US2135773A - Mechanical loader for loose materials - Google Patents

Description

. 1933 J. SHEPPARD MECHANICAL LOADER FOR LOOSE MATERIALS Filed Feb. 9, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 jmn/En- 470% 5hzppard.

Nov. 8, 1938. J. SHEPPARD MECHANICAL LOADER FOR LOOSE MATERIALS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 VIIIIIITIIIIA jmnLa-r John Jheppard.

Nov. 8, 19. J. SHEPPARD MECHANICAL LOADER FOR LOOSE MATERIALS 4 SheetS-Sheei 3 Filed Feb. 9, 1938 mm #m Nov. 8, 1938. J E A 2,135,773

MECHANICAL LOADER FOR LOOSE MATERIALS Filed Feb. 9, 1958 4 sheets-sheet 4 jmwQnqz Join 1 jhepparaL Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT FFiCE.

MECHANICAL LOADER FOR LOOSE MATERIALS Application February 9, 1938, Serial No'. 189,694 In Great Britain December 8, 1936 5 Claims.

This inventionrelates to a mechanical loader for loose material and has for its purpose to provide a loader embodying such characteristics as will make it well adapted for loading coal; after it has been undercut and broken down at the coal face; onto a travelling conveyor whereby it may be transferred from the ground level to vehicles of one kind or another.

To this end a loader comprising a support, mounted for movement along the face of the cut, is provided with a scraper projecting laterally from the support, in order that the same may be moved closely adjacent the wall, while the support including the operating mechanism is spaced substantially therefrom by the length of the scraper. Such an arrangement, it is clear, permits the scraper to follow along very closely the contour of the cut during the scraping operation, but at the same time obviates danger to the working parts of the mechanism by accidental falls from the face of the cut by reason the fact that the conveyor is spaced substantherefrom. It is within the purview of this invention, however, that the loader may take such other forms as will adapt it to most successfully fulfill the particular work to be done.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, the same will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a view of a mechanical loader looking in the direction of arrow A, Figure 3, and Figure 2 is a corresponding diagrammatic View illustrating the operation of the scraper or pusher.

Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of the i echanical loader shown in Figure 1, and Figure a is a sectional plan view thereof.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views similar to Figure 1 but illustrating modified arrangements.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the mechanical loader comprises a frame B, having a sloping side wall C, adapted to support a scraper bar and the driving mechanism therefor. The latter comprises a pusher plate or scraper I, mounted upon the outer end of a heavy section arm 2 which is connected to two positively driven endless chains 3 arranged alongside one another and being of exactly the same length. These endless hain's ii are mounted upon end driving sprockets secured to shafts i journalled in said inclined wall C. Each of the sprockets have the same number of teeth and; are positively coupled together by spur gearing 5 so that they travel at the same speed in the same direction and in the same plane. Each chain 3 has one of its links fitted with a pin 8, and the pin of that chain 3 which is nearer the work or material is engaged with a hole in the scraperor pushercarrying arm 2 at or toward the outer end thereof, whilst the pin on the other chain 3 is engaged within a hole in the inner end of said arm 2, the arrangement being such that the scraper or pusher I moves for some distance in a straight line parallel with the forward end of the machine and in so doing carries a quantity of material with it to the end of the working stroke,

whereupon the scraper or pusher l is withdrawn from the material and returns to the initial position where it is again advanced into the material ready for the next working stroke, and so on, as shown in Figure 2.

The chains 3 pass around idler sprockets l at the other end and the idler sprocket bearings are adjustable by means of screws 8 whereby the chains 3 can be tensioned, whilst in order to prevent the chains 3 from sagging or slipping under load they are supported and guided in channels 9.

The two chains 3 are set in the same plane at an angle instead of horizontally (see Figure 3) so that the scraper I will be raised clear of the floor during the receding action and will be lowered again toward the floor at the end of the return stroke ready for the working stroke.

The chains may be driven either by an electric or air motor 12 through suitable reduction gears, and the machine as a whole may be traversed intermittently up to the material by ratchet and pawl mechanism operating upon tractor wheels or upon the winding drum of a haulage rope. The scraper bar, it is clear, moves from left to right during its working stroke whereby the loose material is pushed onto the conveyor 3?. It is necessary, therefore, that the carriage be moved intermittently toward the left so that the scraper bar may take a new bite of material at each stroke. The ratchet and pawl mechanism may be adapted to be rendered inoperative when it is desired to travel the machine from place to place, and the ground wheels may be coupled through clutches to the main drive to give continuous travel and permit steering.

Thus as shown more particularly in Figures 3 and 4 the centre spur wheel 5 is adapted to be coupled by means of a dog clutch I!) to a shaft II which is driven through reduction gear from an electric or air motor [2, said reduction gear whilst the ratchet wheel 20 is coupled to a spur Wheel in mesh with a spur pinion 26 which is freely rotatable upon the ground wheel shaft 27 and is adapted to be coupled thereto by a sliding dog clutch 28 on said shaft. The ratchet feed may be adjusted by means of a bevel gear sector 29 operated by a bevel pinion 30 on the shaft 3I of a controlling hand wheel 32 having an automatic stop incorporated in its bearing, whilst the clutch 28 is adapted to be adjusted from the rear through lever and link mechanism 33.

In order to provide a continuous drive or the ground wheels I6 for the purpose of moving the loader from one working site to another the shaft of the worm wheel I9 drives through bevel wheels 34 and a spur wheel 35, a spur pinion 36 which is normally free to rotate on the ground Wheel shaft 21 and which can be coupled thereto through the two-way clutch element 28.

The scraper or pusher I operates to deliver the material on to a chain belt conveyor 31 to be driven by an auxiliary gear (not shown) coupled to the main gearing, and said conveyor may be fitted with suitable mechanism for raising or lowering, extending endways or swinging sideways.

Flgures 5 and 6 illustrate applications of the invention to end-on loading, i. e. for picking up the material in front of the machine and carrying it upwards and backwards, finally de livering it on to a conveyor extending from the rear.

In each of these embodiments there is two sets of chains 3, the scrapers or pushers I .associated therewith operating to sweep the material rearwardly in a path between said sets and then being withdrawn laterally and returned to the front again ready to perform the next rearward movement.

r'rhe arrangement shown in Figure 5 has the two chains 3 of each set mounted on end sprockets 4* of different sizes so that one chain 3 works within the other, and each pair or set of chains carries a plurality of scrapers or pushers I each anchored to said chains. Thus the scrapers or pushers have in addition to their continuous travel an angular movement imparted as a result of the different lengths of the chains in each set, the two chains in each set being driven so that they take the same time for each complete cycle. With this arrangement a large number of scrapers or pushers I may be employed since they do not interfere one with another and the material will be carried back in a more or less uniform manner.

The two opposed sets of chains 3 in Figure 6 are each carried by end sprockets U and the outer chain of each set is also carried around guiding sprockets 4 to impart an angular sweeping movement of the scraper or pusher I into the central path at the entrance or forward end. In this arrangement only one scraper or pusher I can be. employed on each chain set and the drive is so arranged that one scraper or pusher is. at the commencement of its operative or sweeping stroke when the other is being withdrawn at the other end and 'is about to begin its return. Each scraper or pusher I sweeps through the same central path, the limits of which are indicated by dotted lines.

Iclaimz- 1. A mechanical loader for loose material comprising a support, a pair of endless chains lying in the same plane with runs thereof in parallel relation and mounted on said support, a scraper bar secured to said chains at substantially corresponding points on the respective chains and means to move said chains.

2. A mechanical loader for loose materials comprising a support, a pair of chains lying in the same plane and mounted on said support, pins mounted at substantially corresponding points on the respective chains, and a scraper bar secured to said pins, said chains propelling and guiding the scraper bar bodily in an oblong orbital path while maintaining said bar parallel to the plane of said chains.

3. A mechanical loader for loose material comprising'a support, channels formed in said support, a pair of endless chains lying in the same plane, a pair of sprockets supporting said chains on said support, said channels supporting the runs of said chains between the sprockets, and a scraper bar secured to said chains, said chains propelling and guiding the scraper bar bodily in an oblong orbital path while maintaining said ,bar parallel to the plane of said chains.

4. A mechanical loader for loose material comprising a support including an inclined wall, a pair of chains lying in the same plane and mounted on said inclined wall, pins mounted at substantially corresponding points on the respective chains, a scraper bar secured to said pins at substantially corresponding points on the respective chains and means to move said chains.

5. A mechanical loader for loose material comprising a support, a pair of endless chains lying in the same plane, a pair of sprockets supporting each chain, the sprockets of one of said pair of chains being .spaced further apart than the sprockets of the other of said pair of chains, means positioned in the path of one of said chains to deflect the path of travel of said chain, a scraper bar secured to said chains at substantially corresponding points on the respective chains and means to move said chains.

JOHN SHEPPARD.

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