US776009A - Car-dumping apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTBD Novum; 1904'.

N0 MODE H. H. BIGHOUSE. GAR DUMPING APPARATUS.

APFLIOATION FILED HOV. 30. 1397.

PATBNTED 100V. 2,0; 1904.

H. BIGHOUSB.

GAR DUMPING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 30, 1897.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2` No MODEL.

wwwa/ooe No. 776,009. Patented November 29, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY H. BIGHOUSE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR '.lO THE J'lilFiilxflCY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A COhPORA'iION OF OHIO.

CAR-DUNIPING APPARATUS..

SPECXFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. "776,009, dated November 29, 1904. Application filed November S0, 1897. Serial No. 660,279. (No model.)

T @U IN1/(fm1 Wfl/U wwYW/f is, as aforesaid, at the front end of the tilting 50 Be it known that l, HENRY H. Bleironsn, a track, I meaning thereby that it is at a line citizen of the UnitedStates, residing' atColumin front of the center of gravity of the total bus, in the county of Franklin and State of load upon the hinge. This arrangement is Ohio, have invented certain new and useful employed for important reasons to be pre- Improvements in Car-Dumping Apparatus; sented below. ln frontof the tilting section 5 5 and Ido declare thefollowingto beafull,clear, A is the section A2, which receives the cars and exact description of the invention, such as from the tilting section A after they have been will enable others skilled in the art to which it emptied. For some purposes it may be staro appertains to make and use the same, refertionary relatively to the part A; but I prefer cneebeing had to theaccompanying drawings, to connect the two sections together pivotand to the letters of reference marked thereally, by hinge-bolts, at a. The track-secon, which form a part of this sijieciiication.y tion A2 is also pivoted at its front end, and

Figure l is a side elevation of part of an apthe slight amount of vertical play of this track- 15 paratus having my improvements. Fig. 2 is section is provided by hinging the front and a top view. Fig. 3 shows part of the eylinthe rear, 65 der and valve-chest. Fig. t is a section ofthe While the car is upon the tilting track-secsame parts slightlymodilied. Fig. 5 shows tion A, at least until afterithas been emptied, the engine-shield. Figs. 6 and 7 are views of it is held by means of a movable stop. This zo a tilting rail. Fig.Y 8 is a plan of one of the preferably consists of one or more horns or car-stops. Fig. 9 shows the separable parts upwardly-extending curved projections C C, 70 of the stop-operating mechanism. Fig. l0 is adapted to lie in front of and engagey with the a side elevation, conventionalized, ol a track front wheel or wheels of the car. The tilting system. F ll is a top view of the same. track-section has the rails a' a. These are 2 5 The track over which the cars travel is made placed upon and fastened to bearing-pieces a2,

up of several sections, one indicated by A, anwhich are mounted on the aforesaid hinge B. other by A/, and a third by A. rlhe section At their rear ends the rails are secured to a A is stationary, it, in fact, constituting merely cross-plate l.) or equivalent framework, which the terminal part of a more or less prolonged joins and holds them rigidly together. 3o railway. E is a brace-bar extending from the lower The present invention pertains more parside of the bearing-blockst2 backward and ex- SO ticularly to the apparatus for unloading coaltending to the cross plate or frame i). mine cars as they are brought out from the The stops C are formed with or secured to mine to the tipple for screening and storing plate portions C, lying horizontally, iitting 3 5 or reloading in larger cars, and therefore the and movable in the space between the bars E track-section A may be regarded as part of and the bottom of the rails a'. rl`hey are held 85 the ordinary mine-track. T hat at A is a tiltby vertical pivots at c and are rigid with 1eing track-section, it having a hinge B secured ver-arms C. At their inner ends these leverto the main framework. This hinge, unlike arms are connected by links F to a slide-plate 4o those heretofore commonly used for support- Cr, held in any suitable manner, as by a guide ing the tilting track-sections of mine-ear- H, secured to the cross-plate D. If the slide dumping mechanism, is situated at the front Cr be pushed forward, it will in turn throw the end of the section A. Heretofore the hinge links F, push forward on lever-arms C, and has been located on such line remote from the throw outward the stops CC; but the stops are 45 front end that it would lie in the rear of the normally held inward in position to engage center of gravity of the track-section and the with the wheels of a car by a spring or equivloaded car thereon, and consequently the ear aient I, which is connected by links vf to the could be dumped by the action of gravity; plates C', and this spring consequently also but in the present construction this hinge-line holds the slide-plate Cr in its rear normal position, which position is near the transverseline of the rear ends of the tilting track-rails. The described parts C', C2, F, and G constitute the one part or element of atwo-part operating mechanism for the stop, which part, as will be seen, is connected to the tilting track-section. These in turn are operated by the other element of said two-part mechanism, this second element or part consisting mainly of a tripper J and means for connecting it detachably with the first element or part. The tripper J is preferably of the nature of a lever. It is shown as pivoted at j and as having connected to it a push-rod K, adapted to detachably engage with the slide-plate G. The pivot j', and consequently the tripper J are supported stationarily relatively to the tilting track-section. The tripner is held in its normal position by mechanism independent of the spring I, that holds the stops C. This mechanism consists of a weight L, attached to an arm Z, connected to the tripper.

At M there is an adjusting-screw or other suitable adjusting device for setting and holding the tripper at the proper' point.

When the mechanism is in use, a train of loaded cars is behind the tripper J, each ready to be in turn moved forward to the tilting track-section and there emptied. As soon as one is emptied the next loaded one is pushed forward. It instantly strikes the tripper J, pushes it forward, and through that pushes the push-rod K, the slide G, the links F, and the levers C2 and opens the stops C, and as this loaded car tends to move forward toward and upon the tilting section it strikes and advances the previously-emptied car. Just as the rear end of the loaded car passes over the tripper the weight L draws backward the latter and the push-rod K, and then the spring I is free to instantly close the stops C to catch and stop the loaded car, although the previously-emptied one has had time to escape and advance onto the receiving track-section A2.

An examination of the drawings in connection with the above description will disclose a number of peculiarities incident to the construction and arrangement of parts above referred to. First, it will be seen that I hinge the tilting track-section in the manner above described at a line relatively near the receiving track-section A2. Secondly, it will be seen that the tilting track-section is relatively very short, much shorter than has been heretofore customary, the rear ends of the rails c extending but a short distance behind the rear wheels of the car. Third, it will be seen that the next loaded car is ready to trip the stops before it reaches the tilting track-section, the stop-operating mechanism being, as aforesaid, in two parts detachably connected. Fourth, I dispense entirely with the complicated and cumbersome mechanism heretofore used for controlling the movements of the tilting track and dumping-car, such as long curved friction-bars, together with frictionshoes, levers, links, &c., to operate the same. Fifth, I obviate the necessity of dropping the hinged end of the receiving track-section A2 and the tilting track-section A through the several feet that must be traveled by these ends in the earlier constructions. The present arrangement only necessitates the movement of a very few inches of the receiving track-section A2. By dispensing with friction controlling devices heretofore in use I am enabled to shorten the tilting track-section in the way described. Considerable length was required for this section when such controlling means were employed, as it was necessary to assist them with as long a leverage as possible to attain a satisfactory holding and controlling of the car. After doing away with them the tilting part can be shortened, as aforesaid, and as a consequence of this the forward car of a train of loaded ones can be brought close up to the position of dumping, so that at the instant after the emptying of one car has occurred the next loaded one is so close that it can be advanced to the dumping position without the loss of time; but in the earlier constructions a period of time, which was not only appreciable, but was a cause of great loss, elapsed with the advance of each loaded car. This will be understood when it is remembered that at some mines several thousand cars a day must be dumped.

Immediately after a car is emptied it is advanced to the track A2, the present arrangement of devices not requiring that it should be carried backward at all, and in this respect the apparatus is distinguished from those heretofore in use, in which after the car was tilted it had to be carried backward for a considerable distance over the same track upon which it was brought forward.

At A3 there is a supplemental track provided with a switch by which the car is so guided that it can return over a track A* independent of the parts above described and by which it can be taken to a place for reloadlng.

Having placed the hinge at the front end of the tilting track-section and near the receiving-section A2, I dispense with the long drop of the front end of the car and on the contrary depend upon elevating the rear end for the purpose of dumping the contents. This elevating I accomplish by a positivelyacting power mechanism, and by preference the latter consists, essentially, of a cylinder containing a piston adapted to receive steam or an equivalent agent, the piston being connected with the tilting' track by a suitable mechanism for transmitting power. I am aware that cylinders for the purpose of elevating a car platform or track have been used; but l believe myself to be the lirst to have employed a cylinder which could be firmly TOO IIO

and rigidly fastened in place and to have connected its piston by a single rod to the tilting track. To suitably arrange these elements, I prefer to have the upper end of the cylinder more or less ope-n, at least not steamtight, and to connect the car-track andthe piston by means of a vibrating rod extending directly from one to the other. Y This avoids the necessity of guides and also obviates the hinging of the cylinder either at one end or upon trunnions intermediate of its ends. By employing a rigidlyanounted cylinder and a single piston-rod or a power-rod I not only simplify the apparatus, but make it very compact, as the cylinder can be placed at a point very near to the track-section and the power applied thereto immediately.

In the drawings the cylinder is indicated by N. Preferably I arrange it directly below the tilting track A. vWithin it there is fitted the cupshapedpiston O. This piston is connected to the track by the rod T, pivotcd directly to the piston and also joined by a hinge at t to a suitable part of the track-section, such as the plate D. The rod T vibrates somewhat, andv to permit this the upper end of the cylinder is left more or less open. This end can be closed by a slide-plate or other suitable device. To prevent the entrance of coal or other foreign material to the interior of the cylinder, l. provide the latter with a shield or guard Q. This may be of several forms. That shown consists of a hollow shell having plates r1 (I at an angle to each other to readily throw the material toward one side or the other from the cylinder and end plates q. The latter are pivotally connected to the cylinder at q2. This permits a relative movement between the cylinder and the piston-rod T. The operator standing` on any suitable plane or platform adjacent to the tilting track-sec tion is able to control the action of the piston by means of lthe lever R, which is connected to the valve-stern S, that passes through a gland into the valvechamber V. U is the Valve. The cylinder has two ports extending to or from its interior chamber,as at an. These are so arranged that that at n can be used as an inlet-port. n? is the exhaust-port. The valve U has a port a. In operation the operator first draws the valve U up far enough to permit steam to pass through the port a into the cylinder-cham ber below the piston. Thereupon the piston moves upward and through the rodTraises the rear end of thctrackA and the car. After the caris emptied the operator by an opposite movement of the lever pushes down the valve U, bringing the port a into such a position as to connect the ports /n/ n, which permits steam to exhaust from below the piston, and the latter' moves down until it passes the bottom of port a'. From below that line it is cushioned by the steam still remaining' in the cylinder-chamber. Such cushioning can be maintained normally, if desired; but if the operator desires to entirely exhaust the cylinder-chamber he pushes the valve farther down until the valve-port a connects the cylinder-ports yny ai, which allows the steam from the lower end of the cylinder to entirely exhaust. Thus he provides for a positive cushioning of the piston when he desires or for an entire and complete exhaust, if necessary; but the valve and other parts can be so arranged as to positively insure that the piston shall always be cushioned, which can be done by making them as shown in Fig. 4l, in which case thc valve is arrested by a suitable stop, such as the lower end of the valve-casing, before moving down so far as to connect the valveport u with the cyliiulerqjiort yn..

/Vith this simple power device the operator is enabled to delicately and completely control the movements of the track-section and of the car thereon, and I dispense entirely with the friction mechanism that has been heretofore necessitated in order to provide such -control. A construction of the character of that herein is superior to those in which the parts are so made and related as to have the axis of the front ear-wheelsv serve as the axis of oscillation around which the car is tilted. For instance, if the car itself be lifted up at its rear end away from the track-railsand caused to tilt around the :front axle it is necessary to build the hoppers, the chutes, dce., up to a higher plane, and there is necessitated a correspondingincrease in height along' the entire trestle-work and platform. This enlarges the expense of the apparatus very considerably, because of the relatively high position of the axis of tilting. ln the present construction this axis is brought to or below the top line of the tracks, and consequently there can be considerable saving in material and Aexpense in the construction of the trestlework, the frames, the platform, the hopper, and other parts.

ln the present case the elevating of the car is effected not by lifting it directly, but by A carrying it up on the traclmails, and the latter are made to swing or tilt, as well as the car, and consequently the axis of swinging can be relatively lowered. Again, l obviate the liability of any blows to the car-axle or the car-body, and when compared with the gravity-dump tipples that have been heretofore used there is a marked advantage incident to one of this character, growingout of the fact that the operator has complete control of the car at all points of its travel while tilting'. When a gravity-dump is in use the load escapes very rapidly from the carto the chutes and screens below, generally leaving' it in a unitary mass. The discharge is not distributed uniformly over the entire period of each (lischarge interval, and consequently the larger blocks or lumps of coal, the intermediate-sized particles, and the slack are apt to pass downward in a mingled mass, and it ICO is not possible to effect a perfect separation of the finer from the coarser; but with a mechanism like mine it is possible for the operator to allow the discharge to commence gradually and after the bulk of the load has escaped to allow the remainder to follow gradually and yet not consume any more time for each interval of unloading. This is due to having a power mechanism (supplemental to the action of gravity) for lifting the track on which the wheels rest, and in this respect there can be numerous modifications, for while I have above described a steam or equivalent engine for applying such power, yet it will be understood that the essential features of the invention can be maintained if other power devices be substituted, so long as the receiving-track is in front of the tilting track and the other requisite devices are retained.

It will be understood that where details of construction are not shown use may be made of any of those well known to engineers. The cars may be provided with swinging' doors or end-gates, and automatically-acting door-opening devices of any of the well-known forms can be combined with the mechanism illustrated and described. Again, while I prefer to have the tripping mechanism, as at J, situated on the stationary track and the stops, as at C, connected to the tilting track it will be seen that here also there can be modification and that the stops C and tripper J can be permanently connected by a train of united devices instead of having the trip mechanism in two elements in the way illustrated.

When an engine of the character shown is used, the operator can control the valve by any suitable device-as, for instance, by a rod or lever, such as indicated at W.

What I claim isl. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a stationary track-section for delivering loaded cars, a second track-section of substantially the length of a car for temporarily holding each car while dumping, a fixed hinge for the second track-section, power devices in the rear of the said hinge for positively lifting said second track-section and the car to empty it, and a third track-section hinged to the front end of the second tracksection to receive the emptied cars successively therefrom, substantially as set forth.

2. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a main support, a track section hinged at its front end to the said support, a power mechanism for positively moving the said track-section around said hinge, a movable stop adapted to engage with and hold a car upon said hinged track-section. mounted on a vertical pivot and having a laterally-extending arm C2, tripping mechanism for said stop, connected with said arm and a tracksection in front of the aforesaid section to receive therefrom the emptied cars, substantially as set forth.

3. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a tilting track-section, a hinge therefor at its front end, a removable stop device for temporarily holding acar thereon, apower mechanism for positively lifting the rear end of said track-section, and a track-section in front of the aforesaid section, and connected thereto by a hinge, adjacent to the aforesaid hinge, substantially as set forth.

il. The combination in a car-dumping apparatus of atilting' track-section, a movable stop for temporarily holding' a car thereon, a hinge at the front end of the said track-section, a track-section in front thereof for receiving the emptied cars, a power mechanism for positively elevating' the tilting track-section, a stationary track-section for holding loaded cars, operating mechanism for removing the said stop, and a trip for the stop-operating mechanism located in the rear of the front end of the stationary track-section, substantially as set forth.

5. In a car-dumping apparatus a stationary track-section in combination with a tilting track-section, a car-receiving section in front of the tilting section, a movable stop for holding the car on the tilting track-section, and a two-part operating mechanism for movingthe said stop, one part being' connected to the tilting track-section, and the other part separable therefrom and connected with the stationary track section, substantially as set forth.

6. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a tilting track-section, a movable stop for holding a car on said section, operating mechanism for moving the stop away from the car, and swinging with the tilting track-section, and the tripper for said operating mechanism supported stationarily relatively to the moving section, substantially as set forth.

7. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of the tilting track-section, the movable stop, means for holding the movable stop in position to engage the car, a tripper for the said stop, and means independent of the aforesaid parts for holding the tripper in normal position, substantially as set forth.

8. In a car-dumping' apparatus, the combination of a tilting track-section, the movable stop for the car, means for holding' the stop in normal position, and a two-part operating mechanism for said stop, the first part connected with the tilting' track-section, and the second being relatively stationary and detach- IOO IIO

able from the first part, substantially as set 'Waooe pendent of said l'irst part for holding the second part in normal position, substantially as set forth.

10. In a ear-d urnping apparatus, the combination of the tilting track-section, the movable stop for the car, the two-part operating' meehanisrn for said stop, the first part being' connected to the tilting' track-section, and having' the spring I, and the second part being' detachable from the lirst part and consisting of a trip-lever, as J, and a weight for holding' the trip in normal position, substantially set forth. l

11. In a ear-dumping apparatus, the combination of the tilting track-section, the hinge at the front end thereof, the cylinder for steam or equivalent, the piston therein, means for connecting' the piston with the tilting trackseetion :for elevating it, two outlet-ports frein the cylinder-chamber, an exhaust-port, and a valve adapted to alternately connect said outlet-ports with the exhaust-port, substantiallyT as set forth.

12. In a car-dumping' apparatus, the combination ofthe tilting track-section, the cylinder for steam or equivalent, the piston therein, means connecting the piston with the tracksection, a steam-inlet port to the cylindercharnber, an outlet-port from the cylinder'- eharnber, an exhaust-port, and nneans for connecting the exhaust-port with said outlet-port and then with said inlet-port, substantially as set forth.

13. In a car-dumping' apparatus, the combination with the tilting track-section, of the cylinder, the piston, means connecting the piston with the track-section, an inlet-port to the cylinder-chamber, an outlet-port from the cylinder-chamber, an exhaustport, and a valve adapted to lirst connect said outlet-port with the exhaust-port and then Connect the inlet-port with the exhaust-port, substantially as set forth.

14. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of the vtiltingl track-section, the cylinder for steann or equivalent, the piston therein, the piston-rod, and the shield for the cylinder movable relatively thereto, substantially as set forth.

15. In a car-d urn ping apparatus, the com bination of thetilting track-section, the cylinder, the piston therein, the vibrating pistonrool, and the vibrating shield for the cylinder, substantially as set forth.

16. The combination with the tilting' trackseetion, of stops thereon :for the car, a Inov- Vable part or trip held in supports stationary relative to the tilting' section, and a movable part on the tiltingseetion connected with and adapted to operate said stops arranged to come into line with and be operated by said trip when the section is not tilted and separable therefrom when tilting.

17. Ina ear-dumping' apparatus, the eornbination with the car, the track-section at the point of tilting, the cylinder, the piston therein and the piston-rod adapted to tilt the car, of the shield for the cylinder, adapted to proteet it from'dust and dirt, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY I1. BIGHOUSE.

Witnesses:

F. E. CoL'rON, A. I). SHAW.

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