US1965367A

US1965367A - Wrecking crane

Info

Publication number: US1965367A
Application number: US571959A
Authority: US
Inventors: William L Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1931-10-30
Filing date: 1931-10-30
Publication date: 1934-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 1951-07-03

Description

w. 1.. BROWN WRECKING CRANE July 3, 1934;

' Filed Oct. 50, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR VV/LL/AM L. ERow/v 5y gavdum' Hiram/vs Y 4 SheetsSheet 3 w. 1.. BROWN WRECKING CRANE Filed Oct. 50. 19:51

July 3, 1934.

IITTOANE V July 3, 1934. w BROWN 1,965,367

WRECKING CRANE Filed Oct. 30, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIQ. 6.

Iljhjllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll //v VENTOR" WILL/AM L. BROWN Patented July 3, 1934 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in wrecking cranes and particularly relates to Wrecking cranes for electric railways having overhead feed wires.

53 The electrification of railways has brought with it an incidental problem of handling and clearing derailments and break down of equipment, which can only be taken care of by use of wrecking cranes.

The standard wrecking cranes now in use are constructed with booms of great length, and when in use the boom is necessarily placed with the outer end elevated as high as possible above the rails, so as to bring the main hook, from the boom,

151 at its minimum radius for lifting heavy loads.

The feed wires of electrically equipped railwaysw are located twenty-two feet above the rails and are carried by catenary wires or structural bridges of various forms.

Most railroad electric equipment, particularly electric engines, are so heavy that the standard form of crane can only handle them with the boom elevated so as to bring the lifting hook, within a short radius from the heel of the boom. 1 It can be readily seen, therefore, that the standard types of cranes are of very little service until the feed wires are cleared away, at a great loss of time, especially in replacing the wires after the track is cleared.

The object of the present invention is to provide a wrecking crane which may be operated upon railways having overhead feed wires.

A further object is to provide a wrecking crane with means for changing the radius of the boom relatively to the end of the car without elevating the boom.

A further object is to movablymount the crane upon the car so that the crane may be moved relatively to the length of the car, whereby the center of gravity of the load upon the crane may be moved back from the end of the car, for reducing the load upon the end truck and outriggers, of the car, adjacent to the object to be lifted, thus enabling a heavy object to be lifted without excessively loading one end of the car, which would cause damage to the tracks and substructure.

A further object is to mount the crane upon a carriage, which in turn is movably mounted upon the railway car, so that the position of the crane may be varied relatively to the length of the car.

A further object is to construct the railway car with side sills in the form of tracks or guides, in which rollers upon the carriage are movable throughout the length of the car, for supporting the carriage upon the car, and also for preventing the tilting of the carriage relatively to the car.

A further object is to provide a crane with a boom which is rotatable upon a vertical axis upon the crane, and provide means for reversing the crane relatively to the ends of the carriage, whereby the boom may be positioned and operated at opposite ends of the car on which the carriage is slidably mounted.

A further object is to provide locking means for holding the rotatable crane against rotation upon the car and also for preventing the tilting of the crane when lifting a heavy load over the end of the car, and to construct said locking means so that the crane may be readily unlocked from the car when it is desired to reverse the crane to position the boom at either end of the car.

A further object is to provide locking means between the carriage and the car for holding the carriage from moving longitudinally upon the car.

These together with various other novel features of construction and arrangement of the parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed constitute my invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved wrecking crane.

Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1, showing the boom in a difierent position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on line 33, Fig. l, drawn on a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a different form of crane in which the latter is rotatably mounted upon the carriage.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section on line 55, Fig. 4, drawn on a larger scale.

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section on line 6-6, Fig. 4, drawn on a larger scale.

In the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts, 10 represents one form of my improved wrecking crane, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings. A railway car 12 of the heavy flat car type is mounted upon suitable trucks 13 having wheels 14 shown resting upon tracks 15. The car 12 is provided With out-riggers' 16 of the usual type which may be extended, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, for preventing the car from tilting.

The car 12 may be constructed with a body 18 in the form of a casting or it may be of the structural steel type, shown in Fig. 5.

The body of the car is provided With longitudinal side sills which form guides or runways 9 zfor rollers 20. A lower flange 21 provides a support for the rollers 20 and the upper flange 22 provides means for preventing the upward movement of the rollers away from the lower flanges 21.

A carriage 25 is provided with brackets 26 located on opposite sides thereof. Said brackets extend downwardly from the carriage and em-- brace the car body 18 between them. The brackets 26 form bearings 2'? in which are secured stud shafts 28, on which the rollers 20 are rotatably mounted for supporting the carriage upon the lower flanges 21 of the car body, where by the carriage is movable longitudinally of the car. The upper flanges 22 prevent the tilting of the carriage relatively to the car.

Cranes 30 and 31 are mounted upon opposite ends of the carriage. The cranes include

booms

32 and 33. Each boom is pivotally mounted upon a horizontal shaft 34 carried by the heel bearing 35, which latter is mounted upon a vertical shaft 36, rotatably mounted in upper and

lower bearings

37 and 38 upon the carriage. The outer end of the boom carries the main lifting hook 40 and sheaves 41 and 42 are provided for 25' elevating the outer end of the boom, in the usual manner.

The

booms

32 and 33 are of relatively short length so that they may be operated below the .overhead feed wire 45. When it is desired to vbe varied relatively to the end of the car, over which it is operating, by moving the carriage lengthwise of the car, instead of elevating the boom, as has been done heretofore.

The carriage 25 may be moved upon the car 12 by means of a cable 46 having its opposite end attached to

blocks

47 and 48, anchored at opposite ends of the car. The cable 46 encircles a drum 49, rotatably mounted upon the carriage 25. A motor 50 and suitable gearing 51 are provided for rotating the drum 49 in either direc- 50" tion and thereby moving the carriage upon the car, due to the tension placed by the drum upon either end of the cable.

Each crane 30 and 31 may be operated by hoisting apparatus 52 and 53, mounted upon the carriage 25. Said hoisting apparatus may be of anywell known type. Motors 54 are provided for operating the hoisting apparatus and are supplied with current from the feed wire 45, or they may be supplied by current from a power plant located either upon the carriage 25, or upon another car, not shown in the drawings, as is well known in the art.

My invention as above described may be operated by moving the carriage 25 lengthwise of the car 12 for the purpose of changing the radius of the booms relatively to the ends of the car. By this arrangement the booms may be operated without elevating them to a sufficient height to The booms are mounted upon the vertical shafts 36, on which is secured a segmental gear 55 which meshes with a pinion 56, operated by any suitable mechanism, arranged for rotating the shaft 36 and the.

boom, so that the boom may be swung to either side of the car 12, as shown in Fig. 2.

The carriage 25 may be secured in a fixed position. upon the car 12 by interlocking means in the form of shoes 58, shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The shoes 58 are suspended below the upper flanges 22 of the car sills by means of levers 59, pivotally mounted in bearings 60, upon the carriage 25, and connected at their inner ends with pistons 61 in the cylinders 62, which are preferably operated by air under pressure and controlled by a valve 63. When it is desired to lock the crane or carriage 25 against longitudinal movement upon the car, the valve 63 is operated for moving the pistons 61, which move the shoes 58 tightly against the flanges 22 of the car, thus rigidly holding the carriage from moving upon the car. The shoes 58 may be readily released by operating the valve 63 when it is desired to move the carriage upon the car.

The operation of the form of my invention above described, is as follows: The crane is of the double type having a boom at each end thereof, either of which may be operated independently of the other.

The booms are of medium length and may be operated without interfering with the feed wire 45. The booms may be extended to various distances beyond the ends of the car 12 by moving the carriage 25 lengthwise of the car. By this construction the radius of operation of the boom relatively to the end of the car may be varied without elevating the boom. When it is desired to lift a heavy load over the end of the car, the carriage may be moved back from the end of the car so that the heel of the boom will be located midway of the length of the car, thereby bringing the center of gravity of the load adjacent to the center of the car, thus distributing the load carried by the boom evenly throughout the length of the car instead of having the entire load placed immediately above the end truck of the car.

The carriage 25 may be locked against sliding movements upon the car 12 by means of the shoes 58 which are provided for securely holding the carriage in a fixed position upon the car. The shoes are released from the car when it is desired to move the carriage upon the car. By this novel construction the booms may be operated without elevating them above the feed wire 45, therefore the necessity of removing the feed wire is avoided.

The form of my invention shown in Figs. 4 to 6 consists of a single crane having a boom arranged to swing horizontally thereon and the crane is reversibly mounted upon a carriage which in turn is movably mounted upon a railway car.

The railway car 65, shown in Figs. 4 to 6, com prises a body 66 of I-beam construction. The side sills of the body have upper and

lower flanges

68 and 69 which form tracks or guides extending throughout the length of the body 66.

A carriage '70 is mounted above the car body and is supported upon said lower flanges 69 by rollers 72 which are rotatably mounted in bearings formed upon side brackets 7 3, rigidly mounted upon the horizontal members '74 of the carriage. The upper flanges 68 limit the tilting movement of the carriage and the crane by preventing the rollers 72 from moving upwardly away from the flanges 69. A cable '76, having its I vided upon the carriage 70 and is operated by a motor '79 for placing tension upon the cable '76 r; the carriage 70.

for moving the carriage in either direction upon the car.

A crane 80, having a floor structure 81, is reversibly mounted upon the carriage by means of a king bolt 82 mounted in a central bearing 83 upon the carriage about which the crane may be rotated. The floor 81 of the crane is supported upon a circular track 85, formed upon the carriage 70, by means of rollers 86. The, crane may be rotated relatively to the carriage by means of gearing 87, which may be of any well known type.

A boom is rotatably supported upon a vertical shaft 91 secured in suitable bearings 92 and 93 upon the crane 80. The boom 90 is movable vertical about the horizontal shaft 94. Suitable mechanism 95 is provided for rotating the vertic'al shaft 91 for swinging the boom to opposite sides of the car 65 Without rotating the crane 80 upon the king bolt 82. Hoisting mechanism 97 is also provided for elevating the boom and for operating the hook 98.

The crane 80 is provided with means for holding the crane against rotation and'also for holding the opposite end, relatively to the boom, from tilting relatively to the car 65. Said means consist of brackets 100 located upon opposite sides of the crane 80. The brackets 100 are hinged upon horizontal shafts 101 secured in bearings 102 formed upon the floor 81 of the crane 80. The brackets 100 are provided with rollers 103, which are arranged to occupy the space between the

flanges

68 and 69 of the car 65, and thus hold the rear end of the crane 76 from moving vertically relatively to the car.

The crane 80 is held against rotation upon the car by means of said brackets 100 and said brackets 100 are held against rotation upon the shafts 101 by means of keys 105, provided for holding the brackets in either the down position in engagement with the car, or in the up position out of engagement with the car, as shown in Fig. 5. The brackets 100 are provided with

flat surfaces

106 and 107 so that the keys may be wedged between said flat surfaces and the floor structure 81 of the crane, as clearly shown in Fi 5.

When both of the brackets 100 on opposite sides of the crane are positioned in engagement with the

flanges

68 and 69 of the car, the crane will be held against rotation upon the car and the end of the crane, opposite to the boom 90, will be held by the brackets 100 and the rollers 103 from being tilted by the boom 82 when it is lifting a heavy load over the end of the car, thus relieving the king bolt of unusual strains.

The boom 90 may be swung to opposite sides of the car due to its being pivotally mounted about the vertical shaft 91 without rotating the entire crane relatively to the carriage '70 or the car 65. It will be seen that this form of crane can be operated in a manner similar to the crane shown in Fig. 1, by swinging the boom upon the vertical shaft 91, without rotating the entire crane upon The rotation of the crane upon the carriage or upon the car is only necessary when it is desired to reverse the position of the boom 90 relatively to the ends of the car.

The crane 80 may be moved relatively to the length of the car 65 by means of the carriage 70 which is slidably supported upon the flanges 69 of the car by means of the rollers 72. The hinged brackets 100 will slide lengthwise of the

flanges

68 and 69, of the car by means of the rollers 103,

l without disengaging the rollers 103 from the car.

The operation of the last described form of my invention is as follows:

The crane 80 may be moved lengthwise of the car 65 for varying the relative length of the boom whereby the hook 98 may be caused toswing through a short radius relatively to the end of the car, or the crane may be moved so that the heel of the boom will be located adjacent to the end of the car when it is desired to swing the boom through a larger radius, thus it will be seen that the boom may be operated without elevating it above the feed wire 45. By this construction the crane may be moved lengthwise of the car so that when lifting a heavy load over the end of the car the heel of the boom may be located centrally of the length of the car thereby distributing the load evenly upon the car.

The crane 80 may be reversed, for positioning the boom at either end of the car, by first removing the keys 105 from engagement with the brackets 100 so that the brackets 100 may be elevated and again locked by the keys 105, as shown in full lines at the right hand side of Fig. 5, so'that the brackets will be free of the car, thus permitting the crane to be rotated upon the king bolt for reversing the position of the boom relatively to the ends of the car. The brackets 100 are then lowered into engagement with the car and the keys 105 again inserted for locking the brackets rigidly upon the crane for preventing the brackets 100 from rotating about the shafts 101. When the brackets 100 are locked in the lower position they will embrace the car and thus prevent the crane from rotating relatively to the car, and the rollers 103 will engage the

flanges

68 and 69 of the car and limit the tilting of the crane relatively to the car.

Various changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. A crane having in combination a boom, a vertical shaft upon the crane upon which the boom is mounted and rotatable relatively to the crane, a carriage, means pivotally mounting the crane upon the carriage, a car, upper and lower flanges upon opposite sides of the car extending longitudinally of the car, depending brackets upon opposite sides of the carriage, rollers upon said brackets located between said upper and lower flanges, depending brackets upon said crane located at the opposite end thereof relatively to the boom, means movably mounting said last mentioned brackets upon the crane, and detachably engaging means upon the last mentioned brackets positioned to engage said upper flanges and limit the tilting of the crane relatively to the car and permit the rotation of the crane relatively to the carriage when disengaged from said upper flanges.

2. A crane having in combination a boom, a vertical shaft upon the crane upon which the boom is mounted and rotatable relatively to the crane, a carriage, means pivotally mounting the crane upon the carriage, a car, upper and lower flanges upon opposite sides of the car extending longitudinally of the car, depending brackets upon opposite sides of the carriage, rollers upon said brackets located between said upper and lower flanges arranged to permit the carriage to move lengthwise of the car, depending brackets located upon opposite sides of the crane adjacent to the opposite end of the crane relatively to the boom, means pivotally mounting said last mentioned brackets upon the crane, rollers upon said last mentioned brackets positioned between said flanges, and locking means arranged for detachably locking the last mentioned brackets in a position with the rollers thereon in engaging position with said flanges or in a position with the rollers thereon out of engaging position with said flanges.

3. A crane having in combination, a carriage, means pivotally mounting the crane upon the carriage, a car, upper and lower flanges upon opposite sides of the car, rollers upon the carriage, said rollers positioned between said flanges, a boom, means rotatably mounting the boom upon one end of the crane, brackets located upon the crane at the opposite end portion thereof from the boom, shafts upon the crane on which the brackets are pivotally mounted, keys removably positioned between the brackets and the crane arranged for holding the brackets in depending or elevated positions, and rollers upon said brackets arranged to be positioned betweensaid flanges when the brackets are in the depending position.

4. A crane having in combination, a railway car, booms located upon opposite ends of the crane, upper and lower flanges upon opposite sides of the car extending longitudinally of the car, a series of rollers upon opposite sides of the crane and positioned between said flanges for supporting the crane upon the car with either of the booms located adjacent to the ends of the car, a lever pivotally mounted upon the crane, a shoe operatively associated with the lever, said shoe positioned adjacent to one of said flanges, and means upon the crane operably associated with the lever for moving the shoe into and out of locking engagement with the flange for locking the crane against longitudinal movement upon the car.

5. A wrecking crane for lifting heavy loads, having in combination, a boom operatively mounted upon the end of the crane, a railway car, upper and lower flanges mounted upon opposite sides of the car and extending longitudinally throughout the length of the car, a carriage, rollers upon said carriage, said rollers located between said upper and lower flanges for supporting the carriage upon the car, means rotatably mounting the crane upon the carriage, brackets located adjacent to the end of the crane opposite to the end on which the boom is located, and detachable means upon the brackets for engaging the crane and said flanges upon the car for holding down the end of the crane opposite to the boom.

WILLIAM L. BROWN.