US1748708A - Turntable crane - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 25, 1930;

B. F. FITCH ,748,708

TURNTABLE CRANE Filed March 30. 1925 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 gin/vanto@ @www I Feb. 25, 1930. A' B, FlTCH 1,748,708

TURNTABLE CRANE.y Filed Mrch 50. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I1/wanton fgmw, /afr U'NiTED-TATES.

,Patentedy lieb. "125,1 Y 1 930 v l PATENT OFFICE BENJAMINF. FITCH, CF ennnNWrcn, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNorcToMoToR TERM'INALS' L CoMrANY,.oF WILMTNGTCN, DELAWARE, A ooRroRATioN or DELAWARE v TURNTALE CRANE Original application vrleclv MarchfSO, 1925, Serial No. 19,280. lDivided and this applicatonrled vFebruary 4, 1926. serial No.'s5,s77.

This invention embodies a division of. my

f co-.pending application, Serial'No.f19,280,

flledfMarch 30, 1925, and relates to hoisting and conveying apparatus, and is particularly concerned with the provision .of a crane adaptedlto travel on overhead tracks. Such a crane is especially adapted for use in a system'for handling freight wherein freight isv storedin removable automobile bodies or corn- 'tainers intending 'freight byfsuch a System, ais desirable to adaptthe'apparatus to existing conditions without. requiring extensive" however, that the 'averagefwarehouse or Vfreight station is not yconstructed:to'receive a standard Vsize 'crane' and to admit'the con-r .tainerj f Accordingly, extensive altering and Y strengthen the structures and to render them shoringmustbe resortedY to in vorder to safe for handling loadedy containers by means of an overhead crane. 'f An additional characteristic frequent in existing structures is the low headI room, which greatly hinders the use Y Vinvention is illustrated in the drawings of standard size cranes. v Y Y 1 A further'problemwhich arises in the handling offreight by the use of. removable automobile bodies is the dili'culty ofv positioning a motor vehicle at right angles to astation platform. This-difficulty arises by rea-v son of the fact that'the street adjacentv a platform is frequently'verynarrow and that the motorj vehicles employed for conveying freightfare too long to permit the normal flow of traiiic along th'estreetif the vehicles are f r40 disposed at right angles to theV platform. In "order, therefore, `to y'permit the' handling of 'heavy loaded containers, itisdesirable to use electrically operated overheadV cranes-which may raise ya load, turn'it and then transport vit from oneplace to another. The sizeand weight of the containers, however, present a serious problem in the designing" of a crane which will have sufficient power toV raise' the load and to permit the turning thereof withi out making important and extensive changes inthe construction of the building. One of the obj ects'of the present invention therefore, is the provision of a crane which while possessing a minimum depth still has suficient power to raise a loaded container in the formof a removable automobile body,

turn it and-then transport it along anoverhead t'r'aclrway. urtherfobjects are to short'- .i

en materially the span required to support` such an overhead crane, yet tofpermit the turning of the load through a complete revolution. A -Tocarry out the above objects, I employ a crane which has a main frame movablel along an g overhead f traclrway. The f main frame carries a supplemental frame which embodies a'turntable Ahaving hoistingV mechanism mounted thereon. To permit the crane to have a minimum depth, the supplemental 'frame is disposed withingplanes which define y the Vupper and' lower surfaces of the .main Y frame. v Y

The preferredmeans for vcarrying out my wherein Fig. l is a plan view of aVcrane em` lines inFig.'1; Fig. 6 is a sectiontaken on an. enlarged scale through the craneand on scf a plane'indicated by the line 6 6 in liggfl.V

In Figs. 1- andQ the crane embodying 'my invention is illustrated .as supported upon voverhead trackslOjand 11 which'are carried on columns 12 and lrespectively. The crane embodiesa main frame indicated in general at 15 and a supplemental frame indi'eatedin general at^16 which is carriedl by the main frame and is arranged to be rotated through a complete revolution with reference Athereto. Wheels 17 and 18 ournaled in the main frame, are arranged to travel on the tracks and 11 respectively. These Wheels as shown are slightly less in diameter than the depth of the main frame. The main frame may have longitudinal Webbed beams 20 which are connected at the ends by transverse Webbed beams 21 and 22 respectively. The end members are arranged in pairs so as to support the Wheels in a conventional manner.

To support the supplemental frame Within the main frame, l have shovvn a plurality of spaced rollers 25 Which are mounted radially and are arranged to engage 'the underside of the supplemental frame adjacent the periphery thereof. As shown in Fig. 5, each roller* earrerted ,epee er, inwardly extending bracket conipri'sing horizontally disposed plate 26 and an inclined plate 27 which are rigidly secured to the frame Work of the man ferr@- i Y, .Thesdrrealeetel frame Sheva embedee e el edler frame levies e periphery eem: prides. en .inwardly fades Channel-Shaped beam 30, thelower iiange of which 4 rests upon the rollers 25, yThe supplemental frame4 carriesnhoisting mechanism which preferably in..-

' elu'desa s crea7 and nut couple as illustrated by athreaded Shaft 32 and a mit 33- TheHut is arranged to travel along the shaft ivhenevier.. the .Shaft His rotated 4he. @Heade-fer lietatlgihe Shdfbie Shown m0@ PflltCuldf.- ly in Fia; 3` as embodying eleetre .meter 35 v'vhich drives a shaft A36 by means of gears 31 and 3.8.-,.-A Werld ethe Shaft 36 meshes With a Worm Wheel which is rigidly'securedgtda Ashaft 41. y coupling 42 indicated in generalin Fig, 1 may thenconnect the shaft 41;; vvithV the threaded shaft 32. ln Fig. 3 thrust bearings ,43, and 44 are shown associated vyith the worm 39. I n I have indicated4 four loadengaging meinbers such as hooks an'dwl which are adapted to engage, aA load at four points. These hooks are fastened atnthe lovver ends of cables 55, each of which is attached at one end thereof tothe nut 33, Wherefore the cables are simultaneously,operated to raise or lower a load. Horizontally disposed guide sheaves 56 at one end of the frame, and vertically disposed guide sheaves 57 function to leadv the cables outwardly and then downwardly With respect to the supplemental frame.,v y To rotate the supplemental frame With. ref- .erence to the main frame, i have shown the Vsupplemental frame ashaving anuannular rack 60 which is arranged to be engaged by apinionV 61 'on a v,shaft A motor 63,

,shown more particularly in Fig. 6 may be used for selectively actuating the shaft 62 to rotateV th'e supplemental frameV or to rotate one of the Wheels 17 for propelling the frame along the overhead traclnvay. n l

. The mechanism illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6 embodies a Worm 65 on the armature shaft 64 for actuating a Worm Wheel 66 on a shaft 67. Thrust bearings 68 adjacentV the Worm, and thrust bearings 69 adjacent the Worm Wheel function to absorb Working stresses in the usual manner. One end of the shaft 67 carries one member 70 of a Clutch Which is adapted to engage a coacting member 71 for edecting rotation of shaft 7 2, and through the medium of bevel gears 7 3 and 74, for effecting rotation of the pinion 61. The opposite end of the shaft 67 is indicated as having a clutch member 75 which is arranged to engage a coacting member 76 forl effecting rotation of shaft 77. Bevel . gears 78 and 79 function to transmit rotation of shaft 77 to shaft 80, While pinions 81 and 82 at opposite ends of the shaft 8O meshivith gears 83 and 84 respectively, for effecting vsirriulta'neolis operation of one traction Wheel 17 and one traction Wheel 18 onthe tracks 10 and 11 respectively.v .Y

To effect movementof the crane' alo, gthe over head track\vay1fhavelshpnn a kshipper rod or slide :S5 vvhich isy slidably mounted on abearing block 86 andwhich carries '1"' per levers 87'` and 88 respectively. Y A l member 89,1`nay have thel ends thereo attache'd to lthe 'slide and Vmayie'tefid dovvwardl'y so as to be accessible beneath the ci? ne. if the operator desires .to movethe frame along the overhead trackvv'ay, the slide is moved to effect engagement ofthe 'clutch members 5 and whereupon a directcofinection is made between the arm'a'ltinfe shaft of the motor 63 and the' traction/.Wheels :0in the main frame. if it is desired to grtate the `supplelnental frame', then .the slide A is moved.A to effect engagementvlbtvve'en 'the clutch members 70faiidy71- vvhreiip'onlthe pinion 61 is caused to rotate. The shipper levers 87 Vand 88 are rigidly mounted ,upon the slide in vsuch manner thatrvvhen one of the'c'lutches is connected 'with the inotor, lthe other clutch is disconnected from the into'r. Thus the supplementalframe can be turned onlyivhile the mainframe is stationary, While themain frame can be propelledfalong the traclvvay only when thesuppleiiiental frame is stationary. g y

The particular advantage of a turn table `crane made in Vaccordance With iny invention is the small'overall depth coupled yvith adequate capacity for raising comparatively heavyloads,l 4Moreover the present invention is 'particularly adapted for use in connection with the handling of freigl'it vvith removable automobile bodies, since the supplemental frame may beprotated With reference lto the main frame, Wherefore the load maybe readily engaged `even though the motor .trueh'is not disposed .in proper aligned position ivith reference to the main frame.

Iclaim: ,l

. 1. In a crane, the combination. main frame comprising side beams and end beams,

ico

isc

rwith reference'to the mainframe.

v which frame.

said beams embodying webbed members,

. v plates extending inwardly from said members at spaced intervals, rollerspositioned on-said plates, a supplemental frame supported on said rollers so as to be rotated a completeV revolution, andmechanism Vfor rotating the supplemental frame with reference Lto the main frame. v f 1 Y 2. In a crane, the combination with a main f frame comprising side beams andend beams, f

` the end beams having wheels journalled therein for causing the main frame to-travel along an overhead trackway, spaced members attached to the top and bottom of said beams and projecting inwardly therefrom, rollers positioned radially on said members, a supplemental'frame supported on the'rollers and arranged to be turned la complete revolution 3. In a crane, the combination with aimain frame adapted to travel upon an overhead trackway, spaced rollers carried-by the main i frame and disposedy radially betweenthe topv 1 and'bottom of the main frame, a supplemental frame bounded by 'a circular beam supyported upon said rollers, means for ,enabling stantially diametrically opposite side, anut Vslidably mounted on said circular beam, a rotatable diametric screw between the parallel I hereunto aiix my the supplemental frameto be rotated with y reference to the main frame, hoisting. mechanism'carried by the supplemental frame within such bounding beam, said mechanism and ysaid supplemental frame lying between planes f v define the top and bottom of the main 4. In a crane, thek combination with a main frame, of a supplemental frame mounted thereon and adapted to be turnedwith refer-.

ence to the main frame, hoisting mechanism including a diametric screw within-the supplemental frame, bearings for said screwon oppositer sides of the frame axis, a nut on said screw, lhorizontal and vertically disposed sheaves also mounted within the supplemental frame, and flexible load engaging members actuated by'said nut and passing over said sheaves.

5.. In a crane,the combinationwith a main r' frame adapted to travel along a trackway,

krollers mounted radially v upon the, main frame, a supplemental frame having a circular bounding beam supported'on's'aid rollers Aandarranged toV be rotated with reference to the main frame, an electric motorvcarried by the main frame, and means for selectively actuating the motor either to propel'the main frame along the trackway orto turn'the supf plementalV frame with reference to the main Y frame. f

6. In a crane, the combination ofa main frame adapted to travel on an overhead track- Y way, radial rollers carried by `the'main'frame,

a supplemental frame bounded by afcircular beam supported on said rollers, said supple- Vmentalframe having within it two parallel beams 0n opposite sides of its axis extending from one sideiof the circular beam to the sub- BENJAMiN F. FITCH.

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