US1204348A - Coal-loading apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

H. B. DOHER'TY.

COAL LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 19. 1914.

1,264,348. v Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

I 3 $HEETSSHEET 1' Flgl I: B? '1 8 3'5 E 241 WiTnesses. lnventor.

- 931% Harry BDoherIy mm 01 b yamwum H. B. DOHERTY.

COAL LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. 1914.

11 2@%.,3%8. Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

VViTnesses. lnvenfor.

Harry B. Doherty,

HG AFPARATUS.

COAL LOAD APPLICATION? Fazentei NW. 7, 1916.

w E? Q.

.D SEPT.19.19I4.

HARRY.B. DOI-IERTY, 0F EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES M. MGCLELLON, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

COAL-LOADING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. '7, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY B. Doi-IERTY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Everett, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Coal-Loading Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically loading material from a source of supply into successive cars as they are passing along a track, and the object of the invention is to provide a novel device of this nature in which successive charges will be delivered to the successive cars on the track without any spilling of the material, regardless of the distance between the cars and the speed at which they are moving relative to the loading apparatus, and also to provide an apparatus of this nature which will automatically prevent any car from receiving a charge larger than a. predetermined maximum amount.

I accomplish the object herein by providing a hopper into which the coal is delivered from the source of supply and means operated by the car passing along the track to efiect a discharge of the contents of the hopper into the car and at the same time to stop the delivery of material into the hopper from the source of supply, which means operates automatically to permit further discharge of material into the hopper from the source of supply as soon as the contents of the hopper have been delivered to the car. I also provide means by which the discharge of material into the hopper is stopped as soon as the hopper contains a predetermined amount. By this means I provide a loading apparatus which operates to deliver to each car as it passes the hopper whatever amount of material is in the hopper at the time, and to allow a steady flow of material into the hopper from the source of supply except when the hopper contains its predetermined maximum charge, or when the contents of the hopper are being discharged into the car, or when the source of supply is cut ed.

The device is entirely automatic in its operation and needs'no attention; it will operate rapidly with certainty and without spilling any material.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the hopper is provided with a dis charge opening which is closed by a gate and means are provided which are operated by a passing car to eifect an opening of the gate to allow the contents of the hopper to be discharged into the car, and associated with this gate is another gate which operates to prevent delivery of material to the hopper while the hopper gate is open. My device also includes means associated with the hopper for preventing further discharge of material thereinto when the hopper has received a predetermined amount, thus precluding the possibility of a charge greater than a predetermined maximum amount being delivered to any car.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will be described, after which the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of an apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 looking to ward the left in said figure; Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view through the hopper on the line ww, Fig. 4:. ,Fig. t is a side view of Fig. 1 looking toward the right; Fig. 5 is a detail of the gate-operating mechanism.

I have herein shown my improvements as used in connection with a delivery chute l which leads from a suitable source of supply, as, for instance, a storage bin, or a hopper into which coal or ore is delivered by a hoisting apparatus. However, the character of the source of supply is immaterial so far as the invention is concerned. Associated with the chute 1 is a hopper 2 having an open top into which the chute 1 delivers and provided with a discharge open ing which is controlled by a gate 3. The operation of the gate 3 is controlled by the movement of the cars 25 on the track 24 as they pass beneath the hopper 2, and the illustrated construction embodies means which are set in operation by a car passing beneath the hopper to open the gate 3 thereby to allow the contents of the hopper to be discharged into the car and to simultaneously close the chute 1 so as to prevent any discharge of material into the hopper while the gate 3 is open. In addition the hopper has associated therewith means which become operative when the hopper has received a predetermined charge of material to close the chute 1 so as to prevent more than said predetermined charge of material from being deliverecl'to the hopper, thus preventing the possibility of any car receiving more than such predetermined charge from the hopper.

Any suitable car-actuated means for opening the gate 3 may be employed. I prefer, -however, to employ some power mechanism for giving movement to the gate 3 and to provide means for controlling the operation of this power mechanism by the movement of the passing car. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention the gate 3 is connected by a link 26 with an arm or lever 27 pivoted at 28 to the chute or to the framework, and this lever is connected by a link 29 with the piston rod 30 of a piston 32 operating in a power cylinder 31 that is suitably sustained by the framework. The ad mission of the motive fluid, whether it be steam, compressed air or any other fluid, to the cylinder 31 is controlled by a hollow-piston valve 33 of usual construction which opcrates in a valve chest 71 to which steam is admitted through the supply pipe 72 and which is provided with the usual exhaust 73. The valve chest is connected to the top of the cylinder 31 through the port 7 1 and to the bot-tom of the cylinder 31 through the port 7 5, the construction being such that when the valve is in its lowered position, as seen in Fig. 5, steam will be admitted to the top of the cylinder and exhausted from the lower end thereof, while when the valve is in its elevated position steam will be admitted to the lower end of the cylinder and exhausted from the top end thereof. This valve 33 is connected by a stem 34 with an arm 35 connected to a sliding actuator 36 which is mounted in suitable bearings 37 carried by the framework. The actuator 36 has at its lower end a foot 38 situated to be engaged by a shoe 39 carried by the car 25, the construction being such that as the car passes beneath the hopper 2 the shoe 39 will engage the foot 38 thereby to raise the actuator 36 and shift the valve 33 into position to admit motive fluid to the lower end of the cylinder 31. hen this occurs, the piston 32 will be forced upwardly thereby acting through the connection 30, 29, 27 to raise the gate 3 and allow the contents of the hopper 2 to be discharged into the car 25. It will be noted that the bottom of the hopper 2 has a considerable inclination so that as soon as the gate 3 is raised the contents of the hopper will be rapidly discharged into the car 25.

In order to prevent any coal from being discharged from the chute into the hopper 2 while the gate 3 is open I have provided a gate 40 for the chute which is rigid with 7 cured.

the lever 27, said gate preferably being fast to the rock shaft 28 to which said lever is se- This gate 40 will be opened when the gate 3 is'closed, but .will be raised into closed position to close the chute when the long as the gate 3 is open. hen the foot 38 has passed off from the shoe 39 the "8.1"6 33 will be thrown into the position shown in Fig. 5 by means of a suitablespring 41, such operation of the valve resulting in admitting motive fluid to the top of the cylinder 31 whereby the piston 32 is forced downwardly and the gate 3 is closed. The closing of the gate 3 will open the gate 40 thereby admitting a fresh charge of coal to the hopper 2.

As stated above my invention aims to provide a mechanism which will prevent a charge greater than a predetermined amount from being delivered to the hopper 2. 1 accomplish this end by providing the chute 1 with a second gate 13 which is normally open but which is closed to prevent the charge of material from the chute 1 whenever the hopper 2 has received its predetermined amount. This gate 13 is shown as having a general sector-shape and as being pivotally mounted on a rock shaft 14:, the side 15 of the gate constituting the bottom of the chute when the gate is open. When, however, the gate is thrown upwardly into the dotted line position Fig.2 the end thereof will constitute a barrier across the chute which will prevent the passage of material therethrough.

16 designates a stop to limit the opening movement of the gate and hold it in the position shown in Fig. 4, and 66 is a stop which engages the underside of the chute when the gate is closed and limits its closing movement. Means are provided for closing the gate 13 when the hopper 2 has received a predetermined amount of material. In the present embodiment of my invention 1 obtain this end by yieldingly sustaining the hopper 2 and providing means actuated by the yielding movement of the-hopper when it receives its predetermined load for actuating the gate 13. The hopper is herein shown as pivotally mounted at its lower corner on a shaft or rod 5 and it is yieldingly sustained in the position shown in Fig. 1 by means of one or more levers 6 pivoted at 7 and acted on by springs 8, the tension of the springs 8 determining the amount of the predetermined load. The hopper is shown as having an ear or lug 11 which engages the end of the lever 6, there preferably being two such levers, one at each corner of the hopper.

The-spring 8 for each lever is shown as a coil spring encircling an anchoring bolt 10 secured in the frame 1, said bolt carrying a collar or washer 9 between which and the lever 6 the spring 8 is confined. These springs 8 normally hold the hopper in the position shown in Fig. 1, but when the hop per has received a predetermined load the springs will yield allowing the hopper to turn about the pivot 5 until it engages a rest or stop 12. This yielding movement of the hopper is made use of to actuate the gate 13, and while any suitable means for this purpose may be employed, I have herein shown a power cylinder 17 having a piston therein, the piston rod 18 of which is connected by a link 19 of an arm 20 fast to the rock shaft 14 so that movement of the arm 20 and rock shaft 14 will actuate the gate 13.

The operation of the piston in the cylinder 17 is controlled by a valve designated generally by 21 and similar to the valve 33, the valve stem 63 being connected by connections 23 with the hopper 2 so that the yielding movement of the hopper above referred to will actuate the valve in a direction to admit steam to the top of the cylinder 17. hen this occurs the piston will be forced downwardly thereby swinging the rock shaft 1 and gate 13 into the dotted line position Fig. 2. This construction, therefore, provides means for cutting off the further discharge of material from the chute 1 into the hopper 2 whenever the latter has received a predetermined load. hen the hopper has been discharged the springs 8 will return the latter to the position shown in Fig. 1, thus shifting the valve 21 into position to bring the parts back to their normal position shown in full lines Fig. 2.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. WVhen the parts are in their normal position the gates 13 and 40 for the chute are open and the hopper gate 3 is closed, thus permitting material to be delivered to the hopper. If a car passes along the track 24 beneath the hopper 2 before the latter has received its predetermined load, the movement of the car will cause the gate 3 to be opened and the gate 40 to be closed, thus allowing the material in the hopper to be discharged into the car and at the same time preventing the discharge of material from the chute into the hopper while the contents of the hopper are being transferred to the car. It is, therefore, impossible for any car to receive more material than is in the hopper at the time that the car passes beneath the hopper. If, however, the material is being delivered to the hopper through the chute at such a speed that the hopper would receive more than the predetermined charge during the time elapsing between the passage of two successive cars, then the tension of the springs 8 will be overcome and the hopper will move against the rest 12, this &

movement operating to raise the gate 13 and stop further discharge of material through the chute. The parts will then remain in this position with the hopper filled and the flow of material through the chute stopped until a car comes again to raise the gate 3. The raising of the gate 3 will be accompanied by the closing of the gate 410 so that when the material in the hopper is discharged into the car and the hopper resumes its normal position shown in Fig. 1 and the gate 13 is opened the gate lO is still in operative position to prevent the flow of material into the hopper until after the gate 3 has been closed.

From the above it will be seen that it will be impossible for any material to be spilled by overfilling the car or by overfilling the hopper 2, and it will further be seen that the gate 3 will always be closed when there is no car beneath the hopper and will only be opened when there is a car in position to reeeive the contents of the hopper.

The hopper gate 3 is shown as guided in ways 61 formed on the hopper and 62 represents stops to limit the opening movement of the gate. The hopper 2 constitutes a receiving member into which the material is received preparatory to its being loaded into the car and by the term receiving member as used in the claims, I mean to include any receptacle into which material can be received and retained during the interval be tween successive cars.

While I have illustrated herein a selected embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the constructional features shown.

I claim:

1. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a receiving member, of means to deliver material thereto, means actuated by a car passing adjacent said member to effect a transfer of the contents of said member to the car, means to prevent the delivery of material to the member while such transfer is being effected, and other means independent from the last-named means to prevent the delivery of material to said member when the latter has received a predetermined amount.

2. The combination with a receiving member having a discharge opening and a gate therefor, of a chute to deliver material to the receiving member, means set in operation by a car passing adjacent said member to open the gate thereby to efiect transfer of its contents to the car, means operative when the gate is open to stop delivery of material through the chute into said receiving member, and other means independent fro-m the last-named means to prevent the delivery of material to said member when the latter has received a predetermined amount.

3. In a loading apparatus, the combinagate by which the chute may be closed, connections between said gates whereby they operate simultaneously and in such manner that the gate for the chute is closed when the gate for the receiving member is open and vice versa, means set in operation by a car passing beneath said member to open the gate thereof whereby the contents of said member will be discharged into the car and to close the gate of the chute, and means structurally independent from said latter gate to prevent the delivery of materlal to said member when the member has received a predetermined amount.

a. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a-receiving member having a discharge opening and a gate therefor, of a chute to deliver material to the receiving member, a normally open gate to close the chute, connections between said gates whereby they operate in unison but oppositely so that when one is open the other is closed and vice versa, car-actuated means to operate the gates and other means to stop the flow of material to the receiving member when the latter has received a predetermined amount.

5. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a receiving member having a discharge opening and a gate therefor, of a chute to deliver material to the receiving member, a normally-open gate to close the chute, connections between said gates whereby when one is open the other is closed, an actuating cylinder having a power piston therein connected to said gates, means actuated by a car passing beneath the receiving member to control the operation of said piston and other means to prevent the delivery of material to the receiving member when it has received a predetermined amount.

6. In a coal-loading apparatus, the combination with a receiving member, of means for delivering material thereto, means actuated by said member when a predetermined weight of material has been deposited therein to stop further feed of material thereto, means structurally-independent from the aforesaid means and actuated by a'car passing adjacent said member and operative regardless of the amount of material therein to effect the transfer of the contents thereof to the car and to prevent the delivery of material to said member while material is being delivered therefrom.

7. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a yieldingly-sustained receiving member, of means to deliver material thereto, means actuated by the movement of said member when it has received a predetermined weight of material to stop the further feed of material thereto, means actuated by a car passing adjacent said member and operative regardless of the amount of material therein to effect the transfer of tion with a receiving member, of a chute to deliver material thereto, two structurally-independent gates for the chute, means to close one gate when the receiving member has received-a predetermined amount of material from the chute, and means actuated by a car passing adjacent said receiving member to effect the discharge of the contents thereof to said car and simultaneously to close the other chute. I

9. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a hopper, of a chute for delivering material thereto, a gate for said chute, means actuated by said hopper when a predetermined amount of material has been delivered thereto to move said gate into op erative position, said hopper having a dis charge opening and a gate therefor, means actuated by a car passing adjacent said hopper to open the hopper gate and allow the contents of the hopper to be discharged into the car, and another gate for the chute connected to and working in unison with the hopper gate, said other gate being closed when the hopper gate is open and vice versa.

10. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a yieldingly-sustained hopper, of a chute for dischargingmaterial thereto, a gate for said chute, means actuated by downward movement of the hopper when the latter contains a predetermined amount of material to'close said gate, said hopper having a discharge opening and a gate therefor, means actuated by a car passing adjacent said hopper to raise the hopper gate thereby to allow the contents of the hopper to be discharged into the car, upward movement of the hopper when the contents are discharged operating to open the chute gate, and another gate for the chute connected to the hopper gate so as to be closed when the hopper gate is open and vice versa.

11. In a loading apparatus,the combination with a receiving member, of means to deliver material thereto, means actuated by a car passing adjacent said member to effect a transfer of the contents of the-member to the car, means to prevent the delivery 7 of material to the member while such trans- 12. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a receiving member having a dis charge opening and a gate therefor, of a chute to deliver material to said receiving member, means set in operation by a car passing adjacent said member to open the gate thereof thereby to effect transfer of its contents to the car, means to stop delivery of the material through the chute while said gate is open, and other structurally-independent means rendered operative automatically when said receiving member has received a predetermined amount of material to close the chute against passage of material.

13. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a receiving member, of means to deliver material thereto, a track extending adjacent said receiving member, means actuated by a car passing continuously in one direction on said track to effect a transfer of the contents of the member to the car, means to prevent the delivery of material to said member while such transfer is being efi'ected, and other structurally-independent means rendered operative automatically when said member contains a predetermined amount of material to stop the flow of further material through the chute.

14. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a receiving member, of a chute to deliver material thereto, two separate devices to control the flow of material through said chute, means rendered operative automatically when the receiving member has received a predetermined amount of material to bring one of said devices into operation, and means actuated by a car passing beneath the receiving member to bring the other device into operation.

15. In a loading apparatus, the combination with a receiving member, of a chute to deliver material thereto, two separate devices to control the flow of material through said chute, means rendered operative automatically when the receiving member has received a predetermined amount of material to bring one of said devices into operation, and means actuated by a car passing beneath the receiving member to bring the other device into operation and to efiect a discharge of the material from the member into the car.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY B. DOHERTY.

l Yitnesses:

LoUIs C. SMITH, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

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