US1266475A - Car-loader. - Google Patents

Description

W. E. HUNT.

CAR LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-26.1%].

1,266,475, Patented May 14, 1918.

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W. E. HUNT.

CAR LOADER.

APPLICATIUN FILED JAN.26. 1917.

Patented May 14, 1918.

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7. 7 dal/iy x Q W. E. HUNT.

CAR LOADER.

' APPLICATION FILED )AN.26, new.

Patented May 14, 1918.

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CAR LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, I917.

1,266A75, Patented May14,1918.

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WILLIAM E. HUNT, OF OTTUMWA, IOWA, ASSIG-NOR TO OTTUMWA BOX CAR LOADER (30., OF OTIUMWA, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

CAB-LOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be .it known that 1, WILLIAM E. HUNT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Patent No. 632,202, granted to Henry Philtrolled.

lips and myself wherein a main frame laterally movable toward and from the car carries at one end an unloading hopper provided with material discharging means and mounted for sliding movement in the direc tion of its length and also for pivotal movement about a vertical axis, the said hopper operating within the car and in relation to a supply chute.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a loader of the type stated which shall be particularly well adapted for use with coal of the smaller sizes or grades or briquets but is also adapted for use with coal or coke of larger sizes and with various other illittfillELlS; which shall perform its work expeditiously and with a minimum expenditure of power; and which shall effectively utilize the available capacity of the car.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain features of structure, combination and relation which will appear as the description proceeds.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where1n:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation and partial longitudinal section showing a carloader in which the features of the invention are incorporated operating within a car.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the hopper and the material discharging means.

Fig. 4: is a plan view partly in section showing details of certain clutches by which different operations of the unloader are con- Figs. 5, 6, 7 and S are detail sectional views on the lines 55, G-6, 7-7 and 8-8, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a plan and Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the chain which in the present em bodiment constitutes the material discharging means.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The main frame, designated generally as 1, is movable laterally toward and from the car A and consists of parallel side bars 2 connected at appropriate intervals by sundry bars and plates, unnecessary to refer to in detail, which are utilized to provide supports and bearings for various operating parts. Said main frame is mounted upon a supporting frame, designated generally as 3, which includes corner uprights 4: suitably connected and braced. The uprights .L are provided at their upper ends with rollers 5 which fit between the outer side flanges of the beams 2 to support the main frame from the supporting frame and to guide the main frame in its movements laterally relatively to the car.

The machine may either be mounted on a stationary bed or it may be portable, as conditions may require. Asshown, the supporting frame is mounted upon a wheeled truck B.

In so far as the loader embodies as its principal parts the main frame 1, a loading hopper 6 supported at one end of the main frame and a material-discharging means cooperating with the hopper and in so far as the hopper is an elongated, trough-like structure, open at its ends and of curved outline between its ends, and is mounted for sliding movement in the direction of its length and also for pivotal movement about a vertical axis, the loader is within the type illustrated in the Phillips and Hunt Patent No. 632,202, previously mentioned.

The hopper 6 (Figs. 1 and 3) is su ported by and slidable relatively to a cradle which, in turn, is supported by the main frame and mounted for pivotal movement about a vertical axis. As supporting elements for said hopper the cradle is provided with two pairs of rollers 8 which fit in channeled guides 9 provided at the sides of the hopper. The cradle 7 is provided with a discal base 10 which is journaled in a platform 11 secured at the outer end of the main frame, the said base and platform having their confronting circumferential faces formed to house and provide raceways for ball bearings 12' (Figs. 1 and 6).

r Accordingto the present invention, the

iently'located on the mainframe.

"inatei'ial discharging means operates continuously as the material is suppliedto the hopper to drag the material from. the point of supply toward the outer or remote end of the hopper from which it spouts or falls iiito'the car. The said means, as shown and preferred, comprises an endless chain 13 (Figs. 1, 3, 9 and 10) provided at suitable intervalswith arms 14 projecting laterally at each side thereof and movable along the bottom or base of the hopper.

The various instrun'ientalities' of the machine derive their operations from a, main shaft 15 which extends between and lean allel' to. the side bars 2 of the main frame and is journaled in bearings supported by various cross bars extending between said side bars. A reversible electric motor16' ispreferably employed foroperating the shaft 15 and is mounted at the inner end of the main frame. Said motor is connected to the shaft 15 by gearing 17 and its operation is regulated, as to speed and direction, by a controller 18 conven- The chain 13, (Figs. 1, 3 and 6) is directly operated by the shaft 15 which drives a sprocket wheel 19 over which said chain is trained. Vertical diameter coincident with the axi'al center of the cradle 7 by which it is carried and is connected universally to the shaft 15.

For the support of the sprocket 19, the'base 10 has a depending arm carrying a lateral journal post 20 upon which a hub extension 21 .of the sprocket is rotatably mounted. The universal connection 22 between the sprocket 19 and the shaft 15 is similar to that shown in Figs. 24 and 25 of the -pre viously mentioned Phillips and Hunt Patent,"No. 632,202. The cradle 7 includes a hollow'standard 23 within which are mounted,in symmetrical co-planar relation to the sprocket '19, a pair of idler sprockets 24. The chain 13 is trained over the sprockets 24 and passes through diametrically opposite slots 25 in'the standard 23. Other idler sprockets 26 over which the chain 13 is traineda're mounted at the ends and below the base of the hopper '6 and one ofv the sprockets 26 is provided with a position adjusting device 27 whereby the tension of the chain 13 may be regulated.

Themeans operated by the shaft 15 for moving the main frame toward and from the car (Figs; 1 and 7) includes as its preferably principal element a chain or cable 28 whose ends are connected to bars or re tain'ing' devices 29 and 30 suitably located on the supporting frame 3 and as elements co-acting withsaid chain-or cable, an operating wheel 31 located near the inner end of the main frame, a'pair of. sheaves 32 and 33 supported by the main frame and ar- The sprocket wheel 19 has its of the wheel 31 and a single sheave 34 supported by l'i he main frame near its outer end and located suitably distant from the sheaves 32 and 33. The laps of the chain 28 extend in opposite directions or in crossed relation fromthe bars 29 and 30 and said c'ha-in, tracing it from the bar 29, is trained over the sheave 32, thence a half turn over the wheel 31, thence over the sheave'33. to the sheave '34 and thence to the bar 30. It will beobvious that a rotation of the wheel 31 in either direction will cause the chain to be tensioned between the bar 29 and the sheave 32 or between the bar 30 and the sheave 34 with a consequent movement, in one direction or the other as the case may be, of the main frame. Thus, when the chain 28, in consequence of the rotation of the wheel 31, exercises a pull on the sheave 32 in consequence of a reverse rotation of the wheel 31 the main frame will'be projected, 2'. 6., moved toward the car. The wheel 31 is preferably loosely mounted on the shaft 15 and has attached thereto a clutch element 35 for cooperation with a second clutch element 36 slidably keyed on said shaft and movable in either direction by an operating lever 37.

According to the present invention, the turning movements of the cradle 7 and therewith of'the hopperare positively controlled and effected by a mechanism which, when idle, holds said cradle in the position to which it has been moved 'and'which may beoperated to turn said cradle through any extent necessary or convenient in connection with the operation of the loader. The said mechanism preferably comprises'a chain 38.

trained over an operating wheel 39 and'connected at its ends to sheave segments 40 carried by the cradle 7 at opposite sidesv thereof; The chain wheel '39 is mounted on an upright shaft 41 driven from the shaft 15 by worm gearing 42 whose operation by the shaft 15 is controlled by a suitable clutch. This clutch (Figs. 1 and 4) comprises an element 43 carried by the worm of the gearing 42, the said worm being loose on the shaft 15, and a cooperating element 44 slid comprises (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 8) a pinion 46.

operated from the shaft 15 and a rack 47 carried by a' flange of one'of the guides 9- and with which said pinion, projecting into 15, upon said clutch ing movement and a rod 50 connecting the shafts 48 and a9 and articulated. therewith by knuckle joints51.

The bearings 52 (Fig. a in which the shaft 49 is slidable are carried by a pair of uprights 53 supported by the main frame. The gearing between the: shafts 4:9 and 15 preferably comprises a sprocket 54 mounted on the shaft 19 between the'uprig'hts 53 and through which said shaft is slidable, a sprocket wheel 55'loosely mounted onthe shaft 15 and a chain 56 connecting the sprocket wheels 54 and 55. The shaft 49 preferably has a square or flat sided crosssection in order that it may rotate, yet slide relatively to, the sprocket wheel 54.

For the purpose of controlling the rotation of the sprocket wheel 55 a clutch (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) is provided which comprises an element 57 carried by'the s rocket wheel 55 and an element 58 slidab y keyed on the shaft 15 and movable toward and from the element 57 by an operating lever 59. The element 57 is formed externally. to provide a brake'drum for cooperation with a suitable brake band 60 connected by levers 61 to the lever 59 whereby the lever 59 when operated to disengage theclutch element applies the brake band 60 to the brake drum and vice versa. In this way the hopper is held against retrograde movement when the clutch elements are disconnected yet may be freely moved in either direction, according to the direction of rotation of the shaft elements being engaged. The operative steps in connection with the disposal of the hopper in the car and its withdrawal therefrom are the same as in the previously mentioned Phillips and Hunt latent No. 632,202 and, therefore, need not be repeated here. The operations of the mechanisms for moving the main frame and turning and sliding the hopper will be obvious from the drawings and preceding description.

Within the car the hopper 6 is centered relatively to an overhanging supply chute with each sliding O and is initially positioned with its discharge end in closest proximity to the cradle 7 and pointed toward one end of the car from whichposition it is moved slidably, in step by step fashion asneed may require, toward the confronting end of the car; and movement its discharge .end, in consequence of the curved outline of the hopper, is raised to a higher elevation, reaching its highest, elevation when the hopper is fully 7, thereby piling the material to" a depth projected relatively to the cradle which increases regularly from the center to the end of the car. In this way the most effective utilization of the load receiving and storing capacity of the car is made. When the hopper has been fully projected relatively to the cradle7 and the loading of one end of the car has been completed, the rotation of the shaft 15 is reversed (by reversin the motor in the present embodiment; whereby the chain 13 will move in the oppo site direction to effect the discharge of material from the opposite end of the hopper. The loading of the opposite end of the car commences with the hopper in the fully pro-- jected position relative to the cradle 7 into which it was moved during the previous operation, above described, and, as in the previous operation, the hopper is moved slidably, in step by step fashion as need may require toward the end of the car which its discharge end confronts until it reaches its fully projected position opposite to that reached in the first operation and which is its initial position, i. e., the position it had at the commencement of loading. In short, the hopper, fully projected, say to the left, is moved as far as possible toward the right to load the right end of the car from the center outward and is then moved toward the left and back to its initial position to load, in like manner, the left end of the car, the chain 13 moving in the same direction as the hopper and, of course, having its movement reversed as the movement of the hopper is reversed. If necessary or desirable to facilitate loading, the hopper may be turned from time to time toward either side of the car as the loading progresses by operation of the mechanism provided for turning the cradle.

It is to be observed that in loading the car at either end the operation is ommenced at the discharge end of the hopper nearest to the floor and, as stated, as the loading progresses, the hopper is advanced through short distances. The hopper is only moved forward, however, when the pile of material which it is forming has reached an elevation somewhat close to the hopper discharge end. A very important advantage is thereby secured in that the distance through which the material falls from the discharge end of the hopper is at all times reduced to a minimum, and consequently, there will be no substantial breakage or reduction of the material of the load.

By proceeding in the manner described, the loading operation will be greatly expedited and a marked economy of power effected since the necessity of frequent reversals of the hopper is eliminated and since the loading proceeds continuously with the discharge of material from the chute C.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure is of what is now considered a preferred embodiment, but that certain minor changes within the legitimate scope ofthe appended claims'may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or substance of the invention; and, therefore, that no specific descriptionherein contained is intended to impose any restriction upon the scope of the claims not inherent in their language or plain intent. v

I claim as my invention 1. In a car loader of the type set forth, the combination of an open ended hopper regularly curved from end to end thereof, a support for thehopper, the hopper being slidable in either direction of and substan tially throughout its length relatively to said support and the latter co-acting with the of said shaft and being the same as the direction of movement of said means, and a clutch for controlling the operation of said gearing whereby the hopper may be moved at will.

2. In a'car loader of the type set forth, the combination-of an open ended hopper regularly curved from end to end thereof, a supportfor the hopper, the hopper being slidable in either direction of and substantially throughout its length relatively to said support and the latter co-acting with the hopper whereby to cause the path of its slidable movement to conform to thecurved outline of the hopper, material engaging and moving means including an endless chain movable through thehop'per, a continuously operating reversible shaft for directly driving said chain to effect a continuous operation of said means in a direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of said shaft, gearingv operated by said shaft for effecting lengthwise movement of said hopper in the same direction in which'said chain is moved and including a rack bar provided externally of the hopper and extend- 7 ing between its ends and a pinion carried-by said support and engaging said rack bar as a driving element therefor, and a' clutch for controlling the operation of said gearing -whereby the hopper may be moved at will.

' 3. In a car loader of the type set forth,the combination of a main framemovable laterally toward and from the car, a loading hopper mounted on one end of said main frame, material discharging means cooperating with'said hopper, a chain wheel, a pair LQQQAZE of; sheaves carried by said main frame at opposite sidesiof said chain wheel, a single sheave carried by said main frame at a point remote from saidpair of sheaves, a chain trained over said chainwheel and over said sheaves and having an end portion extending from said singlesheave and an opposite end portion extendingfrom oneof said pair of sheaves, fixed devices independent ofthe main frame to which said endportionsare respectively connected in crossed relation, a

continuously drivenreversible main shaft carried by and disposed lengthwise ofsaidmain frame and" serving to operate said material discharging means, said chain wheel being loosely mountedon said shaft, and means for clutching said chain wheel'to' said shaft for operation thereby. I

4. In a car loader of the type set forth, the combination of a main framemounted for slidable movement toward and :from the car, an opensended loading hopper slidably mounted atone end of said main frame, a

support for said hopper, said support being mounted on saidmain frame to pivotabout a vert cal axis and in its movement effecting pivotal:movement of said hopper, material discharging means including, an endless chain movable lengthwise of said hopper, means for moving said hopperslidably at, s direction'of its length includingalongitudinally extensiblesystem of flexible shafting, said hopper supportingoneof the end elements-of said shafting, a support mounted on. the mainframe for the, other end element of said shafting, a continuously operated reversible mafin shaft carried by said main frame and disposed longitudinally 7, thereof for. operating said material discharging means, gearing connecting an ele-V ment of said flexible shafting'and said main shaft to effect longitudinal; movement 'of 5 said hopper in the same direction in which said material discharging means is {moved and a clutch for controlling the operation of said gearing whereby the hopper'may be moved at will. I

5. In a car loader of the type set fortlnin combination, a mainframe, an open-ended hopper, a support for the hopper having. an upright standard and a discal base rotatably mounted at an endof said main frame, the hopper being slidably fitted upon the upper end of the standard for movementiin the direction of its length and having at one side thereof a rack whichextends between its ends, a'pinion carried by said supportand engaging said rack, a continuously operable reversible, main shaft disposed longitudi- ,125 movable through the hopper and'provided I withlregularly, arranged material engaging v nally of said main frame, an endless chain arms, as sprocket arranged under said base by-osaid shaft, longitudinally extenv for operating said chain anddirectly driven sible flexible shafting for driving said pinion, gearing for driving said shafting from said main shaft to effect slidable movement of said hopper in the same direction as said chain, and a clutch for controlling the operation of said gearing whereby said hopper may be moved at will.

6. In a car loader of the type set forth, in combination, a main frame, an open-ended hopper, a support for the hopper having an upright standard and a discal base rotatably mounted at an end of said main frame, the hopper being slidably fitted upon the upper end of the standard for. movement in the direction of its length and having at one side thereof a rack which extends between its ends, a pinion carried by said support and engaging said rack, a continuously operable reversible main shaft disposed longitudinally of said main frame, an endless chain movable through the hopper and provided with regularly arranged material engaging arms, a sprocket arranged under said base for operating said chain and directly driven by said main shaft, longitudinally extensible flexible shafting for driving said pinion, gearing for driving said shafting from said main shaft to effect slidable movement of said hopper in the same direction as said chain, a clutch for controlling the operation of said gearing whereby said hopper may be moved at will, means connected to said standard for efiecting turning movement of said support, gearing for operating said last-named means from said main shaft, and a clutch controlling said last-named gearing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. HUNT. Witnesses H. N. Woonrono, MARIE RoBIsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G."

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