the arm 38 in countercloclmise direction (as viewed in Figure 3) thereby rotating the bell crank 41 in clockwise direction to cause the engageniaent of the cone clutch 44 keyed on the rotating shaft 47 with the winch 32 and as the shaft 47 is constantly rotated by the prime mover 48 the cable 33 commences to be wound up on the winch thereby raising the door 29 and permitting the coal in the bottom of the chute to flow outwardly into the bottom of the coal pocket.

It now no more coal enters the chute the level therein falls so that the trigger plate is permitted to enter under the influence of the spring 37 thereby causing the withdrawal of the cone clutch 44 from the winch 32. The door 29 however, will not be lowered because of the level of the coal flowing from beneath. the bottom edge thereof. If on. the other hand coal is continually added to the top of the chute by the conveyor 20 the trigger plate 35 is maintained inits retracted position and the winch 32 continues to reel up the cable 33 raising the door 29 and when a. lug carried at the top of door llO 29 -is engaged-by the door 29, that 'door 29 is also raised keeping the top of the opening through which coal flows from the chute into the silo just above the level of the coal in the silo to permit the freeflow of the coal outof the chute. This operation is continued until all of the doors are disposed in the, uppermost part of the chute and the silo is completely filled.

As the coal is withdrawn from the silo the level of the coal in the chute falls to a point permitting the return of the trigger plate 35 to declutching position thereby permitting the cable 33 to be unwound from the drum 32 and allowing the doors to fall gradually and follow the lowering level of coal in the silo.

to the coal in the chute.

In Figures 3 through 5 the drum 32 is illustrated as being directly rotated by an electric motor 48. A modification of the invention is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 wherein only a single prime mover 148 is availed of to propel the coal conveyor and actuate the door raising mechanism for all the silos. The pinion on the shaft of k the motor 148 meshes with and rotates a gear 51 on a shaft 52 and the pinion 53 on shaft 52 meshes with and rotates a gear 54 carried on a shaft 55 carrying sprockets 56 whereby the endless chains 20 are propelled.

At a convenient point adjacent the drum 32 ing a. feeding chute having an open side, a

closure for the open side, closure opening means, and pivoted means susceptible to the level of material in the chute to initiate the operation of the closure opening means.

2. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an open side, a sectional closure for the open side, means to successively open the closure, means to cause the actuation of said closure opening means, and pivoted means susceptible to the level ofamaterial in the chute to initiate the operation of said last named means.

3. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an open side, a closure for the open side, a drum, means to rotate the drum, a clutch between the drum and said means, a cable connected with the closure to be wound on the drum and pivoted means susceptible to the level of material in the chute to actuate the clutch.

4:. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an open side, a closure for the open side, a drum, means to rotate the drum, a clutch between the drum and saidmeans, a cable connected with the closure and adapted to be wound on the drum, a pivoted plate, means to project the plate into the chute, and a connection between the plate and clutch operative upon movement of the plate.

5. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an open side, a closure for the open side, a rotatable shaft, means to rotate the shaft, a freely rotatable drum, a clutch between the shaft and drum, a cable connected with the closure and adapted to be Wound on the drum, a plate pivoted in the side of the chute near the upper end thereof, a spring to project the plate into the chute, and operative connections between the plate and clutch.

6. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an open side, a sectional closure for the open side, a rotatable shaft, means to rotate the shaft, a freel rotatable drum, a clutch between the shaft and drum, a cable connected with the lowermost section of the closure and adapted to be wound on the drum, a plate pivoted in the side of the chute near the upper end thereof, a spring to project the plate into the chute, an arm carried with the plate, and operative connections between the arm and clutch.

7. Material handling equipment comprising, a feeding chute having an open side, a sectional closure for the open side, a rotatable shaft, a prime mover to rotate the shaft, a freely rotatable drum, a clutch between the shaft and drum, a cable connected with the lowermost section of the closure and adapted to be wound on the drum, a plate pivoted in the side of the chute near the upper end thereof, a spring to project the plate into the chute, an arm carried with the plate, and operative connections between the arm and clutch.

8. Material handling equipment comprising, a feeding chute having an open side, a sectional closure for the open side, a rotatable shaft, means to rotate the shaft, a freel rotatable drum, a clutch between the sha t and drum, a cable connected with the lowermost section of the closure and adapted to be wound on the drum, a shaft journalled in the chute near the upper end thereof, a.

plate carried by the shaft, a spring to project the plate into the chute, an arm carried with the shaft, and operative connections between the arm and clutch. 9. Material handling equipment comprising the combination with a container for the material. and elevating and conveying means therefor, of a material feeding chute extending substantially from the top to the bottom of the container, and means to permit the escape of the material from the chute into the container actuated by the conveying means.

10. Material handling equipment comprising the combination with a container for the material and elevating and conveying means therefor, of a material feeding chute having an open side and extending substantially from the top to the bottom of the container, a closure for the open side, a drum actuated by the conveying means, a cable secured to the closure and adapted to be wound on the drum, means to rotate the drum to permit the escape of the material from the chute into the container dependent upon the level of material in the chute.

11. Material handling equipment comprising, the combination with a container for the material and elevating and conveying means therefor, of-a material feeding chute having an open side and extending substantially from thetop to the bottom of the container, a shaft rotated by the conveying means, a drum, a clutch between the shaft and drum, a cable from the closure to be wound about the drum, a Wall section movable upon the movement of material in the chute and operative connections between the wall section and the clutch.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signs tures.

ZUR WVM. C'RAINE. LEO D. CRAINE.

Images