US861200A - Gravel-excavating machine. - Google Patents

Description

vNo. 861,200. PATENTED JULY 23, 1,907.A

E. ULREY.

GRAVBL BXGAVATIN-G.-MAGHINE. vAPPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1'906.

PATBNTED'JULY 23, 1907, B. ULREY.l

GRAVEL BXGAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28. 1006. Y

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Innen/for, Edward lrey,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD ULREY, OF LEBANON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCIS LONG, OF

LEBANON, INDIANA.

GRAVEL-EXCAVATING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1907.

Application filed August 28, 1906. Serial No. 332,391.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD ULREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lebanon, in the county of Boone and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gravel-Excavating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for excavating gravel out of a pit containing water, and the object of the invention is to provide a floating mechanism which will be drawn back and forth across the surface ofthe Water in the pit and will be provided with a digging and conveying apparatus which will loosen and elevate the gravel in courses across the bottom of the pit and discharge it upon the bank of the pit into wagons or cars or upon piles to be re-loaded and hauled away.

l accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of a gravel pit with my floating excavator shown in side elevation and partial vertical section therein, Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 3 is a detail in front elevation of the belt carrier with digging fork and bucket attached.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the two views.

3 is a floating platform or flatboat which supports m excavating and conveying mechanism.

4, 4 are standards supported by the platform 3 and extending in vertical planes parallel with each other and running longitudinally of the platform. These standards are placed oblique with the adjacent end of the platform and slope upwardly and outwardly'towards said end. They are provided with inside ribs or flanges 5 (see Fig. 2) running longitudinally of the standard and forming slideways or guides to control the direction of movement of the frame which carries the digging forks and buckets for excavating and elevating the gravel. This frame comprises the parallel timbers 6, "6 extending longitudinally of the frame and connected by means of the cross-bars 7 The timbers 6, 6 have/longitudinal outside grooves 8 in which the flanges 5 make a close sliding fit.

Mounted in suitable bearings which are bolted to the standards 4, 4 is the transverse shaft 9 on a projecting end of which is mounted the hand-wheel l0. Fastened to the timbers 6, 6 on their sides adjacent to shaft 9 are the rack-bars ll, and mounted on the shaft 9 are the pinions l2 the teeth of which mesh with the teeth of the respective rack-bars ll. By the above-described mechanism the frame of which the timbers 6, 6 are a part,` will be raised and lowered by correspondingly rotating the shaft 9:

Mounted in suitable bearings near the upper ends of the timbers 6, 6 is the`sha'ft 13 and mounted in like mannerat the lower ends of said timbers 6, Gis the shaft 14. Mounted on the lshaft 13 are a pair of sprocket wheels l5 and a pair of sprocket wheels l5 are also mounted in like manner on the shaft 14. Iassing around one of the upper sprocket wheels l5 and the lower sprocket wheel l5 on the same side of the frame is a link-belt carrier 16, and a like link-belt carrier I6 passes around and connects the upper and lower sprocket wheels on the other side of the frame.

Connecting the two link-belt carriers at frequent intervals, are the horizontal bars 20, and to certain ones of these bars, here shown as every fourth one, is attached a series of digging hooks or forks 2l which are adapted to be brought into contact with the gravel at the bottom of the pit by the lowering of the frame which supports the carriers, and the imparting of a suitable travel to the carriers. This will cause the gravel to be dug up and loosened into a condition to be readily scooped up by the buckets 23 which are attached to the bars 20 occurring between those which carry the forks 2l. The gravel thus scooped up by the buckets will be carried to the top of the frame and will be emptied by the overturning of the buckets in passing over the sprocket wheels l5 at the top of the frame. Discharging by gravity from the overturned buckets the gravel will fall upon an endless carrier located below for the purpose of receiving the gravel and conveying it across to the bank of the pit. The oblique position of the standards 4, 4 and the frame sliding therein is for the purpose of permitting the last conveyer to be introduced suflciently well under the upper discharge end of the abovedescribed carrier and buckets to receive the gravel discharged at the overhanging upper end of the frame.

25 are vertical standards supported by the platform 3. These standards support a horizontal shaft 26 on which a pair of sprocket wheels is mounted, and supported from this shaft is a trough 27, the upper end of which is held by the brace-rod 28 which ties it to the standards 4, 4. The trough 27 supports a shaft 29 at its upper end, parallel with the shaft 26, and on the shaft 29 is mounted a pair of sprocket wheels of the same diameter as'those on the shaft 26. Passing around the sprocket wheels on the shafts 26 and 29 are the endless belts 30 to the corresponding links of which the conveyer buckets 3l are fastened. These buckets are for the purpose of receiving the gravel. discharged from the buckets 23 and the buckets 31 thus loaded, are drawn up the troughs 27 by the suitable rotation of shaft 26. The

side-boards 32 will preferably be used to form a sort of hopper to direct the gravel into the trough 27.

Mounted lon suitable bearings supported by an extension from the standards 4, 4 is the shaft 33 which has at one end the lsprocket wheel 34 which is drivenbythe link-belt 35 from the sprocket vwheel on the driving shaft of the engine 36.. This engine and its boiler 37 are mounted on the platform 3. Also mounted on the shaft 33 are the sprocket wheels 38 with which the linkbelts 16 make driving contact.

40 are belt tighteners supported from the standards 4 by suitable brackets 41 and drawn normally toward the standards 4, 4 by the spring 42. These spring tighteners keep the link-belts 16 constantly taut.

Mounted on the opposite end of, shaft 33 from the wheel 34 is the sprocket wheel'44, and 45 is a link-belt connecting the sprocket wheel 44 with a sprocket Wheel on the end of the shaft 26. By the mechanism which has been described, it will be seen that the beltcarrier 16 and the belt-carriers 30 are both continuously driven by power supplied from the engine 36.

In the operation of my device, the frame comprising the timbers 6, 6 is gradually lowered as the gravel is dug up and removed under it, and when a suitable depth has been reached, the platform 3 carrying this excavating mechanism is drawn forward across the pit slowly as the gravel is dug up and removed, and when the entire bottom of the pit has been lowered to a uniform depth, the frame comprising the timbers 6, 6 will be again lowered, and this operation will be repeated to the full capacity of the mechanism for lowering the frame. v

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a machine for excavating gravel, a floating platform having a vertical opening through it near one end. standards on two opposite sides of said openings having inside ribs or flanges which slope upwardly toward the adjacent end of the platform, an engine located on said platform, a shaft supported by said standards and driven from said engine, a pair of sprocket Wheels mounted on the shaft between said standards, a frame comprising two timbers having outside longitudinal grooves to receive the corresponding ribs of the standards, a shaft supported by said standards on the opposite side from the first-mentioned shaft liaving a hand wheel at one end and a pair of spury gears opposite said frame timbers, rack-bars on said frame belts, endless carriers to receive the discharge from the upper end of the frame and convey it to the bank of the pit, and means connected with the nist-mentioned shaft for driving said carriers.

2. ln a machine for excavating gravel, a floating platform having a vertical opening near one end, standards on two opposite sides of said opening, a frame comprising two timbers supported by said standards in a position slightly oblique to the vertical and extending` through the platform, means for securingthe frame to the standards to permit of a longitudinal adjustment of the frame, racks rcarried by said frame, a shaft having a hand-Wheel mounted on said standards, pinions on said shaft to engage the racks of the frame, a horizontal shaft at the upper end of the frame and a similar parallel shaft at the lower end of the frame,` sprocket wheels mounted on said upper and lower shafts, a horizontal shaft supported by the standards, an engine mounted on the floating platform, means for drivingl the last shaft from said engine, a pair of sprocket wheels mounted on said last shaft between the standards, a pair of link-belts engaging the outer rims of the respective sprocket wheels on said last shaft and passing continuously in each case over the corresponding sprocket wheels at` the top of the adjustable frame and under the sprocket wheels at the bottom of said frame, arms pivoted to the standards, belt-tightening wheels mounted on the outer ends of said arms and bearing against the outer sides of said corresponding link-belts, springs to draw the tightening wheels normally in toward the belt to keep the latter taut, digging hooks and buckets carried by said link-belts andendless traveling carriers to receive the discharge from the upper end of the frame and convey it to the bank of the pit.

3. In an excavating machine, a floating platform having a vertical hole through it adjacent to one end, vertical standards on each side of the hole having guides on their inner sides which slope upwardly toward the adjacent end of the platform, a frame mounted on said Iguide and extending below the platform through said hole and adjustable longitudinally on said guides, a rack-bar and pinion mechanism to adjust the frame, an engine located on said platform, a horizontal shaft supported by said standards and driven from said engine, sprocket wheels mounted on said shaft, sprocket wheels mounted at both top and bottom ends of the adjustable frame, link-belt carriers extending around the longitudinal dimensions of the frame in contact with the sprocket wheels at the ends of the frame and in contact with the outer sides of the sprocket wheels on the shaft driven from the engine, belt-tightening wheels bearing against the ou-ter sides of the belts above the sprocket wheels on said engine-driven shaft, springs for drawing the tightening wheels normally against theA belts, digging implements and buckets carried by said belts and endless carriers to receive the .discharge from the upper end of the frame and convey it to the bank of thepit, said carriers comprising a trough with sprocket-wheels at each of its ends, endless link-belts passing from end to end of the trough around the corresponding,r sprocket wheels and a series of conveyer buckets carried by said belts.

In witness whereof, I, have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this, sixth day of May, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and six.

EDWARD ULREY. [1.. s.] Witnesses J. A. MiNTUnN, F. W. WonRNnn.

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