US403269A - Conveyer - Google Patents

Description

Patented May 14,v 1889..

(No Model.) A 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. E. EURL-EY.

GONVBYER'. I

No. 403,269. PatentedMay 14, 1889 .Y 5 sheets-sheet l3. R. E. HURLBY.

GONVEYER.

No. 408,269. Patented May 14, 1889.

(No Model.) I K 5 sheets-sheet 4.

' R. E. HURLEY.

GONVEYER.-

No. 403,269. Patented May 14, 1889.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l R. E. HURLBY.

CONVEYER.

N0. 403,269. Patented May 14, 1889.

mn H u T11/43,5

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. HURLEY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,269, dated May 14, 1889. Application filed May 17, 1888. Serial No. 274,136. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, ROBERT E. IIURLEY, re siding at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oonveyers, which I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, and of which the following is a specification.

The general object of my invention is to improve the construction and simplify the operation of conveyers used in the handling of lumber, ties, and similar articles, wherein such articles are forwarded by means of rollers secured to rotate in suitable guideways, which rollers are rotated by means of frictional contact between them and an endless cable driven by suitable power.

For purposes of illustration I have shown my improvements embodied in a trackdaying apparatus in which the train of cars is used to carry the ties and rails and to deliver the ties, by means of ways attached at the side of the cars, to the point where they are to be laid. In such constructiomtrains a locomotive may be employed to propel the train and to furnish steam to a stationary engine located upon a liat` car, preferably placed next to the locomotive, and by means of which stationary engine the ties and rails may be carried from the various cars of the train to the point where they are desired to be used.

My improvements relate more particularly to the construction and operation of the rollers and cylinders by which the materials are forwarded; also to improvements in devices for taking up the slack of an endless cable used to rotate said rollers, and also to certain improvements in guideways forming part of the conveyer, whereby the apparatus when used in track-laying may deliver the ties at the center of the road-bed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a track-laying apparan tus embodying the several features of my improvements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a flat car upon which is mounted a stationary engine used to impart motion to the cable, and showing, also, in side elevation my improved devices for taking up the slack of said cable. Fig. 3 is a detail of pulleys used in connection with the slack-taking device. Fig. -LL is a detail of the gearing and pulleys whereby motion is imparted by the engine to the cable. Fig. 5 shows in plan view my improvedV construction of rollers and the means whereby I propel them. Fig. 6 is a side elevation. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a bracket which I employ to carry the rollers, a roller in position, edge views of the sheaves over which the cable travels, and showing the cable in` cross-section therein. Fig. 8 is a detail showing a plate for supporting one end of the axle of the roller. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the roller. Fig. lO is a side elevation of the guideways used at the forward end of the train, and whereby the ties are delivered over the center of the road-bed, and Fig. 1l is a plan view of the same.

It has been proposed hitherto to provide construction-trains with a train or guide way made in sections, one attached to each car and provided with rollers journaled in the way at frequent intervals, these rollers being caused to rotate through the agency of an' endless cable driven by an engine, the ties being carried along by the revolution of the rollers. The necessary friction between the rollers and the cable to insure the operation of the latter was secured by causing the cable to travel in a V- shaped groove of the rollers and by the use of auxiliary friction devices. It has also been proposed torotate the rollers by means of chain belts. Obviously, much power is wasted in either of these modes of operation, because a link belt of sufiicient length to reach from one end of the construction-train to the other and back would be very heavy, and a great deal of power would be required to drive it, while with the rope or wire cable above mentioned `considerable loss of power is attendant upon the use of auxiliary friction devices, and also because, with this construction, the cable mustbe kept equally taut at all times, whether the ties which are passing over the rollers be light or heavy and whether their passage be more or less frequent. I have therefore devised means whereby the superimposed weight of the tie itself upon the rollers is made to furnish the necessary friction between the rollers and the cable to cause the former to rotate.

Referring again to the drawings, l shows a series of iiat cars upon which are carried IOO ties 2, rails 3, as desired,'a car, 4, at the rear end of the train next to the locomotive, a stationary engine, 5, mounted thereon, and the car 6 at the front of the train, which may be provided with a suspended section of guideways, and the means for projecting the ties and delivering them onto the road-bed in front of the train.

Upon the sides of the cars l brackets 7 are secured, as shown in detail in Fig. 7. These brackets may engage the stake-socket 8, and may be braced laterally by means of braces 9, which abut against the sill of the car. These brackets carrysidebars, 10, which also perform the functions of guides for the ties, and upon -the outer of said bars, by preference, I secure the carrying-plate ll, having an elongated slot or bearing, l2, to receive one end of the axle of the rollers 13, whereby said rollers have at that end sufficient vertical play to enable them to adjust themselves automatically under the varying weight of the ties which pass over them and cause su fticient friction to rotate them. These brackets 7 may also carry hangers ll, having sheave 15 to support the cable 16 while returning. A second sheave, l5, may be placed at one side of the roller, shown, and secured to a cross-picce, 17, or it may be secured directly beneath the roller. This sheave is in such proximity to the lower surface of the roller that the cable which travels in said sheave will be in frictional contact with the roller. Now it is evidentt-hatonly the weight of the roller is upon the cable, unless the former carrying' a tie, the frictional contact between the cable and roller being slight and resulting in a consequent saving of power. A further saving of power results from the fact that there is no downward journal-pressure on the movable end of the roller, as the weight of the roller and tie comes directly upon the cable, and the latter is not deflected by anxiliary friction devices, but travels at all times in lines parallel to the train. It is also evident that the roller adjusts itself perfectly under ties of different weights. Both ends of the rollers may be adjustable. The cable may be placed at any point along the length of the roller, or two cables-one for each endmay be used.

In Fig. 9 I have shown an improved construction of roller, consisting of a metallic shell or cylinder, i8, having metallic end sections, 1.0,and an axle, 20, jeurnaled in the end sections and on which the rollers revolve. The end sections are secured within the shell by means of rods or bolts 2l, or they may be riveted. Evidently the axle of the roller may be fixed thereto and one of its ends journaled in a sliding j ournal-box on the plate ll. This construction of rollerislight, strong, and durable. The cross-piece l7 braces the guideway structure and it may take the form of a shield to guide the ends of the ties upon thef rollers.

Cable l0 is an endless cable which is driven by the stationary engine 5 on car et, and ithas the take-up devices shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which I will now describe. The cable passes from a driving-pulley, 22, to a sheave, 23, carried by a swinging arm, 24, the upper end of which is adapted to travel upon a stationary upright, 25. This and a similar upright, 26, form guides for the weight 27, and the cord 28, attached to said weight, is carried over the sheave 29 and thence down under the sheave 30 and made fast to or at the sheave 23. The pivoted link 3l connects the swinging arm 2lwith the bottom of the upright 25. From the sheave 23 the cable passes over a sheave, 32, rotatably secured between the sheave 23 and the engine, and is then carried back over a sheave, 23, having a common axis with sheave 23. From this sheave the cable passes eut in the direction indicated by the arrow.

The operation of this device is very simple and consists in this: Supposing the cable to be taut, should it from any cause stretch or lengthen, the weight 27 being at the upper limit of its travel and the sheaves 23 23L being in close proximity to the sheave 32, lengthen- :ing or slaclcening of the cable will cause the weight to descend, drawing back, through the medium of the rope 2S, the sheaves 23, thereby taking up such slack very rapidly by reason of doubling the cable over the sheaves To secure the maximum effect of the enginepower upon the cable, I employ two sheaves, 22 and 22, geared together, as shown in Fig. 4, and so placed with relation to each other and to the cable as to present a greater extent of friction-surface to the cable than can be attained with the ordinary arrangement of sheaves. As will be observed, the sheave 22 has its axis of rotation only slightly above that of the sheave 22, and it need be only so much above as will permit the cable to clear. rThe cable is taken on at the upper side of sheave 22, traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow, passes around said sheave for about three-quarters of its circumference,

and thence passes onto the upper side of sheave 22 and around the same for about three-qu arters of its circumference, and thence passes to the slack take-up device.

Heretofore it has been difficult to provide convenientmechanism for delivering ties over the center of the road-bed, and it has only been accomplished by carrying the guideways over the center of the cars-a construction which is very undesirable and has been discarded in the later forms of track-laying apparatus. I combine the guideways attached to the side of the car with a central deliverymextension, which 'is clearly shown in Figs. 1,10, and 1].. As 4will be seen from those figures, the section of'guideway affixed to the car G inclines upwardly from rear to front, and is there connected to a short section, 34C, which extends diagonally forward to a point over the middle of the road-bed and there joins a downwardly-in- IOO IIO

clining section, 35, projecting forward over the road-bed and suspended by suitable guys, 36, which 5are connected to the truss-frame 37 38. It may be found expedient to carry the main cable up to the point where the section 33 joins the section 34, at which point a man may be stationed to forward the ties over this diagonal section of track and start them down the incline 35, along which they will move by gravity. This means of delivering ties, while simple in its construction, effects a considerable saving in the practical work of track-laying, inasmuch as it allows thelaborers to stand upon the road-bed Yupon either side of the delivery-point and necessitates only such handling of the ties as is necessary to turn them crosswise of theroad-bed in proper position to be laid.

One obj ect of inclining the section of track 33 is to carry it to such an elevation as will allow the men to conveniently work and handle material at the end of the car.

I claiml. In a conveyer for ties or other materials, the combination of a guideway having a series of rollers each of which has one end vertically adjustable, whereby the superimposed weight of the article moved thereon shall depress said roller, and a cable upon which the depressed roller bears and by which it is rotated, substantially as described.

2. In a conveyer for ties, clac., the combination, with guideways provided with rollers, one end of which is vertically adjustable, of an endless cable adapted to be brought into frictional contact with said rollers when the latter are depressed, and an engine for giving motion to said cable, substantially as described.

3. In a conveyer, the combination, with guideways having rollers rotatably secured therein, said rollers vhaving one of their ends vertically adjustable in its bearings, of an end` less cable adapted to be brought into frictional contact with the rollers when depressed, and sheaves to sustain said cable in such frictional contact, substantially as described.

4D. In a conveyer for railway-ties, the combination, with guideways consisting of brackets 7, rails 10, and brace 9, of rollers 13, jour naled therein and having one end vertically adjustable, cable 16, and sheaves l5, substantially as described.

5. A roller for conveyers consisting of a cylindrical shell, separable heads therefor having a flanged circumference and a sunken central portion with a hub to form a journalbearing for an axle, an axle extended through the shell and j ournaled in the heads, and bolts or rivets having their heads and securingnuts seated upon the sunken portion of the heads, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with an endless cable, of a device for taking up the slack of such cable, comprising -a sheave, 23, connected to a swinging arm, 24, and a weight connected by a cord with said sheave, whereby the slack of the cable is taken up by the descent of the weight and the drawing back of the sheave, substantially as described.

7. In a slack-take-up device, the combination, with an endless cable, of a system of pulleys over which the cable is passed, two of said pulleys being secured to rotate upon a common axis, and being movable, substan 75 tially as described.

8. The combination, with an endless cable, of a slack-take-up device comprising a movable pulley over which the cable is passed, a swinging and endwise-movable arm to which said pulley is connected, and a weight connected to said pulley, whereby to move it to take up the slack of the cable, substantially as described.

9. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a car, of a guideway affixed to the side ofsaid car and inclined upwardly from rear to front thereof, a section of guideway projecting from the side of the car to near the middle of its width, and a downwardly-inclined section of guideway projecting out over the middle of the road-bed and in front of the train, said sections constituting a continuous guideway whereby the ties are carried from the side of thecar to the middle of the road-bed, substantially as described.

10. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination of a guideway comprising the sections 33 34 35, with a suitable suspending medium, 36 37 38, substantially as described.

ROBERT E. HURLEY.

Witnesses C. C. LrNrHroUM, T. D. BUTLER.

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