US1996488A

US1996488A - Material handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US1996488A
Application number: US681772A
Authority: US
Inventors: William E Philips
Original assignee: Link Belt Co
Current assignee: Link Belt Co
Priority date: 1933-07-22
Filing date: 1933-07-22
Publication date: 1935-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1952-04-02

Description

April 2, 1935. w, p 1,996,488

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 2, 1935.

w. E. PHILIPS MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 2, 1935. w. E. PHILIPS MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 22, 1933 April 2, 1935. PH P 1,996,488

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS I rmzmmzrP/azzps l Q Wm 9 W dftoz we April 2, 1935. w. E. PHILIPS MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 2, 1935. w. E. PHILIPS 1,996,488

- MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS I Filed July 22, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 jwuentoz Patented Apr. 2, 1935 PATENT Q-FFRHCE "MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS William 1*]. Philips, Chicago, 111, assignor to Link-Belt Company, a corporation of Illinois Application July 22, 1933, Serial No. 681,772

25 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in material handling apparatus.

In my co-pending application which has now resulted in "Patent No. 1,980,634, 'filed November :13, 1934, I have disclosed and claimed numerous methods of building levees. Apparatus capable of carrying out these various methods also is completely illustrated and described. The -present application discloses the apparatus of the aforementioned application with certain improvements added thereto which permit the mechanism to more efficiently carry out its intended work. This application, therefore, constitutes a continuation in part of my said copending application.

Whilet'he apparatus embodying this invention has been designed primarily for use in building levees, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it may be very successfully used for building any form of earth embankment or fill, road or railway bed, or the like.

It also is capable of use for handling loose material, for example coal,sand, or gravel, which is to be moved between different places of storage, between one or more storage piles and one or more means of transportation, or between different means of transportation.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide apparatus adapted for use in building levees, expeditiouslyand at a comparatively low cost. V

A further important object is to provide apparatus which is capable of moving loose material from one or more sources of supply to one or more points of use or to or from placesof storage.

.Another important object is to provide apparatus adapted for use'to transport loose material in a substantially continuous stream between a source of supply and a place of deposit with the said apparatus being capable of bodily movement to receive material from different portions of said supply and discharge the same at cliffe'rent portions of said place of deposit'without interrupting the flow of material.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an automatically registering transfer-conveyor unit which is adapted; for feeding material from one conveyor unit or system, capable of being moved bodily transversely of the direction of movement of the handled material, to a second conveyor unit, also capable of bodily movement transversely of the direction of movement of the handled material, and to permit the said conveyor units to be independently moved laterally within a predetermined limited range without disturb- 7 ing the flow of material over the said units.

Other obj-ectsrelate to particular features and arrangements of the apparatus'and the advantages derived therefrom, an of which will be pointed out and fully explained in the following 7 are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure l is a schematic view showing my improved material handling, apparatus'operatmg to construct a levee.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail elevational view showing certain conveyor units inter connected by my improved automatically registering transfer conveyor.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5, collectively, show in elevatio details of the conveyor units. and automatically registering transfer conveyor illustrated'in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing details of a portion of a tripper and adjacent receiving end ofa'swinging boom distributor.

Fig. '7 is a plan View showing the details of my improved automatically registering transfer conveyor 'unit.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one end portion of the automatically registering transfer conveyor unit and taken on lines 8 8 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the remaining end of the automatically registering transfer conveyor unit and taken on line '9 9 of Fig. 3

The entire apparatus now will be briefly described in connection with Figures 1 and 2, wherein it is illustrated as being operated for building a levee. 3

The reference character A designates the borrow pit from which material is removed for constructing the levee B. The removal of the material from the borrow pit is accomplished by a suitable number of excavator units C which, in accordance with the accepted use of my apparatus, may be operated on unexcavated land in advance of the excavated borrow pit.- The material removed by the excavators C'is deposited in the hopper portions of conveyor feeder units D. The hoppers of these feeder units include mechanism for preparing the material as to size so that the material, when it finally reaches the levee, is deposited in relatively small increments; For an understanding of suitable apparatus for'pr'operly sizing the excavated material, reference may be made to my aforementioned co-pending application.

Extending substantially in parallelism with the working edge of the borrow pit, and substantially at right angles to the center line of excavation of the borrow pit is a system of endless conveyor units E. Any desired number of units may be employed for receiving material throughout the full width of the borrow pit and to take care of Varying distances between the selectedsite of the borrow pit and the site of the building levee. Where more than one feeder conveyor unit is employed, the respective units discharge their material from an elevated end into a hopper associated with the adjacent end of the next successive unit. These various conveyor units are mounted on suitable trucks supported by rails F which will permit the said units to be moved bodily transversely or laterally of the direction of movement of the handled material.

Arranged in advance of the building levee and substantially normal to the center line thereof is a distributing or discharge unit designated in its entirety by the reference character G. This unit consists of a suitable frame or bridge g along which moves the travelling tripper g. This bridge 9 is provided with a single endless conveyor belt trained over the tripper for discharging material from the upper end of the tripper into a suitable hopper for the swinging boom distributor or discharge conveyor 9 This boom structure is capable of swinging movement, during operation, throughout the complete arc of a circle minus the space occupied by the associated tripper. The swinging boom unit and the tripper are inter-connected so that they may be moved simultaneously along the bridge g. The distributing or discharge unit G is mounted upon suitable trucks supported by the tracks F for permitting the said unit to be advanced as the building of the levee progresses.

For the purpose of permitting the feeder conveyor system, made up of one or more conveyor units E, and the distributing or discharge unit G to be moved bodily along their supporting tracks F to make way for the levee as the building of the same progresses without interrupting the flow of material over the said conveyor units E and the distributing unit G, an intermediate, automatically registering, transfer conveyor unit H is provided. This intermediate transfer unit is suitably supported on the adjacent ends of the last conveyor unit E and the distributing unit G in such a manner as to permit the transfer unit H to swing or pivot relative to the inter-connected units E and G. The mounting of this interinediate transfer conveyor upon the inter-connected conveyor units is such that the differences in distance between the adjacent ends of the interconnected conveyor devices, resulting from the relative movement between these devices, is taken care of.

In Fig. 1, the swinging boom distributor conveyor g is manipulated to construct an entirely new levee in successive stages. These stages consist of first depositing material to form the marginal zones or toes b after which the central portion or core I) is constructed. In Fig. 2, the swinging boom distributor unit is manipulated to accomplish the rebuilding of an old levee by an enlargement method. The old levee B is enlarged by having the new levee portion B added thereto and preferably at one side thereof. This levee enlargement portion usually is formed by first depositing material to provide a toe spaced from the adjacent base of the old levee B and by then depositing material between the new toe and the old levee to form the completed new levee of desired formation or contour.

Fundamentally, the use of the apparatus embodying this invention for building levees conborrow pit with the conveyor system serving the several excavators and conveying the material dug thereby to the building portion of the levee. At this point, the material is received by a distributing unit, which takes the form of a swinging boom conveyor, and this unit controllably distributes the material according to a predetermined plan, for building the levee.

The borrow pit from which material is to be taken follows the line of the building levee'and the excavating work progresses in step with theconstruction of the levee. It will be understood, of course, that the borrow pit' will be of such width as is required to provide the volume of material necessary for theparticular levee under construction. Thus, by simply providing an appropriate number of excavating units, feeding units and conveying units, any desired size of levee can be constructed with this equipment.

The material excavated from the'borrow pit,

and properly sized in the feeder units D, is delivered in a continuous stream from the feeder units onto the conveyor system made up of the independent units E and by the latter is conveyed continuously and in an unbroken stream,

subject to normal working conditions, to the ing both lateral extremities of the levee and also filling in and building up the core, all without requiring a boom of excessive length.

Reference is made to the specification of applicants issued Patent No. 1,980,634 for a more complete discussion of the advantages and char-" acteristics of the invention claimed herein which is also disclosed but not claimed in said patent, the disclosure contained in said patent specification which relates to the apparatus disclosed and claimed herein and not repeated in this specification is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The preferred manner of manipulating the present apparatus to build a leveeis illustrated in Fig. 1 which consists in first constructing the toes of the levee, which in effect provide firm retaining walls. This is done by positioning the swinging boom conveyor upon the bridge so as to bring the area on which the toe is to be constructed within its range of action. This is followed by the discharge of a continuous stream of prepared material from the elevated outer end of the swinging boom distributor onto the area where the toe is to be constructed. By appropriately manipulating the swinging boom distributor, the toe-is completely constructed,

and bearing in mind that this portion of the construction involves the falling of'the material through the maximum distance, it readily will 'beappreciated that thetoes of the levee so constructed will be of veiy fine and firm texture.

The travelling tripper mechanism and swinging boom distributor are then jointly moved to a point adjacent the opposite end of the bridge and the other toe of the levee is constructed in a like manner. Then by placing the tripper and swinging boom distributor in a central po- "sition on the bridge, material may be distributed into the central area to form the core of the levee; Having completed toes of substantial construction, it is apparent that the core may be vance the entire layout of equipment and this quickly may be accomplished by virtue of the mounting of the conveyor units and distributing unit on suitable trucks supported by previously laid tracks and the mounting of the excavators on self propelling endless treads. V

The movement of the conveyor units E and the distributing unit-G-to accommodate the progress of the building levee, may be accomplished without disturbing the continuous flow of material from the conveyor units onto the distributing unit because of the inclusion in the entire assembly of the automatically registering intermediate transfer conveyor I-I. In the preferred arrangement of the apparatus, the distributing ,unit G may be moved relative to the line offeed of the conveyor units E over a distance of substantially 26 feet without necessitating movement of the conveyor units. Likewise, the said units may be moved an equal distance relative to the distributing unit without disturbing the latter. This automatically registering, intermediatetransfer conveyor, therefore, makes it possible to continue the construction of the levee during movement of all of the equipment.

A detailed description of my improved apparatus now will be given:

It is believed to be unnecessary to describe in detail the construction of the conveyor units E as each one of these units merely consists of a suitably fabricated and strengthened frame mounted upon trucks 'at desired intervals and including a suitable hopper at the receiving end with the discharge end elevated to accommodate the hopper of the next successive unit. A. continuous conveyor belt is suitably supported on idlers carried by the frame and is driven at a desired speed to accommodate the desired rate of travel of materiallengthwise of the unit.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 collectively illustrate in detail the discharge end of the final conveyor ,unit E, the automatically registering, intermediate transfer conveyor unit H which receives-material from the final feeder conveyor unit E, and the distributing unit G which includes the bridge employed for supporting the travelling tripper and the longitudinally movable and horizontally :swingable boomdistributor. It is believed to be necessary to describe in detail these portions of my apparatus as they constitute a very essential part of themechanism. At the left of Fig. 3, the discharge end of the final feeder conveyor unit is illustrated. This end of the unit is suitably mounted upon the truck it which in turn is supported by the tracks F.

The bridge 9 of the distributing unit consists ofa suitably fabricated and reinforced frame which is mounted at desired spaced intervals upon 5 suitable trucks H which in turn are supported by tracks F. Pivotal connections '12 are provided between the frame of the bridge g and the trucks H to permit the bridge to adapt itself to the mounting of the tracks F on diiferent levels. The bridge g is formed with an inclined receiving end it which straightens out to form the substantially horizontally extending main top portion it. Mounted on this top portion l d, inany desired manner, are tracks [5 which, as will be explained at a later point, are employed for supporting the travelling tripper and the swinging boom distributor. Suitably spacedand properly supported pulleys it are provided for the inclined receiving end it of the bridge and the horizontally,

extending top portion for the purpose of supporting an endless conveyor belt l1. At the receiving end of the bridge, this belt is trained over relatively large pulleys l8, l9 and'2il. The conveyor belt is supported at theouter end of the 5 bridge by means of relatively large pulleys 21' and 22. This arrangement of pulleys" it, and l8--to 22 inclusive, arranges the conveyor belt 11 "in two different parallel runs with thebelt at the receiving end of the bridge arranged to coincide with the inclination of the end'lt of the bridge by means of the pulleys 'l 8 to 2B;

This conveyor belt ll is driven by means of a motor 23, suitably mounted at the outer end'of the bridge. transmission is provided and consists of a belt or chain drive 26 extending from the motor 23 to counter shaft 25. A second belt or chain'Zfi connects the shaft 25 to the shaft 2'! which supports the belt driving pulley 22. It is to be understood that suitable pulleys or sprockets are employed for cooperating with the belts or

chains

24 and 25 to complete this form of drive. For the purpose of maintaining the conveyor belt l1 properly tensioned, the end pulley 29 for the belt is supported by a truck 28 mounted for movement relative to the inclined receiving end l3 of the bridge. A cable, or the like, 29 is attached to the truck 28 and is trained over a suitably arranged series of pulleys 30. The free end of this cable 29 is attached to a weight 3 i 'slidably guided for vertical movement on the bridge by means of rails, or the like 32.

The tripper g consists of a suitably fabricated frame of substantially triangular shape in side elevation. This tripper frame is provided with truck portions 33 supported by wheels 34 for travel over the tracks l5 which extend longitudinally of the top of the bridge. tripper frame is. inclined from. its receiving end to its discharge end porticnwith the said discharge end portion 35 arranged substantially horizontally. A suitably arranged and'supported series of relatively small pulleys 3? are associated with the inclined portion and the top of the tripper frame. The'horizontally arranged discharge end portion 35 of the trippe'r is provided with a pair of spaced, relatively la-rgerpulleys 33 which are arranged substantially in horizontal alinement.

The top portion 35 of the.

end portion 36 of the tripper.

A third, relatively large pulley 39 is arranged beneath the overhanging discharge end portion of the tripper frame. An additional pulley 49 is suitably supported relative to the forward truck 33 of the tripper frame. These

numerous pulleys

31, 38, 39 and 49 are employed for supporting and guiding the conveyor belt H with respect to the tripper so that material being conveyed by the belt will be moved upwardly along the inclined top portion 35 of the tripper to be discharged from the extremity of the horizontally extending The numerous belt supporting idlers, carried by the bridge 9 and the tripper g permit the said belt to be supported upon the bridge and the tripper in such a manner that the tripper may be moved longitudinally of the bridge without disturbing the operation of the conveyor belt l and without interrupting the movement of the material thereover. This arrangement of pulleys also permits the tripper to be arranged at any desired point with respect to the length of the bridge for discharging material from the outer end of the tripp i The swinging boom distributor g is adapted for movement along the top of the bridge g and for receiving material discharged from the upper end of the tripper g. This distributing boom consists of a truck il mounted upon the rails It? by means of wheels 2. A platform 43 is pivotally mounted upon the truck A! and supports the vertically adjustable boom frame 44. A conveyor belt 25 is trained over supporting pulleys 46 carried by the boom frame 44 and is provided with a suitable drive 4'1. A frame structure 48 is supported bythe platform 43 and supports suitable hopper mechanism 49. An adjustable connection 50 is provided between the tripper g and the truck for the distributing boom to bring about simultaneous movement of both the tripper and distributing boom while maintaining the discharge end portion 36 of the tripper in proper relation to cause material discharged therefrom to be received in the hopper 4i and to be deposited by this hopper upon the conveyor belt 45 of the boom.

The frame 44 for the boom distributor conveyor is pivoted at 5|. A suitable counterweight 52 is mounted on the rear portion of the platform 43 to balance the boom.

As the construction of the levee progresses, it becomes necessary to bodily advance the distributing unit G and the conveyor units E. To enable these units to be independently moved without interrupting the flow of material from the borrow pit to the levee, there has been provided an intermediate, automatically registering transfer conveyor unit.

This unit H consists of a suitably fabricated and braced frame -53 having properly mounted thereon two series of pulleys 54. At the opposite ends of the frame 53, relatively

large pulleys

55 and 56 are provided. These

various pulleys

54, 55 and 56 support a conveyor belt 51 with the

pulleys

55 and 56 determining the opposite ends of the two different runs of the belt. The pulley 58 is driven by a belt or link chain 58, a countershaft 59, a second belt or chain 68 and an electric motor 6!. The large end pulley 56, therefore, acts as a driving pulley for the conveyor. The motor 6! is mounted on a suitable platform 62 arranged to bridge the top of the frame 53.

It will be noted that this transfer unit H has its frame 53 inclined with respect to the ground line. The lower end or foot of the frame is formed with a platform 63 which, as is shown in ported by wheels 12.

Fig. 9, is swingably connected to the truck III by means of a center pin 64. Longitudinally extending bearing plates 65 are positioned beneath the opposite side portions of the platform 63 and are adapted to rest upon supporting rollers 66 carried This mounting of the foot of by the truck ID. the transfer conveyor unit H permits the said unit to swing horizontally and vertically with respect to the truck in and the discharge end of the final conveyor unit E. A suitable hopper 61 is provided for this receiving end of the transfer unit.

For the purpose of mounting the delivery end or head of the transfer conveyor unit H upon the receiving end of the bridge g, the latter has mounted upon a suitable super-frame structure 68 a pair of rails 69 formed with turned-up ends 10 to act as stops. Mounted upon these rails 69 for movement along the same is a truck H sup- This truck, see Fig. 8, includes a suitably fabricated bridge portion 13. Horizontally pivotally connected to the top I4 of the bridge 1'3 is a cross beam I5. A center pin 16 constitutes this pivotal connection. The cross beam 15 has hinged to its opposite ends, as at H, the projecting ends 18 of the side top beams of the frame 53.

Arranged between the rails 69 and properly positioned with respect to the belts 51 and I! of the transfer unit H and the bridge g respectively, is a suitable hopper structure 19 which permits the conveyor belt 51 to discharge its material upon the conveyor belt I! regardless of the position of the head of the transfer conveyor with respect to the receiving end of the bridge.

It will be appreciated that when the distributing unit G and the conveyor units E are moved relative to each other along the tracks F; that is, when either the distributing unit G 'or the final conveyor unit E is moved along its tracks F without the remaining unit being moved, thedistance between the adjacent ends of these units increases or decreases depending upon whether the moved unit travels toward or away from the unit which is not moved. This difference in distance between the adjacent ends of the units E and G is automatically taken care of by the above described mountings for the transfer unit H. The opposite ends'of this unit, therefore, are at all times automatically registered with the units E and G. The range of relative movement between the units E and G naturally may be varied by merely varying the relative sizes of the different elements of the mountings. During the automatic adjustment of the head of the transfer conveyor unit H with respect to the bridge g, the truck 1! will travel.

along the rails 69. The center pin 16 will permit relative swinging movement between the head of the transfer conveyor unit and the bridge portion 3 of the truck. Due to the travel of the said truck over the inclined rails 69, the inclination of the frame 53 of the transfer unit will vary. This variation in inclination is taken care of by the hinge connections I1 between the truck H and the frame 53. Fig. 7 shows this relative movement of the transfer unit relative to the adjacent,

ends of the conveyor unit E and the bridge g. Any variation in inclination of the foot or receiving end of the transfer unit may be taken care of in the connection between the center pin 64, the platform 63 and the rollers 66.

In relation to the structural character of the completed levee, a further feature of outstanding importance is the discharge of the material from a relatively high point represented by the discharge end of the swinging boom distributor re-- to deliver material removed from the pit to the conveyor, a swinging boom positioned to selectively distribute the material to build the levee formation desired, means for supporting the swinging boom for bodily movement both transversely and longitudinally of the levee site, a travelling tripper and conveyor for continuously feeding the material to the boom, and conveyor means for continuously feeding the material from the receiving conveyor to the travelling tripper, said tripper being movable with the boom during its transverse movements to prevent interruption in the feed of material.

5. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removed from a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrow pit and the building levee to continuously feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, said units consisting of a conveyor to receive the material from the borrow pit and move the same toward the levee site, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally of the line of travel of the handled material, a material sizing and feeding unit arranged to deliver material removed from the pit to the conveyor, a swinging boom positioned to selectively distribute the material to build the levee forma tion desired, means for supporting the swinging boom for bodily movement both transversely and longitudinally of the levee site, a travelling tripper and conveyor for continuously feeding the material to the boom, and conveyor means for continuously feeding the material from the receiving conveyor to the travelling tripper, said last mentioned means being adapted for continuing the feeding of material during all movements of the boom.

6. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removed from a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrow pit and the building levee to continuously feed material delivered thereto to the leveesite, said units consisting of a conveyor to receive the material from the borrow pit and move the same toward the levee site, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally of the line of travel, of the handled material, a swinging boom positioned to selectively distribute the material to build the levee formation desired, means for supporting the swinging boom for bodily movement both transverselyand longitudinally of the levee site, a travelling tripper and conveyor for continuously feeding the material to theboom, and conveyor means being pivotally connected to the receiving conveyor and pivotally and slidably connected to the support for said boom for effecting continuous feeding of the material from the receiving conveyor to the travelling tripper, said last mentioned means being adapted for continuing feeding of material during all simultaneous or independent movements ofthev boom and the receiving conveyor.

7. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removed from a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrow pit and the building levee to continuously feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, said units consisting of a conveyor to receive the material from the borrow pit and move the same toward the levee site, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally of the line of travel of the handled material, a material sizing and feeding unitarranged to deliver material removed from the pit to the conveyor, a bridgehaving' a conveyor arranged to extend transversely of the levee site, means for supporting the bridge for movement relative to the levee site, a swinging boom mov-. able along the bridge to distribute material throughout the width of said site, a tripper movable along the bridge with the boom and cooperating with the bridge conveyor to feedmaterial to the boom, and conveyor means for transferring the material from the receiving conveyor to the tripper.

8. Apparatus for building a levee, 'or the like,

with material removed from a borrow pit, com-- prising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrow pit and the building levee to continuously feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, said units consisting of a conveyor to receive the material from the borrow pit and move the same toward the leveesite, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally of the line of travel of the handled material, a bridge having a conveyor arranged to extend transversely of the levee site, means for supporting the bridge-for movement relative to the levee site, a swingingboom movable along the bridge to distribute material throughout the width of said site, a tripper movable along the bridge with the boom and cooperating with the bridge conveyor tofeed material to the boom, and conveyor means pivotally connected to the receiving conveyor and pivotally and slidably connected to the bridge forcontinuously feeding material to the tripper.

9. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removed from a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrow pit and the building levee -to continuously feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, said units consisting of a conveyor to receive the material from the borrow pit and move the same toward the levee site, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally of the line of travel of the handled material, a bridge having a conveyor arranged to extend transversely of the levee site, means for supporting the bridge for'movement relative to the levee site, a swinging boom movable along the bridge to distribute material throughout the width of said site, a tripper movable along the bridge with the boom and cooperating with the bridge conveyor to feed material to the boom, an intermediate conveyor fortransferring the material from the receiving conveyor to the tripper, and means for adjustably connecting said intermediate conveyor to the receiving conveyor and the bridge to cause the intermediate conveyor to automatically register with the receiving conveyor and the tripper in any position of adjustment of the same.

10. Apparatus of the type described comprising a pair of spaced belt conveyor units, means for supporting said conveyor units for independent bodily movement along parallel lines, a third conveyor to transfer material from one to the other of said conveyor belts, and means for universally pivotally and slidably connecting said third conveyor to the frame of one of said units and pivotally connecting it to the supporting means for the other of said units to cause it to continuously register with the pair of conveyors.

11. Apparatus of the type described, comprismesss inga pair ofconveyor units having their adja veyor unit to said supporting means for one of said pair of units and for universally pivotally and slidably connecting the other end of the saidthird conveyor unit to the frame portion of the secondof said pair of units to cause said third unit to automatically register with said pair of units during limited relative movement between the latter.

12'. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removed from a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected in series to extend transversely and in advance of the face ofv the borrow pit and the workingface of the building levee to continuously. feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, means for supporting the conveyor units to permitthem to be moved laterally as the building of the levee progresses, a plurality of material si ing and feeding units arranged to extend between the borrow pit and the series of conveyor units to deliver material excavated from the pit to the units, a swingable distributing boom mounted for movement along the conveyor unit located in advance of the working face of the building levee, and means for causing the last-mentioned conveyorv unit to deliver the material handled thereby to the distributing boom.

13;. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, withmaterial removed from a borrow pit, comprising aplurality of conveyor units operatively connected in series to extend transversely and in advance of the face of the borrow pit and the working face of the building levee to continuously feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, means for supporting the conveyor units to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the'levee progresses, a plurality of material s zing and feeding units arranged to extend between the borrow pit and the series of conveyor units to deliver material excavated from the said pitto the units, means for supporting the mate-- rial sizing and feeding units for movement with the conveyor units, a plurality of excavator units for removing material from the borrow pit and depositing it in the material sizing and feeding units, a swingable distributing boom mounted formovement along the conveyor unit located in advance of the working face of the building levee, andmeans for causing-the last-mentioned conveyor :unit to deliver the material handled therebyto the distributing boom.

14; Apparatus of the type described comprising apair of .conveyor units arranged to feed material in the same general direction, means for supporting said units for lateral movement along substantially parallel paths, a transfer conveyor unit. adapted to receive material from the end of oneof said pair of conveyor units and deliver it to the adjacent end of the other conveyor unit, means for pivotally connecting one end of the transfer conveyor unit to the means for supporting one. of said pair of conveyor units, rails mounted on. the frame of the other of said pair of conveyor. units, a frame bridging said rails to travel thereon, and means for pivotally supporting the other end of said transfer conveyor unit on said bridging frame.

15. Apparatus of the type described comprising a conveyor unit, means for supporting said unit for lateral bodily movement, a bridge conveyor unit, means for supporting said bridge unit for lateral bodily movement, said bridge unit comprising a frame structure including an inclined receiving end portion and a horizontally extending main portion, a tripper movable along saidhorizontal portion of the bridge, a swinging boom distributor also movable along said bridge, a transfer conveyor unit adaptedto feed material from the discharge end of the first-mentioned conveyor unit to the inclined receiving end of said bridge conveyor unit, means for horizontally, swingably mounting one end of the transfer conveyor unit on the supporting means for the firstmentioned conveyor unit, and means for mounting the remaining end of the transfer conveyor unit on the inclined receiving end of said bridge unit.

16. Apparatus of the type describedcomprising a conveyor unit, means for supporting said unit for lateral bodily movement, a bridge conveyor unit, means for supporting said bridge unit for lateral bodily movement in a path parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor unit, said bridge conveyor unit comprising a frame structure including an inclined receiving end portion and a horizontally extending main portion, a tripper movable along said horizontal portion of the bridge, a swinging boom distributor also movable along said bridge, means for adjustably coupling the tripper and the boom distributor for simultaneous movement, a transfer conveyor unit adapted to feed material from the discharge end of the first-mentioned conveyor unit to the: inclined receiving end of said bridge conveyor. unit, means for horizontally, swingably mounting. one end of the transfer conveyor unit on thesupporting means for the first-mentioned,conveyon unit, and means for mounting the remaining end of ,the transfer conveyor unit on the inclined.- receiving end of said bridge unit, said last-men tioned means being constructed to permit the transfer conveyor unit to travel in opposite directions along the inclined end of the bridge and to pivot about horizontal and vertical axes.

17. Apparatus forbuilding a levee, orthe like, with material removed from a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively.

connected in series to extend transversely and in advance of the face of the borrow pit and the working face of the building levee to continuously feed'material delivered thereto to the levee site, means for supporting the conveyorunits to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the levee progresses, a .rnaterial sizing and. feeding unit arranged to deliver material excavated from the pit to the units, a swingable distributing boom mounted for movement'along the conveyor unit located inadvance of the working face of the building levee, and means for causing the last-mentioned conveyor unit'to deliver the material handled thereby to the distributing boom.

18. Apparatus for building a levee,.or the like, with material removed from aborrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor unitsoperatively' connected in series to extend transversely and. in advance of the face ofthe borrow pit'and the working face of the building l vee to continuously feed materialdelivered thereto to the levee site," means for supporting the conveyor units to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the levee progresses, a material sizing and feeding unit arranged to deliver material excavated from the pit to the units, a swingable distributing boom mounted for movement along the conveyor unit located in advance of the working face of the building levee, and a traveling tripper mounted on the last-mentioned conveyor unit to deliver the material handled thereby to the distributing boom.

19. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like,

with material removed from a borrow pit, com' prising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected in series to extend from the borrow pit to the building levee to continuously feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, means for supporting the conveyor units to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the levee progresses, a material sizing and feeding unit arranged to deliver material excavated from the pit to the units, a swingable distributing boom mounted for movement along the conveyor unit located at the levee end of the series,,and means for causing the last-mentioned conveyor unit to deliver the material handled thereby to the distributing boom.

20. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removed from a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected in series to extend from the borrow pit to the building levee to continuously feed ma terialdelivered thereto to the levee site, means for supporting the conveyor units to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the levee progresses, a material sizing and feeding unit arranged to deliver material excavated from the pit to the units, an excavating unit for removing material from the borrow pit and depositing it in the material sizing and feeding unit, a swingable distributing boom mounted for movement along the conveyor unit located at the levee end of the series, and a travelling tripper mounted on the last-mentioned conveyor unit to deliver the material handled thereby to the distributing boom. 7

21. Apparatus of the type described comprising a pair of conveyor units arranged to feed material in the same general direction, means for supporting said units for lateral movement along substantially parallel paths, a transfer conveyor unit adapted to receive material from the end of one of said pair of conveyor units and deliver it to the adjacent end of the other conveyor unit, means for pivotally connecting one end of the transfer conveyor unit to the means for supporting one of said pair of conveyor units, a truck supported for movement on the frame of the other of said pair of conveyor units, and means for pivotally supporting the other end of said transfer conveyor unit on said truck for movement about two axes arranged at right angles to each other.

22. Apparatus of the type described comprising a conveyor unit, means for supporting said unit for lateral bodily movement, a bridge conveyor unit, means for supporting said bridge unit for lateral bodily movement, a tripper movable along said bridge, a swinging boom distributor also movable along said bridge, a transfer conveyor unit adapted to feed material from the discharge end of the first-mentioned conveyor unit to the receiving end of said bridge conveyor unit, means for horizontally, swingably mounting one end of the transfer conveyor unit on the supporting means for the first-mentioned conveyor unit, and

means for universally pivotally mounting the remaining end of the transfer conveyor unit on the receiving end of said bridge unit frame.

23. Apparatus of the type described comprising a conveyor unit, means for supporting said unit for lateral bodily movement, a bridge conveyor unit, means for supporting said bridge unit for lateral bodily movement in a path parallelto the path of movement of said conveyor unit, a tripper movable along said bridge, a swinging boom distributor also movable along said bridge, means for adjustably coupling the tripper and the boom distributor for simultaneous movement, a transfer conveyor unit adapted to feed material from the discharge end of the first-mentioned conveyor unit to the receiving end of said bridge conveyor unit, means for horizontally, swingably mounting one end of the transfer conveyor unit on the supporting means for the firste mentioned conveyor unit, and means for mounting the remaining end of the transfer conveyor unit on the receiving end of the bridge unit, said last-mentioned means being constructed to. permit the transfer conveyor unit to travel inopposite directions along the bridge and to pivot about horizontal and vertical axes.

24. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removed from a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected in series to extend from the borrow pit to the building levee, means for independently supporting two of the conveyor units of the series to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the levee progresses, means for horizontally swingably connecting a third conveyor unit of the series to the adjacent ends of said two laterally movable units to permit said third unit to transfer material between said two units during and between relative lateral movements of said two units, a unit for uniformly feeding material excavated from the pit to one of said two conveyor units, a swingable distributingboom mounted for movement along the second of said two conveyor units to distribute material onto the building levee, and means for causing delivery of material to the boom from the conveyor unit on which the boom is mounted.

25. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removed from a. borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively connected in series to extend from the borrow pit to the building levee, means for independently supporting'two of the conveyor units of the series to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the levee progresses, means for horizontally swingably connecting a third conveyor unit of the series to the adjacent ends of said two laterally movable units to permit said third unit to transfer material between said two units during and between relative lateral movements of said two units, a unit for uniformly feeding material excavated from the pit to one of said two conveyor units, a swingable distributing boom mounted for movement along the second of said two conveyor units to distribute material onto the building levee, and a travelling tripper for delivering material to the boom from the conveyor unit on which the boom is mounted.

W. E. PHILIPS.