US1895900A - Snow removal - Google Patents

Description

E. A. SMITH Jan. 31, 1933.

SNOW REMOVAL Filed Jan. 24, 1930 aw Q Patented Jan. 31, 1933 ,UNITED STATES PATENT oFFrcE i EDWARD A. SMITH, or wnsu: ENGLEWOOZD, EW JERSEY snow REivIovAI. 7

Application filed January 24, 1930. seriainb. 423.1115.

broken away and appearing. in section.

The machine disclosedv consists in the main of a series of chain conveyors adapted to pick up and carry the snow into the melting range of a fire box, said chains operatingin effect as a set of fines into which the. fire box discharges. a i

The first conveyor which is designated 5 consistsof a series of channel'slats 6 carried by chains 7 and extending from sprockets 8 within the heating chamber 9' of the machine forwardly over sprockets 10 and downwardly out through the open end 11 of the chamber over sprockets 12 and upwardly over sprockets 13, and. backwardly on a slight downward incline to the rearward sprockets 8. A cross blade 14 beneath the lowerrun of the chain adj acentthe sprockets 14 serves as a stripper to drop anyunmelted snow onto the upper length-of an outwardly running conveyor 15, which may be constructed similarly to the first and which is shown as supported on sprockets 16, 17. The upper run of this conveyor also slantsback into the machine as clearly shown inFig. 2. Beneath the lower run ofthis second conveyor adjacent the outermost sprockets 17, a i

stripper 18isshown for scraping any unmelted material 01f onto the third conveyor indicated-at 19 and shown as supported on sprockets 20, 21. J

The third conveyor may be made up of slightly separated channel slats mounted on chains as in the case of the first conveyor and this like the first two is shown as having its upper run inclined downwardly toward 5 the inner end of the heating chamber. 1 This third conveyor is operated the reverse of the secondconveyor, that is with its upper end travelling inwardly toward the inner end of theheating compartment.

portion of the upper conveyor are shown as mounted" on a transverse shaft 22, carried by forwardly extending arms 23 pivoted at 24Ito. the front ends of the channel 25 formingi the-side frames ofthe machine. As in dicated at 5 in Fig. 2, the'lower run ot'the chain may be permitted to drag on the pavement or, road surface, so as to exert a sweeping effect on the snow, thereby breaking and picking it up to an extent and g ining a purchase on the same'to pick it up and carry it on the upwardly extending run. Shoes 26 at the forward ends of the arms 23 operate as runners for engagement with the road surface to raise and lower the slack forward portion ofthe conveyorin accordance with road configuration to prevent the arms from lowering the forwardly extendingportion of the conveyor too far. Stop blocks 27 are shown secured between thejpairs of side arms 23 and adapted by engagement with thejfor; ward ends of the side channels25, Fig.2 to 1 limit the lowering movement of said arms and of the chain sprockets carried thereby. 80,

If desired, road wheels may be mounted in the runners 26 or on the shaft 22 and these ,runners may be widenedas indicated in Fig.

1. tooperate as-scoops for directing the snow over toward the upper run of the conveyor.

The heat for melting the snow is provided in the present disclosure by suitable oil burn ers 28, discharging through'ports 29, into fire boxes 30, which in turn discharge ports into the inner end of themelting .55 The sprockets supporting the extended r The machine may be self propelled or be drawn on pushed'by suitable power. In the illustration, the machine is propelled by an and with air through a line 35 from a blower .36 driven by an 1 engine38 geared by chain 39to' a supportingroller 40,.journalled infbrackets 41 in the rearof the machine. Steering is accomplishedlin the illustration by steerable front wheels 42 indicated as provided with suitable steerin gknuckles at 43 and connected by a linkage 44, 45, 46, with the steering wheel 47 The motor 38 which is used for driving the machine is also employed in the illustration for operating the conveyors, itbeing shown as equipped for this purpose with an extra sprocket 48 drivin a chain 49, running over a sprocket 50 on the shaft 51, which carrie'sthe-sprockets 17,,Fig. 2, for the second conveyor} This second conveyor therefore is thusi directlydriven'by chain 49.

V :The first andthird' conveyorsalsoare directly driven from them-ain drive chain'49 in the illustration by having sprockets 52, 53

and lower runs of said main drive shaft as pla nly. shown in; Fig. 2.

. A suitable clutch is indicated at 56 in Fig. lfby which the conveyor drive may be controlledat will and another clutch is indicated at 57 int-he line of drive connections to the roller 40, whereby the propulsion of V e the vehicle maybe controlled at will. If desired, thepropulsion gearing'm'ay include suitable change speed gears enablingthe rate of' travel'to be governed according to road.

conditions without changing the drive of the conveyor chains... 7 Suitable braking mechanism for holding and controlling the vehicle may be provided as indicated in a general way at 58 in Fig. 1, the braking being shown as applied to the road-roller40. V e

As shown the conveyor is'propelled along the roadway, the inclined front conveyorwill pick up the snow and carry the same upward and inward into the melting chamber. If

any unmelted snow remains at the end of the vrearward travel ofithis conveyor,ithe sameis deposited onto the upward,outward length of the second conveyor and if the melting is internal combustion engine 7 p chamber being open at the; bottom has, the

melting chamber close to the burner exist flues 31. 'The three conveyors superposed as they are, sheet the flame from the burners,

operating as fiues to confine or control the v I heatin layers above and below the respective conveyors. The speed of travel of the conveyors and the machine may be-regulated to effect complete or substantially complete conversion of the snow and ice. The melting effect of warming the pavement. or roadway over. which the machine travels, to melt the snow fragmentswhich the front conveyor may have failed to, pick up andthe road roller 40, carrying the weight of the machine.

and also exerting the propulsive force, 'has the effect of breaking up and ironing out any snow or ice fragments wh ch may have remain'ed unconsumed. This road roller may be smooth or be ribbed, grooved or roughened' as desired, for tractive purposes. Due to the weight-of the machine, thesmooth r011? er usually is sufficient and may be preferred for ironing out purposes; The shoes at thef side edges of the elevating conveyor aidjin directing the snow and ice to and'upon the up-running reach of this conveyor and the slack at thedown'runningside of'this c onground breaking the bond with the pavement and sweeping theloose fragments forwardly, so as to ride up onthe chain'into the oven or melting chamber. The side "channels 25 give the necessary strength'to the body of the machine, inclining upwardly fromi' the front end back to the rearward end, where 'veyor causes the cross slats to drag on the 100.

they are connected'bya cross'channel5 9 The rear wheel brackets 41 are indicated as connected to this channel frame and similarly the front wheelbrackets l60 carrying the front axle and the steering wheels'may be connected to the channel frame structure as indicated in Fig. 2.

chine is not in actual operation. the front conveyor may be lifted out of the way, it

In travelling ever the roads when the ma- I "1'15 swinging upward on the pivoted supporting arms 23 and being hooked or otherwise supportedinthis elevated inoperative position.

What is claimed is: 1 Snow melting apparatus, comprising a communicating fire box andmelting oven, an upper snow conveyor having an upper run operating in said ovenchamber and travelf ling toward saidffire box, anintermediate' conveyor beneath the upper conveyor and having its'upperQruntravelling awayfrom 7 the: fire box,"a 'lower conveyor having its upper run disposed beneath the intermediate conveyor and travelling. toward the fire box and a single drive chain operating the intermediate conveyor and having upper and lower reaches in driving relation to the upper and lower conveyors.

2. Snow removal apparatus, comprising a melting chamber, a fire box at the inner end of said chamber and discharging longitudinally of said chamber, a slat conveyor having its upper run extending in upwardly inclined relation into the front end of said chamber and backwardly therein substantially to the fire box at the inner end of said chamber and a second conveyor having an upper run disposed beneath the first conveyor and travelling from a position adjacent the fire box jecting outwardly of the conveyor, which conveyor extends in inclined relation out through the open front end of the melting oven and self-supporting means for carrying said inclined portion of the conveyor in close relation to the road surface, with the lower run of the chain sufliciently slack to drag on the pavement or road surface to exert a sweeping effect on the snow,'the projecting flanges thereby breaking up and dislocating snow and ice adhering to the paveforwardl toward the front end of the melting cham er.

3. Snow removal apparatus, comprising a melting chamber, a fire box at the inner end of said chamber and discharging longitudinally of said chamber, a slat conveyor havin its upper run extending in upwardly inclined relation into the front end of said chamber and backwardly therein substantially to the fire box at the inner end of said chamber, a second conveyor having an upper run disposed beneath the first conveyor and travelling from a position adjacent the fire box forwardly toward the front end of the melting chamber and a third conveyor within the melting chamber and having an upper run beneath the second conveyor and travelling rearwardly from a point adjacent the front end of the melting chamber toward the fire box.

4. Snow removal apparatus, comprising a meltin chamber, a fire box at the inner end of sai chamber and discharging longitudinally of said chamber, a slat conveyor having its upper run extending in upwardly inclined relation into the front end of said chamber and backwardly therein substantially to the fire box at the inner end of said chamber, a second conveyor having an upper run disposed beneath the first conveyor and travelling from a position adjacent the fire box forwardly toward the front end of the melting chamber and a third conveyor within the melting chamber and having an upper run beneath the second conveyor and travelling rearwardly from a point adjacent the front end of the melting chamber toward the fire box, said second and third conveyors being also of slatted construction to sheet the heat from the fire box in layers within the melting chamber.

' 5. Snow removal apparatus comprising a portable melting oven open at one end, a urner :for delivering heat into the o posite end of the oven and conveyor means or carrying ice and snow from the open end of the oven into the influence of the burner and consisting of side chains connected by closely spaced channels forming cross-slats and disposedwith the side flanges of the same pro-

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