US20170081836A1 - Grain Bin Hopper Support Cone with Support Legs which are Uninterrupted Along their Respective Lengths Between Top and Bottom Junctions - Google Patents
Grain Bin Hopper Support Cone with Support Legs which are Uninterrupted Along their Respective Lengths Between Top and Bottom Junctions Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20170081836A1 US20170081836A1 US15/156,604 US201615156604A US2017081836A1 US 20170081836 A1 US20170081836 A1 US 20170081836A1 US 201615156604 A US201615156604 A US 201615156604A US 2017081836 A1 US2017081836 A1 US 2017081836A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- support
- hopper
- support leg
- wall
- footing
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D88/00—Large containers
- B65D88/26—Hoppers, i.e. containers having funnel-shaped discharge sections
- B65D88/30—Hoppers, i.e. containers having funnel-shaped discharge sections specially adapted to facilitate transportation from one utilisation site to another
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
- E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
- E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
- E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D88/00—Large containers
- B65D88/26—Hoppers, i.e. containers having funnel-shaped discharge sections
- B65D88/28—Construction or shape of discharge section
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D90/00—Component parts, details or accessories for large containers
- B65D90/12—Supports
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02A40/00—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production
- Y02A40/10—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in agriculture
- Y02A40/51—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in agriculture specially adapted for storing agricultural or horticultural products
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to grain bins and more particularly to structural bracing features of hopper support cones for grain bins.
- a frame system of a hopper bottom or support cone comprises radial frame members spanning radially inwardly from support legs of the hopper bottom to an inverted cone shaped hopper wall at a location near a bottom end thereof which locates a central opening.
- These radial frame members are considered to be essential components of conventional and commercially available hopper bottoms so as to provide sufficient support to the grain bin supported above the hopper cone; however, the radial frame members found in conventional hopper support cones obstruct access circumferentially around the hopper wall from the central opening upwardly along a height of the hopper wall.
- the obstruction of the radial frame members can make it difficult to manipulate the position of a transfer conveyor inlet such as an auger inlet below the central opening for transferring particulate material stored in the grain bin to another location.
- Canadian Patent Application No. 2,825,610 belonging to the current applicant schematically illustrates a hopper bottom or support cone having support legs connected at a bottom end by a perimeter footing. Although the support legs are shown to be uninterrupted along their length between a top junction with the cone and a bottom junction with the perimeter footing, in practice radial frame members are provided between the legs and the bottom of the cone in order to rigidify the structure of the hopper bottom as the frame as schematically illustrated in CA 2,825,610 has been previously found to provide insufficient support for a hopper bin thereabove in the absence of any additional rigidifying structure such as radial frame members.
- the applicant presents a unique solution which may overcome the aforementioned potential shortcomings of the prior art.
- a hopper support cone for a grain bin comprising:
- a hopper wall having an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a circumferentially extending peripheral edge at a top end of the hopper wall to a central opening at a bottom end spaced longitudinally from the peripheral edge along a longitudinal axis of the hopper wall;
- the upright support legs spanning from a top end of the respective support leg at or adjacent the peripheral edge of the hopper wall downwardly to a bottom end of the respective support leg below the central opening of the hopper wall;
- a perimeter footing support at the bottom ends of the plurality of support legs that spans between each adjacent pair of the support legs so as to join the support legs for resting on a support surface;
- each support leg is uninterrupted along a continuous portion of its length from the upper bracing location to the bottom junction and (ii) a continuous portion of the hopper wall between the wall location and the central opening is uninterrupted.
- the embodiment described in more detail hereinafter functions free of the radial frame members of the prior art by providing top and bottom junctions at the top and bottom ends of the support legs that brace connections between the legs and each one of the hopper wall and the footing support so as to rigidify a structure of the hopper support cone.
- the addition of bracing members at the top and bottom junctions allow for a continuous intermediate portion of the length of each support leg to be uninterrupted and for a continuous lower portion of the hopper wall from wall locations of upper bracing members to the central opening to be uninterrupted. As such, access circumferentially around the hopper wall and along a height thereof is unobstructed from the central opening to the wall locations at which the upper bracing members are located, while the hopper bottom bin support maintains sufficient strength to support various bins thereon.
- each upper bracing member comprises at least one gusset plate disposed at the top end of the respective support leg so as to extend along the hopper wall from the wall location towards the peripheral edge and along a portion of the length of the respective support leg.
- each bottom junction comprises a lower bracing member spanning from the respective support leg at a lower bracing location thereon which is closer to the bottom end than to the top end of the respective support leg to the footing support at a location thereon which is radially inward of the lower bracing location such that the continuous portion of the length of the respective support leg which is between the upper and lower bracing locations is uninterrupted.
- each lower bracing member extends further from the respective support leg in a transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal axis than in a longitudinal direction along the respective support leg.
- each lower bracing member comprises at least one plate generally forming a gusset plate that is disposed at the bottom end of each support leg so as to extend along a portion of the length of the respective support leg and across a width of the footing support inwardly of the respective support leg.
- the at least one plate may extend inwardly beyond the footing support so as to be connected thereto across an inner face of the footing support.
- the at least one plate comprises a pair of parallel side plates respectively located at each side face of the respective support leg.
- Each side plate may extend radially outwardly from the respective support leg so as to extend outwardly beyond the footing support and connect thereto across an outer face of the footing support.
- Each lower bracing member may include a top plate spanning between the parallel side plates that is located at an inner face of the respective support leg.
- Each lower bracing member may include an end capping plate spanning between the parallel side plates at innermost ends thereof. Furthermore, the end capping plate is thus located at an innermost end of the top plate.
- a hopper support cone for a grain bin comprising:
- a hopper wall having an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a circumferentially extending peripheral edge at a top end of the hopper wall to a central opening at a bottom end spaced longitudinally from the peripheral edge along a longitudinal axis of the hopper wall;
- the upright support legs spanning from a top end of the respective support leg at or adjacent the peripheral edge of the hopper wall downwardly to a bottom end of the respective support leg below the central opening of the hopper wall;
- a perimeter footing support at the bottom ends of the plurality of support legs that spans between each adjacent pair of the support legs so as to join the support legs for resting on a support surface;
- each support leg is uninterrupted along a continuous portion of its length from the lower bracing location to the top junction and (ii) a continuous portion of the hopper wall from the central opening towards the peripheral edge is uninterrupted.
- each lower bracing member extends further from the respective support leg in a transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal axis than in a longitudinal direction along the respective support leg.
- each lower bracing member comprises at least one plate generally forming a gusset plate that is disposed at the bottom end of each support leg so as to extend along a portion of the length of the respective support leg and across a width of the footing support inwardly of the respective support leg.
- the at least one plate may extend inwardly beyond the footing support so as to be connected thereto across an inner face of the footing support.
- the at least one plate comprises a pair of parallel side plates respectively located at each side face of the respective support leg.
- Each side plate may extend radially outwardly from the respective support leg so as to extend outwardly beyond the footing support and connect thereto across an outer face of the footing support.
- Each lower bracing member may include a top plate spanning between the parallel side plates that is located at an inner face of the respective support leg.
- Each lower bracing member may include an end capping plate spanning between the parallel side plates at innermost ends thereof. Furthermore, the end capping plate is thus located at an innermost end of the top plate.
- each top junction comprises an upper bracing member spanning radially inwardly from a respective one of the support legs at an upper bracing location thereon which is closer to the top end than the bottom end of the respective support leg to the hopper wall at a wall location thereon which is closer to the peripheral edge than to the central opening such that the continuous portion of the length of the respective support leg which is between the upper and lower bracing locations is uninterrupted and the continuous portion of the hopper wall which is between the central opening and the wall location is uninterrupted.
- each upper bracing member comprises at least one gusset plate disposed at the top end of the respective support leg so as to extend along the hopper wall from the wall location towards the peripheral edge and along a portion of the length of the respective support leg.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of hopper support cone according to the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along line 2 - 2 in FIG. 1 with a gate member at a central opening of a hopper wall omitted for clarity of illustration.
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3 - 3 in FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view like that in FIG. 3 but of another embodiment of hopper support cone having a differently shaped footing support.
- a hopper support cone generally indicated by reference numeral 10 for supporting a grain bin thereon.
- the hopper support cone is suited for center unloading of the grain bin.
- Such hopper support cones may be formed integrally with the grain bin or may be formed as a separate component upon which a commercially available cylindrical bin wall is then supported, as in the first illustrated embodiment in which the cylindrical bin wall is indicated at 2 .
- the hopper support cone 10 comprises a hopper wall 12 which takes the shape of an inverted cone.
- the hopper wall extends at a downward and inward incline in a tapering fashion from a circumferentially extending peripheral edge 14 at a top end to a central opening 16 at a bottom end.
- a suitable gate member 17 is mounted across the central opening for selectively enclosing the opening.
- the peripheral edge 14 and the central opening 16 are coaxially aligned with respect to a vertically oriented longitudinal axis of the hopper wall and thus are longitudinally spaced from one another.
- the peripheral edge 14 corresponds approximately in diameter to the diameter of the cylindrical bin wall 2 such that the cylindrical bin wall is arranged to be supported directly on or above the top peripheral edge of the hopper wall 12 .
- the hopper support cone includes a plurality of support legs 18 for supporting the hopper wall in a position spaced above a support surface.
- the support legs 18 are located at equally circumferentially spaced positions about the hopper wall 12 .
- Each support leg carries the hopper wall with a top end 18 A of the respective support leg located near the top end of the hopper wall 12 so as to be closer to the peripheral edge 14 than to the central opening 16 .
- the respective leg 18 spans vertically downwardly, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hopper wall 12 , from the top end 18 A of the respective support leg that is at the peripheral edge of the hopper wall to a bottom end 18 B of the support leg which is downwardly below the central opening 16 such that the central opening is held spaced above the support surface.
- the support legs 18 are tubular and are rectangular, for example square, in cross-section transverse to their length. Furthermore, the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 shows six support legs; however, in other embodiments, a number of the support legs may be different than that shown in accordance with the first illustrated embodiment.
- the hopper support cone 10 includes an annular perimeter footing support 20 mounted at the bottom ends 18 B of the support legs.
- the footing support 20 spans between each adjacent pair of the legs 18 so as join all of the legs for resting on the support surface.
- the footing support is arranged to be supported on the support surface such as the ground or a suitable foundation so as to lie in a generally horizontal plane with a diameter which corresponds approximately to the diameter of the cylindrical bin wall 2 to be supported thereon.
- the footing support 20 is an endless tubular member which is circular in shape (in plan view).
- the annular perimeter footing support may be in the form of a polygon with a number of sides or segment equal to the number of the support legs 18 . For example, as in FIG.
- the annular perimeter footing support may be octagonal in shape so as to locate each one of the eight support legs of a second illustrated embodiment at a respective vertex of the octagon shaped footing support. Further to the diameter of the footing support, a width of the tubular member is greater than a thickness of the support leg measured across the width of the tubular member which forms the footing support.
- the support legs 18 are positioned on the footing support 20 such that outer faces 19 A of the support legs that face outwardly away from the hopper wall are generally aligned in a vertical plane with a peripheral outer face 20 A of the footing support about an outer periphery thereof.
- a peripheral inner face 20 B of the footing support about an inner periphery thereof is spaced radially inwardly from inner faces 19 B of the support legs that face inwardly towards the hopper wall.
- the inner face 20 B of the footing support is also spaced radially outwardly from the central opening 16 such that the central opening is locatable directly over the support surface.
- the hopper support cone 10 includes top and bottom junctions 30 and 40 respectively located at top and bottom ends 18 A and 18 B of the support legs.
- the top junctions 30 join each support leg 18 and the hopper wall 12
- the bottom junctions 40 join each support leg 18 and the footing support 20 .
- the top and bottom junctions are suited for bracing or strengthening connection of the legs 18 to each of the hopper wall 12 and the footing support 20 thereby rigidifying the hopper support cone.
- each top junction 30 comprises an upper bracing member 32 such as a gusset plate which is mounted centrally relative to the inner face 19 B of the support leg so as to be centered relative to a width of the support leg 18 that is taken or measured along the circumference of the footing support 20 .
- the upper bracing member 32 spans radially between the respective support leg 18 at an upper bracing location thereon, indicated at ‘UB’, and the hopper wall 12 at a wall location thereon which is indicated at ‘W’.
- the upper bracing location UB on each leg is closer to the top end 18 A than to the bottom end 18 B of the respective support leg.
- the wall location W is closer to the peripheral edge 14 than to the central opening 16 of the hopper wall.
- a free edge 32 A of the respective gusset plate spans between the upper bracing location UB and the wall location W.
- a leg edge 32 B of each gusset plate 32 extends along an upper portion of the length of the respective leg 18 between the top end 18 A thereof and the upper bracing location UB thereon.
- a wall edge 32 C of the respective gusset plate extends along the hopper wall 12 from the top end 18 A of the respective support leg to the wall location W on the hopper wall.
- each bottom junction 40 comprises a lower bracing member 42 forming an assembly of plates in the illustrated embodiments.
- the lower bracing member 42 spans from the respective support leg 18 at a lower bracing location thereon, indicated at ‘LB’, radially inward to the footing support 20 .
- the lower bracing location LB is closer to the bottom end 18 B of the respective support leg than to the top end 18 A thereof.
- the lower bracing member 42 is sized larger across the width of the tubular member of the footing support 20 , as indicated at ‘W FS ’, than it is sized along the length of the respective support leg 18 . As such, the lower bracing member 42 extends further from the respective support leg 18 in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the hopper wall 12 than in a longitudinal direction along the respective support leg 18 .
- the lower bracing member 42 includes a pair of parallel side plates 44 which are vertically oriented and respectively located at each side face 19 C, 19 D of the respective support leg so as to overlap same.
- Each side plate 44 generally forms a gusset plate so as to have a gusset-like structure. That is, each side plate 44 is generally inverted U shaped so as to have a top portion 44 A which extends along a portion of the length of the respective leg 18 and across the width of an upper face of the tubular member of the footing support 20 .
- the respective side plate 44 wraps about an inner edge at the upper face of the footing support so as to extend radially inwardly beyond the inner face 20 B of the footing support and downwardly below the upper face thereof and thus have an inner portion 44 B of the side plate connected across the inner face 20 B of the footing support. Also, the respective side plate 44 wraps about an outer edge at the upper face of the footing support 20 so as to extend radially outwardly beyond the outer face 20 A of the footing support and downwardly below the upper face thereof and thus have an outer portion 44 C connected across the outer face 20 A of the footing support.
- each side plate is generally trapezoidal in shape, having a free edge 45 extending inwardly and downwardly from the inner face 19 B of the support leg in a direction generally towards a center of the footing support 20 below the central opening 16 of the hopper wall that forms part of a triangular portion of the trapezoidal top portion that is located at the inner face 19 B of the support leg 18 between same and the footing support 20 .
- each lower bracing member 42 includes a top plate 46 spanning horizontally between the side plates.
- the top plate 46 is located at the inner face 19 B of the respective support leg and has a top face which is flush with the free edges 45 of the side plates 44 .
- each lower bracing member 42 includes an end capping plate 48 spanning horizontally between the side plates 44 at the inner portions 44 B thereof.
- the end capping plate 48 is spaced inwardly of the inner face 20 B of the footing support so as to be located at innermost ends 47 of the side plates 44 with an exposed face of the end capping plate 48 in flush alignment with innermost ends of the side plates.
- top and end capping plates 46 , 48 close a space between the side plates 44 at the inner face 19 B of the respective support leg 18 .
- each support leg 18 is uninterrupted between the top and bottom junctions 30 and 40 , that is between the upper and lower bracing members 32 , 42 and more specifically between the upper and lower bracing locations UB and LB, and a continuous lower portion of the hopper wall 12 which is between the wall location W and the central opening 16 is also uninterrupted.
- access to the hopper wall circumferentially around the central opening 16 from the central opening to the wall locations W is unobstructed.
- access between each pair of adjacent support legs 18 is unobstructed by the lower bracing members 42 which extend radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hopper wall 12 .
- This lack of obstructions may be suitable for maneuvering and manipulating a transfer conveyor such as an auger under the central opening 16 for unloading the grain bin.
- the upper bracing member 32 may comprise a pair of parallel gusset plates respectively located at each side face of the respective support leg.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Filling Or Emptying Of Bunkers, Hoppers, And Tanks (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This application claims foreign priority benefits from Canadian Patent Application 2,904,879, filed Sep. 22, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- The present invention relates generally to grain bins and more particularly to structural bracing features of hopper support cones for grain bins.
- Traditionally, a frame system of a hopper bottom or support cone comprises radial frame members spanning radially inwardly from support legs of the hopper bottom to an inverted cone shaped hopper wall at a location near a bottom end thereof which locates a central opening. These radial frame members are considered to be essential components of conventional and commercially available hopper bottoms so as to provide sufficient support to the grain bin supported above the hopper cone; however, the radial frame members found in conventional hopper support cones obstruct access circumferentially around the hopper wall from the central opening upwardly along a height of the hopper wall. The obstruction of the radial frame members can make it difficult to manipulate the position of a transfer conveyor inlet such as an auger inlet below the central opening for transferring particulate material stored in the grain bin to another location.
- Canadian Patent Application No. 2,825,610 belonging to the current applicant schematically illustrates a hopper bottom or support cone having support legs connected at a bottom end by a perimeter footing. Although the support legs are shown to be uninterrupted along their length between a top junction with the cone and a bottom junction with the perimeter footing, in practice radial frame members are provided between the legs and the bottom of the cone in order to rigidify the structure of the hopper bottom as the frame as schematically illustrated in CA 2,825,610 has been previously found to provide insufficient support for a hopper bin thereabove in the absence of any additional rigidifying structure such as radial frame members.
- The applicant presents a unique solution which may overcome the aforementioned potential shortcomings of the prior art.
- According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a hopper support cone for a grain bin comprising:
- a hopper wall having an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a circumferentially extending peripheral edge at a top end of the hopper wall to a central opening at a bottom end spaced longitudinally from the peripheral edge along a longitudinal axis of the hopper wall;
- a plurality of upright support legs supporting the hopper wall that are located at circumferentially spaced positions thereabout;
- the upright support legs spanning from a top end of the respective support leg at or adjacent the peripheral edge of the hopper wall downwardly to a bottom end of the respective support leg below the central opening of the hopper wall;
- a perimeter footing support at the bottom ends of the plurality of support legs that spans between each adjacent pair of the support legs so as to join the support legs for resting on a support surface;
- a bottom junction joining each support leg and the footing support;
- a plurality of upper bracing members each spanning radially inwardly from a respective one of the support legs at an upper bracing location thereon which is closer to the top end than the bottom end of the respective support leg to the hopper wall at a wall location thereon which is closer to the peripheral edge than to the central opening such that (i) each support leg is uninterrupted along a continuous portion of its length from the upper bracing location to the bottom junction and (ii) a continuous portion of the hopper wall between the wall location and the central opening is uninterrupted.
- The embodiment described in more detail hereinafter functions free of the radial frame members of the prior art by providing top and bottom junctions at the top and bottom ends of the support legs that brace connections between the legs and each one of the hopper wall and the footing support so as to rigidify a structure of the hopper support cone. The addition of bracing members at the top and bottom junctions allow for a continuous intermediate portion of the length of each support leg to be uninterrupted and for a continuous lower portion of the hopper wall from wall locations of upper bracing members to the central opening to be uninterrupted. As such, access circumferentially around the hopper wall and along a height thereof is unobstructed from the central opening to the wall locations at which the upper bracing members are located, while the hopper bottom bin support maintains sufficient strength to support various bins thereon.
- In one arrangement, each upper bracing member comprises at least one gusset plate disposed at the top end of the respective support leg so as to extend along the hopper wall from the wall location towards the peripheral edge and along a portion of the length of the respective support leg.
- Preferably each bottom junction comprises a lower bracing member spanning from the respective support leg at a lower bracing location thereon which is closer to the bottom end than to the top end of the respective support leg to the footing support at a location thereon which is radially inward of the lower bracing location such that the continuous portion of the length of the respective support leg which is between the upper and lower bracing locations is uninterrupted.
- Preferably each lower bracing member extends further from the respective support leg in a transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal axis than in a longitudinal direction along the respective support leg.
- In one arrangement, each lower bracing member comprises at least one plate generally forming a gusset plate that is disposed at the bottom end of each support leg so as to extend along a portion of the length of the respective support leg and across a width of the footing support inwardly of the respective support leg.
- The at least one plate may extend inwardly beyond the footing support so as to be connected thereto across an inner face of the footing support.
- In one instance, the at least one plate comprises a pair of parallel side plates respectively located at each side face of the respective support leg.
- Each side plate may extend radially outwardly from the respective support leg so as to extend outwardly beyond the footing support and connect thereto across an outer face of the footing support.
- Each lower bracing member may include a top plate spanning between the parallel side plates that is located at an inner face of the respective support leg.
- Each lower bracing member may include an end capping plate spanning between the parallel side plates at innermost ends thereof. Furthermore, the end capping plate is thus located at an innermost end of the top plate.
- According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a hopper support cone for a grain bin comprising:
- a hopper wall having an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a circumferentially extending peripheral edge at a top end of the hopper wall to a central opening at a bottom end spaced longitudinally from the peripheral edge along a longitudinal axis of the hopper wall;
- a plurality of upright support legs supporting the hopper wall that are located at circumferentially spaced positions thereabout;
- the upright support legs spanning from a top end of the respective support leg at or adjacent the peripheral edge of the hopper wall downwardly to a bottom end of the respective support leg below the central opening of the hopper wall;
- a perimeter footing support at the bottom ends of the plurality of support legs that spans between each adjacent pair of the support legs so as to join the support legs for resting on a support surface;
- a top junction joining each support leg and the hopper wall;
- a plurality of lower bracing members each spanning from a respective one of the support legs at a lower bracing location thereon which is closer to the bottom end than the top end of the respective support leg to the footing support at a location thereon which is radially inward of the lower bracing location such that (i) each support leg is uninterrupted along a continuous portion of its length from the lower bracing location to the top junction and (ii) a continuous portion of the hopper wall from the central opening towards the peripheral edge is uninterrupted.
- Preferably each lower bracing member extends further from the respective support leg in a transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal axis than in a longitudinal direction along the respective support leg.
- In one arrangement, each lower bracing member comprises at least one plate generally forming a gusset plate that is disposed at the bottom end of each support leg so as to extend along a portion of the length of the respective support leg and across a width of the footing support inwardly of the respective support leg.
- The at least one plate may extend inwardly beyond the footing support so as to be connected thereto across an inner face of the footing support.
- In one instance, the at least one plate comprises a pair of parallel side plates respectively located at each side face of the respective support leg.
- Each side plate may extend radially outwardly from the respective support leg so as to extend outwardly beyond the footing support and connect thereto across an outer face of the footing support.
- Each lower bracing member may include a top plate spanning between the parallel side plates that is located at an inner face of the respective support leg.
- Each lower bracing member may include an end capping plate spanning between the parallel side plates at innermost ends thereof. Furthermore, the end capping plate is thus located at an innermost end of the top plate.
- Preferably each top junction comprises an upper bracing member spanning radially inwardly from a respective one of the support legs at an upper bracing location thereon which is closer to the top end than the bottom end of the respective support leg to the hopper wall at a wall location thereon which is closer to the peripheral edge than to the central opening such that the continuous portion of the length of the respective support leg which is between the upper and lower bracing locations is uninterrupted and the continuous portion of the hopper wall which is between the central opening and the wall location is uninterrupted.
- In one arrangement, each upper bracing member comprises at least one gusset plate disposed at the top end of the respective support leg so as to extend along the hopper wall from the wall location towards the peripheral edge and along a portion of the length of the respective support leg.
- Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of hopper support cone according to the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along line 2-2 inFIG. 1 with a gate member at a central opening of a hopper wall omitted for clarity of illustration. -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view like that inFIG. 3 but of another embodiment of hopper support cone having a differently shaped footing support. - In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
- Referring to the accompanying figures, there is illustrated a hopper support cone generally indicated by
reference numeral 10 for supporting a grain bin thereon. The hopper support cone is suited for center unloading of the grain bin. Such hopper support cones may be formed integrally with the grain bin or may be formed as a separate component upon which a commercially available cylindrical bin wall is then supported, as in the first illustrated embodiment in which the cylindrical bin wall is indicated at 2. - The
hopper support cone 10 comprises ahopper wall 12 which takes the shape of an inverted cone. Thus, the hopper wall extends at a downward and inward incline in a tapering fashion from a circumferentially extendingperipheral edge 14 at a top end to acentral opening 16 at a bottom end. Asuitable gate member 17 is mounted across the central opening for selectively enclosing the opening. Theperipheral edge 14 and thecentral opening 16 are coaxially aligned with respect to a vertically oriented longitudinal axis of the hopper wall and thus are longitudinally spaced from one another. Moreover, theperipheral edge 14 corresponds approximately in diameter to the diameter of thecylindrical bin wall 2 such that the cylindrical bin wall is arranged to be supported directly on or above the top peripheral edge of thehopper wall 12. - The hopper support cone includes a plurality of
support legs 18 for supporting the hopper wall in a position spaced above a support surface. Thesupport legs 18 are located at equally circumferentially spaced positions about thehopper wall 12. Each support leg carries the hopper wall with atop end 18A of the respective support leg located near the top end of thehopper wall 12 so as to be closer to theperipheral edge 14 than to thecentral opening 16. Therespective leg 18 spans vertically downwardly, parallel to the longitudinal axis of thehopper wall 12, from thetop end 18A of the respective support leg that is at the peripheral edge of the hopper wall to a bottom end 18B of the support leg which is downwardly below thecentral opening 16 such that the central opening is held spaced above the support surface. In the illustrated embodiment, thesupport legs 18 are tubular and are rectangular, for example square, in cross-section transverse to their length. Furthermore, the illustrated embodiment ofFIGS. 1-3 shows six support legs; however, in other embodiments, a number of the support legs may be different than that shown in accordance with the first illustrated embodiment. - The
hopper support cone 10 includes an annularperimeter footing support 20 mounted at the bottom ends 18B of the support legs. Thefooting support 20 spans between each adjacent pair of thelegs 18 so as join all of the legs for resting on the support surface. As such, the footing support is arranged to be supported on the support surface such as the ground or a suitable foundation so as to lie in a generally horizontal plane with a diameter which corresponds approximately to the diameter of thecylindrical bin wall 2 to be supported thereon. In the illustrated embodiment, thefooting support 20 is an endless tubular member which is circular in shape (in plan view). However, in other embodiments, the annular perimeter footing support may be in the form of a polygon with a number of sides or segment equal to the number of thesupport legs 18. For example, as inFIG. 4 and indicated at 20′, the annular perimeter footing support may be octagonal in shape so as to locate each one of the eight support legs of a second illustrated embodiment at a respective vertex of the octagon shaped footing support. Further to the diameter of the footing support, a width of the tubular member is greater than a thickness of the support leg measured across the width of the tubular member which forms the footing support. Thesupport legs 18 are positioned on thefooting support 20 such thatouter faces 19A of the support legs that face outwardly away from the hopper wall are generally aligned in a vertical plane with a peripheralouter face 20A of the footing support about an outer periphery thereof. Since the footing support's tubular member is wider in a transverse direction than a thickness of therespective support leg 18, a peripheralinner face 20B of the footing support about an inner periphery thereof is spaced radially inwardly frominner faces 19B of the support legs that face inwardly towards the hopper wall. Theinner face 20B of the footing support is also spaced radially outwardly from thecentral opening 16 such that the central opening is locatable directly over the support surface. - Further to the
support legs 18, thehopper support cone 10 includes top andbottom junctions top junctions 30 join eachsupport leg 18 and thehopper wall 12, and thebottom junctions 40 join eachsupport leg 18 and thefooting support 20. As such, the top and bottom junctions are suited for bracing or strengthening connection of thelegs 18 to each of thehopper wall 12 and thefooting support 20 thereby rigidifying the hopper support cone. - More specifically, each
top junction 30 comprises an upper bracingmember 32 such as a gusset plate which is mounted centrally relative to theinner face 19B of the support leg so as to be centered relative to a width of thesupport leg 18 that is taken or measured along the circumference of thefooting support 20. The upper bracingmember 32 spans radially between therespective support leg 18 at an upper bracing location thereon, indicated at ‘UB’, and thehopper wall 12 at a wall location thereon which is indicated at ‘W’. The upper bracing location UB on each leg is closer to thetop end 18A than to the bottom end 18B of the respective support leg. Similarly, the wall location W is closer to theperipheral edge 14 than to thecentral opening 16 of the hopper wall. In the illustrated embodiment which employsgusset plates 32 disposed at the top ends 18A of the support legs as the upper bracing members, afree edge 32A of the respective gusset plate spans between the upper bracing location UB and the wall location W. Also, aleg edge 32B of eachgusset plate 32 extends along an upper portion of the length of therespective leg 18 between thetop end 18A thereof and the upper bracing location UB thereon. Furthermore, awall edge 32C of the respective gusset plate extends along thehopper wall 12 from thetop end 18A of the respective support leg to the wall location W on the hopper wall. Thus, the upper bracingmembers 32 provide rigidity in directions along the longitudinal axis of thehopper wall 12 and in transverse directions with respect to the hopper wall's longitudinal axis. - Furthermore, each
bottom junction 40 comprises a lower bracingmember 42 forming an assembly of plates in the illustrated embodiments. The lower bracingmember 42 spans from therespective support leg 18 at a lower bracing location thereon, indicated at ‘LB’, radially inward to thefooting support 20. The lower bracing location LB is closer to the bottom end 18B of the respective support leg than to thetop end 18A thereof. - The lower bracing
member 42 is sized larger across the width of the tubular member of thefooting support 20, as indicated at ‘WFS’, than it is sized along the length of therespective support leg 18. As such, the lower bracingmember 42 extends further from therespective support leg 18 in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal axis of thehopper wall 12 than in a longitudinal direction along therespective support leg 18. - In the illustrated embodiments, the lower bracing
member 42 includes a pair ofparallel side plates 44 which are vertically oriented and respectively located at each side face 19C, 19D of the respective support leg so as to overlap same. Eachside plate 44 generally forms a gusset plate so as to have a gusset-like structure. That is, eachside plate 44 is generally inverted U shaped so as to have atop portion 44A which extends along a portion of the length of therespective leg 18 and across the width of an upper face of the tubular member of thefooting support 20. Therespective side plate 44 wraps about an inner edge at the upper face of the footing support so as to extend radially inwardly beyond theinner face 20B of the footing support and downwardly below the upper face thereof and thus have an inner portion 44B of the side plate connected across theinner face 20B of the footing support. Also, therespective side plate 44 wraps about an outer edge at the upper face of thefooting support 20 so as to extend radially outwardly beyond theouter face 20A of the footing support and downwardly below the upper face thereof and thus have an outer portion 44C connected across theouter face 20A of the footing support. Thus, thetop portion 44A of each side plate is generally trapezoidal in shape, having afree edge 45 extending inwardly and downwardly from theinner face 19B of the support leg in a direction generally towards a center of thefooting support 20 below thecentral opening 16 of the hopper wall that forms part of a triangular portion of the trapezoidal top portion that is located at theinner face 19B of thesupport leg 18 between same and thefooting support 20. - Further to the
parallel side plates 44, each lower bracingmember 42 includes atop plate 46 spanning horizontally between the side plates. Thetop plate 46 is located at theinner face 19B of the respective support leg and has a top face which is flush with thefree edges 45 of theside plates 44. - In addition, each lower bracing
member 42 includes anend capping plate 48 spanning horizontally between theside plates 44 at the inner portions 44B thereof. Theend capping plate 48 is spaced inwardly of theinner face 20B of the footing support so as to be located at innermost ends 47 of theside plates 44 with an exposed face of theend capping plate 48 in flush alignment with innermost ends of the side plates. - As such, the top and
end capping plates side plates 44 at theinner face 19B of therespective support leg 18. - According to the upper and lower bracing
members support leg 18 is uninterrupted between the top andbottom junctions members hopper wall 12 which is between the wall location W and thecentral opening 16 is also uninterrupted. Thus, access to the hopper wall circumferentially around thecentral opening 16 from the central opening to the wall locations W is unobstructed. Furthermore, access between each pair ofadjacent support legs 18 is unobstructed by the lower bracingmembers 42 which extend radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of thehopper wall 12. This lack of obstructions may be suitable for maneuvering and manipulating a transfer conveyor such as an auger under thecentral opening 16 for unloading the grain bin. - In alternative embodiments, the upper bracing
member 32 may comprise a pair of parallel gusset plates respectively located at each side face of the respective support leg. - Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
Claims (20)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA2904879A CA2904879C (en) | 2015-09-22 | 2015-09-22 | Grain bin hopper support cone with support legs which are uninterrupted along their respective lengths between top and bottom junctions |
CA2904879 | 2015-09-22 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20170081836A1 true US20170081836A1 (en) | 2017-03-23 |
Family
ID=58276791
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/156,604 Abandoned US20170081836A1 (en) | 2015-09-22 | 2016-05-17 | Grain Bin Hopper Support Cone with Support Legs which are Uninterrupted Along their Respective Lengths Between Top and Bottom Junctions |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20170081836A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2904879C (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10766719B2 (en) * | 2019-02-01 | 2020-09-08 | Laidig Systems, Inc. | Independent floor storage system |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1760094A (en) * | 1928-01-18 | 1930-05-27 | Jr Edgar B Tolman | Storage tank |
US3038566A (en) * | 1959-04-17 | 1962-06-12 | Parkersburg Aetna Corp | Storage and discharge bins |
US5339996A (en) * | 1993-04-26 | 1994-08-23 | Midwest Pre-Mix, Inc. | Portable mini silo system |
US20090129903A1 (en) * | 2007-11-19 | 2009-05-21 | Lycon Inc. | Portable mortar hopper |
US20120047762A1 (en) * | 2010-08-26 | 2012-03-01 | Woodhaven Capitol Corp. | Modular aeration assembly for grain bins |
US8434278B1 (en) * | 2010-07-07 | 2013-05-07 | V-Bins.com GP Inc | Storage bin support system |
-
2015
- 2015-09-22 CA CA2904879A patent/CA2904879C/en active Active
-
2016
- 2016-05-17 US US15/156,604 patent/US20170081836A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1760094A (en) * | 1928-01-18 | 1930-05-27 | Jr Edgar B Tolman | Storage tank |
US3038566A (en) * | 1959-04-17 | 1962-06-12 | Parkersburg Aetna Corp | Storage and discharge bins |
US5339996A (en) * | 1993-04-26 | 1994-08-23 | Midwest Pre-Mix, Inc. | Portable mini silo system |
US20090129903A1 (en) * | 2007-11-19 | 2009-05-21 | Lycon Inc. | Portable mortar hopper |
US8434278B1 (en) * | 2010-07-07 | 2013-05-07 | V-Bins.com GP Inc | Storage bin support system |
US20120047762A1 (en) * | 2010-08-26 | 2012-03-01 | Woodhaven Capitol Corp. | Modular aeration assembly for grain bins |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10766719B2 (en) * | 2019-02-01 | 2020-09-08 | Laidig Systems, Inc. | Independent floor storage system |
WO2021096788A1 (en) * | 2019-02-01 | 2021-05-20 | Laidig Systems, Inc. | Independent floor storage system |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2904879C (en) | 2022-03-29 |
CA2904879A1 (en) | 2017-03-22 |
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