US3291318A

US3291318A - Apparatus for storing hoisting equipment

Info

Publication number: US3291318A
Application number: US434991A
Authority: US
Inventors: Simko Stephen
Original assignee: United States Steel Corp
Current assignee: United States Steel Corp
Priority date: 1965-02-24
Filing date: 1965-02-24
Publication date: 1966-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-13

Description

Dec. 13, 1966 s, $|MKQ 3,291,318

APPARATUS FOR STORING HOISTING EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 24, 1965 2 Sheets-$heet 1 nv vs/v ran. sr PHEN s/M/ra Attorney Dec. 13, 1966 5,51 3,291,318

APPARATUS FOR STORING HOISTING EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 24, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T 4 2 T 4 2 '"T- as as i 40 l 38 40 I 0 52 52 50 3.

INVENTOR. STEPHEN SIM/f0 A r rorney United States Patent 3,291,318 APPARATUS FOR STORING HOISTING EQUIPMENT Stephen Simko, Homestead, Pa., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 434,991 6 Claims. (Cl. 211-13) This invention relates to apparatus for storing an electromagnet, a chain sling, or other equipment for hoisting heavy objects.

In large industrial plants such as a steel mill, large overhead cranes are used to lift a variety of heavy, awkward loads. Sometimes, the loads are best carried by an electromagnet supported on the hook of the overhead crane. The electromagnet, for instance, works best with flat plates and pieces of scrap. Other times, when wheels and axles are to be transported, a chain sling is the preferred hoisting apparatus to be attached to the crane hook.

Heretofore, the changing from one hoisting apparatus to another has been a strenuous job for the ground workman, who has had to lift manually heavy rings and chains which connect the hoisting apparatus to the crane hook. The weights of these rings and chains average between 75 and 100 pounds, and under the present practice, they must be lifted and carried manually during both their engagement and disengagement with the crane hook. Not only is a great amount of physical effort thus required, but this manual lifting of heavy equipment also presents a considerable safety hazard.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide apparatus for storing hoisting equipment which will permit the equipment to be engaged and disengaged from a crane hook without need for manually lifting or carrying the chains and bull rings associated with such equipment.

This and other objects will appear more readily from the following description of my invention and the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of apparatus for storing an electromagnet, illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of apparatus for storing a chain hoist, illustrating a second embodiment of my invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIGURE 3.

In FIGURE 1, apparatus 2 is designed for storing an electromagnet A and its associated link chains B and main link or bull ring C, all shown in chain lines. The apparatus 2 has a base plate 4 to which are welded two magnet guide plates 6, The guide plates 6 direct the magnet A into its proper position while it is being set down on the base 4. As seen from above in FIGURE 2, the front ends 8 of the guide plates are flared outward so as to facilitate the guiding of the magnet A, and bumping blocks 10 are welded to the base 4 near the rear of the guide plates 6 to stop the lateral movement of the magnet A when the magnet has been shifted to its proper position.

On either side of the base 4 and adjacent the guide plates 6 are welded two vertical posts 12. Braces 14 are welded to the posts 12 and to the base 4 in order to add rigidity to the posts. Arms 16 are welded to the tops of posts 12 and extend inwardly from the posts and over the storage space for the electromagnet A. Lower brace members 18 and upper brace members 20 are welded together and extend diagonally between the posts 12 and arms 16.

Seat members 22 for supporting the bull ring C are welded to the top ends of the members 20 which extend above the arms 16. The seat members 22 are saddleshaped and have curved surfaces 24 which wrap around the sides of ring C to hold the ring in a vertical, standing position. Guide members 26 are welded to both the upper brace members 20 and seat members 22 to assist in guiding ring B as it is lowered into its resting position in seat members 22. The presence of the guide members 26 also provides a more secure mounting of the seat members 22 on upper brace members 20.

To illustrate the use of my invention, a crane hook D with a safety la-tch E is shown in chain lines in FIGURE 1 supporting the electromagnet A by engagement with its bull ring C. The hook D is lowered until the bottom surface of the magnet A very nearly touches the base 4 of apparatus 2. The crane operator then moves the magnet A laterally between the guide plates 6 until it is stopped by the bumping blocks 10. When this occurs, the bull ring C held by the hook D should be above and very nearly in line with the seat members 22. The crane operator then lowers the hook D so as to set the magnet A down on the base 4, and then continues to lower the hook until the bull ring C rests in the seat members 22. Guide members 26 guide the bull ring while it is being set on the seat members 22, and a workman located on the plant floor may also asssis-t in directing the bull ring into place. When the ring is firmly seated on the seat members 22, the workman on the floor then disconnects the electric cable F of magnet A (FIGURE l) from its power supply on the crane and unhooks the safety latch E. The hook D can then be withdrawn from the ring C by the crane operator without further assistance from the workman on the floor.

When the electromagnet A is to be put in use again, the crane operator simply moves the hook D into engagement with the bull ring C, and the workman on the floor fastens the hook safety latch and connects the cable F to its power supply on the crane. It is then a simple matter for the crane operator to lift the bull ring C out of the seat 22 and raise the magnet A off the base 4. The bull ring and magnet are then moved laterally away from the area of the storage apparatus 2.

In another embodiment of my invention, shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, apparatus 30 is designed for storing a chain hoist G that includes hook-s H and associated chains I and main eye link M, all shown in chain lines. The apparatus 30 has for its main supporting frame a T-shaped beam 32 which rests on the ground and is held in an upright position by braces 34 welded at either end of the beam. Mounted on top of the beam 32 are two vertical support members 36, to which are welded inwardly facing horizontal seat members 38. The main link M rests on these seat members and edges 40 of support members 36 partially wrap around the link M to hold it in an upright position. Guide plates 42 are mounted adjacent the support members 36 to assist in guiding the main link M into position as it is lowered onto the seat members 38. On the other side of guide plates 42 are blocks 44 having converging vertical guide surfaces 46 (FIGURE 4). These surfaces 46 are for guiding the hook D (FIGURE 3) as it is moved horizontally into engagement with the main eye link M resting on seat members 38.

The beam member 32 has beneath seat members 38 a recess 48 through which the links of chains I may hang freely. Plates 50 are welded to the front of the beam member 32 adjacent the recess 48, and plates 52 are welded perpendicular to the plates 50 to form side walls for the recess 48. The

plates

50 and 52 thus present a smoothsurfa ced recess for housing the links of the chain I, so that there will be no protruding edges on which these links can snag.

In operation, the chain hoist G is placed on the apparatus 30 by lowering the main eye link M supported by the crane hook D onto the seat members 38. As the main 3 link M is lowered it is guided into its proper position by the guide plates 42. When the link M is seated on the seat members 38, the hooks H of the chain hoist lay on the floor adjacent the apparatus 2, as shown in FIGURE 3, with the links of chains J depending through the recess 48 of the beam member 32. The only work performed by the ground workman in this operation is in assisting in the guiding of the main eye link M onto the seat members 38, and in unfastening the safety latch of the crane hook D.

When the chain hoist G is to be picked up by the crane hook D, the crane operator moves the hook between the converging guide surfaces 46 of blocks 44 and into engagement with the main eye link M resting on the seat members 38. When this is accomplished, the ground Workman fastens the safety latch on the hook D, and the crane operator raises the hook and attached eye link off of the seats 38. The chain hoist G is then carried away from the storage apparatus 30.

While several embodiments of my invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for storing an electromagnet and its associated bull ring, comprising a plate for supporting a magnet, bull ring support means mounted on said plate and extending over a magnet, means on said bull ring support means for holding a bull ring in an upright position, and guide walls extending upward from said plate on either side of a magnet for guiding a magnet into its proper resting position beneath said bull ring support means.

2. Apparatus for storing an electromagnet and its associated bull ring, comprising a plate for supporting a magnet, support members mounted on said plate on either side of a magnet and extending over a magnet, and seat members for supporting a bull ring mounted on each of said support members above a magnet.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said seat members have means for maintaining a bull ring in an upright position.

4. Apparatus for storing hoisting equipment, said equipment including a link chain and main link for engagement with a crane hook member, said apparatus comprising a supporting frame, two spaced apart seat members mounted on said frame for holding a main link, and means adjacent said seat members for maintaining a main link in an upright position, said frame having an opening between and below said seat members, whereby a chain is allowed to depend freely from a main link.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 including guide means located adjacent to and extending above said seat members for guiding a main link as it is lowered onto said seat members.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 including vertical guide walls mounted on said supporting frame adjacent said seat members, said walls converging toward each other near said seat members so as to guide a hook member as it is passed horizontally into the eye of a main link.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,698,318 1/1929 Norton 211182 2,626,711 1/1953 Saul 211-13 2,828,023 3/1958 Berra et al 211-13 2,966,319 12/1960 Todish et al. 248--13 FOREIGN PATENTS 618,973 4/ 1961 Canada.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. APPARATUS FOR STORING AN ELECTROMAGNET AND ITS ASSOCIATED BULL RING, COMPRISING A PLATE FOR SUPPORTING A MAGNET, BULL RING SUPPORT MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID PLATE AND EXTENDING OVER A MAGNET, MEANS ON SAID BULL RING SUPPORT MEANS FOR HOLDING A BULL RING IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION, AND GUIDE WALLS EXTENDING UPWARD FROM SAID PLATE ON EITHER SIDE OF MAGNET FOR GUIDING A MAGNET INTO ITS PROPER RESTING POSITION BENEATH SAID BULL RING SUPPORT MEANS.