US3191761A - Two directional belt training troughing idler assembly - Google Patents

Description

June 29,1965 1:. c. REILLY T WO-DIREGTIONAL BELT TRAINING TROUGHING IDLER ASSEMBLY Filed July 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR- 50/14// 6. 517/}, 241K fZZr/er fl/zaI/My June 1 D. c. REILLY 3,191,761

TWO DIRECTIONAL BELT TRAINING TRQUGHING IDLER ASSEMBLY Filed July 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 I INVENTOR.

fiwm/a 5 1 41/46 United States Patent 3,191,761 TWO D1RET10NAL BELT TRAINING TROUGHING DLER ASEEMBLY Donald C. Reilly, Downers Grove, Ill, assignor to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Blinois Filed July 26, 1961, Ser. No. 127,948 3 (Jlairns. (Cl. 198-202) This invention relates generally to wire rope sideframe conveyors, and particularly to a training roller assembly for such conveyors wherein the outer rollers can be adjusted to different positions relative to the direction of belt travel.

Wire rope sideframe belt conveyors of the type illustrated in the Craggs and McCann'U.S. Patent No. 2,773,- 267 have a flexible belt supported by a plurality of troughing idler assemblies which in turn are suspended from a pair of flexible strands or wire ropes trained along a conveying course. The strands or wire ropes are supported at intervals by appropriate means such as the ground standards illustrated in the Craggs and McCann patent. The troughing assemblies usually include a pair of end or wing rollers which flank one or more inner or intermediate rollers.

Belt training in wire rope sideframe conveyors is a constant problem, particularly when the conveyor is sub jected to rugged operating conditions as in coal mines. Detraining of the belt materially reduces its carrying capacity, unnecessarily frays the edges, and sets up stresses and strains in the system which require increased power consumption.

It has been found that the rollers in the troughing idler assemblies impart a training effect to the belt which is directed perpendicular to the axis of the rollers. It is therefore possible to maintain the belt in train by adjusting the position of the assemblies with respect to the belt. If the outer end of a wing roller, for example, is canted inwardly toward the direction of belt travel, the training efi'ect exerted by the roller tends to center the belt on the assembly. Similarly, if the outer end of a wing roller is canted outwardly from the belt with respect to the direction of belt travel, the belt tends to detrain and move laterally and outwardly along the roller assembly.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a position adjustable training roller assembly which can be adapted to train a conveyor belt in a desired direction by appropriately canting the roller assembly.

Another object of my invention is to provide means which permit canting of selected idler assemblies in a flexible belt conveyor system.

Another object of thisinvention is to provide a roller assembly with means on the end rollers for quickly and efliciently changing the position of said end roller relative to the direction of conveyor belt.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a roller assembly wherein the outer rollers have bracket plates that coact with a stationary support for canting the end rollers inwards and towards the direction of conveyor belt travel.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a roller assembly wherein the outer rollers have bracket plates with slots that coact with a stationary support to optionally position the end roller in a center position and in a canted position towards the direction of belt travel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description considered in association with the accompanying drawings wherein by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of the invention are set forth.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of arope sideframe conveyor showing the improved troughing idler assemblies in place and supporting a load-carrying reach of a flexible conveyor belt,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the idler roller assembly showing the position adjustable bracket plate, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side view of the structure shown in FIGURE 3 in partial section.

Like reference numerals will be used to indicate like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

A portion of a flexible strand conveyor trained along a conveying course such as a mine run or the like is illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. The conveyor includes a pair of generally parallel flexible strands 10 and 11 which are supported at intervals by supporting standards 12 resting on the floor F of the mine. A rope clamp having cooperating members 3 and 8a is shown on the upper end of the supporting stand 12 to hold the flexible strands 1t] and 11. A plurality of troughing idler assemblies indicated generally at 15 are suspended from the strands at suitable.

intervals. A suitable saddle member 14 is connected to the idler assembly and forms a seat which receives the flexible strands 1t and 11. A return roller 16 is shown, in this instance, as carried by the adjustable supporting stand 12, but it will be understood that the return roller could be carried by the flexible strands or any other suitable supporting structure. The conveying reach 17 of a flexible conveyor belt is supported by the troughing idler assembly 15 and the return reach 18 passes over return roller 16.

Referring now specifically to FIGURE 2, the troughing idler assembly 15 is illustrated as including a roller assembly composed of a plurality of idler rollers 19, 20 and 21. The wing rollers 19 and 21 are supported by a frame or structure which allows such end rollers to flex in a vertical plane and in at least a limited arcuate path. The supporting structure also connects the end rollers 19 or 21 to the center roller 20. The supporting structure for the outer or wing rollers 19 and 21 has one upright arm 25 and another upright arm 23 extending from the cross brace 26. The saddle member 14 is connected to the cross brace 26 by an articulated chain link 39, which allows movement in a generally arcuate path. A linking member 22 is fixed in the upright arm 25 and it is pivotally connected to the end of the shaft 28 on the center roller and to the inner end of the shaft 27 on the wing roller. This allows the rollers to flex in a vertical plane. The flexible strand 10 or 11 is forced into snug engagement in the U-shaped member or saddle 14 by wedge 9. A suitable rope clamp 8 secures the strands 10 and 11 to supporting stands 12 which are laterally separated by a strong brace or strut 7. Brackets 6 extending from the cross brace 7 receive a dead shaft 5 which supports return roller 16.

The rollers 19, 20 and 21 in the troughing idler assembly 15 each have a dead shaft around which the rollers rotate. Linking member 22 effectively connects the inner end of the dead shaft 27 from the wing rollers 19 and 21 With the ends of the dead shaft 28 on the center roller 20. The outer end of the dead shaft 27 on the wing rollers 19 and 21 is secured to the position adjustable bracket plate generally designated as 30.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, the outer end of the dead shaft 27 in the wing or outer rollers 19 or 21 is received in the upper portion of the bracket plate 30.

The bottom portion of the bracket plate 30 has an edge with slots '31, 31a and 31b each of which is adapted to sit on the shank 32 of a supporting pin extending from the upright arm 23. The shank 3 2 is sufliciently long to receive the thickness of the bracket plate in close seating engagement. The length of the shank 32 is determined by a flanged cap on the supporting pin. Once the slot 31 is seated on the shank 32 of the supporting pin, the bracket plate 50 is restricted from any rotational movement by means of an anchoring pin 36 and slideway passageway 37 on the bracket plate 30. The anchoring pin 36 is held in place by suitable means such as a cotter pin 38. The slideway passageway 37 allows the bracket plate 30 to be slidably moved in a short vertical route above and below the anchoring pin 56. The range of movement is sufficient to allow one slot to be removed from seating engagement on the shank 32 of the supporting pin and to position another slot on the supporting pin. The bracket plate 3@ has a laterally extending handle 41 which can be used in the lifting movement to engage and disengage the slots from the shank 32 of the supporting p The wing roller is canted towards one end of the flexible conveyor belt when slot 31 in one end of the plate is seated on the shank 32 of the supporting pin. The position of the wing roller is indicated by 42.

Phantom outline 43 shows the position of the wing roller when the bracket plate 30 is adjusted so that the intermediate slot 31a sits on and engages the supporting pin. This places the wing roller in a centered position, or, in other words, in a position in which the idler assembly is substantially perpendicular to the direction of belt travel.

Phantom outline 44 indicates the position of the wing roller when the slot 31b is made to sit on the supporting pin. The wing roller is then canted inwards, but in an upstream direction or, when the direction of belt travel is reversed, the new downstream direction.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

It is not nec ssary and sometimes it is not desirable to cant all the wing rollers in a conveyor to train the belt. This is because unusually heavy power demands are put on the belt driving motor, and the belt may tend to wear too quickly. it has been found that training a few key rollers, such as those located adjacent high spots in the conveyor terrain, will produce adequate belt training control. This invention makes possible the selection of a few key training idler assembly rollers to maintain the belt in train without increasing the power consumption or causing undue chafing of the belt.

When the conveying reach 17 of the belt tends to detrain from a true center position towards one of the wing rollers, the belt 17 can be retrained to the'center position by canting the appropriate wing dollers. Thus, when the belt in FIGURE 3 travels in the direction indicated by the arrow, the belt is trained by raising the wing roller 19 or 21 to disengage the seating of the center. position slot 31a from the shank 32 of a supporting pin, and the slot 31 of the bracket plate 30 is dropped ontothe shank. The bracket plate 30 is raised by grasping the laterally eXtend ing handle 41 and raising the bracket plate 30 and the attached wing roller 19 or 21. 'When the direction of elt travel is upstream or opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 3, then the belt is trained by dropping slot 31b of the bracket plate onto the shank positions is advantageous in that conveyor belts are often run in a reverse direction, as when miners are carried into the mine.

The foregoing invention can now be practiced, and such practitioners will know that the invention is not 'ecessarily restricted to the particular embodiments presented herein. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the terms of the following claims as given meaning by the preceding description.

I claim:

1. A positive belt training roller assembly for a flexible belt conveyor, said roller assembly including, in combination,

a plurality of rollers including an end roller, and

structure for positively canting the end roller into any one of three pre-selected positions independently of canting movement of any other roller in the roller assembly, said structure including, in combination,

first and second bracket members,

the first bracket member being securable to a base structure such as the side-frame of a belt conveyor,

the second bracket member being attached to the outer end portion of the end roller,

21 first pin and slot type connector joining the first and second bracket members to one another at a first connecting point,

said first pin and slot type connector enabling the first and second bracket members to move rotationally and linearly with respect to one another,

a second pin and slot type connector joining the first and second bracket members to one another at a second connecting point,

said second pin and slot type connector including three seating surfaces, each one of which positively positions the first and second bracket members in fixed engagement with one another,

the distances between the seats and the point of connection of the outer end of the roller to the second bracket member being such that said outer end is maintained at the same horizontal level in'any one of the aforesaid three pre-selected postiions.

2.,The positive belt training roller assembly of claim 1 further characterized in that the first bracket member is secured to a base structure by means providinglimited movement of the first bracket member, and thereby the outer end portion of the end roller, with respect to the base structure. V

3. The positive belt training roller assembly of claim 1 further characterized in that the three seating surfaces are formed onthe second bracket member.

Referencestlitezl by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

JU lUS WEST, ERNEST A. FALLER, Ire,

Examiners.

Claims (1)

1. A POSITIVE BELT TRAINING ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR A FLEXIBLE BELT CONVEYOR, SAID ROLLER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION. A PLURALITY OF ROLLERS INCLUDING AN END ROLLER, AND STRUCTURE FOR POSITIVELY CANTING THE END ROLLER INTO ANY ONE OF THREE PRE-SELECTED POSITIONS INDEPENDENTLY OF CANTING MOVEMENT OF ANY OTHER ROLLER IN THE ROLLER ASSEMBLY, SAID STRUCTURE INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST AND SECOND BRACKETS MEMBERS, THE FIRST BRACKET MEMBER BEING SECURABLE TO A BASE STRUCTURE SUCH AS THE SIDE-FRAME OF A BELT CONVEYOR, THE SECOND BRACKET MEMBER BEING ATTACHED TO THE OUTER END PORTION OF THE END ROLLER, A FIRST PIN AND SLOT TYPE CONNECTOR JOINING THE FIRST AND SECOND BRACKET MEMBERS TO ONE ANOTHER AT A FIRST CONNECTING POINT, SAID FIRST PIN AND SLOT TYPE CONNECTOR ENABLING THE FIRST AND SECOND BRACKET MEMBERS TO MOVE ROTATIONALLY AND LINEARLY WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER, A SECOND PIN AND SLOT TYPE CONNECTOR JOINING THE FIRST AND SECOND BRACKET MEMBERS TO ONE ANOTHER AT A SECOND CONNECTING POINT, SAID SECOND PIN AND SLOT TYPE CONNECTOR INCLUDING THREE SEATING SURFACES, EACH ONE OF WHICH POSITIVELY POSITIONS THE FIRST AND SECOND BRACKET MEMBERS IN FIXED ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER, THE DISTANCES BETWEEN THE SEATS AND THE POINT OF CONNECTION OF THE OUTER END OF THE ROLLER TO THE SECOND BRACKET MEMBER BEING SUCH THAT SAID OUTER END IS MAINTAINED AT THE SAME HORIZONTAL LEVEL IN ANY ONE OF THE AFORESAID THREE PRE-SELECTED POSITIONS.

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