US3249237A

US3249237A - Aerial hoisting apparatus for use in balloon logging

Info

Publication number: US3249237A
Application number: US356251A
Authority: US
Inventors: Faye H Stewart
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-03-31
Filing date: 1964-03-31
Publication date: 1966-05-03
Anticipated expiration: 1983-05-03

Description

y 1966 F. H. STEWART 3,249,237

AERIAL HOISTING APPARATUS FOR USE IN BALLOON LOGGING Filed March 31, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYJ F. H. STEWART May 3, 1966 AERIAL HOISTING APPARATUS FOR USE IN BALLOON LOGGING Filed March 51, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS AERIAL HOISTING APPARATUS FOR USE IN BALLOON LOGGING Faye H. Stewart, 2765 Fairmont Blvd., Eugene, Oreg. Filed Mar. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 356,251 2 Claims. (Cl. 212-89) This invention relates to an improved system and an apparatus of logging for the conveyance of logs and other materials particularly from the steep slopes of hills and valleys such as, for example, those of the hilly and mountainous regions of the States of the Pacific Northwhich can be employed for the logging of areas where logging normally could only be carried on by road building which is exceedingly costly.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an improved carriage and cable system for hauling logs between a logging area and a log collecting area, wherein the carriage is supported by a lighter-than-air balloon. The improved system utilizes a balloon for supporting the carriage for movement between points in a logging area, and the carriage is constructed to receive a load lifting cable and carriage moving cables which cooperate in a novel system for hauling logs.

The foregoing objects and other objects of this invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description having reference to the attached drawings wherein a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown.'

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic elevational view of the novel logging arrangement of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational ,view of the carriage of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 1 drawn to an enlarged scale;

United States Patent mountain without the use of roads. The balloon provides .a major portion of-the vertical support for the loaded carriage thus reducing the frictional load on the pulley rotatably mounted on the carriage and allowing the loaded carriage to be moved with greater facility than has heretofore been possible.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference character 10 designates a lightweight carriage supported by FIGURE 3 is a top plan view partially broken away of the carriage shown in FIGURE 2; and- FIGURE 4 is a schematic elevational view similar to FIGURE 1 showing a modified form of the novel logging arrangement. I

One of the conventional logging systems today utilizes a spar tree rigged with cables and the logs are dragged up or down the slope to the spar tree. In utilizing this system, the yarding distance is limited to about 1,000 feet. If the slope extends beyond that distance, as for example, up to a mile, then a series of roads must be built in so that the slope becomes accessible to men and machines over its entire area. Because of the usual rocky and rough condition of such slopes, road building is exceedingly costly, especially in consideration of the volume of timber available or profitable to harvest. This system generally is uneconomical and impractical to employ in many areas now needed to be harvested.

In the past others have proposed the feasibility of lifting or conveying diverse materials such as small buildings, irrigation pipe and the like for instance as shown in U.S. Patents 1,876,153 and 2,789,009. Although it has been suggested that lighter-than-air' balloons might advantageously be used in a commercial logging operation, apparently no commercially feasible system of this type has cable 12 connected to a balloon 14. A pulley 16 is rotatably mounted in the carriage 10.

As shown, the carriage 10 receives

lines

18, 20, and 22 which control the movement of the carriage between spaced points such as between a landing area and a logging area, as will be discussed more hereinafter.

Line 20 is connected to line 18 by. means of a shays swivel 24, extends over pulley 16, thence over logging tower 25 and on to a power driven cable winding drum 28. Line 18 extends upwardly from a power driven cable winding drum 30, over logging tower 25 and then over pulley 16. When line 20 is-reeled in, the shays swivel 24 bears against ferrules 21 rotatably mounted on line 18 and coextensive therewith which in turn bear against a projection 23 formed in line 18 having a larger diameter than the inside diameter of the ferrules to prevent the ferrules from further movement longitudinally with respect to line 18. The purpose of ferrules is to provide a bearing surface for the shays swivel 24 in order that the shays swivel can freely rotate with respect to line 18 and thus prevent

lines

18 and 20 from becoming entangled. Haulback line 22 extends from a power driven cable winding drum 27, through a light-weight four roller fairleader generally indicated at 29 and then to carriage 10 where it is attached. The purpose of using a four roller fairleader is to prevent line 22 from fouling. Choker lines 32 are connected to line 18 at the ground end by means of a choker ring 31. Line 18 is placed in position to pick up the load by hauling on line 20 by the power driven cable winding drum 28, and slacking on line 18 by the power driven cable winding drum 30. The carriage 10 is provided with a cavity 34 opening upwardly from the carriage and communicating with the pulley receiving compartment 36. A spiral spring 38 is received within the cavity 34 and maintained under an adjustable amount of compression therein by a threaded closure plug 40 received in the upper portion of the cavity. At the lower end the spring 38 contracts a roller 42 and by virtue of the compression force stored in the spring 38 the roller 42 is resiliently biased against line 18. The principal purpose of this arrangement is to insure that line 18 will move downwardly fromthe carriage 10 when line 20 is reeled in.

The choker lines 32 are looped around logs 44 and the load is lifted by reeling in line 18 and slacking line 20. When the load is lifted, then it is pulled towards the landing area by reeling in both

lines

18 and 20 by means of power driven cable winding drums- 28 and 30.

Lines

18 and 20 are reeled in simultaneously by means of any suitable inner locking device on

drums

28 and 30. When

lines

18 and 20 are being reeled in towards the landing area, line 22 is slackened.

When carriage 10 has been drawn to the landing area, the logs 44v are released by slacking line 18 and reeling in line 20, and the carriage is then ready to be returned to the logging area. The carriage 10 is returned to the area to be logged by reeling in haulback line 22 by means of power driven cable winding drum 27. When the carriage 10 is being drawn up to the logging area,

lines

18 and 20 are simultaneously slackened. As carriage 10 approaches fairleader 29 it is pulled down and held by line 22 so that the operation of slacking line 18 and reeling in line 20 will place line 18 in position for picking up another load of logs with choker lines 32. Pairleader 29 is attached to a fixed object, such as a well rooted stump or tree to enable it to Withstand the vertical -lift of the balloon 14, thereby exercising restraining control.

By means of power driven

cable drums

27,28 and 30 and controls, the direction and rate of travel of the carriage 10 can be controlled.

Cable winding drums

28 and 30 are mounted on the bed of a suitable conveyance mechanism 46 together with their driving mechanism. Power driven cable drum 27 is placed at the furthest logging area away from the landing area. The

drums

27, 28 and 30 are preferably electrically powered and may be radio-remotely or electrically-remotely controlled by operators located at the logging are-a and landing area.

In operation, the carriage 10 is lifted to a suitable height by the lighter-than-air balloon 14 and hauled out by haulback line 22 to the point where the logs are to be picked up. Line 18 is slacked out to a crew on the ground and choker lines 32 are looped around one end of the logs 44. Line 18 is then reeled in by winding drum 30 as line 20 is slacked so as to raise the ends of the logs 44 clear of the ground. The

lines

18 and 20 are then drawn in simultaneously by means of an inner locking device on

drums

28 and 30 while line 22 is slackened. When the logs 44 reach the landing or collecting area behind the conveyance mechanism 46, they are released in this area and the carriage 10 is then returned to the logging area by haulback line 22.

A modified form of the novel logging system is shown in FIGURE 4. This system is identical to the operation as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 except that the power driven cable winding drum 27 for reeling in haulback line 22 is placed on the bed of conveyance mechanism 46 located near logging tower 25. In this arrangement haulback line 22 extends upwardly from power driven cable winding drum 27, over the top of logging tower 25, through fairleader 48 and 50 and then to carriage 10 where it is attached.

Although any balloon may be used to lift and suspend the carriage 10, the preferred balloon is the so-called Vee- Balloon as described in the publication of Goodyear Aerospace Corporation, GER-11082, dated August 1, 1963. The over-all shape of the Vee-B alloon is an isosceles triangle wherein the legs of the triangle consist of large diameter sausage-shaped balloon members provided with downwardly projecting rudders attached to the lower trailing edge of each member and the base of the triangle consisting of a generally horizontal inflated member. This balloon is preferred because of the following advantages over conventional barrage and spherical balloons: (1) high lift-to-drag ratio (over 3) at low angles of attack, (2) more nearly vertical tether cable under wind loads, (3) very good directional stability, (4) high altitudes when used in tandem, smaller height and length dimensions than for airship-shaped balloon of equal volume, (6) small vertical tail surfaces, and relatively easy handling and launching. Of these advantages, probably. the most important is that the tether cable is more nearly vertical under wind loads.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a method and apparatus in which the various objects hereinbefore set forth, together with many practical advantages, are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments may be made of the novel features of the above invention, all without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth is to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting ,sense.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a logging system having a lighter-than-air balloon supporting a carriage for movement between a logging area and a log collecting area, the improvement in said carriage comprising:

means for connecting said balloon to said carriage for supporting the carriage in working positions above said logging area and said log collecting area,

a first sheave means mounted in said carriage for receiving a load liftingcable, said load lifting cable having a first end connectable to a load of logs and a second end connectedto a first powered winch,

a second sheave means mounted in said carriage for receiving a carriage moving :ca-ble, said second sheave means being connectedto said first sheave means'for rotation therewith, and said carriage moving cable having a first end connected to said load lifting cable at a point intermediate to said first powered winch and said carriage, and said carriage moving cable having a second end connected to a second powered winch with an intermediate portion of said carriage moving cable being received around said second sheave means, whereby said carriage moving cable rotates both the second and the first sheave means in a direction which lowers said load lifting cable for picking up a load when said carriage moving cable is wound up on said second power winch while said load lifting cable is being unwound from said first power winch, and

means on said carriage for connecting a haulback cable to the carriage for moving said carriage in a direction opposite to .the direction of movement obtained from simultaneously winding said load lifting cable and said carriage moving cable on said first and second power winch means, said haul-back cable having an end attached to a third power winch means for winding and unwinding.

2. The improvement of claim 1 and including a cable engaging means carried by said carriage for frictionally contacting said load lifting cable at a point adjacent to said first sheave means, whereby said load lifting cable is held in tight engagement with said first sheave means for movement therewith when said first sheave means is rotated by the movement of said carriage moving cable over the second sheave means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Giant Balloons M-ay Change Course of Logging Industry, vol. 23, No. 6, The Wingfoot Clan: Goodyear Aerospace Corp, March 12, 1964.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiner.

A. L, LEV NE, Assistant Exam ner.