US3225903A

US3225903A - Encased belt conveyors

Info

Publication number: US3225903A
Application number: US256603A
Authority: US
Inventors: Piemout Georges
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-03-02
Filing date: 1963-02-06
Publication date: 1965-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 1982-12-28
Also published as: GB1017302A; FR1324286A

Description

INV/ENTOR GEORGES PIE/WONT awr( ATTORNEYS Dec. 28, 1965 G. PIEMoNT ENCASED BELT CONVEYORS Filed Feb. 6. 1963 United States `Patent O 3,225,903 ENCASED BELT CONVEYORS Georges Pimont, 7 Rue Rabelais, Vanves, Seine, France Filed Feb. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 256,603 Claims priority, application France, Mar. 2, 1962, 889,795, Patent 1,324,286 4 Claims. (Cl. 198-206) This invention relates to encased belt conveyors. Conveyorshave been proposed in which a product 1s .carried along in a casing or sheath by cross members tted on one or two chains, or even on belts.

Y In these appliances, the product rubs against the whole internal surface of the casing or sheath, while travelling and consequently undergoes the risk of being damaged or deteriorating; furthermore, the casing is subjected to appreciable wear, and finally, these appliances, in view of .the aforementioned friction, require a considerable motive power. f v

According to the present invention I provide in an encased belt conveyor, in combination an endless belt having aY working face, spaced retaining walls upstanding from 4said working face, a casing about said belt, means for `l-th'e friction is obtained when the conveyor is used in a 'vertical position .or when its lower side is its working side, and these correspond to the worst conditions of use to be expected. `This, prevents deterioration of the material conveyed and enables a reduction in the power required for driving the conveyor.

In cases where the lower length of the conveyor belt is the working length, which can happen when the conveyor is horizontal lor inclined, the casing is provided, at any suitable locations, with material-distributing valves associated with discharging hoppers.

In accordance with one embodiment, each part of the conveyor casing,"in which 'is disposed one of the two straight lengths of the belt, Yconsists of one or more tubular elements of rectangular or`square cross-section butted end to end and joined together, the ends of the resulting duct thus formed being each connected to a box the interior of which forms internally the semi-circular part of the casing and contains a return drum for the aforesaid belt, one of these drums being adapted to be rotated by driving means from an electric motor with a suitable speed reduction gear.

The end boxes of the conveyor respectively accommodate a receiving or feed hopper and a discharge hopper the direction of the outlets whereof can be varied depending on the position in which the conveyor is being used, which may be horizontal, vertical or inclined.

Finally, lateral guides are preferably tted in one of the two straight parts of the casing to form grooves to support the driving or driven lower part of the belt when the conveyor is horizontal or inclined.

For this purpose the containing walls are fixed on the belt at sorne space from the edges of the belt so that said edges form slides guided in the groove formed by the aforesaid guides.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

"ice

FIG. 1 is an elevation on a small scale of an encased belt conveyor according to the invention, part of the casing being cut away to expose the interior;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section on a larger scale along the line u-a of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of one of the elements constituting the casing containing lthe conveyor belt, part of the element being broken away to expose the interior; and

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagrammatic view on a small scale of one of the various possible applications of a group of conveyors according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawing and in accordance with one particular embodiment of the invention, the conveyor consists of a conveyor belt 1, having two corrugated or wavy retaining walls 2 upstanding from the working face of the belt. The walls are spaced apart in parallel relationship and are disposed within two metal casings 3 to be slidable longitudinally of the latter, the casings being suitably braced apart as shown at 4, and connected together at theirends by

metal boxes

5 and 5 the insides whereof form semicircular ducts extending and connecting the ends of the casings.

Each of the

boxes

5 and 5 has mounted therein a central drum 6 and 6', respectively, for the return of the belt 1, the drum 6 being rotatably driven through the intermediary of an electric motor M with a suitable speedreduction gear.

Hoppers 7 and 8 respectively, for intake and discharge, are associated with the boxes 5 and 5', and their inlet and outlet mouths are suitably directed according to the use to be made of the conveyor (horizontally, vertically or in- .clined).

In addition, lateral guides 9 are iitted inside the casing 3 to form grooves to support the driving or driven lower part of the conveyor belt 1, in particular when the conveyor is in a horizontal or inclined position.

For this purpose, the containing walls 2 are fixed on the belt 1 at some spacing from the edges 1 of the belt so that said edges form slides ,guided in the grooves formed by guides 9 (FIG. 2).

According to one embodiment,.the casings 3 land 3 may consist of a number of sectional lengths each having at be attach-ed to each other when butted end to end.

With such an arrangement of a conveyor belt 1 with upstanding corrugated or wavy retaining walls 2, pulverulent or granular materials are carried along inside the casing 3-3' without appreciable friction since they are in lcontact with -only one side of t-he said casing and this is true even in the most unfavourable conditions, that is when the conveyor is vertical or when the lower length thereof is the working length.

This reduction in the friction of the materials being conveyed avoids .their possible deterioration, reduces t'he wear on the casing .at the rubbing face, and enables reduction of the power required for driving the conveyor.

In the case where the conveyor with the lower length thereof the working length, that is to say .in which the part of the belt carrying the materi-al has with its walls the form of an inverted U, `distributing valves associated with hoppers 10 are provided on the rectilinear, part coricerned of the lower casing of the conveyor assembly to discharge the conveyed material at any desired points.

In .the example shown in FIG. 4, which comprises Ia horizontal conveyor I, a vertical conveyor II, and a further horizontal conveyor III working in the rever-se direction, i.e. its lower length is the loperative one, it is likewis-e possible to provide on the vertical unit, raising the material, one 4or more valves with hoppers 11 enabling the material to be discharged at different levels.

It will be manifest that the present invention is not restricted to the embodiment described and represented but is to be construed as extending to modified arrangements and combinations required for the path in which the mate-rial is to be conveyed.

I claim:

1. In an encased belt conveyor for transportation of bulk granular materials in a plane which is inclined to the horizontal, in combination an endless bel-t having a working fia-ce, a plurality of spaced endless sinuous retaining walls upstanding from said helt working face, a clos-ed casing housing said belt with said walls extending across the interior of said casing, means for supporting and driving said belt the length of said casing, a rst hopper opening into said casing and disposed to supply said belt, and a second hopper opening into said casing and disposed to receive conveyed material from said belt.

2. In an encased belt conveyor for transportation of bulk granular materials in a plane which is inclined to the horizontal, the combination of an endless belt which includes two `mutually parallel straight lengths and two return bend sections interconnecting said lengths, said belt having an external Working face and an internal face, a plurality of spaced endless sinuous retaining wall-s upstanding from said belt working face, a pair of rectilinear 'and mutually parallel casing parts containing said straight lengths and said walls, a box at each end of said casing parts connecting said casing parts, a drum mounted for rotation in each said box with said 'belt return bend sections passing around said drums, a driving motor, speed reduction means operatively connecting said motor with one of said drums, said casing having an opening disposed for supplying material to said belt, said casing having an open-ing disposed for receiving material from said belt, and means for maintaining said belt internal face in sliding contact with said casing parts.

3. In .an encased belt conveyor for transportation of bulk granular materials in a plane which .is inclined to the horizontal, the combination of an endless belt which includes two mutually lparallel straight lengths and two return bend sections interconnecting said lengths, said belt having an external working face and an internal face, a plurality of spaced endless sinuous retaining Walls upstanding from said belt Working face, a pair Iof rectilinear 'and mutually parallel casing parts contain-ing said straight lengths and said walls, a box at each end of said parts connecting said parts, a drum mounted for rotation in ea-ch `said box with said belt return bend sections passing around said drums, a driving motor, speed reduction means `operatively connecting said motor with one of said drums, a yfirst hopper disposed on said casing for supplying material to said belt, a second hopper disposed on said casing for receiving material from said belt, means for maintaining said belt internal face in sliding contact with said casing parts, valve means in one of said casing parts and located opposite said external working face of said belt, and hopper means associated with said valve means to enable discharge of materia-l through said valve 4means as desired.

4. In an encased belt conveyor for transportation of bulk granular materials in a plane which is inclined to the horizontal, the combination of Ian endless belt which includes two mutually parallel straight lengths and two return ben-d sections interconnecting said lengths, said Ibelt having an external working face and an internal face, a plurality of spaced endless retaining walls upstanding from said belt working face, said walls 'being corrugated lengthwise of said working face, a -pair of rectilinear and mutually parallel casing parts containing said belt straight lengt-hs and said walls, a box mounted at each end of said casing parts connected said casing parts, a drum mounted for rotation in each said box with said bel-t return bend sections passing around said drums, a drivin-g motor, speed reduction means operatively connecting said motor with one `of said drums, a first hopper disposed on said casing for supplying material to said belt, a second hopper disposed on said casing for receiving material from said belt, means for maintaining said internal face in sliding contact with said casing parts, valve means in one lof `said casing parts 'and located opposite said external working face of said belt, and hopper means associated with said valve means to enable discharge of material through said valve means, as desired.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 714,150 11/1902 Clarke 198--68 X 893,620 7/1908 Gardner 198-206 1,427,553 8/ 1922 Schwinger. 2,129,853 9/1938 Loges 198-201 2,254,116 8/1941 Cooper et al. 198-207 X 2,435,498 2/1948 Hapman 198-55 X 2,480,625 8/ 1949 Bergstrom 198-140 X 2,618,374 11/1952 Rahlson 198-140 X 2,618,375 11/1952 Rahlson 198-206 2,831,215 4/1958 Piemont 198-201 X 2,928,523 3/1960 Neidhart 198-201 X 3,034,667 5/1962 Kline et al. 198-206 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,081,588 6/1954 France.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. i

WILLIAM B. LABORDE, Examiner.

Claims

1. IN AN ENCASED BELT CONVEYOR FOR TRANSPORTATION OF BLUK GRANULAR MATERIALS IN A PLANE WHICH IS INCLINED TO THE HORIZONTAL, IN COMBINATION AN ENDLESS BELT HAVING A WORKING FACE, A PLURALITY OF SPACED ENDLESS SINUOUS RETAINING WALLS UPSTANDING FROM SAID BELT WORKING FACE, A CLOSED CASING HOUSING SAID BELT WITH SAID WALLS EXTENDING ACROSS THE INTERIOR OF SAID CASING, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING