US2239750A - Device of the crane type for the loading and unloading of magnetic materials - Google Patents

Description

April 29, 1941.

F. H. WEEKS E-rAl. 2,239,750 DEVICE OF THE CRANE TYPE FOR THE LOADING AND UNLOADING OF MAGNETIC MATERIALS Filed Feb. 3, 1940 BY JM @WV ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 29, 1941 UNTEQ STATES PATENT QFFICE.

DEVICE OF THE CRANE TYPE FOR THE LOADING AND UNLOADING OF MAGNETIC MATERIALS Francis H. Weeks, Haworth, and Richard B. Weeks, Rutherford, N. J.

Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices ci the crane type for the loading and unloading of magnetic materials.

For the purpose of loading or unloading materials, such as scrap iron and the like, and particularly when loading into ships holds, loading receptacles are commonly used. These loading receptacles are transported baci; and forth between the place of loading and place oi deposit of 11e load by means or" a suitable crane type device, i. e., a device permitting the raising and lowering of a load and having the added capacity of moving such load in a horizontal or lateral direction. The loading receptacle, in the case of mag.. netic materials such as iron and the like, is usually lled or loaded by means of a suitable electromagnet. Hitherto 4it has been necessary to use two separate cranes, one for the loadingT receptacle and one for the loading magnet designed to fill that receptacle.

One object ci the invention comp-rises, inter alia, a device of the crane type, equipped with a loading receptacle as well as a loading magnet, thereby eliminating the necessity for two separate cranes. This and further objects of the invention will appear from the following description read in conjunction with the drawing which represents a schematic illustration of one embodiment ci the device in accordancev with our invention.

As shown in the drawing, I represents an electromagnet oi the type commonly used for loading magnetic materials such as scrap liron and the like. A magnet hoisting cable 2 actuated by drum 3 passes over and is suspended from roller ll at the tip of arm or boom 5. A scale box or loading receptacle 6 resting for instance on the scrap pile l, is secured to the receptacle hoisting cable 8 by means of chains 9, hooks I0 and ring or the like II, the hoistingV cable 8 being actuated by winding drum l2. Cable I5, actuated by winding drum and adapted to move the magnet out of the way of the loading receptacle, is for example attachedV to the magnet at Ill adjacent the magnet suspension chains I3. A cable I5 suitably attached to the hoisting cable 2. suchk as by means of a block, ring or the like 2i, is connected by way of roller ll, to an idler arrangement composed. of counterbalance I8 moving on guide rail l@ secured to crane arm 2B.

The structure in accordance with the invention lis thus distinguished by the fact. that it possesses bothl a magnet and a loading receptacle erably at points in close proximity to one another.

In the practical application of our invention the loading receptacle is placed in the usual manner onto a suitable place of deposit by means of the crane. We have found it of advantage and prefer to use a loading receptacle of the releasable iront-suspension, smooth bottom, scale box type as is for example disclosed in our Patent No. 2,159,065. Such scale box, having a smooth bottom, a back, two sides and an open end, carries suitable suspension means, secured to the back, and at least one suspension cable or chain., releasably attached to each side, near the front of the receptacle. This construction, apart from theadvantages inherent in the same in connection with the loading of ships holds, has the additional advantage that the receptacle may be placed onto a place of deposit, in a manner which will move the receptacle hoisting cable away from a vertical position, thus permitting the placing or the magnet with a minimum of interference with the rigging of the loading receptacle. This may be achieved by lowering the front of the scale box onto, for instance, a scrap pile, with the top of the boX facing the crane, and thereafter tipping the box away from the crane onto the pile.

After the loading receptacle is lowered onto a convenient place of deposit, such as, for instance, the scrap iron pile 'I, the hoist-ing cable 3 is` slacliened andi the hooks I0, if a releasable front suspension receptacle is used, are thereupon released. The hoisting cable 8 is siackened to an extent suiiicient to permit a relatively free movementI of the boom or arm 5 without moving the receptacle from its place of deposit.

or arm 5, or, alternatively, by a combination i of both these expediente. It is equally possible to pick up magnetic material by means of the magnet from points beyond the loading receptacle in the direction away from the crane. This may be accomplished if desired by a tipping of the boom or arm 5. It will be thus seen that suspended from a common crane arm and Dref- V theV magnet may' be USEd t0 PCk UD loads flOm practically every point ol' the scrap pile. For maximum eiliciency, it is of advantage to so select the place of deposit; for the receptacle, when placing the same directly onto the pile of magnetic material, that the magnet is able to pick up loads from points in the immediate vicinity of the receptable. After the electro-magnet has picked up its load from the pile, the magnet is swung into position above the loading receptacle, whereupon, after the lowering of the magnet to a suitable height, the material transported by the same is released into the loading receptacle by cutting off the current supply to the magnet.

The afore-described procedure, of swinging the magnet into loading position, picking up a load of magnetic material, transporting such load to a point above the receptacle and releasing the load into the same, is repeated until the loading receptacle is substantially lled. The crane must now be made ready to function as a loading crane in combination with a loading receptacle. For this purpose it is necessary to move the magnet and preferably also the magnet hoisting cable out of the way of the loading receptacle. This may be accomplished in various ways. As illustrated in the drawing the magnet and magnet hoisting cable are moved out of the way of the loading receptacle by means of the cable I5 actuated by the winding drum 25. pulled in by the cable l5 and the magnet hoisting cable 2 is preferably slackened. Though not absolutely necessary it is of advantage to suitably pull back the slackened magnet hoisting cable 2 which may be accomplished as illustrated in the drawing in a substantially self-adjusting manner by means of the cable I6 secured to the magnet hoisting cable 2 by means of the block or ring 21. The slack will be automatically pulled in by the counterweight I8 slidably engaged on track I9; the weight is attached to the cable I6 which passes over a roller or the like IT. The position of the magnet hoisting cable and idler, when the magnet hoist is in substantially slackened position, is, for instance, illustrated in the drawing in dotted outline.

Once the magnet, preferably together with its hoisting cable, is out of the Way, the crane may be used in the ordinary manner for transporting the loading receptacle to the place where its load is to be deposited, such as a ships hold or the like. When using the preferred .releasable front suspension type receptacle, the disconnected suspension cables or chains must be re-attached before the loaded receptacle is lifted.

Though we have described, in the specific illustrative embodiment of our invention, a cable, attached to the magnet or to the magnet hoisting cable, as the means for moving the magnet and receptacle hoisting cable away from each other, it is possible, and within the purview of our invention, to use any other suitable means for this purpose. Instead of moving the magnet, preferably together with the magnet hoisting cable, away from the receptacle hoist, as hereinbefore described in connection with the drawing, it is sometimes of advantage and specific practices may recommend either a procedure in which the receptacle hoisting cable may be moved away by suitable means from the magnet or a procedure in which both the receptacle hoisting cable and the magnet are moved away from each other by proper means. It is sometimes also possible to accomplish the desired removal of the magnet out of the way of the loading receptacle by de- The magnet is Uta-king up any slack of said flexible magnet positing the magnet in a suitable place of deposit away from the resting place of the loading receptacle. It is then advisable to pay out the magnet hoisting cable and any other cable attached to the magnet or its hoisting cable commensurate with the movement of the crane arm or boom while transporting the loading receptacle to the place of deposit for its load and to take in such hoisting and other cables while the loading receptacle returns. Alternatively, it is possible to sufiiciently slacken such hoisting and other cables and to provide for suitable means to pay out and take in such slack as required by the crane arm or boom operation during such transport.

'I'he term hoisting cable, or such similar expression, referred to in the specification and claims is used in its broadest sense and is intended to include any cable, wire, rope, chain or any other means by which an object may be freely suspended from, and lowered and lifted relative to, a given point above such object.

The foregoing description is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and we are to be limited only by the appended claims in which we have endeavored to claim broadly all inherent novelty.

We claim:

1. In a device of the crane type for the loading and unloading of magnetic materials, the improvement comprising a loading magnet, a hoisting cable for said magnet, a loading receptacle, a hoisting cable for said receptacle, both said hoisting cables being suspended from a common crane arm in proximity to one another, and means for independently actuating each of said hoisting cables, said magnet and said magnet hoisting cable being wholly independent of said loading receptacle and said receptacle hoisting cable .to permit the free lateral movement of said magnet and said receptacle hoisting cable independent of each other.

2. In a device of the crane .type for the loading and unloading of magnetic materials, the improvement comprising a loading magnet, a hoisting cable for said magnet, a loading receptacle, a hoisting cable for said receptacle, both said hoisting cables being suspended from a common crane arm in proximity to one another, means for independently actuating each of said hoisting cables and means for moving said magnet and said receptacle hoisting cable apart.

3. In a device of the crane type for the loading and unloading of magnetic materials, the irnprovement comprising a loading magnet, a hoisti ing cable for said magnet, a loading receptacle,

hoisting cable for said receptacle, both said hoisting cables being suspended from a common crane arm in proximity to one another, means for independently actuating each of said hoisting cables and means for moving said magnet in a substantially lateral direction away from said receptacle hoisting cable.

4. In a device of the crane type for ythe loading and unloading of magnetic materials, the improvement comprising a loa-ding magnet, a subimity to one another, means independently actuating each of said hoisting cables, means for moving said magnet together with said magnet hoisting cable in a substantially lateral direction away from said receptacle hoisting cable and means for hoisting cable in a direction away from said receptacle hoisting cable.

5. In a device of the crane type for the loading and unloading of magnetic materials, the improvement comprising a loading magnet, a substantially exible hoisting cable for said magnet, a loading receptacle, a hoisting cable for said receptacle, both said hoisting cables being suspended from a common crane arm in proximity to one another, means for independently actuating each 10 of said hoisting cables, a cable on said magnet for swinging sai-d magnet and magnet hoisting cable away from said receptacle hoisting cable, means for lengthening and shortening said cable on said magnet, and a cable on said magnet hoisting cable passing over guide means and connected to a counter Weight suflcient to take in any slack of said magnet hoisting cable in a direction away from said receptacle hoisting cab-le.

FRANCIS H. WEEKS. RICHARD E. WEEKS.

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