US1361252A - Safety device for ash-conveyer discharge-conduits - Google Patents

Description

L. A. GRIFFIN.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ASH CONVEYER DISCHARGE CO NDUITS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, I919.

1,361,252. f Patented Dec. 7,1920.

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2T o 0/ l-lllllll 50 /J 1 "III 5/ ;I h r 1 z T FEl n we i 63 L. A. GRIFFIN. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ASH CONVEYER DISCHARGE CONDUITS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, 1919.

1,361,252, Patented Dec. 2,1920;

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i i I WIIIIII UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LORNE A. GRIFFIN, OE EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STEAM CON- VEYOR CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ASH-CONVEYER DISCHARGE-CONDIIITS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. *7, 1920.

Application filed October 20, 1919. Serial No. 332,041.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LORNE A. GRIFFIN, a citizen of the United States, residin at E'vanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Ash-Conveyer Discharge-Conduits, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification.

My inventlon relates broadly to ash conveyers; more specifically, to the provision of devices for insuring the safety of a Workman entering an ash tank through the door or man-hole usually provided forthat purose. p Ash conveyers of the steam or pneumatic types as now generally used, comprise heavy pipe lines leading from a point at or adjacent to the furnaces from which the ashes are to be conveyed to an ash tank which, except for an air vent, is, usually closed. .The ashes are allowed to accumulate in this tank until the tank is full or until it is convenient to haul the ashes away. In addition, such conveyer conduits comprise hoppers at or near the furnaces for introducing the ashes. into the conduit and means accessible to the man at the furnaces for injecting steam under pressure into the conduit, or otherwise causing a violent draft in the conduit, to cause the ashes to travel from the hoppers to the ash tank. Such ash conveyer systems, generally speaking, are now quite well known, wherefore it will not be necessary for me to illustrate and describe all of the details thereof in this specification.

Due to the fact that the means for causing the ashes to travel through the conduit are ordinarily under the control of the engineer or fireman at the furnaces, workmen have heretofore been very loath to enter such ash tanks because of the ever present possibility that the man at the furnaces may turn on the steam, if it be a steam conveyer system, and strangle the workman in the tank with live steam and ash dust before he could get out of the tank, or before the discharge of steam and ashes could be discontinued. This same condition exists in penumatic ash conveyer systems where a fan or blower sets up the ash conveying draft in the conduit and where the operation of the fan or blower is under the control of someone other than the workman who is required to enter the ash tank. The object of my invention is to provide means for insuring that whenever a workman enters the ash tank for any purpose, the discharge end of the conveyer conduit will be effectively closed to prevent steam or ashes from entering the ash tank while the workman is engaged at Work therein, notwithstanding the fact that the man at the furnaces may turn on the steam or put the air draft mechanism in operation. I also contemplate that the same means which insures that the dis charge end of the conduit is closed when the workman enters the tank shall insure that, when the workman leaves the ,tank and closes the door or man-hole cover behind him, the discharge end of the conveyer conduit will be opened, thereby again placing the system entirely under the control of the man at the furnaces.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings whereinr Figure 1,, which is a view partly in section and partly in portion of an ash conveyer conduit and the ash tank in which said conduit terminates;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the discharge end of the conveyer conduit and the safety devices appurtenant thereto;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and v Fig. 4 illustrates my invention applied to an ash tank wherein the man-hole is provided with a hinged door as distinguished from the sliding door shown in Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings at 10, I have illustrated an ash tank which may be of any suitable construction and design, the same being provided at the bottom thereof with an ash outlet 11, provided; with the usual gate 12. The tank is conveniently carried on supports 1313 so that by opening gate 12 the ashes collected within the tank may be discharged directly into a car carried on track 14. a a

Except for the vent 15 the tank is normally closed. In certain respects, the tank herein shown and described is generally similar to the ash tank described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,211,310, dated elevation, illustrates a January 2nd, 1917. A portion of the ash conveyer conduit is shown at 16, the said conduit extending through the tank wall near the top thereof and passing through a deflector plate 17, which with the walls of the ash tank provides a segmental chamber with which the vent 15 communicates. The conduit is arranged to discharge against a baflie 18 which is conveniently provided with a hardened wear plate 19. In these respects the tank shown corresponds with that shown and described in my aforesaid patent. It will be understood, however, that my present invention is not' limited to use with any particular form of ash tank.

Formed in the top of the ash tank is a man-hole 20 provided with means for closing the same which, in Fig. 1 is illustrated in the form of a horizontal sliding door 21. At the discharge end of the conveyer conduit is a fitting 22, the end of which is conformed to cooperate with an arcuate gate 23, the side members 2424 of which are pivoted to the fitting 22 by bolts 25. A comparatively heavy weight 26 carried by the gate 23 at all times tends to hold the gate in the position shown in Fig. 2, the fitting 22 being provided with a shoulder 27 to prevent the weight 26 from carrying the gate downwardly past the position shown in Fig. 2. Having one end attached to the weight 26, passing over pulley 27 carried by the door of the ash tank and having its other end fastened to one side of the sliding door 21, is a link chain 28. r

In the normal operation of the conveyer system, the man-hole door 21 is closed and occupies the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the door 21 is in closed position, the chain 28 is drawn taut with the result that the gate 23 is held in open position, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. With the gate in raised or open position, the ash conveyer system maybe placed in operation and ashes discharged into the ash tank whenever desired. Before a workman can enter the ash tank, he must open the door 21. The opening of this door allows the chain 28 to become slackened with the result that the heavy weight 26 moves the gate 23 to closed position. A workman ordinarily descends into the tank by means of a ladder 29 placed against the side of the man-hole. Whatever be his means of descent, he will not,

' under any circumstances, close the manhole door 21 until he has completed his work and left the ash tank. Thus, it will be seen that whenever the door 21 is opened, the discharge end of the ash conveyer conduit is necessarily closed, with the result that there is no danger of a workman within the tank being sufi'ocated or injured by steam or ashes discharged from the conduit.

Another decided advantage of thespecific construction herein shown is the fact that if the chain 28 should become broken, the weight 26 will be free to hold the gate 23 in closed position, therefore, any breaking of the connection between the gate and the door will not make it possible for steam or ashes to be discharged into the tank while there is a workman therein.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 4c is generally similar to that shown in Fig. 1, except that in Fig. 4 the door 21 is pivoted at 21 In this case, the chain 28 which connects the door with the weight 26 passes through an aperture 30 in the to of the tank and passes over the pulley 2 which in this case is shown as located outside of the tank. The operation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4 is substantially like that of the apparatus shown in the preceding figures. WVhen the hinged door 21 is closed, chain 28 isdrawn taut and the gate is held in open position. Whenever the door is opened, the weight 26 holds the gate 22 in closed position and, of course, should the chain 28 become broken, the weight will insure the discharge end of the conduit being closed and, under no circumstances, permits steam or ashes to be discharged into the tank while there is a Workman engaged at work therein.

While I have herein illustrated two preferred embodiments ofmy invention, I do not limit myself to the construction herein shown, but claim all equivalent constructions embodying the'invention defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In combination witha tank for an ash conveyer system, an ash conveyer conduit extending into said tank and terminating therein, a manhole at the top of said tank, a door for closing said man-hole, a gate cooperating with the discharge end of said conduit arranged when in closed position effectively to close the discharge end of said conveyer conduit and when in open position to permit said conduit to discharge into said tank, means for moving said gate to closed position whenever the man-hole door is moved to open position and means for moving said gate to open position whenever said man-hole door is moved to closed position. 2. In combination with an ash receiving tank for an ash conveyer system, an ash conveyer conduit extending into said tank and terminating therein, an opening in said tank at the top thereof to afford access to the interior of the tank, a door therefor, a movable gate cooperating with the discharge end of said conduit, said gate being weighted and normally tendingto assume a position wherein it effectively closes the discharge end of said conduit, together with a connection between said gate and said door for holding said gate in open position when said door is in closed position and permitting said Weighted gate to assume its closed position whenever the door is moved to open position.

3. In combination with an ash receiving tank for an ash conveyer system, an ash conveyer conduit extending into said tank and terminating therein, an opening affording access to the interior of said tank, a

\ door for closing said opening, a gate for the discharge end of said conduit arranged when in closed position effectively to prevent said conduit from discharging into 15 in open position when the door is in closed 20 position.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 18th day of September, 1919.

LORNE A. GRIFFIN.

\Vitnesses E. M. RIFF, C. E. Hoqms.

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