US257446A - Peiebs - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1. W. H. LOTZ.

GRAIN ELEVATOR. No. 257,446. Patented May 2,1882.

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W. H. LOTZ.

GRAIN ELEVATOR.

No. 257,446. Patented May 2,1882.

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slip, or when obstructed by a piece of wood or iron entering the boot of the elevator so asto UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. LO'IZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARD BAUMANN, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAIN-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 257,446, dated May 2, 1852.

Application filed November 19, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Lorz, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Elevators; and I do herebydeclare thatthe followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention relates to buildings for storing and transferring grain and it is the object of my invention to arrange the machinery for elevating the grain more advantageously, so as to occupy and to obstruct less room, and also thateach elevator can be thrown out of gear from the lower story of the buildmg. 1 In a large grain-house are from two to three lines of elevators. The main line for hoisting the grain that is dumped out of the cars are known as the receiving-elevators, and the others for rehoisting the grain that is discharged from one of the bins to be transferred into another bin, or to be weighed and then to be delivered into a boat or car, are known generally as the shipping-elevators. Heretot'ore the receiving-elevators only were driven directly from a continuous line-shutting, and the shipping-elevators were each driven from a pulley upon said line-shafting and by a belt, and because these belts could not be of sufficient length for the necessary stress each had to be provided with a tightening-pulley to prevent their slipping. These eross-belts not only required constant attention and caused frequent trouble, but also did obstruct the upper or machinery floor of the cupola of the build ing in a manner to make it difficult for the attendant to move about for watching and labricating the machinery parts. Another serious difficulty heretofore was that an elevator, whether choked so that the bucket-belt would tear oft the buckets, could not be thrown out of gear from the lower floor, where the accident would be first observed, but only by the man on the upper floor, who had to be first notified through a speaking-tube from below, I

(No model.)

which required so much time that it was pre ferred to stop the whole machinery by stepping the driving-power to save the elevatorbelt as much as possible.

My invention consists, first, in using a continuous line-shutting for each line of elevators, the several lines of shat'ting being driven from a main pulley and by gear-wheels at one end of the building; second, in a bucket-belt pulley for each elevator, riding upon a paper friction-wheel, and each friction-wheel driven from the line-shafting by gear-wheels; and, third, in the bucket-belt pulleyjournaled in bearings resting upon two swinging beams that are raised and lowered by a wire rope passed vertically through pipes or tubcsin the grain-bins, so as to extend to the lower floor, all as fully herein after explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I proceed to describe the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a large grain elevator; Fig. 2, a. horizontal and vertical section of a portion of a tube with a rope passed through it Fig. 3, a transverse section of the upper or machinery floor of the cupola of the elevator; Fig. 4, a longitudinal sectional elevation of a portion of" the same, and Fig. 5 a sectional plan view of the upper floor.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the figures. 4

In Fig. 1, A denotes the lower floor of an elevator, with the car-t racks a a, elevator-boots b b, and shat'ling for grain shoveling machines c.

B B B are the grain-bins, having hoppersha-ped bottoms.

D is the spouting-floor.

E is the floor that contains the shipping scale hoppers d.

F is the floor that contains the shipping-gap ners c and the receiving-scale hoppers f, and G is the upper or machinery floor. floor G, at one end, is the main pulleyP, which is driven by a belt from the band-wheel of the engine, and the shaft of which is coupled with the line-shafting H, that drives the receivingelevator pulleys.

On this I is the line-shutting that drives the shipping-elevator pulleys, and which is driven by miter gear-wheels g and by a transverse shaft, h, from the line-shat'ting H.

K K are the pulleys over which the bucketbelts are stretched. The shafts 12 of these pulleys are journaled in boxes that are secured upon beams J. These beams J, at one end, are pivoted to posts L, and at their opposite ends they are thinned out and passed through slots in posts M, so as to be guided and to move vertically therein. Levers j are pivoted against the posts M, and by links at the ends of the beams J are suspended to these levers j. A rope, n, is connected with the ends of these leversj, is thence passed upward over sheaves 0, and thence it extends vertically downward through the several stories of the cupola of the elevator, and is passed through gas-pipes p,that are placed for that purpose into the grain-storage bins, and at the lower floor this rope is connected either to a tackle, to a lever, or to a windlass, by which it is pulled by the operators whenever it becomes necessary to throw the elevator out of gear.

In place ot'a rope, I may use a chain or either a rope or chain coupled to the ends of an iron rod, and in place of the levers j and links at for lifting the beams J, I may use any other device that will furnish the necessary leverage and that can be connected with the wire rope. The pulleys K ride upon paper wheels N, from which they are driven by friction. These paper wheels I may mount upon the several line-shaftings for all the several elevators,which is quite an advantage over the former arrangements, in which a portion of the elevators were driven by belts from a single line of shafting. To this new arrangement, of which, to my best knowledge and belief, I am the originator, there is one objection, and that is that the line-shaftings reach from about two and a half to three feet above the floor, and are an obstruction to the attendant to move about. Besides that, the shafting has to be supported upon special tim ber framing.

My latest improvement consists in mounting each paper wheel N upon an independent shaft, q, having vertically-adjustablc journal -boXes q, and carrying upon one end a spur-wheel, 'r; in placing the line-shafting H and I in bearings a, secured upon the floor-beams s, which shafting is driven at a high speed; and in mounting pinions it upon said shafts that engage with the wheels 1' and drive the paper wheels N.

The advantages obtained by the abov'edescribed arrangement of placing the lines of shaftings close to or upon the floor-beams are that they are entirely out of the way, so as not to obstruct the floor, that they can be easily covered and protected against the dust, that no special frame-work is required for supporting thejournal-boxes, that lighter shafting can be used on account of the increased leverage and speed, and that a fast-runnin g engine can be used as the driving-power.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with the elevator-pulleys and paper wheels for driving such pulleys, of a continuous shaft-line for each line of elevators, such shaft-lines being driven from one end by a single pulley and by gear-wheels and a transverse shaft or shafts, and a wire rope, chain, or red passed through tubes in the grainstoring bins for raising and lowering the upper elevator-pulley, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a continuous lineshaftin g carrying gear-wheels, of an independent shaft for each paper whcel,journaled in vertically-adjustable boxes and having a gearwhcel that meshes the gear-wheel on the line shafting, and of the elevator-pulley riding upon such paper wheel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a grain-elevator, the elevator-pulley supported upon swinging beams that are raised and lowered by a wire rope passed through tubes in the grain-storing bins, so as to reach to and be operated from the lower floor of the building, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I WILLIAM H. LOTZ.

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