US2954997A

US2954997A - Load handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2954997A
Application number: US794050A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold E Mescher; Sven O Rosensson
Original assignee: Pacific Scientific Co
Current assignee: Pacific Scientific Co
Priority date: 1959-02-18
Filing date: 1959-02-18
Publication date: 1960-10-04
Anticipated expiration: 1977-10-04
Also published as: GB874873A

Description

Oct. 4, 1960 H. E. MESCHER ETAL 2,954,997

LOAD HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 18. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheetl Ii J 1;] INVENTOR. 0 Harold E. Mescher 6 Sven O. Rosensson Attorney Oct. 4, 1960 H. E. MESCHER ETAL 2,954,997

LOAD HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 18. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Harold E. Mescher Sven O. Rosensson Attorney Patented Oct. 4, 19%

LOAD HANDLING APPARATUS Harold E. Mescher, Rivera, and Sven O. Rosensson,

Alhambra, Califi, assignors to Pacific Scientific Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Feb. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 794,050

8 Claims. (Cl. 294-110) This invention relates generally, to apparatus for handling loads or equipment which are inaccessible to direct personal contact due, for example, to the high temperature of the load, or picking up or placing the same in areas difficult to access by operating personnel, or where the load consists of containers of dangerous chemicals, etc., and the invention relates, more specifically, to a novel load handling apparatus that can be suitably carried by a building crane and/or lifting chain and cable mechanism and which apparatus is suitable, for example, for lifting material or parts to be heat treated into a high temperature furnace and thereafter for moving the material or parts into a quenching tank. Such load handling apparatus embodies novel coupling means whereby the load may be coupled to the building crane lifting cable and uncoupled therefrom without the necessity of using manual contact with the load.

In the heat treatment of materials and particularly the heat treatment of large members such as airplane or missile parts it is often necessary to pick up the material or members and raise the same into a heat treating furnace wherein the material is heated to a desired high temperature and thereafter the material or members are lowered into a quenching tank, which operations must be performed without operating personnel being present in the immediate vicinity of the material or members being treated due to high temperatures existing in and about the furnace. Also, in the handling of dangerous chemicals it is desirable that operating personnel do not get too close to the material being handled.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a novel load handling apparatus that is capable of receiving material or members to be processed or handled in a suitable convenient place whereupon the apparatus is adapted to be picked up by an overhead crane and/or lifting chain and cable mechanism and moved to a point such as into a furnace where the material or members are to be used or operated upon and which may be moved through a series of desired operations without the material or members being directly handled by personnel, the novel load handling apparatus being designed so as to withstand high temperatures, injurious chemicals, and other diflicult environmental uses.

A feature of the present invention is to provide a novel coupling member that is adapted to automatically couple a load to a cable or chain of a lifting apparatus such as a building crane when desired and which is also capable of automatically disconnecting the load from the cable or chain as desired, whereby loads may be handled conveniently without personnel coming in contact therewith.

Still another feature of the present invention is to provide a novel load handling apparatus of the above character having spider members for carrying a load, together with suspension rods and adjustable hold down 2 means for retaining the load in a desired position upon the load handling apparatus.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent after a perusal of the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the novel load handling apparatus of this invention,

Fig. 2 is a partial transverse sectional view of the upper spider and coupling member shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a reduced fragmentary view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section illustrating the manner of inserting the cable carrying coupling pin into or out of the upper spider of the apparatus,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 taken along line 55 of Fig. 3 .and illustrates the initial movement of the coupling pin preparatory to removing the same from the coupling member, and

Fig. 6 "shows the coupling pin actually being withdrawn from the coupling member.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates the novel load handling apparatus as a whole, said apparatus comprising a coupling pin 1 adapted to be attached at its upper end to the cable or chain of any suitable supporting and carrying means such as a building crane and/or a lifting chain and cable mechanism. The pin 1 hangs downward from the supporting cable or chain and is adapted to enter the central opening 2 in a hollow hub 3 of a supporting member illustrated as spider 4- which may be termed the upper spider of the load handling apparatus. The spider 4 has a plurality of radially extending arms 5 provided with apertures 6 at varying radial distances to which may be removably connected depending supporting rods 7 as by pins or bolts. The number of rods 7 employed and the radial position of the same will depend upon the material or members carried. In Fig. 1 three of these rods are shown and have their lower ends connected to a lower spider 8 having a central apertured hub 28; which spider is illustrated as of somewhat smaller diameter than the upper spider 4 for certain installations as where the lower spider is adapted to be inserted in a quenching tank as when quenching material carried by the spider 8. This quenching tank may be of the type disclosed and claimed in copending application Serial No. 794,029, filed February 18, 1959, for quenching apparatus in which one of the present applicants, Harold E. Mescher, is a joint applicant both of which applications are owned by a common assignee. in such case the upper spider 4 is adapted to have the outer ends of its arms 5 rest upon the load ring of the quenching tank. Since the apertures 6 are distributed radially along the arms 5 of the spiders, the rods 7 may be adjusted radially outward or inward depending upon the size of the load or member to be quenched. A hold down assembiy, comprising a hub 9and radial arms 19 adjustable as to length is shown positioned between the two spiders 4 and 8 for retaining the work or part down upon the spider 8 in use, the outer ends of the arms 10 being bifurcated at 111 for receiving pins insertable into any one of a series of vertical apertures 12 in the rods 7.

The lower end of the coupling pin 1 is provided with an enlarged conical projection or end portion 13 that in descending through aperture 2 is adapted to engage and actuate a pair of opposed substantially C-shaped holding bars or members 14 downwardly and outwardly to accommodate the pin 1, see especially Fig. 3, which bars are fixedly carried by bell cranklevers 15 pivoted as by pins 16 upon the spider 4. With the coupling pin 1 fully inserted into the spider 4 as shown inFig. 2 preparatory to lifting the spider and the load, the sub:

stant-iallyi opposed holding bars =14" engage the: lowerportion of the coupling pin 1 directly behind-ashoulder" 17 provided by the conical 'end portion 13; Sincethe upperportion of conical endportion- 13' is: somewhatlargerthan-the'pin 1-- the step or shoulder 17 is provided for engaging the holding; b'ars-so-tha-t thesebars- Fig. 4 shows the I conical; endportion 13- of the pin 2 1 as it enters or leaves thespider 4.= It willb'enoted as, theypinl islowered, the coniealendportibnlii willstrike the opposed semicylindri'ca-l edgesof' the opposed holding bars 14 and will swin'g these bars downwardly about their pivots 16 sufficiently toenable the conical portion to pass throughthe substantial cylindrical opening-e provided between these bars whereupon the overhanging; weighted portions 14' of'these bars will serve to swing the-bars inwardly and engage the pin l directly behindttheshoulden17 as shown in- Fig. 2;; so that the cable may then-"beraised effecting the liftinglot the loadand=the movement of thesame by. the crane to any desired'position such as inside a furnace or; effeetingthe lowering'of the load as when' it isdesired to lower the same into a quenching tank or pit.

When itis desired; to uncouple the coupling pin 1 fromthe spider 4-'and;the loadcarried thereby, the crane operator will: lower the-load: supportingv spider=-8idown upon a suitable support. He will then continue to lower the; cable slightly as shown by the arrow in Fig;- ofthe-drawingsso that the pin 1' continues to move downwardly within-the hollowhub-Suntil a lower beveled shoulder 19 of a cylindrical boss. 20-formedonthe pin 1 strikes the-semi-cylindricaledges of; the-opposed holding has 14-:and depresses; thesebars'as shown in Fig.5

thereby; turning the same: about their pivots 16; The

pins 16 by the downward movement of coupl-ing pin 1, the upper arms 21 of hell crank levers engage the-lockingrecesses 25 due to the tendency. of the pin 1 moves outwardly, the bell crank levers '15 will turn inwardly behind the conipal end portion 13 of the pin =1 and again into the position shown in Fig. 4 whereby a the pin 1 is free to be removed completely from the spider. The holding bars 14 and the locking bars 23 are thus again positionedprepa atory to reinserting the pin 1 into the hub of the spider *for another lifting and handling operation;v V

Thus it will be seen that, by merely controlling the position-ofipinl in itsup and down motion; the crane operator by remote controlis able to couple and uncouple th'e'pin lwith' respect tdtl'ie'spider 4;- as desired, and withoutftheinecessityof autoperator: manually coupling or uncoupling the pin lot the spider, so that should the work or treated-member-ZT carried by the lower spider 8 be in a heated condition and hence unapproachable by personnel, or should this member con-,

' tainhot acid,- forr example, the same can .be. picked t up, mevedand-again loweredgto any position desired without any; dangerto operating, personnel. It. will, be. noted thatthe} novel load handling apparatus of. this 1nven-. tion isrof simple construction using sturdy, ruggedpart-s which: can. withstand highv temperatures, acids, etc.,

without injury so that. the same has a long. life and is 'reliable in use. Since the holdingzbars 14-.carry the load. directly in shear, these bars are not deformed by high temperatures in use.

Since. many changes couldbe madeinthe above. constructionuand many apparently widely difierent embodis mentszofthis. invention could be made without. depart ing from-the scope thereof, it is intendedthat'allmattercontained in the above description .or. shown in v the accompanying drawings shall-be interpreted as illustrative and not in atlimitin-g sense,

Whatis claimed is:

12- Load handling apparatus c c n 1prising aloadsupportingqmember, said-member havinga hub providedwith an opening. therethrough, holding means; pivoted on said. member for, projecting into said hub opening, a coupling pin vertically movable-into. andout of; cooperative engagement; with said hub opening and having a projection thereon=cngageable with saidsupporting-men ber holding means, said supporting member holding, means being causeditoturn about its pivotalsupportonsaid member by vertical movement of said coupling pin projection with. respect thereto, saidholding means acting to engage said pin-projection andsaidhubfin shear and efiect the. firm levers-23') to fall radially inwardly toward the center of the spider, as illustrated inv Fig. 5. With the bell crank arms 21' th-usly engaged, the locking recesses 25 prevent levers 15 from turning under the influence of the overhanging weighted portions 14 of the: holding bars so'that these holding bars are held substantially in their positions as shown in Fig.5, whereupon the coupling pin *1 can be-raised as shown by thearrows" ingarms- 21- from locking reoesses fis and enabling. the

weighted portions-14* to'turn bell crank levers 15- so that the ends of arms'll again engage and. slide overi the curved surfaces 22 of the locking levers so that as coupling of said pin to said supporting member for raising and loweringlthesame. I

2. A load: handling: apparatus as elaimedin. claim 1. wherein said holding, means. comprises holding. bars .piv-

.oted upon said supportingmember for engaging said coupling pin. projectiontoeffect: the raisingofsaid supporting member and its load-,'and locking;levers pivoted on said supporting, memberfor holding said-lockingbars in disengaged position, said coupling pin having a second projection thereon for engaging said holding bars and said locking: levers to. effect the release of said coupling pin frornsaid supporting member. 7

3. Load; handling. apparatus as defined claim 1 wherein supporting rods areremovably attached to said supporting member for supporting the load, a second supcompletelyremovable from said hub. membensaid member having. holding bars pivoted thereon and. said coupling pin having: a stop projection for engaging said holding ars for turning the same into abutting relation both to said stop projection and to said hub member for supporting said holding bars and said member.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein locking levers are pivoted on said member and actuated by movement of said coupling pin for engaging said holding bars to hold the same out of engagement with said stop projection to thereby enable the disconnection of said coupling pin from said member.

6. In a load handling device, a coupling of the character described comprising, an apertured supporting memher, a coupling pin adapted to be passed into and out of the aperture of said supporting member, pivoted holding bars carried by said supporting member, said coupling pin having an enlarged conical end portion for engaging and actuating said holding bars to effect the engagement of said pin with said bars for supporting said member therepling pin from said member.

7. A load handling device as defined in claim 6, wherein said coupling pin engages said holding bars in 6 shear and said holding bars engage said supporting member in shear, whereby said load handling device is capable of carrying relatively heavy loads under adverse conditions without any eccentric forces being exerted upon the coupling pin.

8. In apparatus of the character described, a coupling member comprising, a hollow hub structure, a coupling pin having a conical end portion adapted to be passed into and out of said hollow hub structure, holding bars pivoted upon said hub structure and engageable by said coupling pin conical end portion for supporting said hub structure from said pin, locking levers pivoted upon said hub structure, and cam means on said coupling pin and spaced from its conical end portion for actuating said locking levers to effect the locking of said holding bars in disengaged position with respect to said coupling pin conical end portion, whereby the latter may be completely withdrawn from the hollow hub of said hub structure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,720,732 Jongedyk July 16, 1929 2,203,799 Shaffer June 11, 1940 2,634,156 Crimmel Apr. 7, 1953