US2033653A - Sluice rack cleaner - Google Patents

Description

mmh im m@ R scHmPAK ET AL. @wp@ SLUIGE RACK CLEANER l Juners' 2 Sheeiss-Shaat 1 ATTORNEY mmh l 3% R. SCHLAPAK m AL g@ SLUICE RACK CLEANER Filed June 8, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS f ATTORNEY f' Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLUICE RACK CLEANER Application June 8, 1933, Serial No. 674,970

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic apparatus for cleaning a straining rack of a sluiceway or flume, and more particularly to a machine for intermittently raking debris from the bars of said straining rack.

One object of this invention is to provide a cleaning device of the above nature having a reciprocating rake which operates on its upstroke to clean the flume rack.

A further object is to provide a fiume rack cleaning device of the above nature having means for ejecting all of the debris collected by said rake, when the latter is at the top of its stroke.

A further object is to provide a device of the above nature which will be comparatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, and very efiiicent and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view ythere have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings, two forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the sluicerack cleaner.

Fig. 2 is a right end view of the same, with the motor unit and supporting bracket removed.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of the worm shafts and the reciprocating rake as it appearswhen approaching its uppermost extremity.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the mechanism for ejecting the debris collected by the rake.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the spring jaws forming a part of the debris-ejecting means.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified form of ejecting means.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral I indicates a flume channel or sluice-way through which water is adapted to flow for any desired purpose, as for supplying power to a power plant. At the open end II of the sluice-way, provision is made of a slightly inclined grating or rack A comprising a plurality of spaced parallel bars I2. The rack A serves to prevent all floating matter, such as sticks, and leaves, from passing into said sluice-way,

Located in front of the rack A on opposite sides thereof are a pair of inclined worm shafts I3 and I4 having their lower ends journaled in a pair of bearings I and I6 secured to a horizontal cross member or beam Il positioned at the base of said rack. The upper ends of the worm shafts I3 and I4 are journaled in a similar pair of bearings I8 and I9 secured at the opposite ends of a cross `beam 20. The beam 29 is supported in a horizontal position above the sluiceway and rack A by means of a frame structure ZI which is preferably supported by means of a pair of angle irons 22 and 23 made rigid with the side walls of the sluice-way I0.

Motion is transmitted to the worm shafts I3 and I4 through a pair of worm wheels 24 and 25 secured to the top extremities of said shafts I3 and I4 above the bearings I5 and I6, said wheels 24 and 25 being adapted to engage a pair of worms 26 and 2l. The worms 26 and 2'I are rigid on a horizontal power shaft 28 rotatably journaled in a pair of bearing blocks 29 and 30 superimposed on the frame 2|, and said shaft 28 is adapted to be driven from any suitable source of power, such as an electric motor 3I, to which said shaft 28 is coupled by means of a flexible Coupling 32.

The motor 3| is of the reversible type and is electrically connected through a cable 33 to a switch unit 34. Both the motor 3| and switch 34 are supported on a frame bracket 35 attached to the right-hand side of the sluice-way I0, as viewed in Fig. 1.

Reciprocating rake The rake mechanism, which is illustrated in Figs. l and 2, adjacent the end of its down-stroke,

Vis driven up and down by a pair of traveling nuts or worm blocks 36 and 31 engaged on the opposite worm shafts I3 and I4. The blocks 36 and 31 are connected by a horizontal rake bar 39 and a heavy cylindrical shaft 38 parallel to said bar 39. 'Ihe rake bar 39 has its opposite ends 40 bent rearwardly to form bearings for pivotal engagement on the shaft 38.

A plurality of rearwardly projecting tooth members 4I are secured on the forward end of the bar 39, as by riveting. The front extremities of the teeth 4I are curved upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, and are adapted to project between the adjacent bars I 2 of the grating or rack A.

During'the up-stroke of the rake mechanism, the rake bar 39 and its attached teeth 4I are operative to remove the debris from the grating A. The bar 39 of the rake is adapted to be locked in this position by means of a pair of angular spring members 42 secured to the underside of the worm blocks 36 and 3l and having attached to their upper free ends a pair of offset detent dogs 43. The dogs 43 in turn are engaged in a pair of catch recesses 44 formed in the upper edges of the journaled ends 40, and said dogs 43 serve to effectively hold the rake bar 39 in the position shown in Fig. 2 until the rake mechanism approaches the end of its up-stroke, in which case the dogs 43 are automatically released from the recesses 44 by means of a pair of resilient curved strips 45 attached t0 the bearings I8 and I9v The strips are in vertical alinement with the dogs 43 and as the rake mechanism approaches the limit of its up-stroke, the lower ends 46 of said strips 45 engage a pair of shoulders 4l (see Fig. 3) on the dogs 43 and force the latter out of the recesses 44. When thus released, the rake bar 39 will swing about the shaft 38 and drop to the depending position shown in Fig. 4.

The rake bar 39 will remain in the depending position during the entire down-stroke, and at the end of said stroke will be relocked in its normal raking position by striking against a curved deflecting bracket 48 secured to the base of the sluiceway I0. The rake will be thereby rocked 96 degrees about the supporting shaft 38 until the dogs 43 are again caught by the catch recesses 44, whereby the rake will be held in the normal position, shown in Fig. 2, for the up-stroke.

In order to cause the rake to reverse its motion at the end of each up and down stroke, provision is made of a long slender reversing rod 49, rigidly secured to the side of the worm blocks 31 and extending upwardly parallel to and alongside the right-hand worm shaft |4. The rod 46 is slidably mounted within a switch-operating arm 56 extending out of the switch unit 34. The rod 49 is provided adjacent its upper and lower ends with a pair of adjustable collars 5| and 52.

As will be clear -from this construction, the lowermost collar 52 will engage the switch arm at the top of the up-stroke, and move it to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, reversing the direction of rotation of the motor 3|, and causing the rake mechanism to start on the down-stroke, at the end of which the uppermost collar 5| on the rod 49 will engage the arm 50 to move the switch downwardly and again reverse the motor 3|.

Rake cleaning mechanism In order to clean off the debris from the teeth 4| of the rake bar 39 at the top of each upstroke, provision is made of an ejector bar 53 carrying a plurality of teeth 54. The bar 53 has its ends 55 bent at right-angles, and said ends are pivotally supported on a horizontal shaft 56. 'Ihe shaft 56 in turn is rotatably journaled in a pair of bearing brackets 51 secured to the top part of the iiume I0. Attached to the left-hand end of the shaft 56, as viewed in Fig. l, is a substantially large worm wheel 58 intermeshed with a worm pinion 59 attached to the lower end of an oblique stud shaft 60 (see Fig. 2). The oblique shaft 66 is supported by means of a frame 6| attached to the flume D and is rotatably driven by means of a worm wheel 62 attached to the upper end of said shaft 60, said wheel 62 meshing with the worm 26 on the power shaft 28. The gear ratio between the Worm wheel 58 and the driving pinion 59 is such that the shaft 56 makes one complete revolution during each stroke of the rake mechanism.

The normal position of the ejector bar 53 is shown in Figs. l and 2, and when the rake is at the top of its up-stroke, the bar 53 will be automatically swung suddenly in a clockwise direction about the shaft 56 for cleaning the dbris from the rake teeth anad delivering it into a chute 64 located at one side thereof.

During the up-stroke of the rake mechanism, the horizontal shaft 56 will rotate in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, and while it is thus rotating, the ejector bar 53 will be held in the normal position shown in Fig. 2

by means of a pair of spring gripping fingers 65 (Fig. 5), having tight frictional engagement with a pair of extended knife edge ends 66 forming integral parts of the bent ends 55. The shaft 56 is provided with a transverse projecting pin 61 which is adapted to engage said bar 53 for rotating it with the shaft 56 to release the ends 66 from the gripping lingers 65, whereupon the bar 53 will be rapidly rotated in a clockwise direction about the shaft 56 by the influence of a spring 63.

During the down-stroke of the rake mechanism, the shaft 56 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction, and just prior to the end of said stroke, the pin 61 will kstrike against the opposite side of the discharge bar 53, and again force the knife blade ends 66 into the fingers 65 to hold said bar 53 in its normal position, the spring 63 being thus fully wound up during said up-stroke (see Fig. 4).

Operation In the operation of the flume cleaner, during the up-stroke, the teeth 4| of the rake bar 39 will collect any sticks, or other dbris which may be caught on the grating A, carrying such dbris to a position directly in front of the ejector bar 53 at the top of the up-stroke. At this time, the bar 53 will be automatically released from the gripping fingers 65, permitting the teeth 54 to spin around the shaft 56 and throw the dbris into the chute 64.

As the rake mechanism continues its upward stroke, the lower cam sections 46 of the two releasing members 45 Will strike the shoulders 41 of the detent dogs 43 and force said dogs out of the recesses 44. The rake bar 39 will thus be allowed to drop to the swinging depending ineffective position shown in Fig. 4. After the rake bar 39 has thus been released, the lower collar 52 on the reversing rod 49 will strike the arm 56 of the switch unit 34, and reverse the motor 3|. The rake bar 39 will then proceed in its down-stroke, and as it approaches the bottom thereof, it will be engaged by the curved deflecting bracket 48 and rotated about the shaft 38 in a counterclockwise direction until the detent dogs 43 are snapped into the catch recesses 44 for locking the rake bar in its normal raking position. Immediately thereafter, the top collar 5| on the rod 49 will engage the arm 56 and cause the switch mechanism to again reverse the direction of the motor 3|. This cycle of operations continues as long as desired, and the grating A will be maintained free from debris for permitting an unobstructed stream of water to flow through the flume |0.

M odijed form In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 6, the construction is identical in all rcspects to the first except in the form of the ejector mechanism. In the modified form, the ejector is caused to operate with a delayed action, which is effected by means of a cam 68 rigidly mounted on the shaft 56 outside of the ejector bar 53. A radial arm 69 is attached to the shaft 56 adjacent the cam 66 and is adapted to normally extend forwardly into alinement with an abutment roller 16 journaled in the upper end of a supporting plate 1|. The plate 1| is attached securely to the worm block 36.

A roller I2 is supported on the bifurcated end 13 of a reciprocating bar I4 slidably fitted in a housing 15 secured to the top of the flume |6.

The reciprocatory bar 14 is preferably made square to prevent rotation and is provided upon its inner end with a piston head 16 for abut ment against a substantially heavy helical spring 'ii' contained with a cylindrical chamber 13 in the housing 15. The tension of the spring 11 may be adjusted to any desired degree by means of another piston head 19 engaging the opposite end of said spring Vi and supported on the end of a toothed bar Se. The bar 8i) is engaged by a pinion di which may be manually operated by a hand wheel 82 for causing the piston head I9 to move in the chamber T8. When adjusted properly, the hand wheel 82 may be locked by any suitable holding device (not shown).

In the operation of the modiiied form of the invention, at the top of the up-stroke of the rake mechanism, the abutment roller 'id carried by the worm block 3B will engage the arm 69 and rotate the shaft 55 and its attached ejector bar 53 through an angle of substantially i5 degrees from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 6. During this rotation of the shaft 5G, the plunger bar 14 and head 'it will be forced rearwardly to compress the spring 'il within the chamber 13. At the moment that the roller 'IEB leaves the arm 6d in its up-stroke, the cam roller 12 will ride over the nose SS of the cam E8, and the spring 'I1 will come into action for causing the shaft 56 to rapidly rotate. Any debris which may be collected on the teeth 54 of the bar 53 will be thus thrown rearwardly away from the flume grating l i.

While there have been disclosed in this speciiication two forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

I-Iaving thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In an apparatus for cleaning a fiume grat- A ing, a pair of reversible vertical rotatable worm shafts located on opposite sides of the flume opening, a pair of traveling nuts mounted on said shafts and supporting a rake therebetween, and means for causing said rake to collect the debris from said grating while said rake is on its upstroke, and spring actuated oscillatory means for ejecting said dbris with a quick impetus from said rake at the top of said up-stroke. 2. In an apparatus for cleaning a flume grating, a pair of reversible vertical rotatable worm shafts located on opposite sides of the nume opening, a pair of traveling nuts mounted on said shafts and supporting a rake therebetween, and means for causing said rake to collect the dbris from said grating while said rake is on its upstroke, and detent-locked spring-actuated oscillatory means for suddenly ejecting said dbris from said rake at the top of said up-stroke.

3. In an apparatus for cleaning a flume grating, a rake structure including a horizontal rod and a rake bar pivotally mounted thereon having a series of projecting teeth, means for vertically reciprocating said rake structure in front of said rod so as to be clear of said grating during the down-stroke thereof.

4. In an apparatus for cleaning a flume grating, a rake structure including a horizontal rod and a rake bar pivotally mounted thereon having a series of projecting teeth, means for vertically reciprocating said rake structure in front of said grating, means for locking said rake bar upon said rod during its upward stroke whereby said teeth will project through said grating for collecting debris therefrom, oscillatory means located at the top of said grating for clearing the debris from said rake teeth and discharge the same forwardly from said grating at the top o the up-stroke of said rake. f

5. In an apparatus for cleaning a flume grating, a pair of reversible vertical rotatable Worm shafts located on opposite sides o-f the grating, a pair of traveling nut blocks mounted on said shafts on the same horizontal plane, a rake supporting member located in front of said grating and carried by said blocks, a rake bar on said supporting member having a series of projecting teeth, means carried by said blocks for holding said rake bar in front of said grating with its teeth projecting through said grating during its up-stroke, means operative at the end of the upstroke for automatically swinging the rake bar to cause the teeth to lie outside of said grating during the down-stroke thereof, means located at the bottom of the grating for automatically resetting the rake bar in debris-collecting position upon the support member at the end of its downstroke, and rocking means behind said grating at the top thereof for removing the debris from the teeth of said rake at the end of each upstroke and ejecting said debris forwardly away from said grating.

6. In an apparatus for cleaning a flume grating, a rake in front of said grating including a series of teeth, means for vertically reciprocating said rake for causing the teeth of said rake tocollect debris from said grating during the upstroke of said rake, and power-driven oscillatory rake-cleaning means located at the top of and behind said grating for automatically clearing the debris from said teeth and for discharging it forwardly from said grating at the end of the up-stroke of said rake.

7. In an apparatus for cleaning a flume grating, a rake located in front of said grating, means for reciprocating said rake up and down to remove debris from said grating during the upstroke thereof, oscillatory means behind said grating for cleaning said rake at the top of its stroke and discharging the debris forwardly, and means for causing the teeth of said rake to lie in vertical inactive position during the downstroke.

RUDOLPH SCHLAPAK. HENRY A. SCHLAPAK.

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