US473203A - Island - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets -Sheet 1. B. ARNOLD. ENDLESS CHAIN ELEVATOR.

Patented Apr. 19, 1892.

JIQVENTEIR.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shea 2. B. ARNOLD.

ENDLESS CHAIN ELEVATOR.

No. 473,203. Patented Apr. 19, 1892."

INVENTDR| W IT N'ESE ES.

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

BENJAMIN ARNOLD, OF EAST GREENWIOH, RHODE ISLAND.

EN DLESS-CHAIN ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 473,203, dated April 19, 1892.

Application filed December 26 1891- Serial No. 416, (N model.) I

I elevators called endless-chain elevators,

using endless chains with buckets for the purpose of raising coal, grain, sand, and other commodities, and is intended in this case for use in transferring such merchandise from one vessel to another or to cars or for storage in buildings constructed for that purpose. It has been found necessary in elevators of this class when used for unloading vessels to provide for the difference in the height of the vessel with regard to the elevator and its motive power caused by the rise and fall of the tide and the change in the level of the coal, grain, &;c., to be raised as the unloading of the vessel progresses.

This invention, which is an improvement on that disclosed in my United States Patent, No. 465,313, dated Decomber 15, 1891, relates to the means for raising and lowering the elevator-frame, and also in moving it in and out from the wharf. In other respects it is in tended to be constructed and operated as described in that patent.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the elevator located on a wharf, with engine to furnish the power to operate it and acoalbarge in section in position to be discharged. Figs. 2 and 3 show the wormand gear used to raise the elevator-frame in different positions enlarged. Fig. 4 represents a front elevation of the upper part of the elevator. Fig. 5 is a separate side view of one of the racks and gears used to raise the elevator-frame. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the elevator with its lower end resting on the wharf, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken through line an 00' in Fig. 1.

The stationary parts of the elevator consist of two side frames A, like the one shown in Fig. 1, connected together by means of beams,

and a platform near the top, upon which the commodity raised is to be delivered. Three horizontal shafts e Z on are placed across from one frame to the other at the top and held in suitable bearings on each frame. Each of these shafts has two wheels on it. The wheels 0 O on the shaft 6 and the wheels 0 O on the shaft we support the greater part of the weight of the chains and buckets attached to them, and the wheels 0 have also the load in the bucket to support when in operation.

B is a movable frame made in two side parts connected together by suitable cross beams orbars to form a solid frame. It may be constructed of wood forlight grain elevating, or of flanged iron, as it is represented, for coal, &c. It has bearings attached to both side parts at their lower ends to receive a horizontal cross-shaft, upon which the wheels H are held, around which the chains and their buckets pass in taking up the coal or grain. The wheels J are held on another horizontal cross-shaft having bearings on the upper end of the frame B.

D is an extension of the frame B, made lighter and preferably in two parts on each side to form channels bet-ween them for gearwheels at, on which its upper part rests, and connected together at the top for mutualsupport, as most of the load comes on the front bars. The gear-wheels a are made fast to the shaft 6, making that shaft the center of motion on which the whole movable frame swings. The front bars of the frame D are provided with toothed racks o, the teeth of which engage in the pinion-gears a, that when the shaft e, upon which the pinions are fast, is turned by the chain-wheel 5, fast on its outer end, the frame will be raised or lowered by the gears and racks, according to the direction in which the chain-wheel r is turned.

A horizontal driving shaft V is held in bearings, one on each of the main uprights of the frame A, and has a wheel L, by which it is turned, secured on one end outside of the bearing and two chain-wheels F F made fast on it between the bearings to carry the chains and buckets which pass around those wheels in going down empty.

The wheels 0, O, G, 1-1, and J may be simply pulleys loose on the shafts and around which the chains 1) pass; but the drivingwheels F, F, and L are constructed so as to either drive the chains passing over them, as in the case of the wheels F, or made to be driven by a chain y from the engine, as wheel L is, and they may be either sprocketwheels or wild-cat wheels used for working chain cables.

Two endless chains 1) I), having a series of buckets (Z (Z placed across from one chain to m the other and properly secured to both, are used to convey the coal or grain, the. The course of the chains and buckets is from the driving-wheels F F, which move them, up over the wheels J, then down around the wheels II,

I 5 where the buckets fill themselves, thence up with their contents over the wheel 0, and down under the wheel G, which depresses the chains and causes the buckets to be tipped over,,between the wheelsO and G sufficiently to discharge their contents into the chute E below them, thence up over the wheel O,which is for the purpose of carrying the chains and empty buckets far enough back from the chains of full buckets in front to admit of the I chute being placed between the ascending and descending chains and buckets and down empty to the driving-wheels F F. The coal, grain, &c., is carried from thebarge K by the buckets d, which automatically fill themselves in passing around the wheels II up over the wheels (J, and as they pass down on the back of wheels 0 to go under the wheels G they are inclined sufficiently to insure their contents being discharged through the intervals be- 5 tween the buckets into the chute E, placed under the wheels 0 G 0 between the ascending and descending portions of the chain 5, and by the chute are conveyed out one side from between the chains down into cars or other receptacle provided to receive them.

The chain and empty buckets then pass up over the wheels 0', down under the drivingwheels F, up over the wheels J, and down to the wheels H again.

The object of the movable frame 13 is to allow the lower wheel II, with the chains and buckets, to be let down to the depth necessary to reach the coal, grain, &c.,in the vessel,which, as before stated, may by reason of the tide,&c., be more or less below the level of the elevatorbase.

The mechanism for raising and lowering the frame 13 consists of the racks U and gears a, before referred to, the first being attached 5 to the front bars of the frame D and the latter to the shaft 6, which has a chain-wheel 8 fast on its outer end, that is connected by a chain m with a chain-wheel 7', fast on the side of the worm-gear 0, held loosely on the shaft t. A short shaft 20 is held in a bearing 7", at-

tached to the frame A at right angles to the shaft t and at such a distance therefrom that the worm g on the end of the shaft u; will engage properly with the teeth of the wheel 0 and operate it when turned. The bearing 9" of the shaft 10 is secured to the frame A by a bolt 6 at its lower end, on which it swings,

and a bolt 17. in a slot at its upper end, which allows the bearing to swing over and carry the worm 9 out of engagement with the wheel 0, as shown in Fig. 3.

In operation when the crank h on the end of the shaft to is turned in one direction the top of the wheel 0 will move over to the right, and the gear a will be carried over in the same direction by the chain on, wheel 8, and chain-wheel vand will raise the frames D and B by the racks v; but if the crank h is turn ed in the opposite direction the motions of the parts will be reversed and the frames lowered until the lower end rests 011 the material to be raised, when if the motion of the crank is continued the worm Q will run itself out of engagement with wheel 0 by tipping the hearing 0* over, as shown in Fig. 3. The movable frame B will then be free to rise and fall with the vessel, as affected by the tide, or to follow down as fast as the load is removed by the buckets.

For the purpose of moving the frame B toward or from the wharf to accommodate it to the position of the vessel or its cargo an arm n is pivoted to the shaft t and connected to the frame B by a stud 19, made fast in that frame and passing through a slot in the arm, in which it is free to slide. A chain-wheel 0 is made fast on the shaft tand provided with a chain that engages with it and which passes out around a pulley z', pivoted to the outer end of the arm a. The chain j is fastened to the stud 19, that when the wheel 0 is turned by the crank 8, attached to, the shaft 6, the chain will draw the frame 13 in and out by the stud 19, according to which way the crank is turned. In large heavy elevators another chain-wheel 0 is made fast to the other end of the shaft 25, and duplicates of arm a, stud 19, chain j, and pulley 2' are arranged to operate in like manner on the other side of the frame B, that both sides may move together.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my improvements, [claim as my invention-- l. In an endless-chain elevator, astationary frame, a movable frame, guide-bars on the movable frame, provided with racks at their upper ends, a cross-shaft held in bearings attached to the stationary frame and adapted to support the movable frame and serve as a center for it to swing on, gear-wheels fast on the cross-shaft and engaging in said racks and adapted to raise the movable frame, and means for turning said cross-shaft, all combined substantially as specified.

2. In an endless-chain elevator having a movable frame for the purpose of adjustment, a swingingarm held at one end on a shaft attached to the stationary frame of the elevator and connected with the movable frame by means of a stud fast in said movable frame and sliding in a slot in the arm, in combination with a chain-wheel held on said shaft and a chain engaging with said chain-wheel and passing out over a pulley pivoted near the outer end of said arm and fastened to swinging bearings forsaid W0rm,aw0rm-gear said stud, substantially as set forth. and its shaft, and flexible connections between 3. In an endless-chain elevator having a the shafts mentioned. movable frame for the purpose of adjustment 5 and a shaft at the upper end of said frame, Witnesses:

means for raising and lowering said frame, E. B. READ, comprising a worm on the stationary frame, J. E. ARNOLD.

BENJ. ARNOLD.

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