US2296953A - Apparatus fob feeding and control - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 29, 1942. w oss 2,296,953

APPARATUS F0 EEDING AND CONTROLL THE FLOW OF MATERIALS OM P CHU D THE LIKE 1 Aug. 1940 j/msvn Patented Sept. 29, 1942 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FLOW OF MATERIALS FROM HOPPERS, CHUTES, AND

LING THE AND CONTROL- THE LIKE William Ross, London, England Application August 2, 1940, Serial No.

In Great Britain August 23,, 1939 3 Claims. (01. 221128) This invention relates to apparatus for feeding and controlling the flow of granular materials such .as coke, coal, sand, stone, ore or other granular or like material while freely falling or wholly or partially supported by a chute and of the kind which comprises a flexible apron or curtain composed of endless chains supported at one end thereof for rotation in an orbital path, the chains usuallyconsisting of ship anchor chains, mooring chains or crane chains.

The chains as hitherto employed in apparatus of the above kind have been formed as closed loops having all the links thereof completely closed, as by welding. This construction, however, is open to several objections chief among which are the necessity of installing the chains upon the latter being installed in position, and the difliculty of repairing, adjusting or altering the chains when the apparatus is in use.

It is the object of the invention to provide an improved construction of the chains which removes the above difiiculties.

The invention arises from a realisation of the fact that although in apparatus of this kind it is necessary that the chain links shall be heavy atively unimportant.

The invention accordingly consists in apparatus of the kind above specified wherein the chains have open links.

The invention also consists in apparatus of the kind specified wherein the flexible apron or curtion,

The invention also consists in apparatus according to the preceding paragraph wherein the opening or gap in an open link is formed between pointed or V-shaped ends of the link the points of which almost but do not quite touch.

The invention also consists in the further features hereafter described or indicated.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a part sectional side elevation of one form of apparatus in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the rotatable chain support showing a portion of one of the chains supportedthereon, and

Figure 4 is a reduceddiagrammatic view of a flexible chain curtain provided in accordance with the invention.

In carrying the invention into effect in one convenient manner as illustrated in the drawing, apparatus is provided for feedingor controlling the flow of granular or like material comprising a chute I upon which the material travels and a flexible endless apron or curtain 2 rotatably supported at one end above the chuteso that the free portion of the curtain may engage the material on the chute, the rotatable support for the curtain conveniently consisting of a series of transverse spaced rods or'bars 3 circularly dis-' posed and secured at their end to end discs or plates 4 fixed upon a central spindle 5 mounted for rotation in suitable bearings. The endless curtain is composed of transversely adjacent-endless chains after the nature of or consisting of ship anchor chains, mooring chains or crane chains and according to the invention some or all of the chain links-6 are formed as open links, the ends I of which ends are conveniently pointed or V-shaped and almost touch one another while permitting, however, adjacent links of a chain being mutually passed through each other either for engagement or disengagement as the case may be. In some cases and as illustrated in Figure 4, the flexible curtain is composed of pairs of open chain links secured together side by side, as by Welding at 8, with their open sides disposed out-.

ermost and the thus connected pairs of links are preferably arranged in staggered relationship throughout the curtain surface as is clearly illustrated in the figure.

Advantages arising from this construction of the curtain are as follows:

(a) The chain links can easily be strung to form an endless chain of the length desired;

(b) The chain links can easily be assembled together after the rotary supporting structure for the eventual position, that is to say, it is not necessary that the complete chains should be hung upon the supporting structure before the latter is lifted into position. The necessity of having to do this with the chains as hitherto employed, that is, chains having closed links, gives rise to one of the greatest difficulties in the erection of the 2 apparatus due to the heavy combined weight of the rotary supporting structure and the chains;

(c) Chain links can readily be added or removed from the curtain chains in order to vary the effective power of the curtain, this being an important consideration both in the initial regulation of a new installation and in adapting the same afterwards to meet changes in conditions;

(d) A complete loop of chain links can readily be removed or added, as and when required;

(e) Links or loops placed when worn out. i

Chains of links are seldom made of cast metal" expense involved.

because of the difficulties and The links of my chains, however, are simple individual units, easily cast, and as such they'open they can be. made.

up the great advantage that of a variety of materials that best and most economically suit the duties to be performed by the feeder. For example, I may make the links of cast iron .for quiet feeding conditions, of cast steel for violent feeding conditions and of cast manganese steel for," violent and/or abrasive feeding conditions. ,I may alternatively make my links of mild steel, heated and forged to shape, r I In producing the lengths of chains I may use closed links for allbut the end links, thus retaining the advantage that a formed chain can immediately be: looped over the rotary supporting structure when'the latter is in place and; in such cases as' may be required, I may finally close these end links .by welding or other means.

I may use closed links for all but four or six or eight of the total number of links of 'a chainusually twenty to forty links-thereby providing the operatorgwith ample scope for adjustment; yIi'clalm: if T f f 1.-An apparatus -for controlling the 'flow of granular, pulverulent or the like material in chutes 1comprising; a rotatablemember placed abovethe' chute, an endless flexible chain member engaging saidrotatable member and suspended therefrom so as to be engageable with thereof can readily be rethe material delivered to the chute, the said chain member including a plurality of endless chains composed of interconnected open links arranged in longitudinal and transverse parallel rows, certain links in alternate transverse rows being joined back to back to form a unit, and said units being also alternately disposed with respect to each other to effectively couple the chains together, the outer links of alternate transverse rows having their outer open sides located at the marginal edges of the chain member.

2. Anfapparatus for controlling the flow of -"gra'n'ular, pulverulent or the like material in 15 chutes or slides comprising a rotatable member placed above the chute or slide and an endless flexible. chain member engaging said rotatable element and suspended therefrom so as to be engageable with the material delivered to the chute, the said chain member including a plurality of endless chains composed of interconnected open links arranged in-longitudinal and transverse rows and certain links in adjacent rows being joined back to back to form a unit and the open links of the chains which form the edges of the chain unit having their openings located along the marginal edges of the units. 7 i

3. An apparatu for controlling the flow of granular, pulverulent or the like material in chutes or slides comprising a rotatable member placed above the chute or slide and an endless flexible chain member engaging said rotatable element and suspended therefrom so as to be engageable with the material delivered to the chute, the said chain member including a plurality of endless chains composed of interconnected open links arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows and certain links in adjacent rows being joined back to back to form a unit and the open links of the chains which form the edges of the chain unit having their openings located along the marginal edges of the units, the ends of the links forming the opening therein being pointed or V-shaped.

WILLIAM ROSS.

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