US2053147A - Material handling mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 1, 1936. c s. HENDERSON 2,053,147

MATERIAL HANDLING MECHAN I SM Filed Feb. 23, 1953 [N VENTOR'} Char/es 5. Henderson,

A T'Y Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM Charles S. Henderson, Grandview Heights, Ohio,

assignor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application February 23, 1933, Serial No. 658,167

16 Claims. (01. 198-144) For handling material of many kinds, it is widely customary to employ mechanical conveying mechanisms of various types, in which, however, generally speaking, the conveying instrumentalities include buckets or equivalent receptacles for receiving the materials being handled. These receptacles are charged with material at a given location, travel on a conveyor chain or similar' transportingmechanism, suitably driven, to the point of discharge, where the material contained in the receptacles is discharged, usually through the receptacles assuming an inverted position.

Where the material beinghandled is'of a'more or less pulverulent character, or is of a character such that there is a tendency to become packed in the receptacle during transportation thereof, some means must be provided for loosening the material for efiecting complete discharge thereof fromthe buckets or receptacles.

The improvements in the art represented by the presentinvention include the provision of instrumentalities designed'to impart to each receptacle, as it discharges, an agitation or vibration whereby any compacted material may be loosened'sufliciently for enabling the same to drop from the receptacle as F it assumes discharging position. This vibration may be, specifically, in the nature of a blow or impact delivered against the receptacle as it discharges, although the invention, in its broader aspects,.includes the imparting of any kind of vibratory action to the receptacles.

In the preferred adaptationtof the invention, however, the mechanism provided for the purpose above indicatedincludes shock producing means oscillatably balanced on the drive shaft of the conveyorin such a mannerthat each receptacle will be struck by a sharp hammer-like blow as'the receptacle dischargeatheshock producing means being displaced by engagement of each receptacle therewith, and'being counterbalanced so as to swing back from its displaced position in time to strike the nextsucceeding receptacle of the con-' veyorw-ith suificient force to dislodge all material therefrom;

The accompanying drawing-shows, for purposes of illustration, one form of installation as applied to a bucket elevator, although obviously the construction may be adaptedto many dilferent forms or types ofinstalla'tion without departing from the inventive concept.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 represents a transverse sectional elevational view of a bucket elevator provided with shock or vibration producing instrumentalities contemplated by this invention.-

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken-on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the directio-n'of the arrows, the drive shaft, however, being shown in elevation for purposes of clarity.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it 5' will be observedthat the illustrated modification of the invention includes the conveyor buckets A, secured by bolts 3,. in an. obvious manner, to a pair of conveyor chains C traveling onvspaced sprockets D in the usual manner. The sprockets D are keyed to the drive shaft E, as indicated at F, so that the sprockets continuously rotate with theshaft, which is driven from any suitable source of power, notshown. Interconnecting the successive links of the chain C areanti-friction rollersG. This construction is substantially that well-known in the art.

Considering now the shock producing instrue mentalities of the present invention it will be seen that intermediate the sprockets D, and illustrated as alsokeyed to the shaft E'for rotation therewith, are the bushings 1,, provided with smooth, flat bearingsurfacesZ, and end flanges 3. The sleeves I are arranged on the shaft E so that the flanges 3- are disposed in opposite directions.

On the bearing surfaces 2 are fitted bearing sleeves 4 provided with flanges 5. ,These sleeves 4 are freely turnable relative to the bushings I, and-are further provided with ports'or openings 6 and 6a extending to the bearing surfaces 2, for supplying lubricant from the lubricant supply pipes 1 and 1a.

To the flanges 5 of the sleeves 4 are secured by. bolts, or equivalent fastening instrumentalities, 8, the carriers or hangers 9' to which the bumper plate") is secured. These hangers are of the shape clearly shown in Fig. 1, thebumper plate l0 being mounted adjacent one end of the hangers by means 'of'bolts I lfand being positioned Jso" that it will be engaged by the buckets 40 A as these buckets swinginto discharging position. Adjacent the other end of the bumper plate hangers are positioned counter-weights l2 which are sufiiciently heavy to maintain normally, the plate it! in engagement with the buckets A.- Obviously, therefore, as the buckets A and the plate Ill impact together, the blow therebetween will dislodge all material from the buckets to completely discharge the latter, the engagement causing the bumper plate is, sleeves 4 and bumper plate hangers 9 to yield together relatively to bushings I, to enable the buckets A to pass by the plate 10, after which action the weights-l2 return these parts in time for the plate lll tostrike the next succeeding bucket of '55 the series, as it discharges. The movement of the buckets is in the direction of the large arrow in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that the bumper plate hangers 9 are suspended on the sleeves 4 and are of angular cross section, for attachment to the flanges 5 of the sleeves 4 and for receiving the lubricant outlets l3 and I4, which enter the openings or ports 6 and 6a, respectively, whereby effective lubrication between the bushings l and sleeves 4 is obtained. The inter-connections between the outlets I3 and I4 and lubricant supplypipes 1 and 1a. may be conveniently-of the type illustrated at '5 and I6, respectively, in Fig. 2, the pipes being provided with pressure lubricating fittings l1 and Ila, for attachment to a desired type of grease gun or other pressure lubricating device, not shown, whereby lubricant may be forced between the engaging surfaces of the bushings l and sleeves 4, thereby maintaining friction and wear between these relatively moving surfaces, at the minimum, thus assuring free oscillation of the bumper assembly around the bushings I.

It will be seen from the above that by interposingthe bushings l between the shaft E and the sleeves 4, the shaft is protected from wear. These bushings I may be made readily replaceable and may also be made of relatively softer material than the sleeves 4, so that the bushings, rather than the sleeves, will take the wear.

It should also be noted that plates are secured to the outer edges of the buckets in parallel spaced-apart planes at right angles to the axis of the shaft E, as shown in the drawing. These plates are adapted to co-operate with the outer flat surfaces of the buckets to form chutes as shown in Fig. 1, to receive the material discharged from the buckets and directed laterally in a direction away from the shaft E, as viewed in Fig. 1. That is to say, as each bucket discharges material the latter is received by the chute immediately below and at the side of the next lower bucket so as to assure delivery of the material from the bucket conveyor to a predetermined or selected location.

The operation of the device will become apparent from the above considerations, and a detailed discussion thereof is believed to be unnecessary, beyond reviewing the fact that the weights l2 hold the bumper plate ID in the path of travel of the buckets A, so that as the buckets engage the plate I0, the impact will produce a shock, with attendant vibrations, against each bucket as it reaches its discharging position, so as to loosen all material contained therein, enabling the same to be completely discharged from the bucket. As each bucket continues to move past the bumper plate, responsive to continued rotation of the sprockets D, the bumper assembly consisting of the bumper plate 10, hangers 9 therefor, and the sleeves 4, will be swung against the action of weights l2 sufiiciently toenable the bucket to pass. As soon as this happens, weights l2 again swing the bumper assembly in the opposite direction to impact against the succeeding bucket of the series as this bucket discharges, so that each bucket will be shaken or vibrated substantially coincidently with its discharge, so that all material will be effectively loosened and shaken therefrom. The free movement between the sleeves 4 and bushings l enables the bumper In to freely swing back. and

ment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, an endless bucket conveyor and driving shaft therefor for moving the buckets of the conveyor from charging to discharging position, a bumper for engaging each successive bucket incident to its reaching discharging position for imparting a hammer-like impact to each bucket, mounting mechanism for the bumper comprising bushings keyed to the shaft for rotation therewith, the said bushings being provided with a smooth bearing surface, hangers for the bumper, bearing sleeves secured to the carrier devices and mounted on the smooth bearing surfaces of the bushings, the said sleeves being independently turnable relative to the said bushings for enabling the bumper to yield under engagement with the buckets to allow the latter to pass thereby, instrumentalities for feeding lubricant between the said bushings and sleeves for enabling free motion therebetween, and means on the said hangers for forcibly returning the bumper to bucket engaging position to impact against each successive bucket as it reaches discharging position.

2. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with a conveyor including material handling buckets, of a drive shaft for the conveyor, bushings mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, and a bumper swingably suspended from the bushings for imparting a hammer-like impact to each bucket as the successive buckets assume discharging position.

3. Conveyor mechanism comprising the combination with a shaft having spaced-apart sprocket wheels keyed to the shaft, a conveyor chain running over each sprocket, and conveyor buckets between the chains and secured to each of the chains, of bushings removably keyed to the shaft intermediate the sprocket wheels, bearing sleeves for the bushings freely rotatable relatively thereto, hangers suspended from the bearing sleeves and movable with the sleeves relatively to the bushings, a bumperinterconnecting the hangers and adapted to strike against each bucket to produce a shock thereto to dislodge completely the material contained in the buckets, and counterweights on the hangers for increasing the force of the impacts of the bumper on the buckets.

4. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with a shaft for supporting a bucket conveyor, of hangers freely suspended from the shaft, and a bumper extending between and connecting the hangers and arranged to swing against each successive bucket of the conveyor as the bucket assumes discharging position.

5. In a bucket elevator, the combination with a bucket conveyor, of means for supporting and guiding said conveyor for travel in an upwardly extending loop from a carrying position on one side of said loop to a discharging position on the other side thereof, said supporting means comprising a bearing within said loop and extending transversely thereof, and automatic mechanism journaled on said bearing for oscillation within said loop in position to strike hammer blows against said buckets to dislodge therefrom material adhering thereto.

6. In a bucket elevator, the combination with a bucket conveyor, of sprocket mechanism connected to said conveyor, a supporting shaft connected to said sprocket mechanism to rotate therewith, and mechanism journaled on said shaft in position for automatic oscillation on the axis of said shaft by direct engagement with the buckets of said conveyor for striking hammer blows against the bottoms of the discharging sides of said buckets to dislodge material adhering thereto.

7. In a bucket elevator, the combination with a bucket conveyor, of means for supporting and guiding the same, and automatic mechanism for striking a hammer blow against the bottom of each bucket when in position to discharge the material therein over the top downwardly inclined surface of the next lower bucket.

8. In a material handling mechanism, the combination with a conveyor including material conveying devices, of a drive shaft therefor, and means for imparting shocks to each successive material conveying device, said means being piv- -'0ted to said drive shaft.

9. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with a conveyor including material handling buckets, of a drive shaft for the conveyor, and a. bumper swingably suspended from the drive shaft for imparting a hammer-like impact to each bucket, as the successive buckets reach a predetermined position.

10. Material handling mechanism comprising (the combination with a conveyor including material handling buckets each of which has a cam surface, a bumper swingably mounted and biased to contact with said buckets whereby as said 40 buckets are moved said bumper will strike each successive bucket and be positioned by each bucket cam surface to strike the next succeeding bucket.

11. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with a conveyor including material handling buckets each of which has a rounded bottom portion presenting a cam surface. a bumper swingably mounted and biased to contact with said buckets during their travel and to move over said cam surface of a bucket and be released thereby to contact a succeeding bucket to impart a blow thereto.

12. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with a conveyor including a plurality of material handling buckets at least some of which have cam surfaced bottoms, a bumper swingably mounted and biased to contact with said cam surfaced bottoms and to strike a blow to a succeeding bucket as it is released by said cam surfaced bottom.

13. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with a pair of spaced endless chains, of sprockets for guiding and supporting said chains whereby their direction of travel is changed as they pass around said sprockets, a shaft upon which said sprockets are mounted. buckets carried between said chains adapted to change from a material carrying position to a material discharging position as said chains change their position of travel as aforesaid, and

a bumper swingably mounted on said shaft and biased toward bucket contacting position adapted to impart a blow to each bucket as it assumes a material discharging position.

14. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with an endless chain, of a sprocket for guiding and supporting said chain whereby its direction of travel is changed as it passes around said sprocket, a shaft upon which said sprocket is mounted, buckets carried by said chain adapted to change from a material carrying position to a material discharging position as said chain moves around said sprocket, and a bumper swingably mounted on said shaft and adapted to strike the bottom outside surface of said buckets as they reach a discharging position.

15. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with endless draft means, of means for guiding and supporting saidv draft means whereby its direction of travel is changed as it passes around said guiding means, buckets carried by said draft means adapted to change from a material carrying position to a material discharging position as said draft means changes its direction of travel as aforesaid, and means including a bumper swingably mounted and adapted to strike the bottom outside surfaces of said buckets as they reach a discharging position to aid in removing any material carried thereby.

16. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with an endless draft means, of

means for guiding and supporting said draft means whereby its direction of travel is changed as it passes around said guiding means, buckets carried by said draft means adapted to change from a material carrying position to a material discharging position as said draft means moves around said guiding means, and means including a bumper swingably mounted and adapted to strike the bottom outside surfaces of said buckets as they reach a discharging position to aid in removing any material carried thereby, said last named means being operable by said buckets.

CHARLES S. HENDERSON.

Images