GB2124582A - Transport body for particulate or semi-dry material - Google Patents

Abstract

A container body 1 for delivering and dispensing four different mixes of mortar is mounted in use on the chassis 2 of a lorry 3. The four hopper compartments 10 are arranged side- by-side transversely of the body 1 and lorry 3. Each compartment 10 has a helical screw 21 for expelling mortar out through an outlet pipe 20. A motor 30 movable along the side of the body 1 can be engaged as desired with each of the screws 21. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Transport body for particulate or semi-dry material This invention relates to bodies for the transport of particulate or semi-dry material. The term "semi-dry" is used in the building and construction trade to denote material having a sludge-like consistency such as wet cement, mortar, concrete and plaster mixed ready for use.

Such bodies would generally be mounted in use on road vehicles.

The invention provides a body for the transport of particulate or semi-dry material, the body comprising a plurality of hopper compartments for containing the material arranged generally transversely across the body, each compartment having an outlet at a side of the body for lateral discharge of the material therefrom and means for expelling the material through the outlet.

The expelling means preferably comprises a rotary screw orientated generally transversely of the body and in register with the respective outlet.

Each compartment may be formed at its bottom with a trough in which the respective screw is located.

There may for example be four hopper compartments arranged side by side.

Each compartment is preferably provided with a cover for closing the same, the cover being removable to permit loading of material into the compartment. Typically, this cover would be horizontally slidably mounted in guides provided at the top of the body.

Each compartment may be provided individually with drive means for driving the expelling means. Alternatively, drive means may be provided which is selectively drivingly engageable with each expelling means. In the latter case, the drive means preferably comprises a motor mounted for longitudinal movement along one side of the body. To achieve this, the motor may be mounted in a guideway of which a portion adjacent to each expelling means is movable transversely of the body whereby to allow engagement of the motor with the expelling means. Manually operable means may be provided for urging each movable guideway portion transversely to engage the motor, when located in that portion, with the respective expelling means.

Means may be provided for vibrating each hopper compartment to assist passage of the material to the outlets.

The invention also provides a road vehicle comprising a body as above.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic outline view of a body according to the invention mounted on a lorry; Figure 2 is a partially sectional and cut-away side elevation of the body in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partially sectional plan view of the body in Figure 1, showing three of the compartments in different modes; and Figure 4 is a sectional front end elevation of the body showing the motor engaged to discharge material from the foremost compartment.

Referring first to Figure 1, a container body 1 for delivering and dispensing four different mixes of mortar is mounted on the chassis 2 of a lorry 3.

The body comprises four generally vee-section hopper compartments 10 for the four mixes, the compartments being arranged side by side transversely across the body 1 and lorry 3.

Adjacent compartments have common vertical walls 11 at their upper portions and the front and rear compartments have corresponding vertical end walls 12. At their lower portions the compartments have inclined "valley" walls 13 culminating in a trough 14. As seen in Figure 4, the lower portions 1 6 of the side walls of the compartments are similarly inclined inwards. The angle of slope of the inclined compartment walls is chosen according to the consistency of the material to be transported and dispensed. It will be appreciated for example that a thicker mix of mortar will require a steeper wall inclination to facilitate dispensing. Typical angles of slope fall between 40 and 60 to the horizontal and 550 has been found advantageous for a common mix of mortar. The angle in the illustrated body is 450.

A pipe 20 forms an outlet for the mortar from each compartment 10, ail the outlets being on one side of the body. In register with each outlet is provided means for expelling the material therethrough, this means being in the form of a helical screw 21 located in the respective trough 14 and journalled in bearings 22, 23 (in the end of the trough 14) and 24. It will be readily appreciated that rotation of the screw 21 in the correct direction will urge mortar in the compartment out along the pipe 20. Means is provided for shutting off each outlet; in the embodiment this is a manually operable valve 27 pivoted about a vertical axis in the pipe 20. The mortar flows from the pipe 20 down a discharge chute 28 which if desired can be swivel-mounted about a vertical axis on the pipe 20.Such a chute can be provided for each outlet or alternatively a single detachable chute may be mountable at will on any of the outlet pipes 20 according to the mortar required from the body.

For driving the screws 21 each may be permanently connected to a respective motor.

However, as in the embodiment, for economy a single motor 30 can be used which is movable along the nearside of the body 1 to be engageable as desired with each screw 21. This is accomplished by opposed channel members 31 forming a longitudinal guideway for the motor 30, the motor being mounted on a carriage 32 supported on wheels 33 running in the channel members 31. Portions 31' of the channel members adjacent the screws 21 are movable transversely inwardly of the body 1 by virtue of a similar arrangement of wheels 35 and channels 36, each pair of portions 31' being mounted on a carriage 34 carried by the wheels 35 and the channels 36 being rigidly fixed to the frame of the body 1. A respective lead screw 38 operable by a handle 39 is rotatably mounted to the body frame and threadedly engages the carriage 34.Thus by turning the handle 39 the respective movable guideway portion is caused to more inwardly to engage the motor 30 (when located in that portion and suitably aligned) with the respective screw 21. As an alternative to the movable portions 31', the channel members 31 may be continuous and the motor 30 can be provided with a drive coupling which is extendable to engage a screw 21.

Engagement of the motor 30 with each screw 21 is by means of flanges 42 secured respectively to the motor shaft and the shaft of the screw 21. Drive dogs 43 fixed to the flange 41 locate slidably in corresponding holes formed in the flange 42 to transfer torque from flange 41 to flange 42.

The motor 30 is typically hydraulic, as in the embodiment in which hydraulic pressure is suppiied from the power take-off of the vehicle hydraulic system. The hydraulic supply is taken via a spring-return hydraulic hose reel 45 and a hydraulic hose 46 which is wound thereon and connected at its outer end to the motor 30. A return hose 47 takes exhaust fluid back to the vehicle fluid system.

Each hopper compartment 10 is provided with a retractable cover to provide access to the compartment for loading with mortar and for washing out etc. This cover comprises upper portions 50 and lower portions 51 all slidably mounted in guides 52 secured to the top of respective vertical walls 11, 12. Outward movement of portions 50 and 51 is arrested by brackets 53 and 54 respectively engaging portions 51 and inwardly turned compartment side wall portions 17.

The sight hand compartment 10 in Figure 3 is shown with its cover closed ready for transit. The compartment second from the right has the upper cover portions 50 only retracted ready for loading of mortar, while the compartment third from the right has all cover portions fully retracted ready for washing the compartment out. The left hand compartment is shown in cross-section taken on a plane indicated Ill-Ill in Figure 2.

A transverse walkway 56 is provided in each compartment 10 for maintenance and cleaning purposes. A ladder 58 on the rear of the body 1 provides access to a longitudinal walkway 57 mounted atop the body and running the entire length thereof. The walkway 57 is not shown in Figure 3 for clarity but it will be appreciated that a man can step from walkway 57 onto any one of the walkways 56 when the respective cover is retracted.

To assist passage of material in each compartment to its outlet, vibrators 59 may be provided abutting the compartment walls, as shown in Figure 2. Such vibrators may for example be electrically powered from the lorry battery or an independent battery.

On site the mortar would typically be discharged from the body into 200 litre skips and carried thence to the exact place the mortar is to be used. Racks 60 may be provided between the compartments for storing such skips empty.

The multi-compartment container body describedabove has the great advantage of permitting a variety of materials or mixes of mortar to be contained in a single body and transported to site where the desired material or mix can be selected. The lateral outlets conveniently positioned along the side of the lorry provide easy access for collecting the material.

Furthermore, when each compartment is powered individually, more than one type or material or mix of mortar can be disperised at one time.

Use of the body is envisaged for any type of semi-dry material and also for particulate material such as floor screed, grit and rendering material.

Claims (14)

1. A body for the transport of particulate or semi-dry material, the body comprising a plurality of hopper compartments for containing the material arranged generally transversely across the body, each compartment having an outlet at a side of the body for lateral discharge of the material therefrom and means for expelling the material through the outlet.

2. A body as claimed in claim 1 wherein each expelling means comprises a rotary screw orientated generally transversely of the body and in register with the respective outlet.

3. A body as claimed in claim 2 wherein each compartment is formed at its bottom with a trough in which the respective screw is located.

4. A body as claimed in any preceding claim wherein there are four hopper compartments arranged side by side.

5. A body as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each compartment is provided with a cover for closing the compartment, the cover being removable to permit loading of material into the compartment.

6. A body as claimed in claim 5 wherein each cover is horizontally slidably mounted in guides provided at the top of the body.

7. A body as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each compartment is provided with drive means for driving the expelling means.

8. A body as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 further comprising drive means selectively drivingly engageable with each expelling means.

9. A body as claimed in claim 8 wherein the drive means comprises a motor mounted for longitudinal movement along one side of the body.

10. A body as claimed in claim 9 wherein the motor is mounted in a guideway of which a portion adjacent to each expelling means is movable transversely of the body whereby to allow engagement of the motor with the expelling means.

11. A body as claimed in claim 10 comprising for each movable guideway portion manually operable means for urging the portion transversely to engage the motor, when located in that portion, with the respective expelling means.

12. A body as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising means for vibrating each hopper compartment to assist passage of the material to the outlets.

13. A body for the transport of particulate or semi-dry material, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. A road vehicle comprising a body as claimed in any preceding claim.