US2125926A - Coal conveyer - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 9, 1938. F. KALMBACH COAL CONVEYER Filed mig. 27, v1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 9, 1938. F. KALMBACH 225926 v GOAL CONVEYER Filed Aug. 27, 1935 e sheetssheet 2 v T 'eg g/c INVENTOR FHEDfR/c/f KAL/MACH BY we/mw.,

ATTORNEY COAL CONVEYER ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1938.

F. KALMBACH COAL CQNVEYER Filed Aug. 27, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR F/:JfafR/c/r KALMAc/-l ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1938.` F. KALMBACH COAL CONVEYER Filed Aug. 27, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR FREDERICK Mams/ICH BY w/VM ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1938. F. KALMBACH COAL GONVEYER K Filed Aug. 27, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 I I I I I I III I I I I I I I I I I I I II II I I III @immuun INVENTOR FREnER/ck L/vAcH ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 27,125,926 COAL CONVEYER Frederick Kalmhach, New York, N. Y., assignor,

by mesneassignments, to

Electric Furnace- Man, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New- York Application August 27, 1935, Serial No. 38,034

9 Claims. This invention relates toV conveyer apparatus and more particularlyto an improvement in an" apparatus as described in the application of M. Dykstra, Ser. No. 35,914 led August 13, 1935, for supplying solid fuel to the receiver portion of a stoker device.

An object of my invention is to provide an y improvement in mechanism which is automatically regulated to supply the correct amount of fuel tosuch a stoker device and which may be cheaply manufactured and easily installed With new equipment `or in combination with equipment already in use.

Another feature of my invention is to provide a mechanism which is compact and efficient,

.having substantially all the moving parts` protected from the action of fuel such as coal.

Another feature of myimproved construction is `the elimination of noise by having only asmall number of moving parts and having theseparts so arranged that they may be readilyl bathed in lubricant. My apparatus is also adapted to'be adjusted to suit different conditions, as Will be more apparent from a detailed description ofseveral embodiments thereofl illustrated in the drawings in which: Y

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a vertical section of one embodiment of my invention, shown mounted in position for use.

Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2" ofFig. 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional View of"a portion of Vthe operating mechanism showing one form offbearing construction.

Figure 2a is a sectional View similar toFig. 2 but viewed from the opposite direction, illustrating a preferred ratchet and paWl drive and taken on the line 2li-2a of Fig. 3a.

Figure`3a is a view similarto preferred ratchet and pawldrive.

Figure 4is a-horinzontal sectionfof Fig. 1, taken on line 4 4.

FigureV 5A showsY another form of mechanism which can be used to operate the pawl and ratchet device `shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 6'is a View similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating a further modification of the operating mechanism. u

Figure l is a" vertical section' through one end 50of my fuel conveyergsho'wing a guard arrangement for the same. Y 1

Figure 8 is a Vertical-section of the top portion of another embodiment, which may be mounted asshoWn in Fig. 1.

Figure 9"isav vertical section of a further em Fig. 3 of` this bodiment of an operating mechanism forthe fuel conveyer.

Figure 10 is a vertical section of a still further embodiment of an operating mechanism for the fuel conveyer.

Figure 11 is a view of the device shown in Fig. 10 as seen from the right hand side thereof, and having the top portion ofthe casing" broken away to show the construction thereof.

Referring more p-articularly to Figs; 1", 2', 3, and 4, numeral I 0 indicates a receiveror other receptacle which is a part of a stoker arrangement such, for example, as that shown in the aforementioned application of M. Dykstra, in the Wightman Patent Re. 17,925, inthe Hall et al. Patent #2,077,882, forv .supplying the coal to ar burner inl a furnace. Mounted'upon'thislrecep# tacle and preferably xedlthereto by bolts or the like is a casing Il supporting in turn a rotatably mounted casing I2. Onone sideofthe casing I2v a section I3" of" a conveyerv tube is pivotally mounted and loosely overlying aV portionv of said casing I2, to-keep out any dust or dirt, there is provided a removable-cover I4, having a handle Ma.

Coal or other solid fuel may be' taken from a bin or other source off supply by means o fE theV extension I5, connected to the conveyer section I3, and carrying a suitable helicoidfmember ITB; This section I5 may be detachably mountedin the section I3 and held by` the set screw Il. Power to turn the helicoid member I Bissupp-lied? through the universal joint' I8`, positioned oppof site the pivots in saidconveyer section I3, by means ofthe shaft I9. Thisshaft I9 is adapted to be rotated in a bearing housing 20which is boltedE to the casing I2 'by bolts 2l; thus effectively seal` ing up a hole 22 in a partition in said casing to-be more fully described hereafter. This bearing housing is fitted With a sleeve 200 ofI some'suitiable bearing metal having' ahead portion 2|JI1 which abuts the outer end oflthe bearing housing in assembled position.

Shaft I9 may be lubricated througlia valved member 23 as customarily used With greaseguns, or any suitable means applied to` the threaded hole 24'in the bearing housing and sleeve. The portion of the shaft I9 between `the universal joint* I8 and the hole 2`4` may be hollow asillustrated at 240" and fitted with radial holes 241 adjacent the said hole 24" so that grease or other lubricant may be supplied to the universaljoint Whichv is preferably encased in a'leather boot. A circular groove 242V is also provided on shaft I9=`to facilitate thepassage of lubricant:

The bearing sleeve 200 is preferably formed with a longitudinally extending grease groove 202 for lubricating shaft I9. Adjacent the inner end of said bearing member, and loosely mounted on the bearing sleeve head 20|, is a collar 25 lubricated by means of the hole 203 in sleeve 209 and preferably shaped like a bell crank, having arms 26 and 26a projecting from the periphery thereof. The arm 26 is pivotally connected to the rod 21 by the pivot pin 28, While the arm 26a carries `a pawl 29 pivotally mounted on the pin 30. This paWl 29 is adapted to engage a ratchet 3| which is also mounted on said shaft I9, and tted cuplike over a reduced portion 32"of said c'ollar 25. The hub of the ratchet is keyed to a collar VY33V which is fixed to the shaft by means of a shear pin 34. The end of said shaft I9 projecting out beyond this collar is of square or some other irregular cross section forming a head 35v to which may be applied a crank for manually operating the helicoid. Mounted onV a horizontal section of the casing I2 and immediately below the ratchet is a check pawl 36 pivotally mounted on the pin 39 and having an arm 31 to engage the ratchet and a Weighted end 38 on the opposite side of the pivot 39 to hold said arm 31 in engagement with the ratchet. y

The rod 21 is mounted for reciprocation in an inner vertical tubular section 40 of said casing I2, and a similar section 4| integral with the fixed casing II and registering with the tubular portion 40. Near the top'of this section 4I is inserted an inner cylindrical casing 42 which may be screwed into place by means of the threads 43. The top portion thereof which projects up through the horizontal shelf 44 may be held in place by means of the nut 45. The casing sections 40 and 4| each extend to the casings I2 and II as shown in Fig. 5. The horizontal shelf 44, with the bearing support bolted at 2|, separates the moving parts of the actuating mechanism under the cover I4 from the coal and dust and this shelf, together with the Walls 40 and 4| and the horizontalclosure wall 46 completely protect all of the moving parts so far described, with the exception of the universal joint and the helicoid conveying member, from any foreign material such as coal, coal` dust, and the like, which are recognized to be very corrosive to metals.

Attached to the bottom of rod 21 by threads or other suitable means is a slender rod 41, which may be made of stainless Steel or some other corrosion resistant metal, carrying a disc 48 at the lower end thereof. This rod passes through an aperture 49 in the horizontal section 46 and a washer 50 surrounding the rod 41 closes the said aperture 49. This washer member is preferably countersunk for a portion of its thickness so that the rod 41 will slide through it more easily as the rod reciprocates.

As illustrated more clearly in Figures 1 and 4, a rocker 54 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 56 which is supported at its ends in the bearings 56a integral with the casing II and is held there by set screws 56h. The rocker 54 has an arm 53 which extends into the casing II between the extended Walls of the member 4I and is provided at its end with a ring 5I surrounding the rod 41 and having a cup shaped portion 52 adapted toreceive the'rounded end of the rod 21. The rocker 54 also has an arm 51 connected through the link 58 to a crank arm 59. These connections may be made by means of pivot pinsY 60 and 6| *15V-clamped in the crank arm. 59 and the arm 51 respectively, by set screws and retained in the link 58 by cotter pins or other suitable means. The crank arm 59 may be mounted on the shaft 62 of a motor or other suitable driving means, but is preferably mounted on the shaft employed to drive the stoker mechanism from the reduction gearing 62.

Adjacent the outer or supply end of the coal conduit I5, I prefer to employ a guard member, such as shown in Fig. '7. This may comprise an- `other helicoid member 65 connected to the helicoid I6 by means of the square or other irregularly shaped socket 65 on one end thereof and a Cotter pin 66 passing through the square end of the shaft of the conveyer I6. This end of the coal conveyer structure may be blocked up by some suitable means 61 above the floor of the coal bin so that the Whole structure is practically surrounded by coal. The helicoid 64 of this guard member has a much smaller pitch than the helicoid I6 and fits the tube I5 rather closely while projecting a substantial distance beyond the end thereof. It should be suciently strong to shear any lump of coal that may come between it and the end of the tube I5. In the use of this device any over-sized pieces of coal are either pushed away from the mouth of the conveyer tube or broken into smaller pieces before reaching the regulating mechanism and Stoker.

In the installment of my device, the fixed casing II is first put in position by bolting, riveting, Welding or the like, after which the rotatably mounted casing I2 and the actuating mechanism may be put in place, rotated to the correct position and clamped by means of the nut 45. The coal conveying tube I5 is next affixed and adjusted at the desired angle to the horizontal to supply coal from a bin or other source. The outer end or guard portions of this tube is then blocked up in' suitable position, after which the yj any desired manner, preferably by means of Wicks to insure constant supply of said lubricant and to thus reduce noise to a minimum. Coal may be started up the tube I5 by applying a crank to the head 35 until the receiver I0 is partly filled.

The driving mechanism for the stoker may be then started and Will actuate the coal feeder as follows:

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the rods 21 and 41 are raised by arm 53 of the rocker arm 54 which in turn is rocked by crank arm 59 through link 58. As rod 21 moves upwardly, collar 25 is rotated about shaft I9 and moves pawl 29 into engagement with ratchet 3|. Further upward movement of rod 21 then rotates shaft I9 by means of ratchet 3| which is interlocked with collar 33; this collar is fixed to the shaft I9 for rotation therewith by a shear pin 34 passing through said collar and shaft. The shaft I9 rotates helicoid I6, acting through the universal joint I8, to bring fuel up the tube I5 and into the receiver I0 by way of casings I2 and II. Shear pin 34 is made the right size to shear off if the helicoid or other parts become clogged. If so desired this pin may be accurately made to The leather boot on the universal .j

all

withstand some definite predetermined force based on the strength of the other parts and to allow a suitable factor of safety therefor.

As crank 59 completes its rotation with the shaft 62, arm 53 is depressed allowing rod 21 to drop back by its own Weight and pawl 29 thus moves counter-clockwise about shaft I9 (as Viewed in Figure 2) slipping over a few teeth on ratchet 3|. At each successive upward stroke of rod 21, shaft I9 is rotated to bring coal into the receptacle |9, the rate of rotation being such as to supply slightly more coal than is needed by the furnace. A constant supply of fuel is thus available at all times in the receiver I9.

As the amount of fuel accumulates and builds up in this receiver I9, however, the downward movement of rod 21 is restricted because of the disc 48 striking the top of the pile of fuel 48a. When the rod drops down only part of the distance of its normal stroke under these conditions, the cup shaped ring 5| is disengaged from the bottom of rod 21 until the crank arm 59 is rotated sufficiently to bring said ring back into such engagement. It is apparent from the foregoing that if rod 21 drops down only half of its normal stroke, for example, the next upward stroke will be only half of the normal stroke and the helicoid I6 will thereby be rotated only half the normal amount. Considering the shaft 62 to be rotating in a clockwise direction, rod 21, as shown in Fig. 1, will remain in its illustrated position while shaft 62 turns through 180. Ring 5| will at that point re-engage the base of rod 21 and liftit one half of a normal stroke. While the operation of a half normal stroke has been described as illustrative, it is'clear that the length of stroke will vary according to the amount of fuel in the hopper and casing and that if sufficient fuel piles up under disc 4B, the reciprocation of rod 21 will be automatically stopped thus cutting olf further supply of fuel to the receiver until some of said fuel is withdrawn therefrom. It is understood that some suitable stoker arrangement (not shown) is provided, preferably at the base of receiver I9 comprising means for feeding fuel from the receiver to a burner as in a furnace. As such feeding takes place after supply of fuel to the receiver has stopped asdescribed above, the coal level in the receiver drops and the rod 21 again starts to reciprocate to replace the fuel withdrawn.

A preferred bearing structure and ratchet'drive is illustrated in Figs. 2a and 3a which may be readily substituted for the structure shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

` In this preferred form, shaft 9 is rotatably mounted in bearing sleeve 299 fitted toV bearing housing 29. This housing 29 is fastened to casing I2 by means of bolts 2|. Shaft I9 carries an axial hole 249, circular groove 242, and radial hole 24| and sleeve 299 is formed with a longitudinal groove 291, radial hole 293, and. an opening registering with the threaded hole 24 in the housing all vsubstantially `the same as heretofore described in connection with Figs. 2y and 3.

l This embodiment differs in that the ratchet' 3|c which is mounted directly on the bearing sleeve head 29| is wider than ratchet 3| and aligned with reciprocating drive rod 21o thus reducing bending strains in shaft I9.

Two link members SIU, 3|9 are rotatably mounted on the ratchet hub, the outermember being held in place by suitable'meanssuch as retaining ring 3| which may be formed of spring steel and simply snapped in place in a groove 3|2 in the ratchethub. The outer ends of these links carry the pivot pin28c on which is also mounted the reduced end 210 of rod 21e and the bifurcated end orarms 299, 290 of pawl 29e. Pawl 29e is preferably held in engagement with ratchet 3|c at all times by a spring member such as the spring 29|.

Ratchet 3|c may drive shaft I9 through collar 33 and shear pin 39 as heretofore described. -R'od 21e is preferably cut away at 21| to allow ample clearance with the ratchet 3|c.

It is very desirable to also employ a check pawl such as shown at 39e pivotally mounted on pin 39o having an arm 31e engaging the ratchet and an oppositely disposed weighted arm 38e to hold said arm 31e and ratchet in engagement. This check pawl preferably is positioned to afford a certain amount of backlash to the apparatus thus insuring that the check pawl will always be effective despite small variations in mounting the apparatus and slight variations in size of the parts.

A check pawl is extremely helpful when large pieces of fuel are being broken by the inlet guard at the end of the stroke of the drive rod.

The bearing and ratchet assembly of Figs. 2a and 3a operates in substantially the same manner as the embodiment just described but is preferred because of its simplicity and sturdiness of construction and substantial elimination of bending strains from the main drive shaft |9.

Other mechanisms for operating the rod. 21 of my feeding device are illustrated in Figs. and 6. In the device shown in Fig. 5, the rod 2] is reciprocated by means of an arm |58 pivoted at one end on the pin 19, supported from the casing and having at the other end a cup shaped member 69, similar to the ring 5|, for engaging the lower end of rod 21. This arm 68 carries a roller 1| rotatably mounted on the shaft 12 which acts as a follower and is held against the cam 13 by means of a spring 14. Cam 13 may be mounted on shaft 14a by means of a set screw and the shaft 14a may be drivenin any suitable manner as by the chain 16 and sprocket 11.

The operation of the modification shown in Fig. 5 is similar to that of Fig. 1 with the exception that different mechanism is used to raise the rod 21. Ring 59 on arm 68 engages the base of this rod in the same manner as ring 5| but arm 68 is rocked by a cam and follower structure built into the casing I, instead of the crank arm device of Fig. 1. If desired shaft 14a may be driven by the reduction gearing as in the preferred modification. Spring 14 holds follower 1| in engagement with the cam or eccentric 13 but this is not essential to the operation of this device. However, in practice, ring 69 occasionally sticks to the base of rod 21 after the disc 98 cornes to rest on the pile of fuel, thus breaking the contact between follower 1| and cam 13. This sticking is usually only momentary but of sufficient duration to allow the follower and cam to become distinctly separated, so that when the ring 69 disengages from rod 21, the follower is dropped with some force onto the cam. Some means of maintaining the cam and follower in engagement is therefore desirable.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 6 which illustrates an operating mechanism similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the rod 21 is operated by an arm 53a, carrying the cup shaped ring 5|', `mounted on a rocker 54a as shown in Fig. 4. Integral with the rocker 59a. there is a downwardly extending armf19 carrying a roller 75.

on a pin8I at the lower end thereof. This roller acts as a follower working on the cam 82 which is mounted on the shaft 83, driven by any suitable means, such as the shaft from the reduction gearing 63. With this arrangement, the length of the stroke of the rod 21 may be easily adjusted by regulating the distance between the casing I I and the cam 82.

The embodiment of Fig. 6 operates similarly to the preferred construction but the arm 53a is rocked in a slightly different manner. Rocker 54a is provided with av downwardly depending arm carrying a roller follower 80 which bears on a cam or eccentric 82. It will be apparent that as shaft 83 is rotated in either direction from its illustrated position, the arm 19 will be pressed in toward the casing I I, thereby raising arm 53a and rod 21. As rotation continues, these parts will move in the opposite direction thereby allowing rod 21 to drop back as described with respect to Fig. 1.

If desired a spring may also be used to keep the follower in engagement with the cam as described above in connection with Fig. 5.

Figs. 8 to l1 illustrate other modifications of my operating means by Which the rod for actuating the pawl may be reciprocated by mechanism above the fixed casing II while retaining many of the advantages of my preferred constructions just described. As shown in Fig. 8 the rotatable casing |20, is mounted on a rim 84 of the casing IIa. and may be clamped in place when suitably adjusted by the set screw 85. Above and to one side, preferably integral with said casing I2a, is an extension 86 carrying the upper end of the coal conveyer and a pawl and ratchet construction like that described with reference to Fig. 1. This extension 86 is hollow and provides a shaft through which the coal from the end of the conduit I5 passes to the casing I2a. Another arm 2Gb of the rocker arm 25a carries a pawl 29a by the pin 30a for engagement with the ratchet 3Ia, like the ratchet and pawl construction shown in Fig. 1. A rod 81 carrying a collar 88 is pvotally mounted in the arm 26e by the pin 28a.;

The lower end of rod 81 carries a smaller rod 89 which may be fixed thereto or pivotally suspended by the pin 90. This smaller rod in turn carries a weight 9| of suitable size and shape. Rod 81 passes down through a central opening 92 in the casing |261r which may be provided with a guard or bushing member 93. Rod 81 is reciprocated by means of a rocker arm 94 pivoted on pin95 mounted on top of an upwardly projecting member 96 fixed to the casing IIa. One end of this rocker arm carries a fork 91 contacting the rod 81 below the collar 88, while the other end of said rocker arm comprises a ring 98 loosely supporting the link 99. Link 99 is pivoted at its lower end on the pin |00, which forms a part of a crank arm |0| driven by any suitable means, Such as the gearing |02. 'I'he stroke of the rod 81 may be easily adjusted by shortening or lengthening the link 99 by means of a nut |03 and lock nut |04. The length of stroke of said rod may be varied by changing the length of crank arm IOI.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 8, fork 91 on the rocker arm 94 strikes the collar 88 fixed to the rod 81 to raise the same. This rocker arm is rocked by crank arm IOI through the link 99. Fork 91 may disengage from collar 88, if coal piles up under the weight 9|, thereby limiting the stroke of the rod 81. If desired a second collar may bev employed on the rod 81 immediately below fork 91, in which case, the link 99 will simply slide upwardly through the ring 98 when the downward stroke of rod 81 becomes limited.

The device shown in Fig. 9 is similar to that just described, with the exception that rod 89a carrying a weight similar to 9|, is pivoted on a pin |05 at one end of a link member |06 which is operated from above by a cable. This link is pivoted at its central portion on the pin 28a in the arm 26o and is supported at its upper end by a cable |01 running over a sheave arrangement |08. This sheave is carried by a standard |09 mounted in a collar III) which is preferably integral with the casing IIa. The cable may be reciprocated in any desired manner, as by a crank arm actuated by the shaft from the reduction gearing.

In the device of Fig. 9, 'cable |01 may be reciprocated by a crank arm or other suitable means (not shown) to raise rod 81. This cable being flexible will not serve to actively push rod B1 downwardly when the lower end thereof strikes fuel in the hopper. Suitable guard means should be provided for said cable to prevent it from coming off the sheave |08 under such conditions. 'Ihe end of the cable may be arranged to slip through an opening in link |06 if desired, so that a relatively heavy inflexible cable may be employed.

In the device shown in Figs. 10 and 11, there is a rod III, similar to the rods 41 and 89 which carries a cup or weight at its lower end. The upper end of rod III is loosely mounted in a bushing member IIL-which may be fixed to the casing |211. in any suitable way as by the threads ||3. The top portion of this rod is connected to a yoke II4 carrying a roller follower II5 on a pin |I6 near the top portion thereof. This top portion comprises a ring shaped section II8 carrying a set screw I I8a for holding the link I I1 which in turn is pivotally mounted on the arm 26o by pin 28h. Cam I|9 fixed to the shaft |20 is adapted to move said follower II5 to raise the rod III and yoke II4. in a suitable bearing I2| carried on the base |22, which is attached to the casing I2a, by a ring I22a held by bushing I I2 and by bolt |2311l to the block |23. This shaft |20 is rotated by the chain |24 on the sprocket |25 which is driven in any suitable manner.

As illustrated this modification shows a slightly different arrangement of the various elements on the shaft I9b. The ratchet 3Ib is mounted adjacent the bearing 20h and fixed to the shaft by the shear pin 34h'. Collar 25a carrying arms 2617 and 26o is rotatably mounted on the shaft adjacent the head 35h. Thus the positions of collar 25m and ratchet 3Iby are the reverse from that shown in Fig. 1 t0 enable said collar to be placed directly over the reciprocating rod III.

In this modification rod |II and yoke |I4 carrying said rod are raised by the rotation of cam I| 9 acting on the follower II5. Said cam may be rotated about shaft |20 in any desirable manner as by gearing or the chain |24 and sprocket |25. In order to rotate casing I2a about casing IIa, it is necessary to first loosen bushing II2 and set screws and I|8a. After the desired rotation has been effected, follower II5 is realigned on cam II9 and the said bushing and set screws again tightened. As an alternative the set screw I I8a may not be loosened until after rotation has been effected and it is desired to realign the cam and follower.

The shaft |20 is mounted U In each of these embodiments the reciprocating rods are not positively moved downwardly but drop by their own weight. Ifwm'ore weight is needed to effect this .downward movement the disc at the bottom of the rods may be weighted as shown at 48 in Figs. 6 and 8, or springs may be applied to effect this movement.

It will be noted that in several of the various` embodiments shown and described, the upper casing carrying the helicoid conveyer may be rotated through an angle of 360 after the lower casing has been afxed to the receptacle that is to be supplied with coal.

An important feature of my invention, as shown in the various modifications, is the protection of all the moving parts, from the corrosive action of coal or other fuel. The gauge rod and its weight or disc may be made of stainless steel, but it would be very expensive to make a considerable portion of the apparatus out of this or any of the other expensive noncorrosive alloys.

In the operation of my invention the movable parts requiring lubrication are always accessible and it is not even necessary to stop the mechanism for adjustment, inspection, or lubrication.

The embodiments of my invention shown in Figs. 1 6 and 8 are illustrated with rings or forks 5 l, 69 and 91 engaging the reciprocable gauge rods and with this construction it is necessary to allow some play between the rod and the collar 25 and/or the collar 25 and the shaft I9, because these rings are fixed to arms pivoted about a horizontal axis and therefore describe an arc instead of moving strictly vertically. This play is only necessary when the apparatus is to be mounted as shown in Fig. 1, since the rotation of casing I2, 90 from this position would render the pin 28 parallel with the axis of rocker arm 5ft eliminating this difficulty. As an alternative to allowing play between the members designated, which at most is very slight, I may employ parallel fingers or a forked end on the pivoted arms in place of the rings.

Various changes may be made both in the operation and construction of my improved apparatus without departing from my invention.

While the various modifications shown have been described as fuel conveying mechanism and mounted on a Stoker, it is manifest that the apparatus is suitable for handling other solids and may be used wherever it is desired to automatically regulate the amount of material conveyed to a receptacle in accordance with the amount of said material already in said receptacle.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is:

l. In a device for conveyingsolid fuel, a receiver, a conveyer for supplying fuel to said receiver, a shaft for driving said conveyer, a ratchet wheel fixed to the shaft, a rotatably mounted rocker having an arm, a pawl on said arm adapted to engage the ratchet, means for rocking said rocker and pawl, and means carried b'y said last named means for regulating automatically the extent of movement of said rocking means in aocordance with the .amount of fuel in said receiver.

2. In a device for conveying solid fuel, a receiver, a conveyer for supplying fuel to said receiver, a shaft for driving said conveyer, a ratchet wheel fixed to the shaft, a rotatably mounted rocker, a `pawl on one arm of said rocker for engaging` the ratchet, reciprocable driving. means attached to said rocker, and means carried by said driving means `into contact with fuel in the receiver for regulating reciprocation thereof in accordance with the amount of fuel in said receiver.

3. In a device for conveying solid fuel, a receiver, a conveyer for supplying fuel to said receiver, a shaft for driving said conveyer, a ratchet wheel xed to the shaft, a rotatably mounted rocker having an arm, a pawl on said arm adapted to engage the ratchet, reciprocable driving means centrally disposed with respect to said receiver attached to said rocker, and gauge means carried by said reciprocable means adapted to contact fuel in said receiver and thereby regulate the reciprocation thereof in accordance with the amount of fuel in the receiver.

4. In apparatus for conveying solid fuel, a casing, means for conveying fuel to said casing, a shaft driving said conveying means and carrying a ratchet thereon, a vertically reciprocable rod operating a pawl at its upper end for engaging said ratchet and a member at its lower end for contacting coal in said casing thereby limiting reciprocation of said rod, and means intermediate the ends thereof for raising said rod.

5. In apparatus for conveying solid fuel, a casing, means for conveying fuel to said casing, a shaft driving said conveying means and carrying a ratchet thereon, a vertically reciprocable rod operating a pawl at its upper end for engaging said ratchet and a member at its lower end for contacting coal in said casing thereby limiting reciprocation of said rod, and means comprising a rocker arm for reciprocating the rod from a position intermediate the ends thereof.

6. In apparatus for conveying solid fuel, a casing, means for conveying fuel to said casing, a shaft driving said conveying means and carrying a ratchet thereon, a vertically reciprocable rod having a pawl at its upper end for engaging said ratchet and a member at its lower end for contacting coal in said casing thereby limiting reciprocation of said rod, and cam operated means intermediate the ends thereof for raising said rod.

7. In apparatus for conveying solid fuel, a casing, means for conveying fuel to said casing, a shaft driving said conveying means and carrying a ratchet thereon, means connecting said shaft and said ratchet so constructed that this connection is broken when a predetermined torque is applied to said shaft by said ratchet, a vertically reciprocable rodhaving a pawl at its upper end for engaging said ratchet and a member at its lower end for contacting coal in said casing thereby limiting reciprocation of said rod, and means for raising said rod.

8. In apparatus of the character described, a receiver, a casing mounted on said receiver, means for conveying fuel to said casing including a shaft, a ratchet on said shaft, a vertically reciprocable rod operating a pawl at its upper end for engaging the ratchet, a check pawl engaging said ratchet, and gauge means movable into contact with fuel in said receiver for regulating the reciprocation of said rod in accordance with the amount of fuel in said casing.

9. In apparatus for conveying solid fuel, a receiver, a casing mounted on said receiver, means for conveying fuel to said casing, reciprocable means centrally disposed Within said casing for operating said conveying means, and reciprocable gauge meansv carried by said operating 5 means and centrally disposed in said casing for controlling the extent of movement of said operating means to' vary the 'amount of fuel conveyedV in accordance with Varying heights of fuel in said receiver,'said casing being rotatable about a vertical axis through an angle greater than 360.

FREDERICK KALMBACH.

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