US3620392A

US3620392A - Mine cars

Info

Publication number: US3620392A
Application number: US867550A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fred Greenwood
Original assignee: ROBERT HUDSON Ltd
Current assignee: ROBERT HUDSON Ltd
Priority date: 1968-10-22
Filing date: 1969-10-20
Publication date: 1971-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 1988-11-16
Also published as: GB1243540A

Abstract

A mine car of a generally rectangular form of which the bottom can swing open to enable the car to discharge its contents. The wheels of the mine car are attached to the swingable bottom and the rear wheel assembly has an axle arrangement such that the rear wheels can straddle a guide rail which serves to maintain the open bottom in the desired position.

Description

United States Patent 72 I inventor Fred Greenwood Tingley, Morley, England [21 Appl. No. 867,550

[22] Filed Oct. 20, 1969 [45] Patented Nov. 16, 1971 [73] Assignee Robert Hudson Limited Leeds, York, England [32] Priority Oct. 22, 1968 {3 3] Great Britain [54] MINE CARS 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] u.s.c| 214/63, 1o5/241c, 105/308 51 mu B6ld7/30 [50] Field olSearch 214/58,62, 62 A, 63; [05/241, 241 C, 224, 260, 308

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 990,380 4/l9ll 0rd 2 l 4/63 2,675,135 4/l 954 Sanford 214/58 Primary Examiner- Robert G. Sheridan Attorney-Abraham A. Saffitz ABSTRACT: A mine car of a generally rectangular form of which the bottom can swing open to enable the car to discharge its contents. The wheels of the mine car are attached to the swingable bottom and the rear wheel assembly has an axle arrangement such that the rear wheels can straddle a guide rail which serves to maintain the open bottom in the desired position.

MINE CARS This invention relates to a rail car which is for use in mines and which is of the type having a bottom which can be opened to allow the contents of the car to be discharged therethrough. The bottom is hinged to the remainder of the car and has a rolling element guide which is for engaging a guide rail means when the bottom is opened as the car travels over a dumping station. The car of course is provided with rail wheels to enable same to run on mine rails. Such a rail car will be referred to hereinafter and in the appended claims as a rail car of the type aforesaid."

As cars of the type aforesaid have to operate in mines i.e., places where space is restricted, it is desirable that the overall height to enable the car to dump efficiently should be as small as possible.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mine car which can operate in a mine in a restricted area so that the length of guide rail and the excavation required at the dumping station can be reduced.

According to the present invention there is provided a rail car of the type aforesaid wherein the bottom is hinged at one end of the car and the rolling element guide is mounted at the other end, and when the bottom is closed, the rolling element guide is located above the rail wheels, and at least the rear pair of rail wheels is mounted or arranged so that the guide rail means can pass between and intersect the axis of the or each pair of rail wheels.

As the guide rail means can pass between at least the rear pair of rail wheels this enables at least the rear pair of wheels to straddle the guide rail means, and the length of the guide rail means at the dumping section can be made shorter and the inclined sections thereof steeper than previously.

Preferably, the front and rear pairs of rail wheels are arranged or mounted so that the guide rail means can pass between each pair of rail wheels and intersect the axis of each pair of wheels.

The mine car may have four rail wheels, a front pair and a rear pair.

The car preferably has a holding catch which holds the bottom closed, but which can be released by a release means adapted to cooperate with a ramp means appropriately positioned in relation to the mine rails ahead of the dumping station so that the holding catch is released to allow the bottom to open as the car travels forwardly over the dumping station, whereas the holding catch is not released when the car travels rearwardly over the dumping station.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of several mine cars of the type aforesaid in position as they travel over a dumping station;

FIG. IA is an end view of plinths on which the cars are supported as they travel over the dumping station;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the chassis of one of the mine cars shown in FIG. I; and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the holding catch, release means and ramp for the automatic release of the bottom of each car.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, a dumping station in a mine comprises a cavity into which the contents of mine cars 12 of the type aforesaid are discharged. Located above the cavity 10 is a V-shaped guide rail 14 and above the guide rail 14 and on each side thereof are concrete plinths 16 (FIG. 1A) on which are rotatably mounted a plurality of support rollers 18 which support the mine cars 12 as they travel over the cavity in the direction of

arrows

20, 22, by engaging support tracks 19 on each side of each car 12.

Each car 12 is an open topped container 24 having a bottom 26 thereto which is hinged at to the front end of the conminer and at the rear end and which carries a rotatable guide wheel 28 which engages the guide rail 14 as the car travels over the dumping station in the direction of arrow 20. During this movement the bottom 26 of the car opens under gravity as shown in the middle car in FIG. I, and the contents of the car 12 are dumped into the cavity 10.

Each car 12 has four rail wheels, a front pair 30, and a rear pair 32 and each pair is mounted on an axle 34 (see FIGJ2), which is cranked upwardly at 36 to enable the rail 14 to pass between each pair of

rail wheels

30, 32 and intersect the axes of said pairs of

wheels

30, 32. This enables the pairs of

wheels

30, 32 to straddle" the rail 14 as shown in FIG. 2 and the overall height required for efficient operation of the car 12 is reduced. This enables the length of rail 14 to be reduced and also lessens the amount of excavation required to produce cavity 10.

The bottom 26 of each car 12 is held in the closed position by a holding catch which is automatically released by engagement of a release member and a ramp to enable the car 12 to dump its contents as it travels over the dumping station in the forwards direction. The arrangement is such that when the car travels in a rearwards direction (arrow 22) over the dumping station the catch is not released.

Details of the catch arrangement are shown in FIG. 3.

At the rear end the bottom 26 is provided with a catch rod 38 while the adjacent part of the car body has a pivotable catch arm 40 which hooks round rod 38 to hold the bottom of the car closed. A pivotable release arm 42 carrying a follower roller element 44 is positioned at each side of the car body and is operatively connected to the catch arm 40 through a spring 45, the arrangement being that if the release am 42 is pivoted anticlockwise in FIG. 3 to position A," the arm 40 is released from the rod 38 so that the bottom of the car can open, but if the arm 42 is pivoted clockwise in FIG. 3 to position B," then the arm 42 is simply deflected against the action of spring 45 andlthe catch arm 40 maintains its engagement with rod 30. The arm 42 may operate under gravity instead of being spring urged.

In operation, the release arms 42 are deflected automatically by ramp 46 positioned one at each side of cavity 10 and at the forward end thereof. These ramps, shown clearly in FIGS. 1 and 1A, may be fixed in relation to the mine rails 48 or may be adjustable relative thereto to vary the position at which the catch may be released.

The operation of the arrangement is described as follows. Assuming the cars 12, or a single car 12, to be travelling in the spaced mine rails 48 in the direction of arrow 20 towards the dumping station. Where the rails 48 terminate, the car 12 moves onto support rollers 18 and the holding catch arm 40 is released from rod 38 as above described by engagement of ramps 46 by rollers 44. On continued movement over the cavity 10, the car bottom 26 opens under gravity in that it swings about pivot 25 with its guide wheels running in the guide rail 14 which lies midway between rails 48. The bottom 26 again closes after the contents of the car 12 have been discharge therethrough, as the car 12 travels to the end of the cavity and the car runs onto the guide rails 48. The catch arm also automatically hooks onto the rod 38 and holds the bottom of the car closed. The car bottom does not open when the car travels in the reverse direction over the cavity 10 because the release arms 42 for the catch are displaced by the ramp 46 in a clockwise direction in FIG. 3.

A further advantage of the invention arising from the fact that the length of guide rail and hence dumping station is maintained at a minimum, is that the tractive vehicle pulling the cars has greater control because of the shorter distance and hence shorter time the vehicle has to travel without tractive effort being obtained through the driving wheels. Also, the speed of the vehicle at entry to the dumping station can be reduced and the vehicle will still travel freely over the dumping station. The guide rail can be made of lighter construction and can if so constructed, be installed easier.

The provision of the holding catch means which is released when the car travels in one direction only provides the considerable advantage that the cars can be shunted back and forth over a limited length of track, and they do not, as previously, have to journey round a loop in order to be emptied.

Modifications of the above described arrangement may be made; for example the rail wheel axles, instead of being cranked, as shown, may be short stub axles between which the rail 14 can pass and also, it may not be necessary that the rail [4 should pass between the front pair of rail wheels and intersect the axis thereof.

lclaim:

"1. In a rail car for use in mines which comprises a generally rectangular receptacle having a bottom panel hinged at one end thereof which swings downwardly to discharge the contents as the car passes over an excavated discharge station, said bottom panel carrying a rolling guide element adapted for rolling on a guide track which spans said discharge station so that said bottom panel swings to open and close the car as the car passes over the discharge station, said bottom panel further having an axle assembly at each end thereof, each axle assembly comprising an axle extending transversely of the car with a rail wheel at each end thereof, the improvement comprising cranking means for upwardly cranking the axle of the axle assembly at the free end of the bottom panel between the rail wheels so that the rail wheels straddle the guide track to the extent that the guide track intersects the rotary axis of the rail wheels whereby a saving is effect in excavation to provide the discharge station.

2. ln a rail car in accordance with claim 1, additional cranking means operatively connected to the axle of the axle assembly at the other end of said bottom panel in a manner similar to the free end.

3. In a rail car for use in mines which comprises a generally rectangular receptacle having a bottom panel hinged at one end thereof which swings downwardly to discharge the contents of the car as the car passes over an excavated discharge station, said bottom panel carrying a rolling guide element adapted for rolling on a guide track which spans said discharge station so that the bottom panel swings to open and close as the car passes over the discharge station, said bottom panel further having an axle assembly at each end thereof, each axle assembly comprising an axle extending transversely of the car and having a rail wheel at each end thereof; the improvement comprising a hooking and holding catch and release lever independently pivotally connected to the receptacle at the end adjacent the free end of the bottom panel, and a member at the free end of the bottom panel around which the said catch hooks to hold the bottom panel in the closed position, said release lever being adapted to engage a cam track operatively positioned in relation to the discharge station such that the release lever swings and moves the catch to release the bottom panel when the car travels in one direction, but when the car travels in the opposite direction and the release arm engages the cam track, it swings in the opposite direction without engaging and releasing the catch, said catch being spring loaded to the position in which it engages the member on the bottom panel.

Claims

1. In a rail car for use in mines which comprises a generally rectangular receptacle having a bottom panel hinged at one end thereof which swings downwardly to discharge the contents as the car passes over an excavated discharge station, said bottom panel carrying a rolling guide element adapted for rolling on a guide track which spans said discharge station so that said bottom panel swings to open and close the car as the car passes over the discharge station, said bottom panel further having an axle assembly at each end thereof, each axle assembly comprising an axle extending transversely of the car with a rail wheel at each end thereof, the improvement comprising cranking means for upwardly cranking the axle of the axle assembly at the free end of the bottom panel between the rail wheels so that the rail wheels straddle the guide track to the extent that the guide track intersects the rotary axis of the rail wheels whereby a saving is effect in excavation to provide the discharge station.

2. In a rail car in accordance with claim 1, additional cranking means operatively connected to the axle of the axle assembly at the other end of said bottom panel in a manner similar to the free end.