US2193530A - Conveyer - Google Patents

Description

March 12, 1940. CQTTENGIM 2,193,530 7 CONVEYER Filed Sept. 28, 1938 Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES CONVEYER Karl M. Cottengim, Winchester, Ky., assignor of twenty-five per cent to Daniel Boone Smith,

Harlan, Ky.

Application September 28, 1938, Serial No. 232,210

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to conveyers for conducting material through a trough or the like, and more especially to improved means for reducing to a minimum the frictional resistance oiferecl to the flights of the conveyer as they are propelled through the trough.

Heretofore, it has been customary to provide conveyers with spaced flights which engage the wall of the trough and scrape against the same during the operation of the conveyer. The constant engagement of the flights with the trough not only causes excessive wear which lessens the life and durability of these paits, but also increasesthe power required to operate the conveyer.

Accordingly, an important object of the'present invention is to provide simple, eificient and economical means for reducing to a minimum, the frictional resistance imparted to the flights of the conveyer as they pass through the trough,

525 a conveyer having spaced flights or buttons formed with radially disposed slots in each of which is revo-lubly mounted an anti-friction roller which extends outwardly beyond theperimeter of the flight so. as to engage the inner wall of the trough, and thus provide revoluble means to reduce the frictional resistance to the flights with the trough during the operation of the con veyer.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying claims and drawing.

Referring to the drawing in which is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Figure l is a fragmentary plan view of 'my improved conveyer associated with a trough.

Figure 2 isan enlarged section view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an exploded detailed view showing the means for detachably connecting the rollers to the flights.

Referring to the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts in the several views, the conveyer preferably includes a flexible cable II) which may be formed of strands of wire or rope and to which is fastened at spaced intervals, the

flights or buttons I! for feeding loose material tatably secure the flights to the cable II). Each of the flights ll when the sections are m assembled, constitutes a medially disposed disc or plate :9 arranged to. engage the material to move the samethrough the trough l2. Each disc has uniformly spaced radial slots or recesses 20 extending to the periphery thereof. The opposed side walls of each of the slots 20 preferably are grooved as at 2| (Fig. 4) slidably to receive the removable bearing blocks 22 which have transverse openings 23 arranged to register with each other when the blocks are properly posi- 5 tioned within their complementary slots. The inner end of each block has a reduced tongue or tenon 24 arranged snugly to flt into an aligned opening or mortise 25 in the disc l9 (Fig. 3). The blocks 22 are also provided with openings 26 25 which, when the parts are set up, register with openings 21 in the disc 59 so as to receive removable pins 28 for releasably maintaining the blocks in position within the slots 2!. An anti-friction roller 29 is keyed or otherwise non-rotatably secured to a shaft 30, and the'shaft is journalled in the walls of the openings 23 of the blocks 22, so that when the parts are assembled, the periphery of the rollers extends slightly beyond the circumference of the disc to engage the trough l2 (Fig. 2). The sections of the flight H are shown of substantially semi-circular shape so that when clamped to the cable, they constitute the disc 19, g and conform to the curvature of the trough l2. do It will be manifest that the shape of the disc 19, as well as the trough 12 may be varied in accordance with the particular use to which the conveyer is to be applied. One of the sections of the flight such as M, has extending axially there- 45 i of, an enlarged groove 3! of such size and depth as to receive a major portion of the cable Ill (Fig. 2), the other section l3 has a complementary smaller groove 32 shaped to provide the spaced arms or lugs 33 which extend into the 60 groove 3| when the parts are set up, in order p to engage the adjacent surface of the cable and thus firmly and non-rotatably maintain the flight in a fixed position.

The ends of each flight may be provided with I flanges or collars 34 of any suitable shape and which, for the purpose of illustration, are shown of rectangular configuration, so as to constitute means adapted to be engaged by the teeth of a driving sprocket wheel or the like (not shown) to propel the flights and their associated parts through the trough for the purpose of transferring the material from one point to another.

During the operation of the conveyer, the rollem 29 are positioned to engage the adjacent inner wall of the trough l2, thus reducing to a minimum the frictional resistance offered to the passage of the flights through the trough. In other words, instead of the flights directly engaging or scraping along the trough, as heretofore has been the practice, the rollers act to provide anti-friction means which reduces to a minimum the frictional resistance to the movement of the flights through the trough. Moreover, the engagement of the anti-friction rollers 29 with the adjacent surface of the trough make it possible for the flights to roll or ride over any projections, ridges or uneven surfaces formed in the trough which not infrequently develop by reason of the accumulation of material along the trough or when the overlapped sections of the trough become loose or raised.

In constructions in which the flights constantly engage the trough and are not provided with circumferentially arranged friction reducing means such as embodied in, the present invention, if the overlapped sections of the trough become loose so as to be raised relative to adjacent sections and the conveyer is placed in motion, the flights are either broken or the loose sections of the trough are torn from the remaining portions thereof, thus necessitating the replacement of the broken parts at considerable expense of time and labor. Moreover, conveyers of this type are usually operated by electrical power. Consequently, it will be seen that the greater resistance to the passage of the flights through the conveyer, requires a corresponding increase in the consumption of pow-er or energy required to propel the conveyer. Conversely, by reducing the power to drive the conveyer by providing means, such as the rollers 28 which eliminate practically of the frictional resistance, less driving power is needed and, at the same time, means are also provided to insure faster operation and smoother action of the conveyer. It will be noted that the rollers are revolubly mounted in the flights, so as to, be positioned substantially at right angles to the discs 55.

The flights or buttons H do not turn on the cable 10. However, during the travel of the conveyer through its circuit, the cable and the flights revolve slowly and will probably make two complete revolutions in one circuit of the distance they travel. As the rollers are circumferentially and uniformly spaced all the way around each disc, they constitute means which engage the bottom of the trough to reduce the frictional resistance to the flights, irrespective of the stage or rotary position of the individual flights relative to the trough. The rollers may be readily withdrawn from the slots in which they are mounted, upon withdrawal of the retaining pins 28 and the removable blocks 22 for the purpose of renewal or for interchanging the rollers relative to one another.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention shown and described is merely illustrative of a preferred embodiment, and that such changes may be made as fall within the purview of one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a trough, a conveyer for conducting loose material through the trough, said conveyer including a flexible member, spaced flights secured to said member, each of said flights having spaced radially disposed slots, spaced bearings removably mounted in each of said slots, an anti-friction roller journalled in said bearings, said roller extending beyond the perimiter of the flight to engage the inner wall of the trough to provide means for reducing the frictional resistance to the flights as the conveyer passes through the trough, and means for retaining the bearings and the rollers in their respective slots.

2. In combination with a trough, a conveyer for conducting loose material through the trough, said conveyer including a flexible member, spaced flights, means for non-rotatably securing the flights to said member, each of said flights having spaced radially disposed slots, a pair of blocks slidably mounted in the opposite side walls of each of said slots, a roller journalled in each pair of blocks, said roller extending outwardly from the periphery of the flight to engage the inner wall of the trough for reducing the frictional resistance to the flights during the movement of the conveyer through the trough, and removable means extending through the flight and the blocks to retain the blocks and rollers in their slots.

3. In combination with a trough, a conveyer for conducting loose material through the trough, said conveyer including a flexible member, spaced flights, each of said flights comprising two sections having opposed complementary base members, one of said members having an axially disposed groove arranged to receive the cable and the other of said members having a complementary curved portion with projections extending into the groove to engage the cable when the parts are set up, means for securing the sections together, each of said flights having spaced radially disposed slots, blocks removably mounted in the opposed side walls of each of said slots, and a roller journalled in the blocks of each of said slots and extending outwardly from the periphery of the flights to engage the inner wall of the trough for reducing the frictional resistance to the flights when passing through the trough.

4. A conveyer flight of the class described in- I cluding a disc having spaced radially disposed slots in the periphery thereof, blocks slidably mounted in the opposed side walls of each of said slots, a roller revolubly mounted in the blocks of each of said slots, and means for retaining the blocks and rollers in their respective slots.

KARL M. COTTENGIM.

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